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{{Short description|US Army Air Forces Boeing B-29 airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb}} | |||
{{About|the bomber|the song by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|Enola Gay (song)}} | |||
{{About|the bomber|other uses|Enola Gay (disambiguation)}} | |||
{{good article}} | |||
{{Good article}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2012}} | |||
{{Italic title}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}{{Use American English|date=December 2024}} | |||
{{italic title}} | |||
{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin | |||
{{Infobox aircraft | |||
|name = ''Enola Gay'' | |||
| name = ''Enola Gay'' | |||
|image = Tibbets-wave.jpg | |||
| image = Tibbets-wave.jpg | |||
|size = 240px | |||
| size = 240px | |||
|caption = Colonel ] waving from the ''Enola Gay'''s cockpit to get reporters to stand clear of the propellers prior to engine start, before taking off for the ] | |||
| caption = ] waving from the ''Enola Gay''{{'}}s cockpit before taking off for the ] in 1945 | |||
}} | |||
| sole example of type? = N | |||
{{Infobox Aircraft Career | |||
| type = ] | |||
|sole example of type?= N | |||
| other_names = <!--Other names (nicknames, nose art names) this aircraft is known by--> | |||
|type = ] | |||
| manufacturer = ], ] | |||
|other names = <!--Other names (nicknames, nose art names) this aircraft is known by--> | |||
| construction_number = <!-- manufacturer's construction number --> | |||
|manufacturer = ], ] | |||
| construction_date = {{start date and age|1945|5|18|df=y}} <!-- either roll-out date or span of time for lengthy projects, whichever seems more appropriate --> | |||
|construction number = <!-- manufacturer's construction number --> | |||
| civil_registration = <!-- any civil registrations carried by this aircraft --> | |||
|construction date = 18 May 1945 <!-- either roll-out date or span of time for lengthy projects, whichever seems more appropriate --> | |||
| military_serial = 44-86292 | |||
|civil registration = <!-- any civil registrations carried by this aircraft --> | |||
| radio_code = Victor 12 (later changed to Victor 82) | |||
|military serial = 44-86292 | |||
| first_flight = <!-- date of first flight --> | |||
|radio code = Victor 12 (later changed to dimples 82) | |||
| owners = ] | |||
|first flight = <!-- date of first flight --> | |||
| in_service = 18 May 1945 – 24 July 1946<!-- time in military or revenue service, as a range of dates --> | |||
|owners = ] | |||
| flights = <!-- number of flights made by this aircraft, usually only relevant for an aircraft no longer flying --> | |||
|in service = 18 May 1945 – 24 July 1946<!-- time in military or revenue service, as a range of dates --> | |||
| total_hours = <!-- the total number of hours flown by this aircraft, usually only relevant for an aircraft no longer flying --> | |||
| total_distance = <!-- total distance flown by this aircraft, usually only relevant for an aircraft no longer flying --> | |||
| fate = <!-- fate/disposition of this aircraft --> | |||
| preservation = ]'s ] | |||
|fate = <!-- fate/disposition of this aircraft --> | |||
|preservation = ]'s ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
|} | |||
The '''''Enola Gay''''' is a ] ], named |
The '''''Enola Gay''''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|n|oʊ|l|ə}}) is a ] ], named after ], the mother of the pilot, ] ]. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of ], it became the ]. The bomb, code-named "]", was targeted at the city of ], Japan, and destroyed about three-quarters of the city. ''Enola Gay'' participated in the second nuclear attack as the weather reconnaissance aircraft for the primary target of ]. Clouds and drifting smoke resulted in ], a secondary target, being bombed instead. | ||
After the war, the ''Enola Gay'' returned to the United States, where it was operated from ], ]. |
After the war, the ''Enola Gay'' returned to the United States, where it was operated from ], ]. In May 1946, it was flown to ] for the ] ]s in the Pacific, but was not chosen to make the test drop at ]. Later that year, it was transferred to the ] and spent many years parked at air bases exposed to the weather and souvenir hunters, before its 1961 disassembly and storage at a Smithsonian facility in ]. | ||
In the 1980s, veterans groups |
In the 1980s, veterans groups engaged in a call for the Smithsonian to put the aircraft on display, leading to an acrimonious debate about exhibiting the aircraft without a proper historical context. The cockpit and nose section of the aircraft were exhibited at the ] (NASM) on the ], for the bombing's 50th anniversary in 1995, amid controversy. Since 2003, the entire restored B-29 has been on display at NASM's ]. The last survivor of its crew, ], died on 28 July 2014 at the age of 93. | ||
==World War II== | ==World War II== | ||
===Early history=== | ===Early history=== | ||
The ''Enola Gay'' (Model number B-29-45-MO,{{ |
The ''Enola Gay'' (Model number B-29-45-MO,{{refn|The ''block number'' was a one- to three-digit number, followed by a two-letter code that represented the aircraft built to the same engineering specification. The two-letter code represented the plant at which the aircraft was built, in this case, Martin in Omaha. This was combined with the aircraft model designation (B-29) to form the ''model number''{{sfn|Mann|2004|p=100}}|group=N}} Serial number 44-86292, ] 82) was built by the ] (later part of ]) at its ] in ], located at Offutt Field, now ]. The bomber was one of the first fifteen ]s built to the "]" specification— of 65 eventually completed during and after World War II—giving them the primary ability to function as nuclear "weapon delivery" aircraft. These modifications included an extensively modified bomb bay with pneumatic doors and British bomb attachment and release systems, reversible pitch propellers that gave more braking power on landing, improved engines with fuel injection and better cooling,{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=14–15}}<ref name="AirIll">March, Peter R. "Enola Gay Restored". ''Aircraft Illustrated'', October 2003.</ref> and the removal of protective armor and gun turrets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aviationexplorer.com/B-29_Enola_Gay_Superfortress_Bomber.html |title=Boeing B-29 Enola Gay Superfortress bomber, Aircraft history, facts and pictures |publisher=aviationexplorer.com |access-date=4 August 2010 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422073225/http://www.aviationexplorer.com/B-29_Enola_Gay_Superfortress_Bomber.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
] 82 visible on fuselage just forward of the tail fin.]] | ]. It is in its 6th Bombardment Group livery, with ] 82 visible on fuselage just forward of the tail fin.]] | ||
''Enola Gay'' was personally selected by ] ], the commander of the ], on 9 May 1945, while still on the ]. The aircraft was accepted by the ] (USAAF) on 18 May 1945 and assigned to the ], 509th Composite Group. Crew B-9, commanded by ] ], took delivery of the bomber and flew it from Omaha to the 509th's base at ], ], on 14 June 1945.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=191–192}} | |||
''Enola Gay'' was personally selected by ] ], the commander of the ], on 9 May 1945, while still on the ]. The aircraft was accepted by the ] (USAAF) on 18 May 1945 and assigned to the ], 509th Composite Group. Crew B-9, commanded by ] ], took delivery of the bomber and flew it from Omaha to the 509th base at ], ], on 14 June 1945.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=191–192}} | |||
Thirteen days later, the aircraft left Wendover for ], where it received a bomb-bay modification, and flew to ], ], on 6 July. It was initially given the Victor (squadron-assigned identification) number 12, but on 1 August, was given the ] of the ] as a security measure and had its Victor number changed to 82 to avoid misidentification with actual 6th Bombardment Group aircraft.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=191–192}} During July, the bomber made eight practice or training flights, and flew two missions, on 24 and 26 July, to drop ]s on industrial targets at ] and ]. ''Enola Gay'' was used on 31 July on a rehearsal flight for the actual mission.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|p=117}} | |||
Thirteen days later, the aircraft left Wendover for ], where it received a bomb-bay modification, and flew to ], ], on 6 July. It was initially given the Victor (squadron-assigned identification) number 12, but on 1 August, was given the ] of the ] as a security measure and had its Victor number changed to 82 to avoid misidentification with actual 6th Bombardment Group aircraft.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=191–192}} During July, the bomber made eight practice or training flights and flew two missions, on 24 and 26 July, to drop ]s on industrial targets at ] and ]. ''Enola Gay'' was used on 31 July on a rehearsal flight for the actual mission.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|p=117}} | |||
The partially assembled ] ] L-11 was contained inside a {{convert|41|in|cm|adj=on}} x {{convert|47|in|cm|adj=on}} x {{convert|138|in|cm|adj=on}} wooden crate weighing {{convert|10000|lb}} that was secured to the deck of the {{USS|Indianapolis|CA-35|6}}. Unlike the six ] target discs, which were later flown to Tinian on three separate aircraft arriving 28 and 29 July, the assembled projectile with the nine Uranium-235 rings installed was shipped in a single lead-lined steel container weighing {{convert|300|lb}} that was securely locked to brackets welded to the deck of ] ]'s quarters.{{#tag:ref|The atomic bombs were euphemistically known as the "gadgets", a tag given to them by scientists at the ] test facility.{{sfn|Hoddeson|Henriksen|Meade|Westfall|1993|p=2}}|group=N}} Both the L-11 and projectile were dropped off at Tinian on 26 July 1945.{{sfn|Hoddeson|Henriksen|Meade|Westfall|1993|p=258}} | |||
The partially assembled ] ] L-11, weighing {{convert|10000|lb}}, was contained inside a {{convert|41 x 47 x 138|in|cm|adj=on}} wooden crate that was secured to the deck of the {{USS|Indianapolis|CA-35|6}}. Unlike the six ] target discs, which were later flown to Tinian on three separate aircraft arriving 28 and 29 July, the assembled projectile with the nine uranium-235 rings installed was shipped in a single lead-lined steel container weighing {{convert|300|lb}} that was locked to brackets welded to the deck of ] ]'s quarters.{{refn|The atomic bombs were euphemistically known as the "gadgets", a tag given to them by scientists at the ] test facility.{{sfn|Hoddeson|Henriksen|Meade|Westfall|1993|p=2}}|group=N}} Both the L-11 and projectile were dropped off at Tinian on 26 July 1945.{{sfn|Hoddeson|Henriksen|Meade|Westfall|1993|p=258}} | |||
