509th Composite Group
Encyclopedia
The 509th Composite Group (509th CG) was a United States Army Air Forces
unit created during World War II
, and tasked with operational deployment of nuclear weapon
s. It conducted the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
, Japan, in August 1945.
In the postwar era, the 509th Composite Group was one of the original ten USAAF bombardment groups assigned to Strategic Air Command
on 21 March 1946, equipped with specially-configured B-29 Superfortress
equipped to deliver Atomic Bombs. It was redesignated the 509th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 10 July 1946.
393rd Bomb Squadron (Very Heavy)
¹The 393rd Bomb Squadron was part of the 504th Bomb Group (VH) from 12 March 1944, to 14 September 1944.
320th Troop Carrier Squadron
¹The 320th Troop Carrier Squadron was activated on 17 December 1944, and ²disbanded 19 August 1946.
, commanded by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets. Colonel Tibbets had been assigned to organize and command a combat group
to develop the means of delivering an atomic weapon by airplane against targets in Germany and Japan. Because the flying squadrons of the group consisted of both bomber and transport aircraft, the group was designated as a "composite" rather than a "bombardment" unit.
Working with the Manhattan Engineering District at Site Y in Los Alamos
, New Mexico, Tibbets had selected Wendover for his training base (over Great Bend
, Kansas, and Mountain Home
, Idaho) because of its remoteness. On 10 September 1944, the 393rd Bomb Squadron
, a unit of B-29 Superfortress
es, arrived at Wendover from the 504th Bomb Group (Very Heavy) at Fairmont Army Air Base
, Nebraska
, where it had been in group training since 12 March. When its parent group deployed to the Marianas
in early November 1944, the squadron was assigned directly to the Second Air Force
until creation of the 509th CG. Originally consisting of twenty-one crews, fifteen were selected to continue training and were organized into three flights
of five crews, lettered A, B, and C.
The 320th Troop Carrier Squadron, the other flying unit of the 509th, came into being because of the highly secret work of the group. The organization that was to become the 509th required its own transports for the movement of both personnel and materiel, resulting in creation of an ad hoc unit nicknamed "The Green Hornet
Line". Crews for this unit were acquired from the six 393rd crews not selected to continue B-29 training, some of whom chose to remain with the 509th rather than be assigned to a replacement pool of the Second Air Force. They began using Curtiss C-46 Commandos and C-47 Skytrain
s already at Wendover and after November 1944 flew five acquired C-54 Skymaster
s. The 320th TCS was formally activated at the same time as the group.
Other support units were activated at Wendover from personnel already present and working with its Project W-47 (superseded by Project Alberta
) or in the 216th Base Unit, both affiliated with the Site Y project
. The 390th Air Service Group was created as the command echelon for the 603rd Air Engineering Squadron, the 1027th Air Material squadron, and its own Air Base Support Squadron, but as these units became independent operationally, acted as the basic support unit for the entire 509th Group in providing quarters, rations, medical care, postal service and other basic support functions. The 603rd AES was unique in that it provided depot-level B-29 maintenance in the field, obviating the necessity of sending aircraft back to the United States for major repairs. The 603rd made a number of modifications to the first contract order of Silverplate
B-29s that were later incorporated as specifications for the combat models.
The 393rd Bomb Squadron began replacement of its original B-29s with modified Silverplate airplanes with the delivery of three in mid-October 1944. These aircraft had extensive bomb bay modifications and a "weaponeer" station installed, but initial training operations identified numerous other modifications necessary to the mission, particularly in reducing the overall weight of the airplane to offset the heavy loads it would be required to carry. Five more Silverplates were delivered in November and six in December, giving the group 14 for its training operations. In January and February 1945, 10 of the 15 crews under the command of the Group S-3 (operations officer) were assigned temporary duty at Batista Field, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, where they trained in long-range over-water navigation.
On 6 March 1945, the 1st Ordnance Squadron (Special, Aviation) was activated at Wendover, again from Army Air Forces personnel on hand or already at Los Alamos, and concurrent with the activation of Project Alberta
. Its purpose was to provide trained personnel and special equipment to the group to enable it to assemble atomic weapons at its operating base, thereby allowing the weapons to be transported more safely in their component parts. A rigorous candidate selection process was used to recruit personnel, with reportedly an 80% "washout" rate, and those made a part of the unit were not permitted transfer until the end of the war, nor were they allowed to travel without escorts from Military Intelligence
units.
