Approximately 300 B-29s attacked Tokyo in March 1945, killing upwards of 100,000 people and destroying one-fourth of the city in a single 24 hour period. The 20th aimed to destroy Japanese industry and kill or drive away its workers by burning the mostly-wood cities to the ground. The failure to achieve results with daylight, high-altitude, precision bombing in the unique operational environment over Japan led to a switch to low-level, nighttime, firebombing raids. The nationwide effort to manufacture the technologically-sophisticated B-29 included factories in Washington, Kansas, Nebraska, and Georgia turning out complete aircraft and thousands of sub-contractors producing smaller components and equipment.Īfter a long and challenging development phase, the B-29s of the 20th Air Force went into combat against Imperial Japan in June 1944 from bases in India and China and in November 1944 from the Mariana Islands. It also had advanced tricycle landing gear and was the first bomber to have an analog computer-controlled defensive armament system and a pressurized and heated fuselage that meant the 11-person crew did not have to wear oxygen masks and heavy, bulky clothing during long missions. Designed to fly farther, faster, and higher than any other bomber, the combination of the B-29’s aerodynamic, structural, and propulsion innovations allowed it to carry 5,000 pounds of bombs to a target 1,500 miles away while cruising at 220 miles per hour at altitudes up to 30,000 feet. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the most advanced propeller-driven airplane in the world in 1945, making it the ultimate definition of a “modern” airplane. As a new and deadly weapon, an atomic bomber, Enola Gay facilitated a turning point in human history as it ushered in the dawn of the Atomic Age and the threat of nuclear war. The delivery system for these bombs, the Superfortress, represented the latest advances in American aeronautical engineering and bomber design, and its use in the skies over Japan reflected the evolution of strategic bombing doctrine. Another atomic attack on Nagasaki followed three days later. "I'm proud of what I did in the Army, but I don't consider myself any kind of war hero," said Bombara, who was discharged from the Army in 1946 and spent four decades working as butcher in his native New York.On August 6, 1945, the crew of a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress named Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare, called “Little Boy,” on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The subject isn't one he eagerly talks about.
![ground crew of the enola gay ground crew of the enola gay](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1098,format=auto/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/2015/04/30/enolagay-bonham.jpg)
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.
![ground crew of the enola gay ground crew of the enola gay](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/D5XNJP/col-tibbets-crew-of-the-enola-gay-display-their-awards-D5XNJP.jpg)
![ground crew of the enola gay ground crew of the enola gay](https://cdn.britannica.com/32/133832-050-35B6D1F2/Enola-Gay.jpg)
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. "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. "It was definitely the most unusual assignment I ever had," Bombara said in the living room of his Spring Hill home last week. took the B-29 through numerous test flights. For four months, Bombara and the rest of the 33-member crew worked in secrecy while the flight crew headed by Col.