===Hiroshima mission=== | ===Hiroshima mission=== | ||
{{ |
{{Main|Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki }} | ||
] | ]'' unit on a trailer cradle in a bomb pit on ], before loading into ''Enola Gay''{{'}}s bomb bay]] | ||
On 5 August 1945, during preparation for the first atomic mission, Tibbets assumed command of the aircraft and named it after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets, who had |
On 5 August 1945, during preparation for the first atomic mission, Tibbets assumed command of the aircraft and named it after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets, who, in turn, had been named for the heroine of a novel.{{refn|''Enola; or Her Fatal Mistake'' (1886), by ] is the only novel of the period to use "Enola".<ref name="Ridenbaugh/1886/Enola">{{cite book |last1=Ridenbaugh |first1=Mary Young |title=Enola; Or, Her Fatal Mistake |date=1886 |publisher=For the author |location=Kentucky |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4GUtAAAAYAAJ |access-date=8 August 2023 |language=en |quote=Volume 3 of Wright American fiction}}{{free access}}</ref>|group=N}} When it came to selecting a name for the plane, Tibbets later recalled that: {{blockquote|... my thoughts turned at this point to my courageous red-haired mother, whose quiet confidence had been a source of strength to me since boyhood, and particularly during the soul-searching period when I decided to give up a medical career to become a military pilot. At a time when Dad had thought I had lost my marbles, she had taken my side and said, "I know you will be all right, son."{{sfn|Tibbets|1998|p=203}} }} | ||
In the early morning hours, just prior to the 6 August mission, Tibbets had a young Army Air Forces maintenance man, Private Nelson Miller, paint the name just under the pilot's window.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |url=https://www.si.edu/object/nasm_A19500100000?width=85%25&height=85%25&iframe=true&back_link=1&destination=spotlight/awards-and-insignia |access-date=17 August 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031020336/https://www.si.edu/object/nasm_A19500100000?width=85%25&height=85%25&iframe=true&back_link=1&destination=spotlight%2Fawards-and-insignia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Nathan|first=Richard|date=6 August 2021|title=Literary Fallout: The legacies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|url=https://www.redcircleauthors.com/news-and-views/literary-fallout-the-legacies-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/|url-status=live|newspaper=Red Circle|access-date=9 August 2021|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226192717/https://www.redcircleauthors.com/news-and-views/literary-fallout-the-legacies-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/}}</ref>{{sfn|Campbell|2005|pp=191–192}} Regularly assigned aircraft commander ] was unhappy to be displaced by Tibbets for this important mission and became furious when he arrived at the aircraft on the morning of 6 August to see it painted with the now-famous nose art.{{sfn|Thomas|Morgan-Witts|1977|pp=382–383}} | |||
] was the primary target of the first nuclear bombing mission on 6 August, with Kokura and Nagasaki as alternative targets. ''Enola Gay'', piloted by Tibbets, took off from North Field, about six hours flight time from Japan, accompanied by two other B-29s, '']'', carrying instrumentation, and a then-nameless aircraft later called '']'', commanded by Captain George Marquardt, to take photographs. The director of the ], ] ], wanted the event recorded for posterity, so the takeoff was illuminated by floodlights. When he wanted to taxi, Tibbets leaned out the window to direct the bystanders out of the way. On request, he gave a friendly wave for the cameras.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|pp=31–32}} | ] was the primary target of the first nuclear bombing mission on 6 August, with Kokura and Nagasaki as alternative targets. ''Enola Gay'', piloted by Tibbets, took off from ], in the ], about six hours' flight time from Japan, accompanied by two other B-29s, '']'', carrying instrumentation, and a then-nameless aircraft later called '']'', commanded by Captain George Marquardt, to take photographs. The director of the ], ] ], wanted the event recorded for posterity, so the takeoff was illuminated by floodlights. When he wanted to taxi, Tibbets leaned out the window to direct the bystanders out of the way. On request, he gave a friendly wave for the cameras.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|pp=31–32}} | ||
] | |||
After leaving Tinian the aircraft made their way separately to ], where they rendezvoused at {{convert|2440|m|ft|sp=us}} and set course for Japan. The aircraft arrived over the target in clear visibility at {{convert|9855|m|ft|sp=us}}. Captain ] of ], who was in command of the mission, armed the bomb during the flight to minimize the risks during takeoff. His assistant, ] ], removed the safety devices 30 minutes before reaching the target area.<ref>{{cite web |
After leaving Tinian, the three aircraft made their way separately to ], where they rendezvoused at {{convert|2440|m|ft|sp=us}} and set course for Japan. The aircraft arrived over the target in clear visibility at {{convert|9855|m|ft|sp=us}}. Navy Captain ] of ], who was in command of the mission, armed the bomb during the flight to minimize the risks during takeoff. His assistant, ] ], removed the safety devices 30 minutes before reaching the target area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mphpa.org/classic/HISTORY/H-07L1.htm|title=Timeline #2 – the 509th; The Hiroshima Mission|publisher=The Atomic Heritage Foundation|access-date=5 May 2007|archive-date=1 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501233757/http://mphpa.org/classic/HISTORY/H-07L1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
The release at 08:15 (Hiroshima time) went as planned, and the Little Boy took |
The release at 08:15 (Hiroshima time) went as planned, and the Little Boy took 53 seconds<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CknAtJFGgos| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/CknAtJFGgos| archive-date=2021-11-04 | url-status=live|title=World at War | Hiroshima | Atomic Bomb | Interviews | 1974|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> to fall from the aircraft flying at {{convert|31060|ft|m|sp=us}} to the predetermined detonation height about {{convert|1968|ft|m|sp=us}} above the city. ''Enola Gay'' traveled {{convert|11.5|mi|abbr=on}} before it felt the shock waves from the blast.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.htm| title=The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, Aug 6, 1945| publisher=]| access-date=25 June 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624065430/http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.htm| archive-date=24 June 2010| url-status=dead}}</ref> Although buffeted by the shock, neither ''Enola Gay'' nor ''The Great Artiste'' was damaged.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=33}} | ||
The detonation created a blast equivalent to {{convert| |
The detonation created a blast equivalent to {{convert|15|ktonTNT|lk=in}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq8.html#nfaq8.1.3 |title=Section 8.0 The First Nuclear Weapons |publisher=Nuclear Weapons Archive |access-date=13 April 2013}}</ref> The U-235 weapon was ], with only 1.7% of its ] reacting.<ref name="cotmplitboy">{{cite web|url=http://www.mphpa.org/classic/HISTORY/little_boy.htm|title=The Bomb-"Little Boy"|publisher=The Atomic Heritage Foundation|access-date=5 May 2007|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417070729/https://www.atomicheritage.org/history|url-status=live}}</ref> The radius of total destruction was about {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}}, with resulting fires across {{convert|4.4|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web| title=Radiation Dose Reconstruction U.S. Occupation Forces in Hiroshima And Nagasaki, Japan, 1945–1946 (DNA 5512F)| url=http://www.dtra.mil/toolbox/directorates/td/programs/nuclear_personnel/docs/DNATR805512F.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624185903/http://www.dtra.mil/toolbox/directorates/td/programs/nuclear_personnel/docs/DNATR805512F.pdf | archive-date=24 June 2006 | access-date=9 June 2006}}</ref> Americans estimated that {{convert|4.7|sqmi|km2}} of the city were destroyed. Japanese officials determined that 69% of Hiroshima's buildings were destroyed and another 6–7% damaged.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|publisher=Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. |title=U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, June 19, 1946. President's Secretary's File, Truman Papers. |url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=14&documentid=65&documentdate=1946-06-19&studycollectionid=abomb |page=9 |access-date=15 March 2009 |archive-date=8 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608210328/http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=14&documentdate=1946-06-19&documentid=65&studycollectionid=abomb |url-status=live}}</ref> Some 70,000–80,000 people, 30% of the city's population, were killed by the blast and resultant firestorm,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. |title=U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, June 19, 1946. President's Secretary's File, Truman Papers. |url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=11&documentid=65&documentdate=1946-06-19&studycollectionid=abomb |page=6 |access-date=15 March 2009 |archive-date=8 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608035058/http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=11&documentdate=1946-06-19&documentid=65&studycollectionid=abomb |url-status=live }}</ref> and another 70,000 injured.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, June 19, 1946. President's Secretary's File, Truman Papers. |url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=42&documentid=65&documentdate=1946-06-19&studycollectionid=abomb |page=37 |access-date=15 March 2009 |archive-date=8 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608191453/http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/large/documents/index.php?pagenumber=42&documentdate=1946-06-19&documentid=65&studycollectionid=abomb |url-status=live }}</ref> Out of those killed, 20,000 were soldiers and 20,000 were Korean slave laborers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiroshimacommittee.org/Facts_NagasakiAndHiroshimaBombing.htm |title=Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombing: Facts about the Atomic Bomb |publisher=Hiroshima Day Committee |access-date=13 April 2013 |archive-date=2 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602010751/http://www.hiroshimacommittee.org/Facts_NagasakiAndHiroshimaBombing.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
