Boeg B-29 Superfortrs "Enola Gay" | Natnal Air and Space Mm

Contents:

• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?
• ENOLA GAY
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS FOR HIROSHIMA
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON
• TOURG THE SMHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MM’S ENOLA GAY EXHIB
• MEMORI OF THE UN THAT HID THE ENOLA GAY, WHICH DROPPED THE A-BOMB ON HIROSHIMA 75 YEARS AGO TODAY
• THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

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

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.

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.

WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?

Tibbets and his crew took off om Tian  Enola Gay at 2:45 am on Augt 6, 1945. 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.

ENOLA GAY

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.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

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. Why is the B-29 Superfortrs Enola Gay among the artifacts displayed at the Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F.

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. Prervg and displayg the Enola Gay fs wh the missn of the Natnal Air and Space Mm, given to by Congrs s foundg legislatn:. 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.

PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS FOR HIROSHIMA

The text of the label scribg the B-29 Superfortrs "Enola Gay" is as follows:.

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. The Enola Gay was ed to rry out the first atomic bomb missn and is perhaps the bt-known aircraft om World War II. 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.

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

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. As one of the most famo artifacts the mm's llectn, has the Enola Gay been the subject of any special programs? 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. In addn, the Enola Gay, as a B-29, was the most technilly advanced aircraft ever flown for s time.

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

TOURG THE SMHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MM’S ENOLA GAY EXHIB

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. 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.

MEMORI OF THE UN THAT HID THE ENOLA GAY, WHICH DROPPED THE A-BOMB ON HIROSHIMA 75 YEARS AGO TODAY

For famo reasons, only is one of jt 26 Boeg B-29 bombers still existg, but is also the plane that dropped the nuclear bomb over Hiroshima to the effort of the Smhsonian staff members, Enola Gay is on public display today. It stood for s abandoned, left outsi to the elements, souvenir hunters, and the Enola GayEnola Gay is a Boeg B-29 Superfortrs bomber aircraft manufactured B-29 Superfortrs was a 4-enge, propeller-driven bomber aircraft and was one of the most advanced aircraft World War II. When the B-29 entered service 1944, was one of the largt aircraft all of World War Gay left the assembly le on 18 May 1945 Bellevue, Nebraska, and stayed service until s retirement on 24 July 1946.

It is one of only 65 B-29s built unr the "Silverplate" specifitns, makg them pable of rryg nuclear Enola Gay on Tian the Marianas Islands where took off before bombg Hiroshima Gay beme the first aircraft to drop a nuclear bomb warfare spe s short service life. He had named the bomber after his mother, Enola Gay explosn stroyed about 75% of the cy, killg tens of thoands. Wh the nuclear bomb over Nagasaki three days later, the attacks ultimately end World War Bombg of HiroshimaWhile still on the assembly le, Enola Gay, pilot Pl W.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

When livered to the USAF on 18 May 1945, they assigned to 393d Bombardment July 1945, Enola Gay flew eight trag flights and two missns to drop nventnal bombs over Kobe and 5 Augt, Tibett assumed mand of the B-29 and named after his mother. Enola Gay took off om the Northern Mariana Islands on 6 Augt, piloted by Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay wav om the ckp before takg off to Hiroshima on 6 Augt other B-29s rted Enola Gay on the missn and provid measurg and photography equipment. The flight to Japan took about 6 hours, and Enola Gay arrived over Hiroshima clear weather at 32.

As planned, Enola Gay released the "Ltle Boy" bomb at 8:15 am lol Boy took 53 sends to reach tonatn height 600 meters above the cy.