The Target Committee met to decide a target for the bomb in May of 1945. The 5 different targets that they chose from were Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama, the Kokura Arsenal, and Niigata. During July, 1945, Leo Szilard submitted a petition to the United States president requesting that he would not use nuclear weapons. The Trintiy Test, a test of the atomic bomb, took place on July 16 in New Mexico. The official bombing order was issued on July 25.
The Enola Gay, named after the mother of head pilot Paul Tibbets, was moved to several locations before its take off. On May 18, 1945, it was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces at Aircraft Factory in Omaha, Nebraska. About a month later, it was ferried to Wendover Army Air Field from where it was flown south to Guam. It then went from Guam to Tinian Island in the Marianas where it stayed until the day of the Hiroshima bombing. On August 6, 1945 at about 2:00 in the morning, the Enola Gay took off from Tinian Island carrying the atomic bomb named "Little Boy." An American weather plane flew over Hiroshima at 7:00 AM and was detected by Japanese radar. The people of the city were told to go to the shelters, but were alerted that it was just a false alarm when the weather plane was identified. 25 minutes later, the Enola Gay had arrived at Hiroshima, and was flying over at about 26,000 feet. The Japanese radar also detected the Enola Gay and alerted the city, but many people didn't take shelter because they thought it was just another false alarm. The bomb was dropped at 8:16.
The Crew of the Enola Gay
Left
to Right,
Standing:
Lt.
Col. John Porter, ground maintenance officer; Capt. Theodore J. Van Kirk,
navigator; Maj. Thomas W. Ferebee, bombardier; Col. Paul Tibbets, pilot and
commander of 509th Group; Capt. Robert A. Lewis, copilot; and Lt. Jacob Beser,
radar countermeasure officer.
Kneeling:
Sgt.
Joseph Stiborik, radar operator; SSgt. George R Caron, tail gunner; Pfc. Richard
H Nelson, radio operator; Sgt. Robert H. Shumard, assistant engineer; and SSgt
Wyatt Duzenbury, flight engineer. Col. Porter was not on the aircraft during the
flight.
Links
The Official Site of Brig Gem Paul W. Tibbets, Pilot of the Enola Gay