The Enola Gay Controversy - About - Overview

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.

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.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

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.

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. 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.

CONTROVERSY OVER THE ENOLA GAY EXHIBN

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.

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.

EXHIBG THE ENOLA GAY

"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.

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

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.

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 INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

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.

ENOLA GAY: THE BOMBER THAT END WORLD WAR II

The Enola Gay had recently fished beg renovated and the mm had been ncerned about transportatn and reassemble fe; therefore, the proposed annex appeared to be a ftg lotn. They cid to exhib the Enola Gay at the annex, wh an acpanyg msage about the dangers of strategic bombg and latn.

Commtee member Admiral Noel Gayler believed that any exhibn of the Enola Gay would imply “that we are celebratg the first and so far the only e of nuclear weapons agast human begs. ” Still, Harw phed for a follow-up wh an exhibn on World War II that would clu the Enola Gay.

While they were “unanimo agreeg that the Enola Gay is an artifact of pivotal signifince and that should be exhibed, ” they asked the mm to avoid discsg the cisn to drop the bomb and to nsir an alternative se, such as an armed servic mm. The planned exhibn was replaced by a simple display of the felage of Enola Gay wh ltle historil ntext. Officials om the Universy stated was not tend as a replacement for the Enola Gay exhibn at the Smhsonian.