What Was the Enola Gay? | At the Smhsonian | Smhsonian Magaze

Contents:

• ENOLA GAY TIBBETS PHOTOS & HIGH-R PICTUR
• RARE PHOTOS SURFACE OF ENOLA GAY, BOCKSR
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

ENOLA GAY TIBBETS PHOTOS & HIGH-R PICTUR

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. Tman was rmed of the velopment while attendg the Potsdam Conference, and he turn told Soviet lear Joseph Stal that the Uned Stat had “a new weapon of unual stctive force.” On July 26 the Allied lears lled for Japan to unndnally surrenr or face “prompt and utter stctn.” After Japan ignored the mand, the cisn was ma to bomb Hiroshima.At approximately 2:45 am on Augt 6, 1945, Tibbets—who was now a full lonel—and a crew of 11 took off om Tian island rryg a uranium bomb that was known as “Ltle Boy.” 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.

RARE PHOTOS SURFACE OF ENOLA GAY, BOCKSR

Three days later the Enola Gay nducted weather rennaissance the lead-up to the bombg of Nagasaki, Japan.

Japan officially surrenred on September 2, 1945.The 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. Toward the end of the war he photographed the Enola Gay and Bocksr.

Johns’ hband Erw was statned the Pacific 1945 and enuntered the two plan that dropped the bombs, the Enola Gay and Bocksr, days before they rried out the missn.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

The Enola Gay was the B-29 bomber that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Augt 6, 1945.

In the vio Erw said he and the other men statned on Tian were aware the Enola Gay and Bocksr were not beg load wh the typil ordance.