Who has owned the enola gay

In the early hours of 6 Augustthree aeroplanes took off from the Mariana Islands in the Pacific. For hours they charted a course towards the Japanese coast, with Paul Tibbets piloting one of the planes. After hours of nothing but ocean beneath him and his crew, land became visible.

At am Tibbets was able to complete his mission, by dropping one single bomb onto the city of Hiroshima. The resulting blast would become the most powerful explosion created by man up to that point, bringing unspeakable destruction to the Japanese city. B Bombers were designed to be a high altitude aircraft, capable of performing devastating bombing raids.

They were one of the crowning achievements of the American military, with the development cost exceeding the Manhattan Project. Throughout the s and 50s they would help to maintain the US air force supremacy on the world stage. Few planes can claim to have such importance in world history, but through Enola a new era was ushered in.

The US nuclear attack on Hiroshima marked the first time an atomic bomb has been used in a war, an ominous landmark that was only ever repeated once more with Nagasaki three days later.

Enola Gay: The B-29 Airplane That Changed the World

Tibbets, Jr. Image Credit: National Museum of the U. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. The plan was to detonate the bomb above the Aioi Bridge, but due to strong crosswinds it missed the target by metres. Aircraft of the th Composite Group that took part in the Hiroshima bombing.

Hiroshima was selected as a target because of its industrial importance and because it was the site of a major military headquarters. The atomic explosion went off metres above the city. Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his successful mission.

The B bomber also took part in the preparations for the bombing of Nagasaki on 9 August Udvar-Hazy Center. Udar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. B Superfortress 'Enola Gay' left ; Firestorm-cloud that formed following the Hiroshima bombing right. Air Force photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Keiko Ogura was just eight years old on August 6 when her home city of Hiroshima was destroyed by the US in the first atomic bomb attack in history. Those who survived the a-bombs are known as hibakusha, and Keiko - as a storyteller for the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation - is among the most prominent.

In this incredible episode, James is joined by Keiko herself to learn her riveting story of survival against all odds. Warning: The events recounted in this episode may be distressing to some listeners. You May Also Like. Forging the Treaty of Versailles 20th Century. History Hit Turns 10 News.