What Was the Enola Gay? | At the Smhsonian | Smhsonian Magaze

Contents:

• WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?
• ENOLA GAY
• THE REAL MEANG BEHD THE NAME ENOLA GAY, THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB
• 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 ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON
• ENOLA GAY: THE B-29 AIRPLANE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• THE ENOLA GAY: A MOR MYSTERY, SOLVED!
• RARE PHOTOS SURFACE OF ENOLA GAY, BOCKSR
• WATCH U.S. B-29 SUPERFORTRS ENOLA GAY CIMATE HIROSHIMA WH A NUCLEAR BOMB THE PACIFIC WAR
• WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE PLANE THAT WAS ENOLA GAY’S BACKUP?

WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?

For famo reasons, only is one of jt 26 Boeg B-29 bombers still existg, but is also the plane that dropped the nuclear bomb over Hiroshima to the effort of the Smhsonian staff members, Enola Gay is on public display today.

It stood for s abandoned, left outsi to the elements, souvenir hunters, and the Enola GayEnola Gay is a Boeg B-29 Superfortrs bomber aircraft manufactured B-29 Superfortrs was a 4-enge, propeller-driven bomber aircraft and was one of the most advanced aircraft World War II. When the B-29 entered service 1944, was one of the largt aircraft all of World War Gay left the assembly le on 18 May 1945 Bellevue, Nebraska, and stayed service until s retirement on 24 July 1946.

It is one of only 65 B-29s built unr the "Silverplate" specifitns, makg them pable of rryg nuclear Enola Gay on Tian the Marianas Islands where took off before bombg Hiroshima Gay beme the first aircraft to drop a nuclear bomb warfare spe s short service life. He had named the bomber after his mother, Enola Gay explosn stroyed about 75% of the cy, killg tens of thoands.

ENOLA GAY

Wh the nuclear bomb over Nagasaki three days later, the attacks ultimately end World War Bombg of HiroshimaWhile still on the assembly le, Enola Gay, pilot Pl W. When livered to the USAF on 18 May 1945, they assigned to 393d Bombardment July 1945, Enola Gay flew eight trag flights and two missns to drop nventnal bombs over Kobe and 5 Augt, Tibett assumed mand of the B-29 and named after his mother.

Enola Gay took off om the Northern Mariana Islands on 6 Augt, piloted by Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay wav om the ckp before takg off to Hiroshima on 6 Augt other B-29s rted Enola Gay on the missn and provid measurg and photography equipment. The flight to Japan took about 6 hours, and Enola Gay arrived over Hiroshima clear weather at 32.

As planned, Enola Gay released the "Ltle Boy" bomb at 8:15 am lol Boy took 53 sends to reach tonatn height 600 meters above the cy. 000 people, 30% of the cy's populatn, were Gay returned safely to the Northern Mariana Islands to great applse 12 hours after the war, Enola Gay was a ndidate for the nuclear tt program at the Biki Atolls but was ultimately not selected. Enola Gay did not serve aga and retired 2003, the Enola Gay has been on public display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm Washgton, 1946 the Air Force cid to prerve Enola Gay.

THE REAL MEANG BEHD THE NAME ENOLA GAY, THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB

The Air Force gave the aircraft to the Smhsonian Instutn, but they lacked Gay was left outdoors durg s storage as the Air Force had no hangar space available.

The plane's rtoratn beme a prry 1983 when the mm got a new director, a former Air Force Enola Gay at the Natnal Air and Space Mm Washgton, DC. The bomber airplane beme the first to drop a nuclear weapon warfare when the Uned Stat bombed Hiroshima on 6 Augt World War 2, Enola Gay was left outsi for s, exposed to weather, souvenir hunters, and animals.

The staff pleted the rtoratn 2003 and put Enola Gay on display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm Washgton, DC, where you n see today.

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

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.

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

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.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

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.

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. 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.

CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN

” 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. Three days later the Enola Gay nducted weather rennaissance the lead-up to the bombg of Nagasaki, Japan.

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

Japan officially surrenred on September 2, Enola Gay remaed service for several years before beg given to the Smhsonian Instutn on July 3, 1949. However, several plane nam of the World War II-era are known exclively by their name, cludg the famo Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber that was ed to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan (via Branni). Yet the Enola Gay, another animate object, had a dark tentn — the vice was schled to drop an atomic bomb on an enemy target.

It's important to note that durg the war, not many plan which were mass-produced were given as much fanfare, so the Enola Gay stood out om the pack.

ENOLA GAY: THE B-29 AIRPLANE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

On Augt 5, 1945, the 29-year-old Tibbets formally named his B-29 "Enola Gay" after his mother (née Haggard). In 1995, the Natnal Air and Space Mm hosted a ntroversial exhib of the Enola Gay to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. The fully reassembled Enola Gay is now on display permanent display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F.

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. 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.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

On Augt 6, 1945, the crew of a modified Boeg B-29 Superfortrs named Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ed warfare, lled “Ltle Boy, ” on the cy of Hiroshima, Japan. As a new and adly weapon, an atomic bomber, Enola Gay facilated a turng pot human history as hered the dawn of the Atomic Age and the threat of nuclear war. Upon visual lotn of Hiroshima, Tom Ferebee aimed for the cy center and Enola Gay dropped the “Ltle Boy” bomb om 31, 000 feet at 9:15 am.

After “Ltle Boy” left the forward bomb bay, Enola Gay lurched upward, and Tibbets iated a high angle evasive manver to get as far away om Hiroshima as possible.

THE ENOLA GAY: A MOR MYSTERY, SOLVED!

Enola Gay tail gunner Bob Caron took this picture of the cloud of smoke billowg 20, 000 feet above Hiroshima after the explosn of the Ltle Boy atomic bomb on Augt 6, 1945.

The history and memory of Enola Gay and s part the atomic attacks on Japan, and their effect on endg the war the Pacific and the nuclear tensns of the Cold War, reflects differg viewpots. The Smhsonian has been at the center of bat over those differg perspectiv terms of the terpretatn and public display of Enola Gay.

RARE PHOTOS SURFACE OF ENOLA GAY, BOCKSR

Enola Gay was to be the central artifact a planned exhibn at the Mm examg the atomic bombgs durg the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. In a revised exhibn, Enola Gay’s forward felage and bomb bay, two eng, a propeller, and other ponents, cludg a activated Ltle Boy bomb, went on display the Natnal Mall Buildg om June 1995 to May 1998.

WATCH U.S. B-29 SUPERFORTRS ENOLA GAY CIMATE HIROSHIMA WH A NUCLEAR BOMB THE PACIFIC WAR

Udvar-Hazy Center opened December 2003, the fully-assembled Enola Gay went on permanent display the World War II Aviatn display area the Boeg Aviatn Hangar. The display of the Enola Gay has generated a variety of rpons rangg om public protts  1995 and 2003 to opposg pots of view exprsed  alternative exhibns, petns, and reports, and ntu to serve as a se study  prentg history the public sphere that is vigoroly discsed and bated to this day. The flight of the Enola Gay on Augt 6, 1945, signifi an end and a begng terms of our evolvg unrstandg of technology and warfare the twentieth century.

WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE PLANE THAT WAS ENOLA GAY’S BACKUP?

Tibbets, Jr., mand of the Superfortrs Enola Gay, dropped a highly enriched uranium, explosn-type, "gun-fired, " atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The airplane's last flight end on December 2 when the Enola Gay touched down at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. 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.