] | ] | ||
''Enola Gay'' returned safely to its base on Tinian to great fanfare, touching down at 2:58 pm, after 12 hours 13 minutes. ''The Great Artiste'' and ''Necessary Evil'' followed at short intervals. Several hundred people, including journalists and photographers, had gathered to watch the planes return. Tibbets was the first to disembark |
''Enola Gay'' returned safely to its base on Tinian to great fanfare, touching down at 2:58 pm, after 12 hours 13 minutes. ''The Great Artiste'' and ''Necessary Evil'' followed at short intervals. Several hundred people, including journalists and photographers, had gathered to watch the planes return. Tibbets was the first to disembark and was presented with the ] on the spot.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=33}} | ||
===Nagasaki mission=== | ===Nagasaki mission=== | ||
The Hiroshima mission was followed by another |
The Hiroshima mission was followed by another atomic strike. Originally scheduled for 11 August, it was brought forward by two days to 9 August owing to a forecast of bad weather. This time, a nuclear bomb code-named "]" was carried by B-29 '']'', piloted by Major ].{{sfn|Polmar|2004|pp=35–38}} ''Enola Gay'', flown by Captain George Marquardt's Crew B-10, was the weather reconnaissance aircraft for ], the primary target.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|p=32}} ''Enola Gay'' reported clear skies over Kokura,{{sfn|Sweeney|Antonucci|Antonucci|1997|pp=210–211}} but by the time ''Bockscar'' arrived, the city was obscured by smoke from fires from the conventional bombing of ] by 224 B-29s the day before. After three unsuccessful passes, ''Bockscar'' diverted to its secondary target, Nagasaki,{{sfn|Sweeney|Antonucci|Antonucci|1997|pp=213–215}} where it dropped its bomb. In contrast to the Hiroshima mission, the Nagasaki mission has been described as tactically botched, although the mission did meet its objectives. The crew encountered a number of problems in execution and had very little fuel by the time they landed at the emergency backup landing site ] on ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=527 |title=Boeing B-29 Superfortress |publisher=National Museum of the United States Air Force |access-date=3 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124072508/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=527 |archive-date=24 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Hiroshima">{{cite web |last=Rossenfeld |first=Carrie |url=http://hiroshima-remembered.com/history/nagasaki/page3.html |title=The Story of Nagasaki: The Missions |publisher=hiroshima-remembered.com |year=2005 |access-date=3 August 2010 |archive-date=29 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029151532/http://hiroshima-remembered.com/history/nagasaki/page3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
==Crews== | ==Crews== | ||
] (the original target for 9 August) displayed|alt=map of Japan and the Marianas Islands indicating the routes taken by the raids. One goes straight to Iwo Jima and Hiroshima and back the same way. The other goes to the southern tip of Japan, up to Kokura, down to Nagasaki, and the southwest to Okinawa befofore heading back to Tinian.]] | |||
===Hiroshima mission=== | ===Hiroshima mission=== | ||
] with the ] on ] after the dropping of ]]] | ] with the ] on ] after the dropping of the ]]] | ||
''Enola Gay'''s crew on 6 August 1945 |
''Enola Gay''{{'}}s crew on 6 August 1945 consisted of 12 men.<ref name="Cooper">{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=Sgt. Jean |url=http://www.mphpa.org/classic/CG/Photo-Pages-3/CGP-574.htm |title=Photo: P-574 (Enola Gay Crew Members) |publisher=Atomic Heritage Foundation |access-date=3 August 2010 |archive-date=22 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322042343/http://www.mphpa.org/classic/CG/Photo-Pages-3/CGP-574.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12225295/atom_bomber_crew_from_eight_states/ |title=Atom Bomber Crew From Eight States |newspaper=] |agency=] |date=8 August 1945 |access-date=8 July 2017 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=24 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924183129/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12225295/atom_bomber_crew_from_eight_states/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The crew was:<ref>Campbell, 2005, p. 30.</ref> | ||
* ] ] – pilot and aircraft commander | * ] ] – pilot and aircraft commander | ||
* ] ] – co-pilot; ''Enola Gay'''s regularly assigned aircraft commander* | * ] ] – co-pilot; ''Enola Gay'''s regularly assigned aircraft commander* | ||
* ] ] – ] | * ] ] – ] | ||
* Captain ] |
* Captain ] – ] | ||
* ] ], USN – weaponeer and mission commander |
* ] ], USN – weaponeer and mission commander | ||
* ] ] – ] (also the only man to fly on both of the nuclear bombing aircraft) | * ] ] – ] (also the only man to fly on both of the nuclear bombing aircraft.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=38}}) | ||
* ] ] – assistant weaponeer | * ] ] – assistant weaponeer | ||
* ] ] |
* ] ] – tail gunner* | ||
* |
* Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury – ]* | ||
* ] Joe S. Stiborik – |
* ] Joe S. Stiborik – ] operator* | ||
* Sergeant Robert H. Shumard – |
* Sergeant Robert H. Shumard – assistant flight engineer* | ||
* ] Richard H. Nelson – |
* ] Richard H. Nelson – ] operator* | ||
Asterisks denote regular crewmen of the ''Enola Gay''. | |||
Of mission commander Parsons, it was said: "There is no one more responsible for getting this bomb out of the laboratory and into some form useful for combat operations than Captain Parsons, by his plain genius in the ordnance business."<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Air Power History |first=Darrell F. |last=Dvorak |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=4–17 |issn=1044-016X |url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-150624-031.pdf |title=The First Atomic Bomb Mission: Trinity B-29 Operations Three Weeks Before Hiroshima |date=Winter 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
===Nagasaki mission=== | ===Nagasaki mission=== | ||
For the Nagasaki mission, ''Enola Gay'' was flown by Crew B-10, normally assigned to '']'': | For the Nagasaki mission, ''Enola Gay'' was flown by Crew B-10, normally assigned to '']'': | ||
*Captain George W. Marquardt – |
* Captain George W. Marquardt – aircraft commander | ||
*Second Lieutenant James M. Anderson – |
* Second Lieutenant James M. Anderson – co-pilot | ||
*Second Lieutenant Russell Gackenbach – |
* Second Lieutenant Russell Gackenbach – navigator | ||
*Captain James W. Strudwick – |
* Captain James W. Strudwick – bombardier | ||
*Technical Sergeant James R. Corliss – |
* Technical Sergeant James R. Corliss – flight engineer | ||
*Sergeant Warren L. Coble – |
* Sergeant Warren L. Coble – radio operator | ||
*Sergeant Joseph M. DiJulio – |
* Sergeant Joseph M. DiJulio – radar operator | ||
*Sergeant Melvin H. Bierman – |
* Sergeant Melvin H. Bierman – tail gunner | ||
*Sergeant Anthony D. Capua |
* Sergeant Anthony D. Capua Jr. – assistant engineer/scanner | ||
{{small|Source: Campbell, 2005, pp. 134, 191–192.}} | |||
==Subsequent history== | ==Subsequent history== | ||
] | ], 1987]] | ||
On 6 November 1945, Lewis flew the ''Enola Gay'' back to the United States, arriving at the 509th's new base at ], ], on 8 November. On 29 April 1946, ''Enola Gay'' left Roswell as part of ] ] |
On 6 November 1945, Lewis flew the ''Enola Gay'' back to the United States, arriving at the 509th's new base at ], ], on 8 November. On 29 April 1946, ''Enola Gay'' left Roswell as part of the ] ] in the Pacific. It flew to ] on 1 May. It was not chosen to make the test drop at ] and left Kwajalein on 1 July, the date of the test, reaching ], California, the next day.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|p=193}} | ||
The decision was made to preserve the ''Enola Gay'', and on 24 July 1946, the aircraft was flown to ], ], in preparation for storage. On 30 August 1946, the title to the aircraft was transferred to the ] and the ''Enola Gay'' was removed from the USAAF inventory.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|p=193}} From 1946 to 1961, the ''Enola Gay'' was put into temporary storage at a number of locations. It was at Davis-Monthan from 1 September 1946 until 3 July 1949, when it was flown to |
The decision was made to preserve the ''Enola Gay'', and on 24 July 1946, the aircraft was flown to ], ], in preparation for storage. On 30 August 1946, the title to the aircraft was transferred to the ] and the ''Enola Gay'' was removed from the USAAF inventory.{{sfn|Campbell|2005|p=193}} From 1946 to 1961, the ''Enola Gay'' was put into temporary storage at a number of locations. It was at Davis-Monthan from 1 September 1946 until 3 July 1949, when it was flown to ], ], by Tibbets for acceptance by the Smithsonian. It was moved to ], Texas, on 12 January 1952, and then to ], Maryland, on 2 December 1953,{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=66}} because the Smithsonian had no storage space for the aircraft.<ref name="An Exhibit Denied" /> | ||
It was hoped that the Air Force would guard the plane but, lacking hangar space, it was left outdoors on a remote part of the air base, exposed to the elements. Souvenir hunters broke in and removed parts. Insects and birds then gained access to the aircraft. ] |
It was hoped that the Air Force would guard the plane, but, lacking hangar space, it was left outdoors on a remote part of the air base, exposed to the elements. Souvenir hunters broke in and removed parts. Insects and birds then gained access to the aircraft. ] of the Smithsonian Institution became concerned about the ''Enola Gay''{{'}}s condition,<ref name="An Exhibit Denied">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/harwit-exhibit.html |access-date=13 April 2013 |title=An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay |last=Harwit |first=Martin |newspaper=] |archive-date=17 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617173814/http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/harwit-exhibit.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and on 10 August 1960, Smithsonian staff began dismantling the aircraft. The components were transported to the Smithsonian storage facility at ], on 21 July 1961.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=66}} | ||