Two anecdotes illustrate the level of security affecting the 509th's personnel and equipment. En route to Tinian on 4 June 1945, the B-29 that became The Great Artiste
made an intermediate stop at Mather Field
, near Sacramento
, California. The commanding general of the base allegedly attempted to enter the aircraft to inspect it and was warned by a plane guard that he could not do so, with a carbine
aimed at the general's chest. A similar incident occurred to a Project Alberta courier, 2nd Lt. William A. King, transporting the plutonium core of the Fat Man bomb to Tinian, secured to the floor of one of the 509th's C-54s. The transport made a refueling stop at Hickam Field
, Hawaii, on 24 July 1945, where the colonel commanding a combat unit returning to the United States learned that the Skymaster had only one passenger. He attempted to enter the C-54 to requisition it as transport for his men, but was prevented by Lt. King, who aimed his .45 caliber automatic pistol
at the officer.
With the addition of the 1st Ordnance Squadron to its roster, the 509th CG had an authorized strength of 225 officers and 1,542 enlisted men, almost all of whom deployed to Tinian. The 320th TCS did not officially deploy but kept its base of operations at Wendover. In addition to its authorized strength, the 509th had attached to it on Tinian 51 civilian and military personnel of Project Alberta
, and two representatives from Washington, D.C., Brigadier Thomas Farrell (General Leslie Groves
' executive officer) and Rear Admiral William R. Purnell of the Military Policy Committee.
The 509th began replacement of its 14 training Silverplates in February 1945 by transferring four to the 216th Base Unit. In April they began receiving Silverplates of the third modification increment and the remaining ten training B-29s were placed in storage. Each bombardier completed at least 50 practice drops of inert pumpkin bomb
s and Col. Tibbets declared his group combat-ready. Preparation for Overseas Movement (POM) began in April.
*These crews and aircraft commanders switched airplane assignments on 9 August 1945
Although all of the B-29's were named as shown, the only nose art
applied to the aircraft before the atomic bomb missions was that of Enola Gay. With the exceptions of victors 71 and 94, the others were applied some time in August 1945. Luke the Spook was not named until November 1945, and it is not known if nose art was ever applied to Jabit III, although the version shown at the 509th Yearbook gallery was first shown in 1997.
Color images of 393rd Bomb Squadron nose art
, on 18 May, where it was joined by the ground echelon on 29 May 1945, marking the group's official change of station. Project Alberta
's "Destination Team" also sent most of its members to Tinian to supervise the assembly, loading, and dropping of the bombs under the administrative title of 1st Technical Services Detachment.
Due to their geographical separation from other USAAF pilots and crew members, rigid security measures and failure to participate in regular bombing missions led to the 509th being ridiculed as having a "soft life".
The air echelon began deploying from Wendover 4 June 1945, with the first B-29 arriving at North Field on 11 June. The group was assigned to the 313th Bomb Wing, whose four groups had been flying missions against Japan since mid-February, but because of security considerations was given a base area near the airfield on the north tip of Tinian, several miles from the main installations in the center part of the island. Two of the group's bombers were not delivered by Martin-Omaha until early July and remained at Wendover until 27 July to act as transports to Tinian for two of the Fat Man
atomic bomb assemblies.
The group was assigned tail markings of a circle outline around an arrowhead
pointing forward, but at the beginning of August, after it began flying combat missions, its fifteen B-29's were given the tail markings of other XXI Bomber Command groups as a security measure. The victor numbers previously assigned the aircraft were changed to avoid confusion with B-29s of the groups from whom the tail identifiers were borrowed.
Victor numbers 82, 89, 90, and 91 (including the Enola Gay
) carried the markings of the 6th Bomb Group
(Circle R); victors 71, 72, 73, and 84 those of the 497th Bomb Group
(large "A"); victors 77, 85, 86, and 88 those of the 444th Bomb Group
(triangle N); and victors 83, 94, and 95 those of the 39th Bomb Group
(square P).
After ground training for the combat crews, the 509th began operations on 30 June 1945, with a calibration flight involving nine of the B-29s on hand. During the month of July and the first eight days of August the thirteen bombers of the 393rd BS flew an intensive training and mission rehearsal program that consisted of:
While this training was taking place, the disassembled components of the first two atomic bombs were transshipped to Tinian by various means. For the uranium
bomb code-named Little Boy, the U-235
projectile
and bomb pre-assemblies left Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, California, on 16 July aboard the cruiser
USS Indianapolis
, arriving 26 July. That same day three C-54s of the 320th TCS left Kirtland Army Air Field
each with one of the U-235 target rings and landed at North Field on 28 July.
