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THE DESTRUCTION OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI, THE MEN, THE AIRPLANES, AND THE BOMBS Three B-29 airplanes were directly involved; ^[[(Plus several weather and photography B-29's.)]] the Enola Gay carried the first atom bomb on 6 August, 1945 which destroyed Hiroshima, The Great Artiste carried the measuring instruments and participated in both raids, and Bock's Car delivered the plutonium bomb to Nagasaki on 9 August, 1945. Major Chuck Sweeney was on both missions, piloting The Great Artiste to Hiroshima, then trading planes with Capt. Fred Bock to fly Bock's Car to Nagasaki three days later. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. , the Group Commander (509th Composite Group, 393rd Bombardment Squadron) piloted the Enola Gay on the first raid to Hiroshima. 2nd Lt. Jacob Beser, an Electronics Specialist, was aboard the Enola Gay and also Bock's Car on the Nagasaki raid. He operated a radio signal which caused both bombs to detonate at specific altitudes. The atom bomb was first called Thin Man for Roosevelt, latter being named Little Boy. It was 120 inches long, 28 inches high, and weighed 8,900 lbs.. It had a uranium trigger and was exploded at 1,800 feet over Hiroshima, Japan on 6 August, 1945 at 9:15 A.M. Tinian time with a force of 13 kilotons. 100,000 people died instantly, another 100,000 died later. The Fat Man, named for Churchill, an implosion-type plutonium bomb, was 128 inches long, 60 inches in diameter, and weighed 10,800 lbs.. It was detonated on 9 August, 1945 at 17[[strikethrough]]0[[/strikethrough]]^[[5]]0 feet over Nagasaki, Japan with a yield of 23 kilotons. The time was two minutes after twelve noon Tinian time. The B-29's were flying at aproximately 32,000 feet on both raids. At Nagasaki, 39,000 died immediately, 36,000 later. Crewmembers of the three planes were: [[highlighted]] The Enola Gay [[/highlighted]] Hiroshima raid. [[highlighted]] Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., Pilot [[/highlighted]] Capt. Robert A. Lewis, Co-pilot Major Thomas W. Ferebee, Bombardier Capt. Theodore J. VanKirk, Navigator Capt. William S. Parsons, USN, Bomb Designer S/Sgt. Wyatt E. Duzenbury, Flt. Engineer Pfc. Richard N. Nelson, Radio Operator Sgt. Joe S. Stiborik, Radar Operator S/Sgt. George R. Caron, Tail Gunner 1st Lt. Morris R. Jeppson, Electronics Officer Sgt. Robert H. Shumard, Ass't. Flt. Engineer 2nd. Lt. Jacob Beser, Electronic Counter Measures [[highlighted]] Bock's Car [[/highlighted]] Crew flew The Great Artiste on the Nagasaki raid. [[highlighted]] Capt. Fred Bock, Pilot [[/highlighted]] 1st Lt. Hugh Ferguson, Co-pilot 1st Lt. Charles Levy, Bombardier 2nd Lt. Leonard Godfrey, Navigator [[highlighted]]^[[dot]][[/highlighted]] M/Sgt. Rod Arnold, Flt. Engineer S/Sgt. Ralph Curry, Radio Operator [[highlighted]] S/Sgt. Bob Stock, Tail Gunner [[/highlighted]] Sgt. Ralph Belanger, Scanner [[highlighted]] S/Sgt. Bill Barney, Radar Operator [[/highlighted]] and Bomb Monitor New York Times Journalist William L. Laurence also flew with Bock's crew on the Nagasaki raid. [[highlighted]] The Great Artiste [[/highlighted]] Hiroshima raid. Crew also flew Bock's Car on the Nagasaki raid. ^[[: Landed Okinawa, then Tinian.]] [[highlighted]] Major Chuck Sweeney, Pilot [[/highlighted]] Capt. Charles Albury, Co-pilot Lt. Fred Olivi, Third Pilot Capt. Kermit Beahan, Bombardier Capt. James VanPelt, Jr. Navigator Commander Fred Ashworth, USN Weaponeer Lt. Phillip Barnes, Ass't. Weaponeer [[highlighted]] ^[[dot]] [[/highlighted]] Sgt. John Kuharek, Flight Engineer Sgt. Abe Spitzer, Radio Operator 2nd Lt. Jacob Beser, Electronic Counter Measures Sgt. Raymond Gallagher, Scanner Sgt. Edward Buckley, Radarman Sgt. Albert Dehart, Tail Gunner Three Scientists: Also flew on The Great Artiste with Bock's crew on the Nagasaki raid. ^[[*]] ^[[*]] Luis Alvarez Harold M. Agnew ^[[*]] Lawrence H. Johnston ^[[(Bock's Car, Nagasaki)]] [[highlighted]] Bill Barney and [[underlined]] Bob Stock [[/underlined]] [[/highlighted]] ^[[Has moved to Fort Wayne.]] reside in Whitley County ^[[near]] Researched and compiled by former Army Air Corps aerial photographer-gunner Sgt. William E. Jones Columbia City, Indiana ^[[197]] [[end page]] [[start page] MAY 6, 1984 The Journal-Gazette PARADE New Research Provides Clues To His Unexpected Success WHEN HARRY TRUMAN SURPRISED THE WORLD By David McCullough [[image - photograph of President Harry S. Truman]] INSIDE: Hope for Childless Couples...By Earl Ubell ^[[198]]
