The Enola Gay

`

The Enola Gay

The B-29 That Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

Norman Polmar

108 pages

Paperback

February 2004

978-1-57488-836-2

$22.95 Add to Cart
eBook (PDF)
Ebook purchases delivered via Leaf e-Reader

October 2011

978-1-59797-506-3

$22.95 Add to Cart

About the Book

The world entered the atomic age in August 1945, when the B-29 Superfortress nicknamed Enola Gay flew some 1,500 miles from the island of Tinian and dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The “Little Boy” bomb exploded with the force of 12.5 kilotons of TNT, nearly destroying the city. Three days later, another B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The Japanese government, which had been preparing a bloody defense against an invasion, surrendered six days later. The aircraft was the primary artifact in an exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum from 1995 to 1998. The original, controversial exhibit script was changed, and the final exhibition attracted some 4 million visitors, testifying to the enduring interest in the aircraft and its mission. This book tells the story of the Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 program, and the combat operations of the B-29 type. After nearly two decades of restoration, the Enola Gay will be one of the highlights of the museum’s new Udvar-Hazy Center, which is scheduled to open at Dulles International Airport on December 15, 2003.

Author Bio

Norman Polmar is a leading expert on naval and aviation matters. An internationally known analyst, consultant, and award-winning author, Polmar has written more than 40 books, including, with K. J. Moore, Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines (Brassey’s, ISBN 1-57488-594-4) and Historic Naval Aircraft: From the Pages of Naval History Magazine (Brassey’s, ISBN 1-57488-572-3). He is a columnist for the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings and Naval History magazines. Polmar lives in the Washington, DC, area.

Table of Contents

Director’s Foreword
Curator’s Viewpoint
Author’s Perspective
Acknowledgments
Glossary
1. The B-29 Superfortress
2. The Enola Gay
3. The Mission
4. B-29 Postscripts
5. The Artifact
Appendix A: Enola Gay Chronology
Appendix B: B-29 Models and Variants
Appendix C: B-29 Characteristics
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Also of Interest