Seoul

HOKKAIDO

Iwo Jima

Guam

TinianSaipan

NorthernMarianaIslands

T R O P I C O F C A N C E R

Sapporo

Manchuria

U.S.S.R.

China

JapanKorea

Tokyo

Nagasaki

Osaka

HONSHU

Okinawa

Hiroshima Kyoto

0 200

M I L E S

Hirosaki

Sendai

8282

Shearling flying suitprotects against temperatures that could reach -50˚F at an altitude of 32,000 feet

Cyanide: Col.Tibbets was

issued cyanide tablets for the

crew, to be used at his discretion

in case of capture.

Light khaki cotton overalls with zippers

High altitude flight suit

Pilots' seats

Uranium target

Uranium projectileGun barrelLittle Boy

2:45 a.m.: Enola Gay takes off from Tiniancarrying 7,000 gallons of fuel and the atomic bomb (Little Boy, weight 9,000 pounds)

3:20 a.m.: Capt. William Parsonscompletes 11-step process to armthe atomic bomb.

Length: 10 feetWeight: 9,000 pounds

Fat Man Length: 10 feet 8 inchesWidth: 5 feet

A small charge of conventional explosives propels a uraniumbullet into the uranium target. This would set off a blast equalto 13,000 short tons of TNT.

The mission of the Indianapolis was considered top secret. Crewmembers were unaware of the cargo they were transporting. Detonating the 64 explosive lenses

simultaneously compressed the plutonium core, setting off anatomic explosion.2:58 p.m.: Enola Gay

returns to Tinian

5:05 a.m.: Enola Gay rendezvouswith two B-29s over Iwo Jima.They will escort them into Hiroshima. They form a V-formation.

6:30 a.m.: Little Boy is fully armed.Tibbets warns his men to watch theirlanguage because their reactionsare going to be recorded.

Crew: 12Range: 3,800 miles Combat ceiling: 36,150 feetMaximum speed: 399 mph

Wing span: 141 feet 3 inchesLength: 99 feetHeight: 29 feet 7 inchesWeight: 69,000 pounds (empty)

The crew of the Enola Gay was hand-picked for its members’ technical and flying abilities. Because �the 509th was not part of regular bombing missions, its members were often chastised by other �B-29 crews. In addition to the personnel that composed a regular crew, the Enola Gay had two weapons officers. The total complement was made up of 12 men commanded by Col. PaulTibbets, the pilot.

Armament: Tail gun(20 mm cannon and 50 caliber machine gun

Tail gun accounted for 75 percent of enemy planes destroyed by the B-29

Bomb bayBombardier's seat

Waterbottle

Flight overalls (one piece)

Fur-lined jacket

Zippers provide ventilationat various altitudes

Flying cap with fur flaps

Ammo pouchwith 2 clips of .45 ammunition

Colt .45 leather holster

Fur-linedtrousers

SOURCE: The Fall of Japan (World War II), World Book Encyclopedia, Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum, Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation, 20th Century Military Uniforms

Boeing B-29

The bombs

Hiroshima

How it worked

The crew

(Superfortress)

The Enola Gay was a "Silverplate" aircraft. This meant all gun turrets were deleted except the tail position(there were normally 8 to 12 guns on a B-29). Curtiss electric propellers were installed and armor platewas removed. The bomb bay was retrofitted to accommodate the atomic bomb.

Enola Gay drops bomb

The name: The Enola Gaywas named after Col. Tibbets' mother.

4 Wright R-3350 engine:2,200 hp (each)

Cost: $639,000(each)

Pressurized forward and tail sectionswere connected by a small tunnel that traversed the bomb bay.

East China

Sea

Sea ofJapan

Pacific Ocean

SHIKOKU

KYUSHU

7:09 a.m.: Radio Hiroshima issues an air raid alert as a forward weather plane approaches.

8:12 a.m.: Enola Gay begins its bombing run. Crew members don black polarized goggles to protect their eyes. They are cruising at 200 mph andat 31,060 feet altitude.

