The bomb resulted in the near complete destruction of the city, causing an estimated 160,000 immediate civilian casualties and thousands of subsequent deaths associated with radiation, starvation, and dehydration. Named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of pilot and aircraft commander Colonel Paul Tibbets, the Enola Gay became the first aircraft to drop an atomic weapon with the release of "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The photograph measures 10 inches by 8 inches. Caron,” and “Richard Nelson, Radio.” In fine condition. Jeppson, Weapon Test Officer, Enola Gay Mission, Hiroshima, ,” “Paul Tibbets, Pilot,” “Dutch Van Kirk, Navigator– Enola Gay, Hiroshima–,” “Tom Ferebee,” “George R. Signed and inscribed by six members of the crew: “Morris R. I am joined by that man today Theodore Van Kirk. (23 February 1915 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force.He is best known as the aircraft captain who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped a Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Item Number: 89157īlack and white photograph of the entire crew of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. Lindsay Garfield: Today only one of these twelve crew members of the Enola Gay live to tell the story. Jeppson Thomas Ferebee Dutch Van Kirk George R. Caron Richard Nelson. The 13-man crew for the Enola Gay on its historic Hishoma run were as follows: Colonel Paul Tibbetts, pilot and mission commander. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.TIBBETS, Paul A. The Enola Gay (/ɪˈnoʊlə/) is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. Martin Company (later part of Lockheed Martin ) at its Bellevue, Nebraska, plant, located at what is now known as Offutt Air Force Base.
The Enola Gay (Model number B-29-45-MO, Serial number 44-86292, Victor number 82) was built by the Glenn L. Who were the crew members on the Enola Gay?Īmong others personally recruited by Tibbets for the 509th were the Enola Gay copilot, Lewis, Caron, tail gunner, Duzenbury, flight engineer, radar specialist Beser, and four members of the Bockscar flight crew: aircraft commander Chuck Sweeney, copilot Don Albury, bombardier Kermit Behan, and navigator James Van Pelt. The Enola Gay dropped the bomb “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. Thomas Wilson Ferebee was the Bombardier aboard the Enola Gay. The BOCKSCAR dropped the bomb “FAT MAN” on Nagasaki. Answer (1 of 8): This is such a popular question I have combined my research into one boilerplate answer and post it every time someone asks about the crew. After making several dangerous passes over Kokura, Sweeney abandoned the enola target for Nagasaki. What was the name of the plane that dropped Fat Man? But its model was more harrowing for the crew. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay is now on display at the Steven F.
The aircraft was named after the mother of pilot Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. At 8.10am the crew of the Enola Gay lined up for their bombing run and Colonel Tibbets switched over to the onboard autopilot. What was the Enola Gay and what part did it play in the war?Įnola Gay, the B-29bomber that was used by the United States on August 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the first time the explosive device had been used on an enemy target. Van Kirk is the last surviving member of the crew. The next interviewee is Commander Frederick Ashworth, who was part of the crew that dropped the second atom bomb on Nagasaki. The Colonel then describes his experiences in a very calm way. Tibbets retired from the Air Force in 1966 and died in 2007, at 92. The clip opens with an interview with Colonel Paul Tebbits, the officer in charge of the bomb group that dropped the Hiroshima Bomb.