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

Contents:

• ENOLA GAY
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON
• THE ENOLA GAY: THE B-29 THAT CHANGED WARFARE
• THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB
• WATCH U.S. B-29 SUPERFORTRS ENOLA GAY CIMATE HIROSHIMA WH A NUCLEAR BOMB THE PACIFIC WAR
• WHY DID THE ENOLA GAY’S TAIL MARKGS CHANGE?
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• BOEG B-29 SUPERFORTRS "ENOLA GAY"
• ENOLA GAY: THE STORY OF THE MOST HISTORIC BOEG B-29
• THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• ENOLA GAY: THE B-29 AIRPLANE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
• ENOLA GAY DAN BOCKSR, DUA PAWAT PEMBAWA BOM ATOM MEMATIKAN
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER 1945
• WRIGHT R-3350: THE UNRAPPRECIATED MCLE BEHD ENOLA GAY, BOCKSR, AND SO MUCH MORE
• BOEG B - 29 AKA ENOLA GAY MPL3D MOL
• MICRAFT B-29A ENOLA GAY
• B29A ENOLA GAY/BOCKSR AIRCRAFT
• ENOLA GAY MUNNS LOADG
• CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY
• ENOLA GAY: WE VISED WH THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB

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.

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

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 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. 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.

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

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. Tibbets Jr., 30, had handpicked the airplane on the assembly le Nebraska three months before and had jt had his mother’s name, “Enola Gay, ” pated black letters on the the plane mbled down the airstrip at over 100 mph, he had his lucky cigarette se wh him one pocket, and a box ntag 12 cyani psul Aug.

Two other B-29s, the “Great Artiste” and “Necsary Evil, ” were supposed to go along to take pictur and rerd “Enola Gay” was the “strike ship.

”Fifteen hundred to the north-northwt, unr a wang crcent moon, lay a 400-year-old Japane cy most Amerins probably had never heard of but whose name was about to be etched to the pag of was an important enemy ary se wh a wartime populatn about 280, 000, acrdg to the historians Gordon Thomas and Max half of them were about to be cerated, cshed, and irradiated by the c atomic weapon named “Ltle Boy” that the Enola Gay of thoands more would die the same way at Nagasaki a few days later, and the world would subsequently be hearg about megatons, mutual assured stctn, proliferatn, nuclear wter, meltdowns and dirty would be the start of a ightful era of weapons that uld fy ntrol and menace as “Dimpl Eight Two” picked up speed that morng, s missn was born of s time: liver a blow that the Uned Stat hoped might fally end the global butchery of World War II. )This week, memoratns are schled across the untry, wh socially distanced ndlelight vigils and the tollg of bells, and bee of the vid-19, ceremoni and remembranc have moved Enola Gay, the Boeg B-29 Superfortrs that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, is seen on display July 29, 2020, at the Steven F.

THE ENOLA GAY: THE B-29 THAT CHANGED WARFARE

If this ighteng new weapon worked, the thkg went, would shorten the war, albe at a dreadful st human first the Enola Gay had to get off the ground.

William Parsons, who flew on the missn as the bomb bee of that risk, the 10-foot-long “Ltle Boy” had not yet been was a “gun-type” bomb, one which an explosive charge would fire a “subcril” piece of uranium 235 down a six-foot-long “gun” barrel to a send subcril piece of uranium, acrdg to Thomas and created cril mass and the explosive nuclear cha reactn that would lay waste to four cloth bags of explosive and the tonator would not be serted until the plane was the Enola Gay was now dog 180 mph but was nng out of ground. (Natnal Archiv)The weapon is hoisted to the bomb bay of the B-29 dubbed “Enola Gay” Augt 1945 on Tian Island the Northern Mariana Islands.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

So had an ternal radar system that tected the ground, tripped the tonator at that altu, and iated the tonatn bomb traveled for six and explod jt short of the Enola Gay, meanwhile, lurched upward on sheddg the weight of the bomb and executed a hairp turn to pe the expected shock wave of the first, the crew saw and felt nothg.

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. 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.

Tibbets, Jr., mand of the Superfortrs Enola Gay, dropped a highly enriched uranium, explosn-type, "gun-fired, " atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

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

In this article, we’ll look at the Enola Gay’s history, s velopment, the people who flew , the missns rried out, and where is now. In addn, the Enola Gay was not a simple B-29 but one of fifteen special B-29s lled “Silverplate” ed by the 509th Compose Group on Tian durg World War II.

WHY DID THE ENOLA GAY’S TAIL MARKGS CHANGE?

Source: The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs by Richard H. The B-29s ed the Pacific durg World War II, cludg the Enola Gay and the other Silverplate B-29s of the 509th Compose Group, had a un marker on the vertil stabilizer/dr surface.

While many people thk the Enola Gay didn’t take part any more bat missns after Hiroshima, rerds show was actually ed the Nagasaki atomic bombg missn on Augt 9, 1945.

But, when the cy of Chigo cid to build the airport there, the Smhsonian moved the Enola Gay to Pyote Air Force Base Texas on January 12, 1952, to be stored for a short time. Dpe spatial nstrats that preclud the full display of the entire 99-foot-long, 141-foot-wi aircraft, the mm managed to exhib other signifint ponents of the Enola Gay. Followg an extensive rtoratn procs volvg more than 44, 000 hours of meticulo labor, the Enola Gay was fally brought back to s full glory.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

Some of the center’s most notable exhibs clu the Space Shuttle Disvery, the SR-71 Blackbird (the world’s fastt jet), a Conr, and the Enola Gay (the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima). The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs by Richard H.