''Enola Gay'' remained at Suitland for many years. By the early 1980s, two veterans of the 509th, Don Rehl and his former navigator in the 509th, Frank B. Stewart, began lobbying for the aircraft to be restored and put on display. They enlisted Tibbets and Senator ] in their campaign. In 1983, ], a former ] pilot with the ], became director of the National Air and Space Museum, and he made the ''Enola Gay''{{'}}s restoration a priority.<ref name="An Exhibit Denied"/> Looking at the aircraft, Tibbets recalled, was a "sad meeting. fond memories, and I don't mean the dropping of the bomb, were the numerous occasions I flew the airplane |
The ''Enola Gay'' remained at Suitland for many years. By the early 1980s, two veterans of the 509th, Don Rehl and his former navigator in the 509th, Frank B. Stewart, began lobbying for the aircraft to be restored and put on display. They enlisted Tibbets and Senator ] in their campaign. In 1983, ], a former ] pilot with the ], became director of the National Air and Space Museum, and he made the ''Enola Gay''{{'}}s restoration a priority.<ref name="An Exhibit Denied" /> Looking at the aircraft, Tibbets recalled, was a "sad meeting. fond memories, and I don't mean the dropping of the bomb, were the numerous occasions I flew the airplane ... I pushed it very, very hard and it never failed me ... It was probably the most beautiful piece of machinery that any pilot ever flew."<ref name="An Exhibit Denied" /> | ||
Restoration of the bomber began on 5 December 1984, at the ] in ]. The propellers that were used on the bombing mission were later shipped to ]. One of these propellers was trimmed to {{convert|12.5|ft}} for use in the university's Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel. The lightweight aluminium variable pitch propeller is powered by a 1,250 kVA electric motor providing a wind speed up to {{convert|200|mph}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.solarnavigator.net/aviation_and_space_travel/enola_gay.htm |title=Enola Gay |publisher=Solarnavigator.net |accessdate=10 November 2009}}</ref> Two engines were rebuilt at Garber and two at ]. The work was slow and meticulous. Every component was carefully cleaned. Some parts and instruments had been removed and could not be located. Replacements were found or fabricated, and marked so that future curators could distinguish them from the original components.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=60}} | |||
==Restoration== | ==Restoration== | ||
Restoration of the bomber began on 5 December 1984, at the ] in ]. The propellers that were used on the bombing mission were later shipped to ]. One of these propellers was trimmed to {{convert|12.5|ft}} for use in the university's Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel. The lightweight aluminum variable-pitch propeller is powered by a 1,250 kVA electric motor, providing a wind speed up to {{convert|200|mph}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.solarnavigator.net/aviation_and_space_travel/enola_gay.htm |title=Enola Gay |publisher=Solarnavigator.net |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=24 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124182406/http://www.solarnavigator.net/aviation_and_space_travel/enola_gay.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Two engines were rebuilt at Garber and two at ]. Some parts and instruments had been removed and could not be located. Replacements were found or fabricated, and marked so that future curators could distinguish them from the original components.{{sfn|Polmar|2004|p=60}} | |||
===Exhibition controversy=== | ===Exhibition controversy=== | ||
] | ] | ||
''Enola Gay'' became the center of a controversy at the Smithsonian Institution when the museum planned to put its fuselage on public display in 1995 as part of an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.<ref> |
The ''Enola Gay'' became the center of a controversy at the Smithsonian Institution when the museum planned to put its fuselage on public display in 1995 as part of an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.<ref>Michael J. Hogan, "The Enola Gay Controversy: History, Memory, and the Politics of Presentation", in ''Hiroshima in History and Memory'', ed. Michael J. Hogan (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), pp. 200-32.</ref> The exhibit, ''The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Cold War,'' was drafted by the Smithsonian's ] staff, and arranged around the restored ''Enola Gay''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gallagher |first=Edward |url=http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/enola/ |title=History on Trial: The Enola Gay Controversy |publisher=Lehigh University |access-date=3 August 2010 |archive-date=4 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704164733/http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/enola/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
Critics of the planned exhibit, especially those of the ] and the ], charged that the exhibit focused too much attention on the Japanese casualties inflicted by the nuclear bomb, rather than on the |
Critics of the planned exhibit, especially those of the ] and the ], charged that the exhibit focused too much attention on the Japanese casualties inflicted by the nuclear bomb, rather than on the motives for the bombing or the discussion of the bomb's role in ending the conflict with Japan.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.afa.org/media/enolagay/ |title=Enola Gay Archive: The Enola Gay and the Smithsonian |newspaper=Air Force Association |year=1996 |access-date=3 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026053308/http://www.afa.org/media/enolagay/ |archive-date=26 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Doyle |first=Debbie Ann |url=https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2003/historians-protest-new-enola-gay-exhibit |title=Historians protest new Enola Gay exhibit |journal=Perspectives on History |issn=0743-7021 |volume=41 |issue=9 |date=December 2003 |access-date=8 May 2015 |archive-date=27 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927202120/https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2003/historians-protest-new-enola-gay-exhibit |url-status=live }}</ref> The exhibit brought to national attention many long-standing ] related to retrospective views of the bombings. After attempts to revise the exhibit to meet the satisfaction of competing interest groups, the exhibit was canceled on 30 January 1995. ], Director of the National Air and Space Museum, was compelled to resign over the controversy.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/21418541.html?dids=21418541:21418541&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+3%2C+1995&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=21&desc=Head+of+Air%2C+Space+Museum+Quits+Over+Enola+Gay+Exhibit |title=Head of Air, Space Museum Quits Over Enola Gay Exhibit |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=3 May 1995 |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-date=19 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619072259/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/21418541.html?dids=21418541:21418541&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+3%2C+1995&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=21&desc=Head+of+Air%2C+Space+Museum+Quits+Over+Enola+Gay+Exhibit |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Meyer |first=Eugene L. |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/19559669.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+3%2C+1995&author=Eugene+L.+Meyer&desc=Air+and+Space+Museum+Chief+Resigns%3B+Harwit+Cites+Furor+Over+A-Bomb+Exhibit |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630045417/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/19559669.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+3,+1995&author=Eugene+L.+Meyer&desc=Air+and+Space+Museum+Chief+Resigns;+Harwit+Cites+Furor+Over+A-Bomb+Exhibit |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2013 |title=Air and Space Museum Chief Resigns: Harwit Cites Furor Over A-Bomb Exhibit |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=3 May 1995 |access-date=25 April 2013 }}</ref> He later reflected that | ||
{{Blockquote|The dispute was not simply about the atomic bomb. Rather, the dispute was sometimes a symbolic issue in a "culture war" in which many Americans lumped together the seeming decline of American power, the difficulties of the domestic economy, the threats in world trade and especially Japan's successes, the loss of domestic jobs, and even changes in American gender roles and shifts in the American family. To a number of Americans, the very people responsible for the script were the people who were changing America. The bomb, representing the end of World War II and suggesting the height of American power was to be celebrated. It was, in this judgment, a crucial symbol of America's "good war", one fought justly for noble purposes at a time when America was united. Those who in any way questioned the bomb's use were, in this emotional framework, the enemies of America.{{sfn|Bernstein|1995|p=238}} }} | |||
The forward fuselage did go on display on 28 June 1995. On 2 July 1995, three people were arrested for throwing ash and human blood on the aircraft's fuselage, following an earlier incident in which a protester had thrown red paint over the gallery's carpeting.<ref>{{cite news |last=Correll |first=John T. |url=http://www.afa.org/media/enolagay/07-16.asp |title=Enola Gay Archive: Presenting the Enola Gay |newspaper=Air Force Association |date=August 1995 |p=19 |accessdate=8 August 2010}}</ref> The exhibition closed on 18 May 1998, and the fuselage was returned to the Garber Facility for final restoration.<ref name="Restoration"/> | |||
