The Smhsonian Air and Space Mm's Enola Gay exhib (photos) | CNN

Contents:

• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• INSI THE ENOLA GAY
• THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB
• THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• ENOLA GAY
• INSI THE ENOLA GAY
• TAKE A TOUR OF THE ENOLA GAY, THE U.S. PLANE THAT BOMBED HIROSHIMA
• TOURG THE SMHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MM’S ENOLA GAY EXHIB
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON
• THE SMHSONIAN’S DECISN TO EXHIB THE ‘ENOLA GAY’

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB

The Enola Gay is a B-29 Superfortrs, which pilot Pl Tibbets named after his mother, and which had been stripped of everythg but the necsi, so as to be thoands of pounds lighter than an ordary plane of that make.

While did not drop the bomb on Nagasaki, the Enola Gay did take flight to get data on the weather the lead-up to the send strike on Japan. In the aftermath of World War II, the Army Air Forc flew the Enola Gay durg an atomic tt program the Pacific; was then livered to be stored an airfield Arizona before beg flown to Illois and transferred to the Smhsonian July 1949. But even unr the ctody of the mm, the Enola Gay remaed at an air force base Texas.

The Commtee for the Rtoratn and Display of the Enola Gay now has 9, 000 signatur of prott.

INSI THE ENOLA GAY

Adams, who is leavg his job after 10 relatively ntroversy-ee years, sent back a three-page answer stiffly turng down her requt for the Enola Gay.

Demonstrators prott at the Enola Gay exhib at the the Smhsonian Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F. And as long as is on display, the qutns rais are likely to ntue — after all, they have been wh the Enola Gay sce first beme a hoehold name. "Of all the World War II aircraft  the llectn of the Natnal Air and Space Mm, the most signifint is the Enola Gay.

See the gallery below for more imag of the Enola Gay, which are om the book unls otherwise noted. Army Air Forc accepted the Enola Gay on June 14, 1945, as World War II was g to an end.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

In this 1945 image taken on the island of Tian, officers salute each other ont of the Enola Gay as photographers and men look on. Tibbets (pilot and missn manr) pose the ckp of the Enola Gay at the Natnal Air and Space Mm’s Steven F. On Augt 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the cy of Hiroshima.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

"Colonel Ferebee died Florida 2000, at the age of Air Force radar specialist Jab Ber was the only man who served on both the Enola Gay the Hiroshima bombg missn and the Bock's Car three days later when s crew bombed Nagasaki. "Stiborik died of a heart attack 1984 at age Jeppson was only 23 years old when he was assigned to acpany the atomic bomb on the Enola Gay. "Nelson died om emphysema 2003 at age Gay tail gunner Bob Caron wrote a book about the missn lled Fire of a Thoand Suns.

He was 75 years Duzenbury kept tabs on the Enola Gay's eng and other systems while others tend the bomb and the missn self. "Duzenbury died 1992 at age Shumard assisted flight engeer Wyatt Duzenbury keepg the Enola Gay nng.

While this exhib is now closed, Mm specialists ntued to rtore the remag ponents of the airplane, and after an addnal ne years the fully assembled Enola Gay went on permanent display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm’s Steven F. This past exhibn, cidg wh the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, told the story of the role of the Enola Gay securg Japane surrenr. It ntaed several major ponents of the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber ed the atomic missn that stroyed Hiroshima, Japan.

ENOLA GAY

A vio prentatn about the Enola Gay's missn clud terviews wh the crew before and after the missn cludg missn pilot Col. Another portn of the exhib tailed the pastakg efforts of Smhsonian aircraft rtoratn specialists who had spent more than a rtorg parts of the Enola Gay for this exhibn.

Seventy-five years ago, the Uned Stat dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, brgg an end to a long and vastatg World War II and makg the Enola Gay, the B-29 that livered , one of the most famo history.

He handpicked the plane the night before the missn, to the surprise of s crew, and had his mother’s name -- Enola Gay -- pated on s si. It was a moment for which none of the Enola Gay’s crew -- away by then, but still rocked by the blast -- was que prepared. Some fly ahead to check the weather to see what ’s like at the actual target, and Enola Gay was part of that for Nagasaki, " Kney said.

INSI THE ENOLA GAY

After the bombgs and the war’s quick end, the Enola Gay remaed wh the Army Air Forc, takg part the Biki Atoll atomic tts before beg shipped to the Smhsonian 1960.

While no members of the crew that flew the Enola Gay rema to tell s story, the aircraft liv on for visors.

