Where was enola gay built

At 0915.17 Little Boy dropped away. Prior to its hiatus, she also served as the Head of Content for UK YouTube publication, TenEighty Magazine.

In her spare time, Clare likes to play Pokemon GO and re-watch Heartland over and over (and over) again. It was one of 65 built with the “Silverplate” specification, a modification program specifically tailored for atomic bombing missions.

The 509th Composite Group was formed specifically for the purpose of dropping atomic bombs on Japan.

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off from Tinian Island, carrying the first atomic bomb, code-named “Little Boy”. The Enola Gay bombed Kobe on 24 July and Koriyama on 26 July. It also had remote-controlled machine gun turrets that allowed aerial gunners to operate their weaponry from within the bomber.

Prior to flying the first atomic combat mission the Enola Gay flew eight practice missions from Tinian, then two conventional bombing missions over Japan using the 6300 pound "pumpkin" high explosive bomb, designed to simulate the characteristics of the Fat Man bomb. These modifications included an extensively altered bomb bay, reversible pitch propellers for better landing control, improved engines with fuel injection, and the removal of protective armor and gun turrets to reduce weight.

On May 9, 1945, while still on the assembly line, Colonel Tibbets personally selected the aircraft for its historic mission.

At 1530 Parsons began practicing his new task of in-flight propellant insertion. On that day it was selected as the strike plane for OPERATION CENTERBOARD I, the first atomic attack mission against Japan, by Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, the 509th commander.

Tibbets renamed the plane the Enola Gay after his mother, over the objections of the plane's usual pilot Robert A.

Lewis. Speaking of armament, the aircraft was equipped with 10 Browning M2 machine guns and a 20 mm cannon, and it had the ability to hold up to 20,000 pounds on munitions, making it a formidable force.

The B-29’s capabilities made it a crucial asset for the Allies fighting in the Pacific Theater. The aircraft and its exhibit provides a balanced view of the bomber, offering technical data while also acknowledging its historical significance.

Clare Fitzgerald

Clare Fitzgerald is a Writer and Editor with eight years of experience in the online content sphere.

In May 1946, it was flown to Kwajalein Atoll for Operation Crossroads, but it didn’t participate in the drops at Bikini Atoll.

The decision to preserve Enola Gay was made in 1946, at which point the aircraft was moved to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, for storage. The Smithsonian had planned an exhibit for the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, but this sparked further controversy, due to its focus on the Japanese casualties and the ethical implications of using atomic weapons.

The exhibit, called The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Cold War, faced backlash from various groups who felt it didn’t represent the American perspective.

The Enola Gay was part of a second batch of fifteen improved Silverplate bombers built between February and June 1945.

The Enola Gay's complete serial number (B-29-45-MO, 45-86292) indicated that it was a B-29 built at the Martin Omaha plant built in block 45, and was ordered in fiscal year 1945. It later took part in Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific but was not chosen to drop a test bomb.

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