In 1946, Enola Gay took part in another nuclear action, specifically the Operation Crossroads atomic testing in the South Pacific. Enola Gay’s service continued, however, and she returned to the United States where she first operated out of Roswell, New Mexico. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki finally forced the Japanese to lay down their arms, and World War II officially ended three weeks later when the surrender documents were signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Harbor. When clouds and smoke hindered the mission, the target was changed to the city of Nagasaki. This time, the B-29 was assigned to serve as the weather reconnaissance craft. Three days later, Enola Gay and Tibbets were scheduled to return to the skies for the bombing of Kokura. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb-known as “Little Boy”-on the city of Hiroshima. Paul Tibbets waves from the cockpit of Enola Gay, 6 August 1945Īt the head of the 509th, Tibbets piloted the B-29 Superfortress-which he named for his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets-that led the bombing of the two cities. In 1945, that group was assigned to carry out the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the war neared its end, Tibbets was appointed commander of the 509th Composite Group. By 1942, he was promoted to the 340th Bombardment Squadron of the 97th Bombardment Group.Īfter taking part in several bombing missions in Europe, Tibbets returned to the United States and played a pivotal role in the development of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. became a pilot in 1938, which enabled him to take part in anti-submarine patrols after the Decemattack on Pearl Harbor. Although he originally planned o becoming a doctor, Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. In 1937, a 22-year-old man from Quincy, Illinois enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. The B29 also had no escort, it was alone. N1K and Ki84 could both feasibly reach that altitudes B29s flew at, and managed to be produced in enough numbers there were at least a few squads in Japan and operational. The story of the Enola Gay actually starts before the outbreak of the War in the Pacific. Why wasnt the Enola Gay bomber intercepted in WW2 The Japanese had a few aircraft capable of flying high enough. The History of the Plane That Devastated Japan She would soon serve an important purpose that was aimed at finally putting an end to the war. Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress, was placed into service in May of 1945, toward the end of the Second World War. But one plane in particular has a more difficult and ambivalent history. Storied battleships, mighty aircraft carriers, and fearsome warplanes all contributed to the massive Allied forces in the Pacific Theater. There were many memorable ships and planes that played a larger-than-life role in the American war effort of the 1940s. Enola Gay landing after the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, 6 August 1945