The components for the bomb code-named Fat Man all arrived by air. On 26 July the bomb's plutonium core (encased in its insertion capsule) and the beryllium-polonium initiator
were transported from Kirtland by C-54 in the custody of Project Alberta couriers, also arriving 28 July. The pre-assemblies of Fat Man F-31 were picked up by B-29 at Kirtland on 28 July and reached North Field on 2 August.
The final item of preparation for the operation came on 29 July 1945. General Carl Spaatz
, commanding all strategic bombers in the Pacific, arrived at Tinian with the order for the attack. Drafted by Brig.Gen. Leslie Groves
and sent by Gen. George C. Marshall from Potsdam
on 25 July, the order designated four targets: Hiroshima
, Kokura
, Niigata
, and Nagasaki, and ordered the attack to be made "as soon as weather will permit after about 3 August."
The mission profile for both atomic missions called for weather scouts to precede the strike force by an hour, reporting weather conditions in code over each proposed target. The strike force consisted of a bombing aircraft, with the aircraft commander responsible for all decisions in reaching the target and the bomb commander (weaponeer) responsible for all decisions regarding dropping of the bomb; a blast instrumentation aircraft which would fly the wing of the strike aircraft and drop instruments by parachute into the target area; and a camera ship, which would also carry scientific observers. Each mission would have one "spare" aircraft accompanying it as far as Iwo Jima to take over carrying the bomb if the strike aircraft encountered mechanical problems.
The Hiroshima mission was flown as planned and executed without significant problems or diversion from plan. The Nagasaki mission, however, originally targeted Kokura
and encountered numerous problems which resulted in the bombing of the secondary target, a delay in bombing of almost two hours, detonation of the bomb some distance from the designated aiming point
, and a diversion of the strike force to emergency landing
s on Okinawa because of a lack of fuel. However the basic objectives of the mission were met despite the problems.
Lieutenant Jacob Beser
flew on both attack aircraft (the only man to do so), although Maj. Charles W. Sweeney and crew observed Hiroshima from The Great Artiste
and dropped the bomb on Nagasaki from Bockscar
. Lawrence H. Johnston of Project Alberta
observed all three nuclear explosions, including the Trinity test
.
Special Mission 13, Primary target Hiroshima, 6 August 1945
Special Mission 16, Secondary target Nagasaki, 9 August 1945
While the Nagasaki mission was in progress, two B-29's of the 509th took off from Tinian to return to Wendover. Lt.Col. Classen, the deputy group commander, in the unnamed victor 94 and crew B-6 in Jabit III, together with their ground crews, were sent back to stage for the possibility of transporting further bomb assemblies to Tinian. However the plutonium cores were still at Site Y, and on 13 August Gen. Groves ordered that all shipments of material be stopped. His order reached Los Alamos in time to keep the third bomb from being shipped. The first Atomic War lasted 9 days, 6 August through 15 August 1945.
attacks (12 dropped) on 14 August. With the announcement of the Japanese surrender, however, the 509th CG flew three further training missions involving 31 sortie
s on 18, 20 and 22 August , then stood down from operations. The group flew a total of 210 operational sorties from 30 June to 22 August, and aborted four additional flights, with only one aircraft failure to take off. 140 involved the dropping of live ordnance
. 62 sorties received combat credits for missions flown (49 pumpkin bomb and 13 atomic bomb sorties).
The unit returned to the United States on 6 November 1945, being stationed at Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico
. The eight Silverplate bombers that had been delivered to Wendover in August also joined the group. Col. William H. Blanchard
replaced Col. Tibbets as group commander on 22 January 1946, and also became the first commander of the 509th Bomb Wing
.
At Roswell, the 509th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy became the core of the newly formed Strategic Air Command
in 1946.
Later in August of 1958 the 509th was based at Pease Air Force Base Portsmouth, NH until 1990 see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Pease_AFB.htm
Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Department of the Air Force
Special Order GB-294, dated 2 September 1999, awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with Valor) to the 509th Composite Group for outstanding achievement in combat for the period 1 July 1945 to 14 August 1945.