The forward fuselage went on display on 28 June 1995. On 2 July 1995, three people were arrested for throwing ash and human blood on the aircraft's fuselage, following an earlier incident in which a protester had thrown red paint over the gallery's carpeting.<ref>{{cite news |last=Correll |first=John T. |url=http://www.afa.org/media/enolagay/07-16.asp |title=Enola Gay Archive: Presenting the Enola Gay |newspaper=Air Force Association |date=August 1995 |page=19 |access-date=8 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013052245/http://www.afa.org/media/enolagay/07-16.asp |archive-date=13 October 2010}}</ref> The exhibition closed on 18 May 1998 and the fuselage was returned to the Garber Facility for final restoration.<ref name="Restoration" /> | |||
===Complete restoration and display=== | ===Complete restoration and display=== | ||
]]] | |||
Restoration work began in 1984, and would eventually require 300,000 staff hours. While the fuselage was on display, from 1995 to 1998, work continued on the remaining unrestored components. The aircraft was shipped in pieces to the National Air and Space Museum's ] in ] from March–June 2003, with the fuselage and wings reunited for the first time since 1960 on 10 April 2003<ref name="AirIll" /> and assembly completed on 8 August 2003. The aircraft is currently at ] in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, since the museum annex opened on 15 December 2003.<ref name="Restoration">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/garber/enola/enola.htm |title=Boeing B-29 'Superfortress': Enola Gay. |publisher=National air and Space Museum |accessdate=8 August 2010}}</ref> | |||
{{clear}} | |||
Its restoration work began in 1984, and eventually required 300,000 staff hours. While the fuselage was on display, from 1995 to 1998, work continued on the remaining unrestored components. The aircraft was shipped in pieces to the National Air and Space Museum's ] in ] from March–June 2003, with the fuselage and wings reunited for the first time since 1960 on 10 April 2003<ref name="AirIll" /> and assembly completed on 8 August 2003. The aircraft has been on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center since the museum annex opened on 15 December 2003.<ref name="Restoration">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/garber/enola/enola.htm |title=Boeing B-29 'Superfortress': Enola Gay. |publisher=National air and Space Museum |access-date=8 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120101331/http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/garber/enola/enola.htm |archive-date=20 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As a result of the earlier controversy, the signage around the aircraft provided only the same succinct technical data as is provided for other aircraft in the museum, without discussion of the controversial issues. It read:{{blockquote| | |||
{{wide image|Enola Gay on Display at Udvar-Hazy.jpg|700px|<center>The ''Enola Gay'' on display at the National Air & Space Museum, ]</center>}} | |||
Boeing's B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II, and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theater, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons. | |||
On 6 August 1945, this Martin-built B-29-45-MO dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, Bockscar (on display at ] near Dayton, Ohio) dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. ''Enola Gay'' flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B-29, '']'', flew as an observation aircraft on both missions.}} | |||
<!-- | |||
As a result of the earlier controversy, the signage around the aircraft provides only the same succinct technical data as is provided for other aircraft in the museum, without discussion of the controversial issues. The aircraft is shielded by various means to prevent a repetition of the vandalism that was attempted when it was first placed on display. A ] system was installed in 2005 and multiple surveillance cameras automatically generate an alarm when any person or object approaches the aircraft. --> | |||
] | |||
{{Blockquote|''Transferred from the U.S. Air Force'' | |||
<!-- While this section may appear to be ripe to add the convert template, it is a direct quote and should not be modified per MOS:PMC and MOS:CONVERSIONS --> | |||
Wingspan: {{convert|43|m|ftin|abbr=off}}<br/> | |||
Length:{{convert|30.2|m|ft|abbr=on}}<br/> | |||
Height: {{convert|9|m|ftin|abbr=off}}<br/> | |||
Weight, empty: {{convert|32,580|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<br/> | |||
Weight, gross: {{convert|63,504|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<br/> | |||
Top speed: {{convert|546|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}<br/> | |||
Engines: 4 Wright R-3350-57 Cyclone turbo-supercharged radials, 2,200 hp<br/> | |||
Crew: 12 (Hiroshima mission)<br/> | |||
Armament: two .50 caliber machine guns<br/> | |||
Ordnance: Little Boy atomic bomb<br/> | |||
Manufacturer: Martin Co., Omaha, Nebraska, 1945<br/> | |||
A19500100000<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/frequently-asked-questions-regarding-exhibition-b-29-superfortress-enola-gay |access-date=20 February 2018 |publisher=National Air and Space Museum |title=Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Exhibition of B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay |date=17 May 2005 |archive-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220093851/https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/frequently-asked-questions-regarding-exhibition-b-29-superfortress-enola-gay |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
The display of the ''Enola Gay'' without reference to the historical context of World War II, the Cold War, or the development and deployment of nuclear weapons aroused controversy. A petition from a group calling themselves the Committee for a National Discussion of Nuclear History and Current Policy bemoaned the display of ''Enola Gay'' as a technological achievement, which it described as an "extraordinary callousness toward the victims, indifference to the deep divisions among American citizens about the propriety of these actions, and disregard for the feelings of most of the world's peoples".<ref name="petition">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050202070603/http://www.enola-gay.org/ |url=http://www.enola-gay.org |archive-date=2 February 2005 |publisher=Committee for a National Discussion of Nuclear History and Current Policy |title=Statement of Principles |access-date=8 August 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> It attracted signatures from notable figures including historian ], social critic ], whistle blower ], physicist ], writer ], producer ], actor ] and filmmaker ].<ref name="petition"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2003/historians-protest-new-enola-gay-exhibit |title=Historians Protest New Enola Gay Exhibit |first=Debbie Ann |last=Doyle |date=December 2003 |publisher=American History Association |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-date=27 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927202120/https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2003/historians-protest-new-enola-gay-exhibit |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
<!-- The aircraft is shielded by various means to prevent a repetition of the vandalism that was attempted when it was first placed on display. A ] system was installed in 2005 and multiple surveillance cameras automatically generate an alarm when any person or object approaches the aircraft. --> | |||
<!--===============({{NoMoreCruft}})===============!--> | <!--===============({{NoMoreCruft}})===============!--> | ||
<!-- Please READ ] and ] before adding any "Popular culture" items. !--> | <!-- Please READ ] and ] before adding any "Popular culture" items. !--> | ||
==Gallery== | |||
<gallery> | |||
File:Enola Gay Modern.jpg|''Enola Gay'' on display | |||
File:Enola Gay cockpit.jpg|Close-up cockpit view | |||
File:The enola gay.jpg|''Enola Gay'' on display | |||
File:Enola Gay at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.jpg|Full view of ''Enola Gay'' | |||
File:enola gay 20040710 170220 1.4.jpg|''Enola Gay'' in 2004 | |||
File:B-29 Superfortress ENOLA GAY 4.jpg|''Enola Gay'' in 2010 | |||
</gallery> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Line 153: | Line 168: | ||
===Citations=== | ===Citations=== | ||
{{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} | ||
===Bibliography=== | ===Bibliography=== | ||
{{Refbegin}} | {{Refbegin}} | ||
* {{cite book |first=Barton |last=Bernstein |author-link=Barton Bernstein |contribution=The Struggle Over History: Defining the Hiroshima Narrative |pages= |editor-first=Philip |editor-last=Nobile |editor-link=Philip Nobile |title=Judgment at the Smithsonian |location=New York |publisher=Marlowe & Co. |year=1995 |isbn=978-1-56924-841-6 |oclc=32856425 |url=https://archive.org/details/judgmentatsmiths00phil/page/127 }} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Richard H. |title=The Silverplate Bombers |publisher=A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29's Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |year=2005 |isbn=0-7864-2139-8 |ref=harv}} | |||
*{{cite book |last= |
* {{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Richard H. |title=The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29's Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |year=2005 |isbn=0-7864-2139-8 }} | ||
* {{cite book |last1=Hoddeson |first1=Lillian|author-link=Lillian Hoddeson|first2=Paul W. |last2=Henriksen |first3=Roger A. |last3=Meade |first4=Catherine L. |last4=Westfall|author4-link= Catherine Westfall |title=Critical Assembly: A Technical History of Los Alamos During the Oppenheimer Years, 1943–1945 |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-521-44132-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/criticalassembly0000unse }} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Mann |first=Robert A. |title=The B-29 Superfortress: A Comprehensive Registry of the Planes and Their Missions |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2004 |isbn=0-7864-1787-0|ref=harv}} | |||
*{{cite book |
* {{cite book |last=Mann |first=Robert A. |title=The B-29 Superfortress: A Comprehensive Registry of the Planes and Their Missions |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2004 |isbn=0-7864-1787-0}} | ||
*{{cite book | |
* {{cite book |author-link=Norman Polmar|last=Polmar |first=Norman |title=The Enola Gay: The B-29 that Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima |location=Dulles, Virginia |publisher=Brassey's |year=2004 |isbn=1-57488-859-5 }} | ||
*{{cite book | |
* {{cite book |last1=Sweeney |first1=Charles |first2=James A. |last2=Antonucci |first3=Marion K. |last3=Antonucci |title=War's End: an Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission |location=New York |publisher=Avon Books |year=1997 |isbn=0-380-97349-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/warsendeyewitnes00swee }} | ||
