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

enola gay b29 plane

After the Enola Gay beme the first plane to drop an atomic bomb — on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945 — the B-29 bomber stayed airborne.

Contents:

ENOLA GAY

Enola Gay, the B-29 heavy bomber that was ed by the Uned Stat on Augt 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time the explosive vice had been ed on an enemy target, and stroyed most of the cy. The aircraft was named after the mother of pilot Pl Warfield Tibbets, Jr. * enola gay b29 plane *

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

* enola gay b29 plane *

Japan officially surrenred on September 2, Enola Gay remaed service for several years before beg given to the Smhsonian Instutn on July 3, 1949. 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. 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

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 b29 plane *

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. 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.

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

The Enola Gay ss on display today, but took a long road to get there. * enola gay b29 plane *

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. 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. 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.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

This 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. * enola gay b29 plane *

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. 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.

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

The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, 75 years ago, brgg an end to World War II and makg the Enola Gay one of the most famo B-29s history., * enola gay b29 plane *

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. The Enola Gay, known for droppg the first atomic bomb, was volved nuclear weapons tts before beg prerved for historil purpos.

Controversy surroundg the exhib foced on the balance between Japane sualti and the bomb's role endg the war, sparkg ongog discsns about how to appropriately display and remember the Enola Gay.

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

The Enola Gay, fully rtored and on view at the Smhsonian, left an lible mark * enola gay b29 plane *

Followg succsful ttg wh the project, Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortrs bomber, beme famed for droppg the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, Augt 1945. After pletg s Augt 1945 missn, the Enola Gay returned to the Uned Stat and arrived at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexi, November 1945. The tle was transferred om the ary to the Smhsonian Instutn Augt 1946, and the Enola Gay was removed om the USAF ventory.

BOEG B-29 SUPERFORTRS "ENOLA GAY"

On Augt 6, 1945 the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the first ever Atomic bomb on the Japane cy of Hiroshima. Today, the re-assembled Boeg B-29 Superfortrs remas a powerful symbol of the bombg. * enola gay b29 plane *

Boyne, a former B-52 pilot, beme director of the Natnal Air and Space Mm and prrized the rtoratn of the Enola Gay.

The Enola Gay beme the center of ntroversy when the Smhsonian planned to exhib s felage 1995, memoratg the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombg. The display of the Enola Gay aga sparked further ntroversy, wh some argug for a more nuanced prentatn of s history.

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.

PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS FOR HIROSHIMA

Bound for sty and Hiroshima, the Enola Gay rried 12 men, hope, and the power for epic stctn. The silver airplane, named for the pilot’s mother, barely got off the ground that morng wh the world’s first atomic bomb. * enola gay b29 plane *

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.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

B-29 Enola Gay Superfortrs Bomber Aircraft History, Facts, Informatn and Pictur. * enola gay b29 plane *

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.

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. 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.

"They want to see the spachip Disvery, they want to see the [SR-71] Blackbird, and they want to see the Enola Gay. The plane rryg Pl Tibbets, his crew and most importantly the bomb was a Boeg B-29 Superfortrs named ‘Enola Gay’.

WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?

Enola Gay is perhaps the most famo Boeg B-29 Superfortrs. It is prerved and on public display. Read about where Enola Gay is today. * enola gay b29 plane *

Pl Tibbets wavg om the ‘Enola Gay’s’ ckp before takg off for the bombg of Hiroshima (left); Brigadier General Pl W. Left to right: ‘Big Stk’, ‘The Great Artiste’, ‘Enola Gay’Image Cred: Harold Agnew on Tian Island 1945, Public doma, via Wikimedia Commons.

‘Enola Gay’s’ crew safely land back on the Mariana Islands at 2:58pm, roughly 12 hours after the ial take off. Followg the atomic bombgs, ‘Enola Gay’ remaed service for another four years before beg given to the Smhsonian Instutn.

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* ENOLA GAY B29 PLANE

Historic Wendover Airfield Mm | Enola Gay Hanger .

TOP