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
unit created during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and tasked with operational deployment of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s. It conducted the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
, Japan, in August 1945.
In the postwar era, the 509th Composite Group was one of the original ten USAAF bombardment groups assigned to Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
on 21 March 1946, equipped with specially-configured B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
equipped to deliver Atomic Bombs. It was redesignated the 509th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 10 July 1946.
Wartime command organization
| Position | Name | Dates of service |
| Group Commander | Col. Paul W. Tibbets | 17 December 1944—22 January 1946 |
| Deputy Group Commander | Lt.Col. Thomas J. Classen | 4 May 1945— |
| Group Operations Officer (S-3) | Major James I. Hopkins, Jr. | 17 December 1944— |
| Group Executive Officer Executive officer An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:... |
Lt.Col. Gerald E. Bean | 17 December 1944— |
| Group Adjutant Adjutant Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant... |
Captain Thomas L. Karnes | 17 December 1944— |
Squadron commanders
| Wartime Commander | Date of command |
| Major Thomas J. Classen | 12 March 1944¹ |
| Lt.Col. Paul W. Tibbets | 14 September 1944 |
| Lt.Col. Thomas J. Classen | 17 December 1944 |
| Major Charles W. Sweeney | 4 May 1945 |
| Postwar Commander | Date of command |
| Lt.Col. Virgil M. Cloyd | 1 July 1946 |
| Lt.Col. Phillip Y. Williams | 1 June 1948 |
| Lt.Col. Robert B. Irwin | 3 September 1948 |
| Lt.Col. Phillip Y. Williams | 15 October 1948 |
| Lt.Col. James I. Hopkins | 3 January 1949 |
| Lt.Col. Phillip Y. Williams | 20 January 1949 |
| Lt.Col. Jack D. Nole | 3 May 1949 |
| Lt.Col. Phillip Y. Williams | 13 June 1949 |
| Lt.Col. William S. Martensen | 30 June 1949 |
| Commander | Date of command |
| Major Hubert J. Konopacki | 17 December 1944¹ |
| Major Charles W. Sweeney | 6 January 1945 |
| Captain John J. Casey, Jr. | 4 May 1945² |
Component support organizations
| Unit | Commander | # of personnel |
| Headquarters and Base Services Squadron | Major George W. Westcott | 99 |
| 390th Air Service Group | Lt.Col. John W. Porter | 190 |
| 1027th Air Materiel Squadron | Major Guy Geller | 140 |
| 603rd Air Engineering Squadron | Captain Earl O. Casey | 225 |
| 1395th Military Police Company | Captain Louis Schaffer | 127 |
| 1st Ordnance Squadron (Special, Aviation) | Major Charles F. Begg | 298 |
Organization, training, and security
The 509th Composite Group was constituted on 9 December 1944, and activated on 17 December 1944, at Wendover Army Air Field, UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, commanded by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets. Colonel Tibbets had been assigned to organize and command a combat group
USAAF bombardment group
A bombardment group or bomb group was a group of bomber aircraft the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was the equivalent of an infantry regiment in the Army Ground Forces, or a bomber wing in the British Commonwealth air forces...
to develop the means of delivering an atomic weapon by airplane against targets in Germany and Japan. Because the flying squadrons of the group consisted of both bomber and transport aircraft, the group was designated as a "composite" rather than a "bombardment" unit.
Working with the Manhattan Engineering District at Site Y in Los Alamos
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
, New Mexico, Tibbets had selected Wendover for his training base (over Great Bend
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
, Kansas, and Mountain Home
Mountain Home, Idaho
Mountain Home is the largest city and county seat of Elmore County, Idaho. The population was 14,206 at the 2010 census. Mountain Home is the principal city of the Mountain Home, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Elmore County....
, Idaho) because of its remoteness. On 10 September 1944, the 393rd Bomb Squadron
393d Bomb Squadron
The 393d Bomb Squadron is part of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.-History:Activated as a B-29 Superfortress squadron in early 1944; trained under Second Air Force. Training delayed as engineering flaws being worked out of the B-29...
