On August 6, 1945 loaded from Atomic Bomb Pit No. 1 with the atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy". For the mission, this B-29 was flown by aircraft commander Major Charles W. Sweeney with crew C-15 usually assigned to B-29 "The Great Artiste" 44-27353. At 2:45am took off from North Field on Tinian piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. bound for Hiroshima with alternate targets of Kokura and Nagasaki. At 08:15am from an altitude of 31,600' over Hiroshima released the atomic bomb and fifty seconds later it detonated. Afterwards, returned to North Field Airfield on Tinian landing at 2:58pm.

On August 9, 1945 took off piloted by Captain George Marquardt and crew B-10 on a weather reconnaissance mission over Kokura and reported clear skies as the target for the second atomic bomb. When B-29 "Bockscar" 44-27297 reached Kokura it was obscured by smoke from the conventional bombing of Yawata and after three unsuccessful bombing runs diverted to the secondary target of Nagasaki.

Postwar
Afterwards, Enola Gay was flown back to the United States and operated from Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico. In 1946, during "Operation Crossroads" flown to Kwajalein but was not used to drop another bomb. Afterwards, transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, and spent many years parked at air bases outdoors. In 1961, transported to the National Air & Space Museum (NASM) Paul Garber Facility.

Restoration
During 1984 to 2003, restored at the National Air & Space Museum (NASM) Paul Garber Facility. The wings, engine and cockpit were restored by 1995 and placed on display. During March to June 2003, the restored pieces were shipped to the new National Air & Space Museum (NASM) Udvar-Hazy Center. On April 10, 2003 the fuselage and wings were assembled.

Display
During 1995, on the 50th anniversary of World War II, the wings, engine and cockpit were displayed at the National Air & Space Museum as part of the exhibit "The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb and the Cold War". This was the first time "Enola Gay" had ever been displayed in public and the accompanying exhibit was deemed controversial because some felt it o focused too much on the Japanese side of the bombing . As a result of the controversy, Maritn O. Harwit, Director of the National Air and Space Museum, resigned. In protest to the display, a protester threw red paint on the carpet to represent blood. On July 2, 1995, three people were arrested for throwing ash and human blood on the fuselage. The exhibition was closed on May 18, 1998 and the fuselage and pieces was returned to the NASM Paul Garber Facility to complete the restoration.

Since the December 15, 2003 opening of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM) Udvar-Hazy Center, the restored B-29 is on static display with jacks lifting it off the ground and a catwalks allowing visitors to see the nose view and look down from above. A clear protective shield protects the bomber's nose to prevent any vandalism by atomic protesters.

References
USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-29-45-MO Superfortress 44-86292
"86292 To the Martin Modification Center, Omaha, NB, for Code Silverplate conversion for the carriage of atomic weapons. Converted to Silverplate Victor number 82, was *Enola Gay*, which dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima Aug 6, 1945. For many years was in storage at Paul Garber facility at NASM, Washington DC. Fuselage put on display at NASM for 50th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing. Has now been moved to and is fully assembled at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington-Dulles IAP."

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Last Updated
May 18, 2020