"I never could have estimated that it would look like it looked." Tibbets was told by scientists that the bomb would explode with the equivalent force of 20,000 tons of TNT. It was devastating to take a look at it," Tibbets, who was a 30-year-old colonel when he flew the plane (named in honor of his mother) at 31,000 feet, said during the interview. And where we had seen the city on the way in, I (now) saw nothing but a bunch of boiling debris with fire and smoke and all of that kind of stuff. "At the same time I felt the taste of lead in my mouth. We made our turn, we leveled out, and at the time that that happened I saw the sky in front of me light up brilliantly with all kinds of colors. Then, the next thing that happened, the bomb had left the air plane and we all went into a very steep turn - for an airplane of that size and weight in those days at that altitude in particular."Īsked what it felt like when the 5-ton bomb dropped out of the plane, Tibbets said: "The nose lurched up - I mean it lurched dramatically - because if you immediately let 10,000 pounds out of the front, the nose has got to fly up. "I gave them the countdown I did the seconds. "We all got ready for the final bomb run," Tibbets told author Bob Greene on National Public Radio's Morning Edition during an interview on Aug. The historic mission was the first use of nuclear weaponry in war. The blast killed between 70,000 and 100,000 people and injured countless others. 6, 1945, when Tibbets flew the B-29 bomber Enola Gay over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and released a 10,000-pound atomic bomb dubbed "Little Boy." His confidant Gerry Newhouse explained that Tibbets had concerns that his detractors would protest at his gravesite. Tibbets' wishes were not to have a funeral or a headstone. Tibbets, who maintained that he didn't have any regrets about the World War II mission, had been in decline for months. Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died Thursday at his home in Columbus, Ohio after suffering a number of health problems. Read a timeline of the World War II bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. This page includes content from Wiki Pedia/Wiki Quote, and can be used in agreement with their terms of service.Paul Tibbets, who flew the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died after suffering a number of health problems. Nerd Prom: Inside Washington's Wildest Week Quotes | Jeet Gayi Toh Piya Morey (TV series) Quotes |īlack Knight: The Man Who Guards Me Quotes | I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman Quotes | The Flying Classroom (1954 film) Quotes |
Your email:Īdditional Film and TV Quotes Collision Course: Truman vs. Include the time in the film/video if possible so we can find it. If you have a quote to add or change and want to let us know, please fill in the form below. Enola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb Quotes Enola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb is produced by Viacom Productions. Each episode of Enola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb is 156 minutes long. Levy.Įnola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb is recorded in English and originally aired in United States. Enola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb is executive produced by Franklin R. It features Ted Zachary as producer, Maurice Jarre in charge of musical score, and Robert L. Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb completed its run in 1970. Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb QuotesĮnola Gay: The Men, The Mission, The Atomic Bomb is a Adventure that first aired in 1970 on NBC.