TAKE A TOUR OF THE ENOLA GAY, THE U.S. PLANE THAT BOMBED HIROSHIMA

"Enola Gay is a regnized airplane of World War II, and people want to see , " Kney said. "They want to see the spachip Disvery, they want to see the [SR-71] Blackbird, and they want to see the Enola Gay. Enola Gay, the B-29bomber that was ed by the Uned Stat on Augt 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the first time the explosive vice had been ed on an enemy target.

” The Enola Gay—Tibbets had a matenance man pat that name on the aircraft’s nose shortly before takeoff—was acpanied by var other plan. Tibbets flew the Enola Gay back to Tian, where he was award the Distguished Service Cross.

Three days later the Enola Gay nducted weather rennaissance the lead-up to the bombg of Nagasaki, Japan. Japan officially surrenred on September 2, Enola Gay remaed service for several years before beg given to the Smhsonian Instutn on July 3, 1949.

TOURG THE SMHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MM’S ENOLA GAY EXHIB

The historic Boeg B-29 Enola Gay is shown here jt after beg rtored and re-assembled 2003. For accuracy purpos "only" there are a number of issu wh this current Inter Archive "Insi The Enola Gay" vio. •Startg at 0:42 all of the Taxi, takeoff and flight footage of the B-29 are not Enola Gay.

All of the above brgs to qutn the ternal aircraft film footage and is spected this footage is also of a standard B-29 and not the Enola Gay or other Silverplate.

It is unclear why the producers of this film (ially perhaps MED or AEC [unknown productn date]; NARA: filed as Department of Energy (DoE) rerd group at the Natnal Archiv) would select a standard B-29 as a Stand- for Enola Gay, perhaps ltle film footage of Silverplate's flight or for secury purpos. Bomber Enola Gay dropped the first ever Atomic bomb on the Japane cy of Hiroshima. 13 died last weekHiroshima bombg anniversaryTake a tour of the Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima 69 years agoOn Augt 6, 1945 the U.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

Natnal Air and Space the vio above, the CBC’s Meagan Fzpatrick gets a tour of the Enola Gay at the Steven F. (Associated Prs)At the time of s missn, the Enola Gay was among the most sophistited, propeller-driven bombers the sky durg the Send World War, acrdg to the Smhsonian.

Enola Gay: Today, Enola Gay -- the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima -- is parked at the Smhsonian Air and Space Mm Chantilly, Virgia. A somber artifact: Jeremy Kney, curator at the Smhsonian Air and Space Mm, stands ont of Enola Gay. The ckp: Visors to the Smhsonian Air and Space Mm Chantilly, Virgia, n look down to the ckp of Enola Gay.

HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON

Terntental bomber: Enola Gay was signed to be an terntental bomber, one that uld fly om the ntental US to Europe se Bra fell to Nazi Germany. Photo Cred: WikipediaThe Enola Gay was a Boeg B-29 Superfortrs bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Pl Tibbets. Lewis durg the fal stag of World War II, beme the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb Day the Enola Gay Arrived on Tian North Fieldby MSgt William M.

So that is exactly what I did not realizg, until fifty-two years later, when gog through some old war photos my Bomb Group Album that I had taken a picture of the Enola Gay the day that arrived on Tian. The arrow on the vertil f of the Enola Gay was replaced wh the 6th Bomb Group Insignia that nsisted of a black R si a black circle. The terview wh Jim Miller took place at the Boise, Idaho rnn 2018 by Fran and Shirley Bat, newsletter edors, and appeared a subsequent Gay on Tian wh the 6th Bomb Groub.

Why is the B-29 Superfortrs Enola Gay among the artifacts displayed at the Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F. The Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortrs that 1945 was ed to drop the first atomic weapon ed bat on Hiroshima, Japan, is currently one among 104 aircraft exhibed the center's aviatn hangar.

THE SMHSONIAN’S DECISN TO EXHIB THE ‘ENOLA GAY’

Prervg and displayg the Enola Gay fs wh the missn of the Natnal Air and Space Mm, given to by Congrs s foundg legislatn:. The Enola Gay rts on three eight-foot-high stands to enable viewg om var levels and for the display of smaller aircraft below the airplane's wgs. Enola GayBoeg's B-29 Superfortrs was the most sophistited propeller-driven bomber of World War II, and the first bomber to hoe s crew prsurized partments.

The Enola Gay was ed to rry out the first atomic bomb missn and is perhaps the bt-known aircraft om World War II. Of the 15 B-29s built for atomic bombg missns, only two still exist--Enola Gay and Bocksr, which is displayed at the Natnal Mm of the Uned Stat Air Force Oh.