75 Years Ago: The Flight of the Enola Gay | Natnal Air and Space Mm

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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.

Contents:

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

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. * b 52 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.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

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., * b 52 enola gay *

Japan officially surrenred on September 2, 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. 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. 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.

WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?

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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. A sgle airplane livered the new weapon of mass stctn—the Enola Gay.

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.S. The ckp of the B-29 Superfortrs Enola Gay.

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. * b 52 enola gay *

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. But you have to be that wh the missn of the Enola Gay, which brgs the dimensn of the role of technology war.

As lead pilot, he named the Enola Gay after his mother. As the Enola Gay ma s fal approach to Hiroshima that day, Tibbets ascend to 31,000 feet, then turned over ntrols to Ferebee. The Enola Gay was then buffeted vlently when stck by two shock wav—one direct and the other reflected om the ground.

This was two plan—the Enola Gay and the backup plane. 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.

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75 Years Ago: The Flight of the Enola Gay | Natnal Air and Space Mm .

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