The Enola Gay's History Liv On > U.S. Department of Defense > Blog

Contents:

• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• ENOLA GAY
• CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN
• EXHIBG THE ENOLA GAY
• THE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORY
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• ENOLA GAY: THE BOMBER THAT END WORLD WAR II

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

The exhib markg the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II featurg the refurbished B-29 Enola Gay proposed by the Smhsonian's Natnal Air and Space Mm rulted fierce ntroversy over how history should reprent droppg an atom bomb on Japan.

Experience the evolutn of the Enola Gay ntroversy by readg through a chronologil list of documents divid to five rounds:. The ntroversy over how the Enola Gay should reprent history gradually be history self.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

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.

ENOLA GAY

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.

CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN

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

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. The Enola Gay, known only as No. 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.

THE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORYTHE FAL BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II: THE ENOLA GAY, THE SMHSONIAN, AND THE STGGLE OVER HISTORY

What some don’t know is that the Enola Gay flew that missn, too. 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. The origal patg of the words “Enola Gay” n still be seen on s si. 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. 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 INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

” 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.

In 2003 the fully rtored Enola Gay was put on display at the NASM’s Steven F. For the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Natnal Air and Space Mm (NASM) proposed an exhibn that would clu displayg the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortrs that was ed to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. Enola Gay, after the war.

ENOLA GAY: THE BOMBER THAT END WORLD WAR II

Followg World War II, the Enola Gay had been moved around om lotn to lotn. In 1961, the Enola Gay was fully disassembled and moved to the Pl E. The veterans formed “the Commtee for the Rtoratn and Proud Display of the Enola Gay” to raise funds.

Lenthal, who was on the advisory board of the Enola Gay exhib. This visn clud his nsc cisn to display the Enola Gay. At first, the Enola Gay was planned to be displayed at an annex NASM facily near Washgton Dull Internatnal Airport.