American missions against Hiroshima
April 2, 1945–August 6, 1945

April 2, 1945
(20th AF) Mission 53: During the night of 2/3 Apr, 9 of 10 B-29s mine Hiroshima Harbor without loss.

April 3, 1945
(20th AF) Mission 54: Nine B-29s mine the waters off Hiroshima without loss.

August 1, 1945
(USN) carrier aircraft clear the Hiroshima area in preparation for the atomic bomb mission.

August 6, 1945
(20th AF) At 0245 hours, Colonel Paul W Tibbets pilots B-29 "Enola Gay" 44-86292 off the runway at North Field at 2-minute intervals, 2 observation B-29s follow (Major Charles W Sweeney's GREAT ARTISTE and Captain George W Marquardt's Number 91. At 0915 hours (0815 hours Japan time) the atomic bomb is released over Hiroshima from 31,600 feet (9,632 meters); it explodes 50 seconds later. 80+% of the city's buildings are destroyed and over 71,000 people (Japanese figures (US figures say from 70,000 to 80,000) are killed. The ENOLA GAY lands on Tinian at 1458 hours, followed within the hour by the two observation B-29s.