*{{cite book | |
* {{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Gordon |first2=Max |last2=Morgan-Witts |title=Ruin from the Air: The Enola Gay's Atomic Mission to Hiroshima |location=London |publisher=Hamilton |year=1977 |isbn=0-8128-8509-0}} | ||
* {{cite book |last=Tibbets |first=Paul W. |author-link=Paul Tibbets |title=Return of the Enola Gay |location=New Hope, Pennsylvania |publisher=Enola Gay Remembered Inc |year=1998 |isbn=0970366604 }} | |||
{{Refend}} | {{Refend}} | ||
== |
== Further reading == | ||
{{Refbegin}} | {{Refbegin}} | ||
*{{ |
* {{Cite book |editor1-last=Bird |editor1-first=Kai |editor-link1=Kai Bird |editor2-last=Lifschultz |editor2-first=Lawrence |date=1998 |title=Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial of History and the Smithsonian Controversy |location=Stony Creek, Connecticut |publisher=The Pamphleteer's Press|isbn=9780963058737 |oclc=1020221026 |ref=none }} | ||
*{{cite book |last= |
* {{cite book |last=Dubin |first=Steven C. |title=Displays of Power: Controversy in the American Museum from the Enola Gay to Sensation |url=https://archive.org/details/displaysofpowerm0000dubi |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=NYU Press |year=2001|isbn=978-0-8147-1890-2|ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite book |last= |
* {{cite book |last=Haggerty |first=Forrest |title=43 Seconds to Hiroshima: The First Atomic Mission. An Autobiography of Richard H. Nelson, "Enola Gay" Radioman |location=Bloomington, Indiana|publisher=AuthorHouse |year=2005|isbn= 1-4208-4316-8 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite book |last= |
* {{cite book |last=Harwit |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Harwit |title=An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay |location=New York |publisher=Copernicus |year=1996 |isbn=0-387-94797-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/exhibitdeniedlob00harw |ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite book |last= |
* {{cite book |editor-last=Hogan |editor-first=Michael J. |title=Hiroshima in History and Memory |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996|isbn=978-0-521-56682-7 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite book | |
* {{cite book |last1=Krauss |first1=Robert |last2=Krauss |first2=Amelia |title=The 509th Remembered: A History of the 509th Composite Group as Told by the Veterans Themselves, 509th Anniversary Reunion, Wichita, Kansas, 7–10 October 2004 |location=Wichita, Kansas |publisher=509th Press |year=2005|isbn=0-923568-66-2 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite |
* {{cite journal |last=Mayr |first=Otto |author-link=Otto Mayr |title=The 'Enola Gay' Fiasco: History, Politics, and the Museum |journal=Technology and Culture |volume=39 |issue=3 |year=1998 |pages=462–473 |doi=10.2307/1215894 |jstor=1215894 |ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite book | |
* {{cite book |last1=O'Reilly|first1=Charles T. |first2=William A. |last2=Rooney |title=Enola Gay and the Smithsonian Institution |location= New York |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2005 |isbn=0-7864-2008-1|ref=none}} | ||
*{{cite book |last= |
* {{cite book |last=Rhodes |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Rhodes |title=The Making of the Atomic Bomb |url=https://archive.org/details/makingofatomicbo00rhod |url-access=registration |location=New York|publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1986|isbn=0-684-81378-5 |ref=none}} | ||
* {{cite book |last=Newman |first=Robert P.|title=Enola Gay and the Court of History |location=New York |publisher=Peter Lang Publishing |year=2004|isbn= 0-8204-7457-6 |ref=none}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Wheeler |first=Keith.|title=Bombers over Japan |location=Virginia Beach, Virginia |publisher=Time-Life Books |year=1982 |isbn=0-8094-3429-6 |ref=none}} | |||
{{Refend}} | {{Refend}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Commons category}} | {{Commons category|Enola Gay}} | ||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419112454/http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal103/gal103_former.html |date=19 April 2012 }} | |||
{{portal|United States Air Force|World War II}} | |||
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* | * | ||
{{Coord|38.9108|-77.4442|type:landmark_region:US-VA|display=title}} | |||
{{B-29 family}} | |||
{{Manhattan Project}} | {{Manhattan Project}} | ||
{{coord|38.9108|-77.4442|type:landmark_region:US-VA|display=title}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 12:58, 24 January 2025
US Army Air Forces Boeing B-29 airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb This article is about the bomber. For other uses, see Enola Gay (disambiguation).
Enola Gay | |
---|---|
Paul Tibbets waving from the Enola Gay's cockpit before taking off for the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 | |
General information | |
Type | B-29-45-MO Superfortress |
Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company, Omaha, Nebraska |
Owners | United States Army Air Forces |
Serial | 44-86292 |
Radio code | Victor 12 (later changed to Victor 82) |
History | |
Manufactured | 18 May 1945; 79 years ago (1945-05-18) |
In service | 18 May 1945 – 24 July 1946 |
Preserved at | National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center |
The Enola Gay (/əˈnoʊlə/) is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in warfare. The bomb, code-named "Little Boy", was targeted at the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and destroyed about three-quarters of the city. Enola Gay participated in the second nuclear attack as the weather reconnaissance aircraft for the primary target of Kokura. Clouds and drifting smoke resulted in Nagasaki, a secondary target, being bombed instead.
After the war, the Enola Gay returned to the United States, where it was operated from Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico. In May 1946, it was flown to Kwajalein for the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific, but was not chosen to make the test drop at Bikini Atoll. Later that year, it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and spent many years parked at air bases exposed to the weather and souvenir hunters, before its 1961 disassembly and storage at a Smithsonian facility in Suitland, Maryland.
In the 1980s, veterans groups engaged in a call for the Smithsonian to put the aircraft on display, leading to an acrimonious debate about exhibiting the aircraft without a proper historical context. The cockpit and nose section of the aircraft were exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) on the National Mall, for the bombing's 50th anniversary in 1995, amid controversy. Since 2003, the entire restored B-29 has been on display at NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The last survivor of its crew, Theodore Van Kirk, died on 28 July 2014 at the age of 93.
World War II
Early history
The Enola Gay (Model number B-29-45-MO, Serial number 44-86292, Victor number 82) was built by the Glenn L. Martin Company (later part of Lockheed Martin) at its bomber plant in Bellevue, Nebraska, located at Offutt Field, now Offutt Air Force Base. The bomber was one of the first fifteen B-29s built to the "Silverplate" specification— of 65 eventually completed during and after World War II—giving them the primary ability to function as nuclear "weapon delivery" aircraft. These modifications included an extensively modified bomb bay with pneumatic doors and British bomb attachment and release systems, reversible pitch propellers that gave more braking power on landing, improved engines with fuel injection and better cooling, and the removal of protective armor and gun turrets.
Enola Gay was personally selected by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the commander of the 509th Composite Group, on 9 May 1945, while still on the assembly line. The aircraft was accepted by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 18 May 1945 and assigned to the 393d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, 509th Composite Group. Crew B-9, commanded by Captain Robert A. Lewis, took delivery of the bomber and flew it from Omaha to the 509th base at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, on 14 June 1945.
Thirteen days later, the aircraft left Wendover for Guam, where it received a bomb-bay modification, and flew to North Field, Tinian, on 6 July. It was initially given the Victor (squadron-assigned identification) number 12, but on 1 August, was given the circle R tail markings of the 6th Bombardment Group as a security measure and had its Victor number changed to 82 to avoid misidentification with actual 6th Bombardment Group aircraft. During July, the bomber made eight practice or training flights and flew two missions, on 24 and 26 July, to drop pumpkin bombs on industrial targets at Kobe and Nagoya. Enola Gay was used on 31 July on a rehearsal flight for the actual mission.
The partially assembled Little Boy gun-type fission weapon L-11, weighing 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg), was contained inside a 41-by-47-by-138-inch (100 cm × 120 cm × 350 cm) wooden crate that was secured to the deck of the USS Indianapolis. Unlike the six uranium-235 target discs, which were later flown to Tinian on three separate aircraft arriving 28 and 29 July, the assembled projectile with the nine uranium-235 rings installed was shipped in a single lead-lined steel container weighing 300 pounds (140 kg) that was locked to brackets welded to the deck of Captain Charles B. McVay III's quarters. Both the L-11 and projectile were dropped off at Tinian on 26 July 1945.
Hiroshima mission
Main article: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiOn 5 August 1945, during preparation for the first atomic mission, Tibbets assumed command of the aircraft and named it after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets, who, in turn, had been named for the heroine of a novel. When it came to selecting a name for the plane, Tibbets later recalled that:
... my thoughts turned at this point to my courageous red-haired mother, whose quiet confidence had been a source of strength to me since boyhood, and particularly during the soul-searching period when I decided to give up a medical career to become a military pilot. At a time when Dad had thought I had lost my marbles, she had taken my side and said, "I know you will be all right, son."
