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The aircraft then became 2 of the most famous aircraft to take to the skies. This second atomic bomb and the horrific destruction of atomic warfare finally forced the surrender of Japan. Sweeney), which dropped “ Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. The two B-29’s that dropped the Atomic bombs on Japan (following a final ultimatum to surrender that was ignored) were called “ Enola Gay” (named after the pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets Mother) which dropped “ Little Boy” on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and “ Bockscar” (piloted by Major Charles W. They were then switched to night raids and continued successfully in that role for the rest of the war. In Korea, B-29’s initially flew on daylight bombing raids but with the introduction of the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter in 1950 by the Communists (at first flown by Soviet pilots), around 30 B-29’s were shot down. Read them.The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a long-range four engine heavy bomber introduced into service in 1944 with sophisticated features including a pressurized cabin and remote-controlled gun turrets. The B-29 was used with devastating effect by the United States Army Air Force against the Japanese in the Pacific theatre of World War Two (this was the aircraft that basically ended the war in 1945 by dropping 2 atomic bombs on Japan and then by the United States Air Force in the Korean War (1950-53) against communist forces. There were many threads where hardly something is to add. KDĪt last I repeat myself and do not want to start a new discussion here. Moderator Action: Unless you've most substantive evidence than a single German publication, stop making such accusations here. When he got to know that he promised impunity for their actions. However Tibbs´ men were partly the biggest scum of America: a murderer, 3 manslayer and several robbers and thefts were among his crew. Nevertheless I didn´t want a new discussion here. Although I think this attack was a war crime ordered by a rasistical president, we have to keep the instruments to see and accept the errors we made. You have to include the 2nd and 3rd generations because of the radiation. That this plane dropped the bomb is neccessary to remind- together with the hundres of thousands victims dying until now. You had no choice."Īnd to this day, Paul Tibbets has no regrets.Īt first the Enola Gay must be preserved as a reminder.
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President Truman emphasized to Tibbets following the war, "Don't you ever lose any sleep over the fact you planned and carried out that mission. What is often lost in the story of Tibbets and the Enola Gay is that the crew had less than one minute to escape the blast and the accompanying 100 million-degree fireball, according to a recent article in the August edition of the American Legion magazine. It is a sentiment upon which the surviving crewmen are unanimous." "Combined with the efforts of all Americans and our allies, we were able to stop the killing. "I have been thanked as well by Japanese veterans and civilians who would have been expected to carry out suicidal defense of their homelands," Tibbets said. A spokesman for Tibbets, Edward Humphreys, relayed Tibbets' thoughts to The Herald-Whig through a release. Tibbets is unable to grant personal interviews due to health reasons. Tibbets, whose family moved from Quincy to Florida when he was 9, now resides in Columbus, Ohio. Over the years, thousands of former soldiers and military family members have expressed a particularly touching and personal gratitude suggesting that they might not be alive today had it been necessary to resort to an invasion of the Japanese home islands to end the fighting." "The vast majority have expressed gratitude (that we) were able to deliver the bombs that ended the war. "In the past 60 years since Hiroshima, I have received many letters from people all over the world," said Tibbets, 90, who retired from the Air Force in 1966 as a brigadier general. It unleashed the equivalent of 40 million pounds of TNT, flattening and burning an area which measured 4.1 square miles.Īn estimated 266,000 people either died immediately or as the result of the blast. The uranium-based bomb delivered by Tibbets' plane was detonated 1,900 feet above Hiroshima. It was Tibbets, a native of Quincy, who piloted arguably the most famous B-29 bomber in history, the Enola Gay, 60 years ago Saturday. Sixty years later, Paul Tibbets has no regrets.