Enola gay mother

Colonel Paul Tibbets waving from the Enola Gay’s cockpit to get reporters to stand clear of the propellers prior to engine start, before taking off for the bombing of Hiroshima.

The Enola Gay got its name from Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr.’s mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.

As commander of the B-29 that would drop the first atomic bomb, Tibbets chose to honor his mother, who had always supported his military career, by painting her name on the aircraft’s nose. From 1995 to 1998, you could see the fuselage on public display while work continued on other components.

Once fully restored, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum had the aircraft carefully disassembled and transported to its new home at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

We had feelings, but we had to put them in the background. You wouldn’t recognize the bomber in its deteriorated state until 1984, when extensive restoration work began at Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryland. In the case of Enola Gay Tibbets, her name would become forever linked to one of the most significant moments of World War II.

Her son, Colonel Paul Tibbets, made a decision that would immortalize her name when he chose to christen his B-29 Superfortress after her.

On August 5, 1945, just one day before the historic Hiroshima mission, Tibbets took command of the aircraft on Tinian and painted his mother’s name on its nose.

The Enola Gay would soon deliver the first atomic bomb used in warfare, changing the course of history. This bombing, followed by Nagasaki‘s, ultimately led to Japan’s surrender and the war’s end.

The Crew’s Personal Accounts

Intimate personal accounts from the Enola Gay’s crew reveal why Colonel Paul W.

Tibbets Jr. chose to name the historic B-29 bomber after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets. They flew the Hiroshima bombing mission under the Enola Gay’s call sign without questioning their commander’s choice.

This naming decision added a striking human element to what would become one of history’s most significant military operations, transforming an otherwise impersonal weapon of war into a memorial of a son’s appreciation for his mother’s support.

Life After World War II

Following its historic mission, the Enola Gay set out on several post-war assignments, starting with operations at Roswell Army Air Field before participating in Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Kwajalein in 1946.

After World War II, the aircraft found a new home with the Smithsonian Institution, though it spent considerable time stationed at various air bases.

These carefully planned alterations guaranteed the Enola Gay could maintain high speed and altitude while carrying its unparalleled payload. They also installed reversible Curtiss Electric propellers, enabling backwards thrust during bomb delivery.

Museum displays of the Enola Gay have faced ongoing controversy, as curators grapple with how to present this complex intersection of technological achievement and significant human suffering.

Public Reactions and Controversy

Since its retirement from military service, public displays of the Enola Gay have ignited fierce debates within American society.

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As one of the first 15 Silverplate B-29 Superfortress bombers, this aircraft would need extensive modifications to carry out its historic mission. The museum’s approach sparked heated discussions about how to present the Enola Gay’s historical significance.

Critics argued that the exhibit placed too much emphasis on technological achievement while minimizing the human impact and ethical implications of dropping the atomic bomb.

You’ll find that controversy reached its peak when the National Air and Space Museum attempted to showcase the aircraft in the 1990s. But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible”.

One frightening aspect of nukes today is that they’re many times more powerful than the Little Boy bomb: “The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were comparable to explosions of about 15 to 20 kilotons of TNT.

It is estimated that these two bombs killed roughly 200,000 people in the near term, with more dying in the following years from cancer.

In comparison, today’s thermonuclear weapons are much more powerful.

An average U.S. weapon would explode with a yield of 300 kilotons of TNT”.

(Photo credit: US Army Archives).