Hiroshima and Nagasaki Missions – Planes & Crews
The Enola Gay (/ əˈnoʊlə /) is a Boeing B Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August , during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in warfare. The bomb, code-named "Little Boy", was targeted at the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and destroyed about three-quarters of the. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC. Discover our exhibitions and participate in programs both in person or virtually.
Enola Gay
The Enola Gay is the B heavy bomber that was used by the United States on August 6, , to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time the explosive device had been used on an enemy target, and it destroyed most of the city. The aircraft was named after the mother of pilot Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. They had been specially modified to accomodate the size and weight of the atomic bombs. Crews were often rotated around during the missions. 
Enola Gay
Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B, The Great Artiste, flew as an observation aircraft on both missions. Boeing's B Superfortress was the most sophisticated, propeller-driven, bomber to fly during World War II, and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Tibbets Jr. Built by the Glenn L.
The Story of the Enola Gay
The Enola Gay, a B Superfortress, is renowned for its role in World War II as the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan. On August 6, , this historic bomber made a crucial mark in history by attacking Hiroshima, Japan, with the bomb named "Little Boy." The plane was named after. The Enola Gay was part of a second batch of fifteen improved Silverplate bombers built between February and June The Enola Gay 's complete serial number BMO, indicated that it was a B built at the Martin Omaha plant built in block 45, and was ordered in fiscal year 
Boeing B
Regularly Assigned Plane Crews The crews for Straight Flush, Full House, and Jabit III flew in their regularly assigned planes for the atomic bombing missions, but the crews regularly assigned to the Enola Gay, Bockscar, The Great Artiste, Necessary Evil, Laggin’ Dragon, and Up an’ Atom flew in different planes for the missions. In the early hours of 6 August , three 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.
Enola Gay
The plane carrying Paul Tibbets, his crew and most importantly the bomb was a Boeing B Superfortress named ‘Enola Gay’. B Bombers were designed to be a high altitude aircraft, capable of performing devastating bombing raids. . Enola Gay
Enola Gay traveled miles before the shock waves from the blast were felt onboard. The plane returned safely to North Field at local time after 12 hours and 13 minutes in the air. Tibbets received the Distinguished Service Cross after the return of the Enola Gay. B Enola Gay post-mission. Image via Smithsonian National Air and Space. . Boeing B
The Enola Gay, a Boeing B Superfortress bomber, played a pivotal role in World War II, becoming the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in warfare. Named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of its pilot, Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the bomber was instrumental in the mission that devastated Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, Built by the Glenn L. Martin Company at its Bellevue, Nebraska. .