North Field, Tinian Island, North Pacific Ocean.
Photographer: Unknown.
Named after the mother of its pilot, the Enola Gay rolls into the hard stand of the North Field Air force base on Tinian Island; after successfully dropping the world’s first atom bomb over the city of Hiroshima, on the morning of the 6th of August, 1945.
A specially configured U.S. Superfortress, this B-29 was the first of the two bombers to have ushered in the nuclear age with their atomic cargo of ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’. Released over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki within a span of three days; effectively crippling imperial Japan’s military enthusiasm and bringing World War II to an early end.
Furthermore, and from the military’s point of view, the bomber had successfully accomplished the final stage of an intricately planned and top-secret mission, authorized by none other than U.S. President Harry S.Truman – who at the time had been searching for less costly alternatives to sacrificing human lives.
As the second world war, then in its fifth year, had continued to drain energy, resources, and economy without showing any signs of stopping.
A special aircraft.
Manufactured by the Martin aeronautics company and assigned to the U.S. Air Force’s, 393rd Heavy Bombardment Squadron’s 509th corps.
A special division of eighteen hundred men and fifteen bombers; that was created in September 1944 by Major General Leslie Groves to deliver the atom bombs to their designated targets from the airfields of Saipan and Tinian – some 1,700 miles away from Japan to the North.
The B-29 had begun its career with the U.S. Air Force on the 18th of May, 1945. Initially referred to by the serial number: 44-86292, the bomber was a B-29-45 model and had measured 99 feet from its nose to its tail tip, and boasted of a wingspan of almost 141 feet.
Though originally equipped with four Wright 2200 horsepower/R-3350-57 Cyclone engines to comfortably lift off with a body weight of 67 tons and cruise at a speed of 190 miles an hour at a maximum altitude of 35,000 feet. It had later undergone further modifications for its role as a special mission aircraft at the Glen G Martin plant at Omaha.
On the 27th of June 1945, a crew had flown the plane from the U.S. to North Field on Tinian Island in the Mariana Archipelago. Where, upon reaching its destination on the 6th of July 1945, it had participated in practice runs and bombing raids to perfect its battle worthiness for the mission that lay ahead.
The bombing run.
Over Hiroshima, the B-29 had made its bombing run for a duration of eight minutes, and at precisely 8:15 a.m., released its atomic payload (see Farbound.Net story: Little Boy, the world’s first atomic bomb). It had then made a sharp turn for home and climbed higher to escape the blast radius.
However, approximately forty-three seconds later, as the bomb had detonated, her crew in spite of being equipped with goggles had still been blinded by the white light of the powerful explosion and rocked violently by the shock wave that had followed.
The name of the bomber.
The painting of her name in bold and capitalized letters visible below the pilot’s window on the port side had taken place on the 5th of August, 1945 – minutes before its flight for Hiroshima. Right up till then, the aircraft had continued to be known only by its serial number: 44-86292.
Greatly appreciative of his mother’s support, during the rough patches of his life, the name had been intentionally chosen by the B-29’s pilot and commanding officer of the 509th corps, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Tibbets.
Who had wanted to honour his beloved parent at this hour and on a journey which in spite of the assurance of technical safety and the U.S. high command’s promise of not being a suicide mission, had still been fraught with danger.
Restoration.
Refitted and restored back to its original shiny splendour, after being exposed to years of neglect, scavenging and later storage inside a Smithsonian facility in dismantled pieces. This bomber which made history can presently be seen at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia, U.S.
Recalls Martin Harwitt, a former director of the National Air and Space Museum, and author of the book, An exhibit denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay.
In 1988 almost 600 retired World War II veterans had contributed generously to the aircraft’s restoration. While Colonel Tibbets and three other members of her crew had specially come over to help experts restore the aircraft as it had been at the time of its historic flight.
Later forced to tender his resignation, Harwitt had been instrumental in organizing an exhibition of the Enola Gay’s fuselage and history on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II (1995).
An event that had met with opposition from members of the U.S. Congress as well as protesters for ideological and political reasons.
The photo.
Catalogued by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA),this photo was captured by an undisclosed photographer at North Field. It was taken as the Enola Gay had just returned from its mission, possibly on the evening of the 6th of August, 1945.
