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

Contents:

• ENOLA GAY
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• THE REAL MEANG BEHD THE NAME ENOLA GAY, THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB
• THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• EXHIBG THE ENOLA GAY
• ENOLA GAY: WHAT EXACTLY WAS IT AND WHO USED IT?
• ENOLA GAY: THE BOMBER THAT END WORLD WAR II
• IN 1955 AN AMERIN TV SHOW DID THE UNTHKABLE: IT AMBHED A HIROSHIMA SURVIVOR WH AN ENOLA GAY PILOT
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON
• INSI THE ENOLA GAY
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER 1945
• THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB
• CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN
• QUé PASó N EL ENOLA GAY, EL BOMBARRO QUE LANZó LA PRIMERA BOMBA ATóMI LA HISTORIA

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.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

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.

In 2003 the fully rtored Enola Gay was put on display at the NASM’s Steven F. On permanent display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm’s Udvar-Hazy Center Chantilly, Virgia, the Enola Gay was donated to the Smhsonian Instutn by the U.

Although missg a few parts, the Enola Gay is now rtored so generatns of Amerins n see the plane that left an lible mark the annals of time. But you have to be that wh the missn of the Enola Gay, which brgs the dimensn of the role of technology war. As the Enola Gay ma s fal approach to Hiroshima that day, Tibbets ascend to 31, 000 feet, then turned over ntrols to Ferebee.

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

The Enola Gay was then buffeted vlently when stck by two shock wav—one direct and the other reflected om the ground.

In 1995, a 50th anniversary exhibn of the end of World War II, anized by curators and the director at the Natnal Air and Space Mm and displayg the felage of the Enola Gay, met wh unprecented cricism after veterans groups cricized the exhibn’s script for beg overly sympathetic to the Japane and the mm’s historians for beg misleadg and unpatrtic. The Enola Gay was the bt aircraft of s era, but the velopment of that technology me wh a price. When the rtored Enola Gay went on permanent display 2003 at the Udvar-Hazy Center, attracted que a b of attentn.

The rtored Enola Gay is now on view at the Smhsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center Chantilly, Virgia.

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

For years after the war, the crew of the Enola Gay never wavered their belief they did what they had to do. After the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug.

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.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

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. 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.

EXHIBG THE ENOLA GAY

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. 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. 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.

ENOLA GAY: WHAT EXACTLY WAS IT AND WHO USED IT?

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. 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off for Hiroshima, an important Japane ary center. 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.

ENOLA GAY: THE BOMBER THAT END WORLD WAR II

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. 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.

IN 1955 AN AMERIN TV SHOW DID THE UNTHKABLE: IT AMBHED A HIROSHIMA SURVIVOR WH AN ENOLA GAY PILOT

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

"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.

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

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. Many veterans had advoted for the display of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortrs ed to drop the bombs, as a celebratn of Amerin triumph over Japan, but there were already ncerns that the Smhsonian was creatg a polilly rrect, revisnist terpretatn of the events.

INSI THE ENOLA GAY

Harw rigned on May 2, 1995, jt days before he was schled to ttify Senate June 28, 1995, an exhibn, simply tled "Enola Gay, " opened at the Natnal Air and Space Mm. Unlike the ncelled exhibn, "Enola Gay" ntaed no terpretatn, no graphic imag, and no melted objects.

Only the felage was on display, acpanied by basic facts and rmatn about the plane's entire Enola Gay bomber is currently on display the "World War II Aviatn" exhibn at the Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F.

Related RourcCollectns related to the Enola Gay, Smhsonian Instutn ArchivThe Enola Gay: A Natn's, and a Mm's, Dilemma, Edorial by Mart Harw, The Washgton Post, Augt 7, 1994Special Report: The Smhsonian and the Enola Gay, Air Force Associatn, March 15, 1994Smhsonian Cancels Exhib on Atomic Bomb, The Baltimore Sun, January 31, 1995Recent Acquisn - Rerds om Mart Harw, Director, NASM, 1986-1995, The Bigger Picture, Smhsonian Instutn Archiv. Tibbets, Jr., mand of the Superfortrs Enola Gay, dropped a highly enriched uranium, explosn-type, "gun-fired, " atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER 1945

Enola Gay flew as the advance weather rennaissance aircraft that day. The airplane's last flight end on December 2 when the Enola Gay touched down at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The staff at Garber began workg to prerve and rtore Enola Gay December 1984.

Gay was the name of the Boeg B-29 Superfortrs bomber that was ed to drop the atomic bomb on the Japane cy of Hiroshima durg World War II. The Enola Gay was built by Boeg Aircraft Wicha, Kansas, and was livered to the Uned Stat Army Air Forc on May 18, 1945.

On Augt 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off om Tian Island, rryg the first atomic bomb, -named “Ltle Boy”. The Enola Gay and s crew of 12 flew towards Hiroshima, which was a major dtrial cy and a ary target. After the Hiroshima bombg, the Enola Gay ntued to serve the Uned Stat Army Air Forc until 1946, when was retired and placed storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Arizona.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

The Enola Gay unrwent extensive rtoratn and prervatn work the 1980s, and was put on display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm 1995.

The Enola Gay remas on display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm to this day. The Enola Gay ntu to be a symbol of the atomic bombg of Hiroshima and the vastatg impact of nuclear weapons. Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortrs, was placed to service May of 1945, toward the end of the Send World War.

CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN

The story of the Enola Gay actually starts before the outbreak of the War the Pacific.

At the head of the 509th, Tibbets piloted the B-29 Superfortrs—which he named for his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets—that led the bombg of the two ci. On Augt 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb—known as "Ltle Boy"—on the cy of Hiroshima.

Three days later, Enola Gay and Tibbets were schled to return to the ski for the bombg of Kokura. Enola Gay’s service ntued, however, and she returned to the Uned Stat where she first operated out of Roswell, New Mexi. In 1946, Enola Gay took part another nuclear actn, specifilly the Operatn Crossroads atomic ttg the South Pacific.

QUé PASó N EL ENOLA GAY, EL BOMBARRO QUE LANZó LA PRIMERA BOMBA ATóMI LA HISTORIA

In the 1980s, veterans groups lobbied the Smhsonian to put the Enola Gay on public display.