A Brief History of the Enola Gay

The Enola Gay' claims to historical fame rests on the fact that it dropped the first atomic bomb, The Little Boy, on Hiroshima. The bombing ended the war and the controversy over the bombing began. The B-29 Superfortress bomber was named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Paul Tibbets.

The Enola Gay was assembled by the Glenn L. Martin Company's plant at Omaha, Nebraska. Col. Paul W. Tibbets chose it while it was still being assembled. It was the most sophisticated aircrafts that was built in the U.S during the World War. It boasted of a horsepower of 2200hp/engine, a wingspan of 141ft.3in, and a height of 29ft.7 in. It had a four-blade propeller and could reach 360 mph. It could carry a crew of 10-12 members.

The Enola Gay's Serial Number B-29-45-MO44-86292 Victor 12 (Victor number was later changed to 82 for security reasons) It was brought to North Field in Tinian(one of the 3 main islands of the North Marianas Island, and the base from which America atomic bomb attacks were carried) from Nebraska on 2 July 1945. There were many practice bombing missions before the big one under different commanders. For a time it seemed that Capt. Robert Lewis would be entrusted with the Hiroshima mission. However, it was Col Paul Tibbets who was chosen for the assignment, much to Lewis' chagrin. The Hiroshima Mission was a very smooth one, and a jubilant welcome awaited its return to Tinian Airbase. The second atomic bombing was dropped from the B-29 Bockscar, after a weather reconnaissance mission by The Enola Gay under Capt. George Marquardt.

The Enola Gay was subsequently brought back to the United States to the Rosewall Army Air field in New Mexico. The aircraft was chosen to be part of Operation Crossroads, a series of nuclear weapon tests in 1946. On 24 July 1946, it was decided to preserve the aircraft. The Enola Gay was shifted for the purpose of storage to a number of locations. The aircraft was restored in 1984 and is now displayed at the Steven F.Udvar-Hazy Center.

Controversies dogged the Enola Gay, the display of which was regarded as focusing unduly on the number of Japanese civilian deaths it caused. However, the man who led the Hiroshima mission, Col Tibbet (now Brig. Gen Paul Tibbets, Retd) holds an unapologetic view of the mission. In his opinion, had it not been the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the War would have continued to claim the lives of thousands of people in battlefields across the world. He said in a statement in 1994 that as an airman he was only following the orders of the Commander in Chief. He wanted the aircraft to be preserved and presented as a peacekeeper and "serve as an honor for those scientists who harnessed the power of the atom for the good of Mankind."