How 12 'Enola Gay' Crew Members Remember Dropping the Atomic
On August 6, , the B bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Twelve American crew members were on that flight. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC. Discover our exhibitions and participate in programs both in person or virtually. How did the Enola Gay’s crew live with bombing Hiroshima?
The Enola Gay’s crew consisted of 12 men led by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr., who commanded the historic atomic bombing mission on August 6, Key members included co-pilot Robert Lewis, bombardier Thomas Ferebee, navigator Theodore Van Kirk, and radar countermeasure officer Jacob Beser. Twelve American crew members were on that flight. Following their flight, some chose to keep a low profile, and others spoke out about their place in history. Enola Gay Flight Crew
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. Tibbets Jr. The specialized team also featured ground maintenance officer John Porter and weaponeers William Parsons and Morris Jeppson. 
The Smithsonian and the Enola Gay
The man crew for the Enola Gay on its historic Hishoma run were as follows: Colonel Paul Tibbetts, pilot and mission commander. Captain Robert A. Lewis, co-pilot. Iain MacGregor. Eighty years on, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima continues to provoke fierce debate, reflection, and deep moral inquiry.
Who Was the Crew of the Enola Gay?
The crew of the Enola Gay[back row (L-R)] Major Ferebee, Captain Van Kirk, Colonel Tibbets, Captain Lewis Staff Sgt. Caron, Sgt. Stiborik, Staff Sgt. Duzenbury, Pvt. 1st Class Nelson, Sgt. Shumard. . Transcript of historic interview with Enola Gay crew now
The names on the fuselage The Enola Gay, on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., bears the same markings that it did in , including the names of the flight crew from the historic mission, stenciled below the copilot’s window. But whereas 12 men were aboard the aircraft for the Hiroshima mission, only nine names are painted on the. . 
How 12 ‘Enola Gay’ Crew Members Remember Dropping the Atomic Bomb
The mission to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan (special mission 13) involved seven planes, but the one we remember was the Enola Gay. Air Force captain Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk did not know the destructive force of the nuclear bomb before Hiroshima. He was 24 years old at that time, a veteran of 58 missions in North Africa. .
Enola Gay
The 50th anniversary of the bombing in brought renewed scrutiny to the crew of the Enola Gay, particularly when the Smithsonian Institution’s planned exhibit on the aircraft was met with controversy. Veterans’ groups clashed with peace activists and historians over how the bombing should be remembered. .