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The subject isn't one he eagerly talks about. Sixty-seven years later, Bombara looks upon his involvement with the Enola Gay with a mix of emotions. The bombing claimed an estimated 170,000 lives and effectively brought about the end of World War II. The plane, which had been christened the Enola Gay by its commander shortly after it left the Nebraska airbase, went on to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. Now 90, Bombara learned what all the hubbub was about when the rest of the world did. While it was stationed at the base, the ground crew installed oversized bomb bay doors, added special propellers and modified engines, and removed protective armor and gun turrets. Tibbets checked his watch, which showed 2:45AM, the morning of August 6, 1945. Near the end of the 8500 foot runway, the B-29 lifted easily and steadily into the air. Tibbets held the plane on the runway until it reached 155 MPH, then eased back on the yoke. "All of us wondered what was up with that airplane."Īlthough there were other B-29s on the base, Bombara recalled that none had been ordered to be retrofitted like Tibbets' plane. The Enola Gay picked up speed, 75MPH, 100, then 125. "It was definitely the most unusual assignment I ever had," Bombara said in the living room of his Spring Hill home last week. Enola Gay Crew (Theodore Van Kirk) - Autographed Signed Photograph. Last surviving member of Enola Gay crew to drop atomic bomb on. The 9,000lb uranium-235 bomb exploded 1,900 feet above ground, killing between 60,000 and 80,000 people instantly. WW2 photos show crew of the Enola Gay B-29 bomber returning after. The flight crew of the Enola Gay before setting off to drop the Atomic Bomb. took the B-29 through numerous test flights. Crew,Atomic Bomb plane,military,Enola Gay,Dave Davis,ACME,Mariana. The debate over how the war was won has continued.For four months, Bombara and the rest of the 33-member crew worked in secrecy while the flight crew headed by Col. However, each event is experienced one person at a time, and each person has an individual story to tell. War affects governments and groups of people on such a large scale that it can be overwhelming. Additionally, no member of the crew of the Enola Gay received the Congressional Medal of Honor as suggested in Above and Beyond.
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World War II was the largest human-made catastrophe in history, affecting almost every country in the world and touching the lives of every family in the United States. I think we saved thousands and thousands of lives." - Vince Ortman. We would have had to kill off all the Japanese, and there would have been a lot of Americans killed in the meantime. The Japanese were never going to give up unless we had something like that. The B-29 (also called Superfortress) was a four-engine heavy bomber that was built by Boeing. The aircraft was named after the mother of pilot Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. "I thought at the time and I still do, that we saved an awful lot of lives. Enola Gay, the B-29bomber that was used by the United States on August 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the first time the explosive device had been used on an enemy target. (Germany, of course, had surrendered months earlier.) Nebraskans celebrated V-J Day wholeheartedly on August 15. Notice a space has been left for the name of the city. Excerpt from announcing the dropping of the atomic bomb.