8:15 a.m.: Maj. Thomas Ferebee(bombardier) yells "bomb away!"Enola Gay make a sharp turn and returns to Tinian.

Aug. 6

Bock's Car dropped Fat Manon Nagasaki, on Aug. 9. The crew was unable to drop the bomb on the primary target (Kokura) because of poor visibility. Low on fuel, it landed on Okinawa.

Route of Bock's Car

Atomic bombTHE

"Are we splitting atoms?" This was the question posed by Sgt. George Carson, tail gunner, as the Enola Gay flew toward its target, Hiroshima. The flight would be the culmination of years of top secret scientific research and months of bombing practice in Cuba and Wendover Field. After this terrible day the atomic age would begin, and the way we think of war would never be the same.

Radar proximity fuse

Radar proximity fuseDetonator

Detonating mechanism

Detonating mechanism

Explosive charge

64 explosive lenses

Plutonium core

Little Boy and Fat Man were the results of the Manhattan Project. The United States started the top secret project in 1942 to pro-duce an atomic bomb. The first bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, near Alamogordo, N.M. Ten days later, the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis would deliver the first operational atomic bomb to Tinian and the Enola Gay.

The effect on Hiroshima was devastating. More than 4.5 square miles were leveled by the blast. Many near ground zero remembered only an in-tense flash, but residents of Kure, a city 12 miles away, re-ported a deafening explosion. The blast was so intense that it melted granite and drove con-crete pillars into the ground.

Enola Gay

After dropping the bomb, the Enola Gay went into a 155-degree diving turn to escape the bomb blast.

The superheated air rushed at 12,000 feet per second.The fireball above the city reached a temperature calculated at 540,000˚F.The hypocenter of the blast (300 yards from the AioiBridge) reached 11,000˚F.The intense heat burned the clothing from the bodies ofpeople. Those wearing dark colors experienced terrible burns(dark colors absorb heat) while those wearing white fared much better. Dark patterns on clothing were seared into the flesh.88 percent of those 500 yards from ground zero perished.

Initial reports of the number of casualties were not believed.

The crew reported seeing a pinkish-purple glare that continued to grow and a substance that tasted like lead in the air.

The B-29 was hit by two powerful shock waves after the explosion.

Capt. Charles McVay, commander of the Indianapolis, was instructedto save the precious cargo at all costs.

Three days after delivering the atomic bomb to Tinianthe Indianapolis was torpedoed and sank. Only300 of the 1,200-man crew survived.

Altitude: 31,060 feet

1

2A radar echo indicatedthe bomb reacheddetonation altitude. Altitude: 1,850 feet

Toll

Crew members

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

Radiation

Hospitals destroyed: 52 of 55Doctors killed: 65 of 150Nurses killed: 1,654 of 1,780

Dead: 68,670Wounded: 72,880

ESTIMATES

Dead: 37,507Wounded: 26,709

ESTIMATES

Later figures indicate as many as140,000 died from injuries directly related to the blast.

A dose of 450 roentgens will causedeath within a month. Victims of the Hiroshima blastreceived about 3,000 roentgensat one-half mile and about 100roentgens at one mile.

Potsdam conferenceOn July 26, 1945, Japan was issued an ultimatumby the United States to surrender or face a "rain ofruin from the air." This was promptly rejected.

Kokura

BY ROBERT NOYCE / Deseret Morning News

Col. Paul Tibbets: pilotCapt. Robert Lewis: co-pilotMaj. Thomas Ferebee: bombardierCapt. Theodore Van Kirk: navigatorSgt. Wyatt Duzenbury: flight engineerPfc. Richard Nelson: radio operator1st. Lt. Jacob Beser: radio countermeasuresSgt. Joseph Stiborik: radar operatorSgt. Robert Shumard: assistant engineerStaff Sgt. George Caron: tail gunner

Capt. William Parsons2nd Lt. Morris Jeppson

Weapons officers