But there's no morality in warfare and I've never tried to equate it to morality. It's unfair to inject morality into a wartime situation that existed 1945. Today many question the wisdom of ever making the decision to drop the bomb.īut despite the tens of thousands who died at Hiroshima, Tibbets says The bomb's devastation was hailed as a victory in newspapers of the time. SUPER CAPTION: Dutch Van Kirk, "Enola Gay" Navigator And on a net basis, the bomb did save lives." Both Allied lives, Japanese lives, prisoners of war who would have suffered otherwise. Tibbets, Pilot of the B-29 Enola Gay, waving from the cockpit before taking off to Hiroshima. japan - enola gay stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images.
"I am thoroughly convinced that the bomb saved lives. Photograph of the Enola Gay plane, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, which was used to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan. He and his crew mates have spent the last 50 years mulling over the morality of their mission. Other crewmen from the Enola Gay have also attended the reunion, including bombardier Tom Ferebee. SUPER CAPTION: Paul Tibbets, "Enola Gay" Pilot And that cloud up above us was just tumbling and rolling. "Where there had been a distinct city below us, there was nothing down but what in my vernacular was a black, boiling mess. With a flash over Hiroshima, the course of human history changed forever. Tibbets says he was well aware of the mission he and his crew were undertaking. enola gay plane stock illustrations Paul Tibbets standing in front of the B-29 Enola Gay, the plane he piloted to Hiroshima and dropped the worlds first atomic bomb on 5 August 1945.
On August Sixth, 1945, he piloted the Enola Gay to its target. the enola gay b-29 superfortres nuclear attack on hiroshima. On hand for this gathering, Paul Tibbets. The 509th was the home of the Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It's the type of reunion of old military units that go on all the time.īut the 509th Composite Group holds a special place in history.Īmong the old photos of the B-29 bombers that made up this wing, one stands out. Surviving members of the U-S Air force plane that dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima have held reunion in New Mexico.įifty years on - they still believe it was the right thing to do - because it saved lives by ending the war against Japan.