Brigadier General Paul Tibbets, the pilot of Enola Gay, slipped the surly bonds today at the age of 92. B5 has a good post and good links.
He ought to be remembered for what he was– a fine American who did his duty to the fullest, in an extraordinarily difficult mission. Just about every story done on him mentions that dropping the first bomb never bothered him much at all. We should all be glad that he did, and not least of us the modern Japanese. That’s right. Modern Japan was almost certainly saved from a truly horrific invasion and occupation by the two bombs, the first of which was delivered on time and on target by one Col Tibbets. Think I’m wrong? Those devices destroyed two cities; Operation Olympic would have laid waste to the entire country, prolonged the war by a year, cost us a million more casualties, and the post-war occupation wouldn’t have been pleasant at all. (See George MacDonald Fraser’s Quartered Safe Out Here for a WWII rifleman’s view of the bomb.)
Here’s to you, General. And Godspeed on your final flight.
Not to mention the USSR may have tried to gobble up more northern Japanese territory and the world would have had a North Japan and South Japan.
While I feel conflicted I can’t say he was evil, like some have. He was just doing his job.
What he did was deliver an awesome exhibition of U.S. military power that changes the face of global warefare for the next 50 years. Turning a hot global conflict into a cold war between the two remaining super-powers. Saving a lot more lives over the next 50 years than just Japanese and Americans.
Alternatively they could have dropped the bomb into the sea and said we will do this to you.
They didnt surrender after the first bomb and even after the second they took 3 days. The Japanese were insane in ww2 so it seems. They should have surrendered when Germany had lost.
About the pilot though, well the only way it wasnt going to be dropped was if every single pilot ever including anyone who would do it for money said no. So that couldnt happen, therefore he may have dropped it but it was an order from someone else. Harry Truman dropped it.
Harry truman quote dropped an atomic bomb on “a military base”
He didnt say city in his famous speech. Some say he didnt know it was a city. He actually called hiroshima a military base rather than a town or city. Which was an absolute disgrace to do that on top of everything else.
I find it interesting when people try to rewrite history. I also find it intersting when people apply though process of the day and compare them with the thought processes of earlier days I had the opportunity to meet General Tibbets at an Air Show. I told my son he needed to talk to the man because he was a walking history book. General Tibbets was a very grascious gentleman who did as much in WWII as any other man to save this nation and its way of life. I am sure he made his decisions fully aware of the consequences. I believe he was a great American Hero and he deserves the credit. he probably did something that a lot of people could not bring themselves to do. By that I mean fly a single aircraft over enemy territory unescorted and deliver a blow that would change history. We should all strive to be more like him as someone who saw what his duty was and done it.