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At a time when Dad had thought I had lost my marbles, she had taken my side and said, "I know you will be alright son." 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. When it came to selecting a name for the plane, Tibbets later recalled that: Who had herself been named for the heroine of a novel. Of the aircraft and named it after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets, Preparation for the first atomic mission, Tibbets assumed command Both the L-11 and projectile wereĭropped off at Tinian on 26 July 1945.
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That was securely locked to brackets welded to the deck of CaptainĬharles B. Projectile with the nine Uranium-235 rings installed was shipped inĪ single lead-lined steel container weighing 300 pounds (140 kg) Three separate aircraft arriving 28 and 29 July, the assembled Six Uranium-235 target discs, which were later flown to Tinian on That was secured to the deck of the USS Indianapolis. Inch (350 cm) wooden crate weighing 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) Was contained inside a 41-inch (100 cm) x 47-inch (120 cm) x 138. The partially assembled Little Boy gun-type nuclear weapon L-11 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.Įnola Gay was used on 31 July on a rehearsal flight for the actual mission. 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 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. Lewis, took delivery of the bomber and flew it from Omaha to the 509th's base at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, on 14 June 1945.
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The aircraft was accepted by the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) on and assigned to the 393d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, 509th Composite Group. May 1945, while still on the assembly line. Tibbets, Jr., the commander of the 509th Composite Group, on 9
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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 armour and gun turrets.Įnola Gay was personally selected by Colonel Paul W. The bomber was one of 15 B-29s with the "Silverplate" modifications necessary to deliver atomic weapons.
#OMD ENOLA GAY HIROSHIMA SERIAL NUMBER#
The Enola Gay ( Model number B-29-45-MO, Serial number 44-86292, Victor number 82 ) was built by the Glenn L.Martin Company (now Lockheed Martin) at its Bellevue, Nebraska plant, located at what is now known as Offutt Air Force Base. Survivor of its crew, Theodore Van Kirk, died on July 28, 2014, at the age of 93. Restored B-29 has been on display at NASM's Steven F. National Air and Space Museum ( NASM ) in downtown Washington, D.C., for theīombing's 50th anniversary in 1995, amid a storm of controversy. The cockpit and nose section of the aircraft were exhibited at the In the 1980s, veterans groups engaged in a call for the Smithsonian to put the aircraft onĭisplay, leading to an acrimonious debate about exhibiting the aircraft without a proper Many years parked at air bases exposed to the weather and souvenir hunters, beforeīeing disassembled and transported to the Smithsonian's storage facility at Suitland, Later that year it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, and spent It was flown to Kwajalein for the OperationĬrossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific, but was not chosen to make the test drop atīikini Atoll. Clouds and drifting smoke resulted in NagasakiĪfter the war, the Enola Gay returned to the United States, where it was operated from Of Hiroshima, Japan, and caused unprecedented destruction.Įnola Gay participated in the second atomic attack as the weather reconnaissanceĪircraft for the primary target of Kokura. The bomb, code-named " Little Boy ", was targeted at the city World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of Paul Tibbets, who selected the aircraft while it was still on theĪssembly line. Named for Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel The Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Super fortress bomber,