BOEG B-29 SUPERFORTRS "ENOLA GAY"

"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. The B-29 Superfortrs Enola Gay took off om the Mariana Islands on Augt 6, 1945, bound for Hiroshima, Japan, where, by droppg an atomic bomb, herald a new and terrible ncept of warfare.

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.

ENOLA GAY: THE STORY OF THE MOST HISTORIC BOEG B-29

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. 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 ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

The Smhsonian has been at the center of bat over those differg perspectiv terms of the terpretatn and public display of Enola Gay.

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.

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

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.

ENOLA GAY DAN BOCKSR, DUA PAWAT PEMBAWA BOM ATOM MEMATIKAN

Stan Harris of Brighton, Colorado, wr wh a qutn about the Enola Gay, the Boeg B-29 Superfortrs that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Augt 6, 1945.

The Enola Gay tail markg was changed om the circle-arrow to circle-R, which was the markg for the 6th Bomb Group, 313th Wg, North Field, Tian.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER 1945

Krss not that while three B-29s of the 509th did have a square-P tail mark (which stood for the 39th Bomb Group, 314th Wg, North Field, Guam) while on Tian, the Enola Gay was not among them. The Enola Gay and other 509th bombers also had the last two digs of their serial numbers pated on the nose and on the felage near the tail. It’s possible, Krss says, that the Enola Gay might have had a P on s tail when flew as one of 13 B-29s performg weather and radlogil rennaissance missns Operatn Crossroads, the atomic bomb tts at Biki atoll July 1946, “but not durg s time on Tian.

WRIGHT R-3350: THE UNRAPPRECIATED MCLE BEHD ENOLA GAY, BOCKSR, AND SO MUCH MORE

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.

BOEG B - 29 AKA ENOLA GAY MPL3D MOL

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.

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.

MICRAFT B-29A ENOLA GAY

Polished alumum fish overall, standard late-World War II Army Air Forc signia on wgs and aft felage and serial number on vertil f; 509th Compose Group markgs pated black; "Enola Gay" black, block letters on lower left nose.

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 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.

B29A ENOLA GAY/BOCKSR AIRCRAFT

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. Over time, the mm is addg teractive ponents to displays at the Udvar-Hazy Center and historic footage volvg Enola Gay has been clud the velopment of hand-held teractive guis. In October 2004, the Udvar-Hazy Center hosted a Natnal Air and Space Society lecture by Enola Gay pilot Pl Tibbets and crew members Theodore Van Kirk and Morris Jeppson.

The exhib plan at the Udvar-Hazy Center, cludg the Enola Gay label and text s sectn, do not glorify or vilify the role this aircraft played history. Specially modified to do an unthkable but necsary job, this well-known B-29 was named Enola Gay- the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb.

ENOLA GAY MUNNS LOADG

Enola Gay parted North Field the pany of two other Silverplate B-29s: The Great Artiste, rryg stmentatn, and an addnal B-29 to take photographs.

The 509th and Enola Gay flew stati to Roswell AAF and operated there om November 1945 until May of 1946, when the plane flew wt to another Pacific statn- this time Kwajale for Operatn Crossroads. The well-known bomber was then ferried om one Air Force Base to another until 1961, when Enola Gay was disassembled and tcked to the Smhsonian Instutn storage facily Suland, Maryland.

CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY

Related Topics509th Compose GroupB-29Boeg B-29Enola GayMart-Built B-29Pl TibbetsRoswell AAFSilverplateSilverplate B-29Wendover AFB. 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. 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 Enola Gay is the B-29 Superfortrs bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb, -named "Ltle Boy", to be ed war, by the Uned Stat Army Air Forc (USAAF) the attack on Hiroshima, Japan on 6 Augt 1945, jt before the end of World War II. The Enola Gay gaed addnal natnal attentn 1995 when the ckp and nose sectn of the aircraft was exhibed at the Natnal Air and Space Mm (NASM) of the Smhsonian Instutn downtown Washgton, D.

ENOLA GAY: WE VISED WH THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB

The Enola Gay (B-29-45-MO, serial number 44-86292, victor number 82) was assigned to the USAAF's 393d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, 509th Compose Group. The Enola Gay was acpanied by two other B-29s, Necsary Evil which was ed as a mera plane to photograph the explosn and effects of the bomb and rry scientific observers, and The Great Artiste which was the blast measurement stmentatn aircraft. Durg July of that year, after the bomber flew eight trag missns and two bat missns to drop pumpk bombs on dtrial targets at Kobe and Nagoya, Enola Gay was ed on 31 July on a rehearsal flight for the actual missn.

On 5 Augt 1945, durg preparatn for the first atomic missn, pilot Colonel Pl Tibbets who assumed mand of the aircraft, renamed the B-29 after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets (1893–1983), who, cintally, had been named for the heroe of a novel. The Hiroshima missn had been scribed as tactilly flawls, and Enola Gay returned safely to s base on Tian to great fanfare on the base. On 6 November 1945, Lewis flew the Enola Gay back to the Uned Stat, arrivg at the 509th's new base at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexi, on 8 November.

Enola Gay beme the center of a ntroversy at the Smhsonian Instutn 1994, when the mm put s felage on display as part of an exhib memoratg the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombg of Hiroshima.

The exhib, "The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Cold War", was drafted by the Smhsonian's Natnal Air and Space Mm and arranged around the rtored Enola Gay.