In the early morning hours, just prior to the 6 August mission, Tibbets had a young Army Air Forces maintenance man, Private Nelson Miller, paint the name just under the pilot's window. Regularly assigned aircraft commander Robert A. Lewis was unhappy to be displaced by Tibbets for this important mission and became furious when he arrived at the aircraft on the morning of 6 August to see it painted with the now-famous nose art.
Hiroshima was the primary target of the first nuclear bombing mission on 6 August, with Kokura and Nagasaki as alternative targets. Enola Gay, piloted by Tibbets, took off from North Field, in the Northern Mariana Islands, about six hours' flight time from Japan, accompanied by two other B-29s, The Great Artiste, carrying instrumentation, and a then-nameless aircraft later called Necessary Evil, commanded by Captain George Marquardt, to take photographs. The director of the Manhattan Project, Major General Leslie R. Groves Jr., wanted the event recorded for posterity, so the takeoff was illuminated by floodlights. When he wanted to taxi, Tibbets leaned out the window to direct the bystanders out of the way. On request, he gave a friendly wave for the cameras.
After leaving Tinian, the three aircraft made their way separately to Iwo Jima, where they rendezvoused at 2,440 meters (8,010 ft) and set course for Japan. The aircraft arrived over the target in clear visibility at 9,855 meters (32,333 ft). Navy Captain William S. "Deak" Parsons of Project Alberta, who was in command of the mission, armed the bomb during the flight to minimize the risks during takeoff. His assistant, Second Lieutenant Morris R. Jeppson, removed the safety devices 30 minutes before reaching the target area.
The release at 08:15 (Hiroshima time) went as planned, and the Little Boy took 53 seconds to fall from the aircraft flying at 31,060 feet (9,470 m) to the predetermined detonation height about 1,968 feet (600 m) above the city. Enola Gay traveled 11.5 mi (18.5 km) before it felt the shock waves from the blast. Although buffeted by the shock, neither Enola Gay nor The Great Artiste was damaged.
The detonation created a blast equivalent to 15 kilotons of TNT (63 TJ). The U-235 weapon was considered very inefficient, with only 1.7% of its fissile material reacting. The radius of total destruction was about one mile (1.6 km), with resulting fires across 4.4 square miles (11 km). Americans estimated that 4.7 square miles (12 km) of the city were destroyed. Japanese officials determined that 69% of Hiroshima's buildings were destroyed and another 6–7% damaged. Some 70,000–80,000 people, 30% of the city's population, were killed by the blast and resultant firestorm, and another 70,000 injured. Out of those killed, 20,000 were soldiers and 20,000 were Korean slave laborers.
Enola Gay returned safely to its base on Tinian to great fanfare, touching down at 2:58 pm, after 12 hours 13 minutes. The Great Artiste and Necessary Evil followed at short intervals. Several hundred people, including journalists and photographers, had gathered to watch the planes return. Tibbets was the first to disembark and was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross on the spot.
Nagasaki mission
The Hiroshima mission was followed by another atomic strike. Originally scheduled for 11 August, it was brought forward by two days to 9 August owing to a forecast of bad weather. This time, a nuclear bomb code-named "Fat Man" was carried by B-29 Bockscar, piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney. Enola Gay, flown by Captain George Marquardt's Crew B-10, was the weather reconnaissance aircraft for Kokura, the primary target. Enola Gay reported clear skies over Kokura, but by the time Bockscar arrived, the city was obscured by smoke from fires from the conventional bombing of Yahata by 224 B-29s the day before. After three unsuccessful passes, Bockscar diverted to its secondary target, Nagasaki, where it dropped its bomb. In contrast to the Hiroshima mission, the Nagasaki mission has been described as tactically botched, although the mission did meet its objectives. The crew encountered a number of problems in execution and had very little fuel by the time they landed at the emergency backup landing site Yontan Airfield on Okinawa.
Crews
Hiroshima mission
Enola Gay's crew on 6 August 1945 consisted of 12 men. The crew was:
- Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr. – pilot and aircraft commander
- Captain Robert A. Lewis – co-pilot; Enola Gay's regularly assigned aircraft commander*
- Major Thomas Ferebee – bombardier
- Captain Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk – navigator
- Captain William S. "Deak" Parsons, USN – weaponeer and mission commander
- First Lieutenant Jacob Beser – radar countermeasures (also the only man to fly on both of the nuclear bombing aircraft.)
- Second Lieutenant Morris R. Jeppson – assistant weaponeer
- Staff Sergeant Robert "Bob" Caron – tail gunner*
- Staff Sergeant Wyatt E. Duzenbury – flight engineer*
- Sergeant Joe S. Stiborik – radar operator*
- Sergeant Robert H. Shumard – assistant flight engineer*
- Private First Class Richard H. Nelson – VHF radio operator*
Asterisks denote regular crewmen of the Enola Gay.
Of mission commander Parsons, it was said: "There is no one more responsible for getting this bomb out of the laboratory and into some form useful for combat operations than Captain Parsons, by his plain genius in the ordnance business."
Nagasaki mission
For the Nagasaki mission, Enola Gay was flown by Crew B-10, normally assigned to Up An' Atom:
- Captain George W. Marquardt – aircraft commander
- Second Lieutenant James M. Anderson – co-pilot
- Second Lieutenant Russell Gackenbach – navigator
- Captain James W. Strudwick – bombardier
- Technical Sergeant James R. Corliss – flight engineer
- Sergeant Warren L. Coble – radio operator
- Sergeant Joseph M. DiJulio – radar operator
- Sergeant Melvin H. Bierman – tail gunner
- Sergeant Anthony D. Capua Jr. – assistant engineer/scanner
Source: Campbell, 2005, pp. 134, 191–192.
Subsequent history
On 6 November 1945, Lewis flew the Enola Gay back to the United States, arriving at the 509th's new base at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico, on 8 November. On 29 April 1946, Enola Gay left Roswell as part of the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific. It flew to Kwajalein Atoll on 1 May. It was not chosen to make the test drop at Bikini Atoll and left Kwajalein on 1 July, the date of the test, reaching Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Field, California, the next day.
The decision was made to preserve the Enola Gay, and on 24 July 1946, the aircraft was flown to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, in preparation for storage. On 30 August 1946, the title to the aircraft was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and the Enola Gay was removed from the USAAF inventory. From 1946 to 1961, the Enola Gay was put into temporary storage at a number of locations. It was at Davis-Monthan from 1 September 1946 until 3 July 1949, when it was flown to Orchard Place Air Field, Park Ridge, Illinois, by Tibbets for acceptance by the Smithsonian. It was moved to Pyote Air Force Base, Texas, on 12 January 1952, and then to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on 2 December 1953, because the Smithsonian had no storage space for the aircraft.
It was hoped that the Air Force would guard the plane, but, lacking hangar space, it was left outdoors on a remote part of the air base, exposed to the elements. Souvenir hunters broke in and removed parts. Insects and birds then gained access to the aircraft. Paul E. Garber of the Smithsonian Institution became concerned about the Enola Gay's condition, and on 10 August 1960, Smithsonian staff began dismantling the aircraft. The components were transported to the Smithsonian storage facility at Suitland, Maryland, on 21 July 1961.
The Enola Gay remained at Suitland for many years. By the early 1980s, two veterans of the 509th, Don Rehl and his former navigator in the 509th, Frank B. Stewart, began lobbying for the aircraft to be restored and put on display. They enlisted Tibbets and Senator Barry Goldwater in their campaign. In 1983, Walter J. Boyne, a former B-52 pilot with the Strategic Air Command, became director of the National Air and Space Museum, and he made the Enola Gay's restoration a priority. Looking at the aircraft, Tibbets recalled, was a "sad meeting. fond memories, and I don't mean the dropping of the bomb, were the numerous occasions I flew the airplane ... I pushed it very, very hard and it never failed me ... It was probably the most beautiful piece of machinery that any pilot ever flew."
Restoration
Restoration of the bomber began on 5 December 1984, at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryland. The propellers that were used on the bombing mission were later shipped to Texas A&M University. One of these propellers was trimmed to 12.5 feet (3.8 m) for use in the university's Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel. The lightweight aluminum variable-pitch propeller is powered by a 1,250 kVA electric motor, providing a wind speed up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). Two engines were rebuilt at Garber and two at San Diego Air & Space Museum. Some parts and instruments had been removed and could not be located. Replacements were found or fabricated, and marked so that future curators could distinguish them from the original components.
Exhibition controversy
The Enola Gay became the center of a controversy at the Smithsonian Institution when the museum planned to put its fuselage on public display in 1995 as part of an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The exhibit, The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Cold War, was drafted by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum staff, and arranged around the restored Enola Gay.
Critics of the planned exhibit, especially those of the American Legion and the Air Force Association, charged that the exhibit focused too much attention on the Japanese casualties inflicted by the nuclear bomb, rather than on the motives for the bombing or the discussion of the bomb's role in ending the conflict with Japan. The exhibit brought to national attention many long-standing academic and political issues related to retrospective views of the bombings. After attempts to revise the exhibit to meet the satisfaction of competing interest groups, the exhibit was canceled on 30 January 1995. Martin O. Harwit, Director of the National Air and Space Museum, was compelled to resign over the controversy. He later reflected that
The dispute was not simply about the atomic bomb. Rather, the dispute was sometimes a symbolic issue in a "culture war" in which many Americans lumped together the seeming decline of American power, the difficulties of the domestic economy, the threats in world trade and especially Japan's successes, the loss of domestic jobs, and even changes in American gender roles and shifts in the American family. To a number of Americans, the very people responsible for the script were the people who were changing America. The bomb, representing the end of World War II and suggesting the height of American power was to be celebrated. It was, in this judgment, a crucial symbol of America's "good war", one fought justly for noble purposes at a time when America was united. Those who in any way questioned the bomb's use were, in this emotional framework, the enemies of America.
The forward fuselage went on display on 28 June 1995. On 2 July 1995, three people were arrested for throwing ash and human blood on the aircraft's fuselage, following an earlier incident in which a protester had thrown red paint over the gallery's carpeting. The exhibition closed on 18 May 1998 and the fuselage was returned to the Garber Facility for final restoration.
Complete restoration and display
Its restoration work began in 1984, and eventually required 300,000 staff hours. While the fuselage was on display, from 1995 to 1998, work continued on the remaining unrestored components. The aircraft was shipped in pieces to the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia from March–June 2003, with the fuselage and wings reunited for the first time since 1960 on 10 April 2003 and assembly completed on 8 August 2003. The aircraft has been on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center since the museum annex opened on 15 December 2003. As a result of the earlier controversy, the signage around the aircraft provided only the same succinct technical data as is provided for other aircraft in the museum, without discussion of the controversial issues. It read:
Boeing's B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II, and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theater, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons.
On 6 August 1945, this Martin-built B-29-45-MO dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, Bockscar (on display at the U.S. Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio) dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B-29, The Great Artiste, flew as an observation aircraft on both missions.
Transferred from the U.S. Air Force
Wingspan: 43 metres (141 feet 1 inch)
Length:30.2 m (99 ft)
Height: 9 metres (29 feet 6 inches)
Weight, empty: 32,580 kg (71,830 lb)
Weight, gross: 63,504 kg (140,002 lb)
Top speed: 546 km/h (339 mph)
Engines: 4 Wright R-3350-57 Cyclone turbo-supercharged radials, 2,200 hp
Crew: 12 (Hiroshima mission)
Armament: two .50 caliber machine guns
Ordnance: Little Boy atomic bomb
Manufacturer: Martin Co., Omaha, Nebraska, 1945
A19500100000
The display of the Enola Gay without reference to the historical context of World War II, the Cold War, or the development and deployment of nuclear weapons aroused controversy. A petition from a group calling themselves the Committee for a National Discussion of Nuclear History and Current Policy bemoaned the display of Enola Gay as a technological achievement, which it described as an "extraordinary callousness toward the victims, indifference to the deep divisions among American citizens about the propriety of these actions, and disregard for the feelings of most of the world's peoples". It attracted signatures from notable figures including historian Gar Alperovitz, social critic Noam Chomsky, whistle blower Daniel Ellsberg, physicist Joseph Rotblat, writer Kurt Vonnegut, producer Norman Lear, actor Martin Sheen and filmmaker Oliver Stone.
References
Notes
- The block number was a one- to three-digit number, followed by a two-letter code that represented the aircraft built to the same engineering specification. The two-letter code represented the plant at which the aircraft was built, in this case, Martin in Omaha. This was combined with the aircraft model designation (B-29) to form the model number
- The atomic bombs were euphemistically known as the "gadgets", a tag given to them by scientists at the Los Alamos test facility.
- Enola; or Her Fatal Mistake (1886), by Mary Young Ridenbaugh is the only novel of the period to use "Enola".
Citations
- Mann 2004, p. 100.
- Campbell 2005, pp. 14–15.
- ^ March, Peter R. "Enola Gay Restored". Aircraft Illustrated, October 2003.
- "Boeing B-29 Enola Gay Superfortress bomber, Aircraft history, facts and pictures". aviationexplorer.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ Campbell 2005, pp. 191–192.
- Campbell 2005, p. 117.
- Hoddeson et al. 1993, p. 2.
- Hoddeson et al. 1993, p. 258.
- Ridenbaugh, Mary Young (1886). Enola; Or, Her Fatal Mistake. Kentucky: For the author. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
Volume 3 of Wright American fiction
- Tibbets 1998, p. 203.
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- Thomas & Morgan-Witts 1977, pp. 382–383.
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- "Boeing B-29 Superfortress". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- Rossenfeld, Carrie (2005). "The Story of Nagasaki: The Missions". hiroshima-remembered.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- Cooper, Sgt. Jean. "Photo: P-574 (Enola Gay Crew Members)". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
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- Campbell, 2005, p. 30.
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- ^ Campbell 2005, p. 193.
- ^ Polmar 2004, p. 66.
- ^ Harwit, Martin. "An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
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- Polmar 2004, p. 60.
- Michael J. Hogan, "The Enola Gay Controversy: History, Memory, and the Politics of Presentation", in Hiroshima in History and Memory, ed. Michael J. Hogan (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), pp. 200-32.
- Gallagher, Edward. "History on Trial: The Enola Gay Controversy". Lehigh University. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
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- Meyer, Eugene L. (3 May 1995). "Air and Space Museum Chief Resigns: Harwit Cites Furor Over A-Bomb Exhibit". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- Bernstein 1995, p. 238.
- Correll, John T. (August 1995). "Enola Gay Archive: Presenting the Enola Gay". Air Force Association. p. 19. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "Boeing B-29 'Superfortress': Enola Gay". National air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
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Bibliography
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- Hoddeson, Lillian; Henriksen, Paul W.; Meade, Roger A.; Westfall, Catherine L. (1993). Critical Assembly: A Technical History of Los Alamos During the Oppenheimer Years, 1943–1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-44132-2.
- Mann, Robert A. (2004). The B-29 Superfortress: A Comprehensive Registry of the Planes and Their Missions. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-1787-0.
- Polmar, Norman (2004). The Enola Gay: The B-29 that Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima. Dulles, Virginia: Brassey's. ISBN 1-57488-859-5.
- Sweeney, Charles; Antonucci, James A.; Antonucci, Marion K. (1997). War's End: an Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission. New York: Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-97349-9.
- Thomas, Gordon; Morgan-Witts, Max (1977). Ruin from the Air: The Enola Gay's Atomic Mission to Hiroshima. London: Hamilton. ISBN 0-8128-8509-0.
- Tibbets, Paul W. (1998). Return of the Enola Gay. New Hope, Pennsylvania: Enola Gay Remembered Inc. ISBN 0970366604.
Further reading
- Bird, Kai; Lifschultz, Lawrence, eds. (1998). Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial of History and the Smithsonian Controversy. Stony Creek, Connecticut: The Pamphleteer's Press. ISBN 9780963058737. OCLC 1020221026.
- Dubin, Steven C. (2001). Displays of Power: Controversy in the American Museum from the Enola Gay to Sensation. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-1890-2.
- Haggerty, Forrest (2005). 43 Seconds to Hiroshima: The First Atomic Mission. An Autobiography of Richard H. Nelson, "Enola Gay" Radioman. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. ISBN 1-4208-4316-8.
- Harwit, Martin (1996). An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay. New York: Copernicus. ISBN 0-387-94797-3.
- Hogan, Michael J., ed. (1996). Hiroshima in History and Memory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-56682-7.
- Krauss, Robert; Krauss, Amelia (2005). The 509th Remembered: A History of the 509th Composite Group as Told by the Veterans Themselves, 509th Anniversary Reunion, Wichita, Kansas, 7–10 October 2004. Wichita, Kansas: 509th Press. ISBN 0-923568-66-2.
- Mayr, Otto (1998). "The 'Enola Gay' Fiasco: History, Politics, and the Museum". Technology and Culture. 39 (3): 462–473. doi:10.2307/1215894. JSTOR 1215894.
- O'Reilly, Charles T.; Rooney, William A. (2005). Enola Gay and the Smithsonian Institution. New York: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-2008-1.
- Rhodes, Richard (1986). The Making of the Atomic Bomb. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81378-5.
- Newman, Robert P. (2004). Enola Gay and the Court of History. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN 0-8204-7457-6.
- Wheeler, Keith. (1982). Bombers over Japan. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Time-Life Books. ISBN 0-8094-3429-6.
External links
- The Smithsonian's site on Enola Gay includes links to crew lists and other details Archived 19 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Eyewitnesses to Hiroshima, Time magazine, 1 August 2005
- "Inside the Enola Gay", Air & Space, 18 May 2010
38°54′39″N 77°26′39″W / 38.9108°N 77.4442°W / 38.9108; -77.4442
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See also: Boeing B-17 family |