, a unit of B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es, arrived at Wendover from the 504th Bomb Group (Very Heavy) at Fairmont Army Air Base
Fairmont, Nebraska
Fairmont is a village in Fillmore County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 560 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Fairmont is located at ....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, where it had been in group training since 12 March. When its parent group deployed to the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
in early November 1944, the squadron was assigned directly to the Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
until creation of the 509th CG. Originally consisting of twenty-one crews, fifteen were selected to continue training and were organized into three flights
Flight (military unit)
A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps. It usually comprises three to six aircraft, with their aircrews and ground staff; or, in the case of a non-flying ground flight, no aircraft and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel. In most usages,...
of five crews, lettered A, B, and C.
The 320th Troop Carrier Squadron, the other flying unit of the 509th, came into being because of the highly secret work of the group. The organization that was to become the 509th required its own transports for the movement of both personnel and materiel, resulting in creation of an ad hoc unit nicknamed "The Green Hornet
Green Hornet
Green Hornet may refer to:* The Green Hornet, a fictional character created by Fran Striker for the 1930s radio program and adapted into several media versions...
Line". Crews for this unit were acquired from the six 393rd crews not selected to continue B-29 training, some of whom chose to remain with the 509th rather than be assigned to a replacement pool of the Second Air Force. They began using Curtiss C-46 Commandos and C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s already at Wendover and after November 1944 flew five acquired C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
s. The 320th TCS was formally activated at the same time as the group.
Other support units were activated at Wendover from personnel already present and working with its Project W-47 (superseded by Project Alberta
Project Alberta
Project Alberta was a section of the Manhattan Project which developed the means of delivering the first atomic bombs, used by the United States Army Air Forces against the Empire of Japan during World War II...
) or in the 216th Base Unit, both affiliated with the Site Y project
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
. The 390th Air Service Group was created as the command echelon for the 603rd Air Engineering Squadron, the 1027th Air Material squadron, and its own Air Base Support Squadron, but as these units became independent operationally, acted as the basic support unit for the entire 509th Group in providing quarters, rations, medical care, postal service and other basic support functions. The 603rd AES was unique in that it provided depot-level B-29 maintenance in the field, obviating the necessity of sending aircraft back to the United States for major repairs. The 603rd made a number of modifications to the first contract order of Silverplate
Silverplate
Silverplate was the code reference for the United States Army Air Forces participation in the Manhattan Project during World War II. Originally the name for the aircraft modification project for the B-29 Superfortress to enable it to drop an atomic weapon, Silverplate eventually came to identify...
B-29s that were later incorporated as specifications for the combat models.
The 393rd Bomb Squadron began replacement of its original B-29s with modified Silverplate airplanes with the delivery of three in mid-October 1944. These aircraft had extensive bomb bay modifications and a "weaponeer" station installed, but initial training operations identified numerous other modifications necessary to the mission, particularly in reducing the overall weight of the airplane to offset the heavy loads it would be required to carry. Five more Silverplates were delivered in November and six in December, giving the group 14 for its training operations. In January and February 1945, 10 of the 15 crews under the command of the Group S-3 (operations officer) were assigned temporary duty at Batista Field, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, where they trained in long-range over-water navigation.
On 6 March 1945, the 1st Ordnance Squadron (Special, Aviation) was activated at Wendover, again from Army Air Forces personnel on hand or already at Los Alamos, and concurrent with the activation of Project Alberta
Project Alberta
Project Alberta was a section of the Manhattan Project which developed the means of delivering the first atomic bombs, used by the United States Army Air Forces against the Empire of Japan during World War II...
. Its purpose was to provide trained personnel and special equipment to the group to enable it to assemble atomic weapons at its operating base, thereby allowing the weapons to be transported more safely in their component parts. A rigorous candidate selection process was used to recruit personnel, with reportedly an 80% "washout" rate, and those made a part of the unit were not permitted transfer until the end of the war, nor were they allowed to travel without escorts from Military Intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
units.
Two anecdotes illustrate the level of security affecting the 509th's personnel and equipment. En route to Tinian on 4 June 1945, the B-29 that became The Great Artiste
The Great Artiste
The Great Artiste was a U.S. Army Air Forces Silverplate B-29 bomber , assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group, that participated in the atomic bomb attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Flown by 393rd commander Major Charles W...
made an intermediate stop at Mather Field
Mather Air Force Base
Mather Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force Base located east of Sacramento at Rancho Cordova, California on the south side of U.S. Route 50....
, near Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California. The commanding general of the base allegedly attempted to enter the aircraft to inspect it and was warned by a plane guard that he could not do so, with a carbine
M1 Carbine
The M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...
aimed at the general's chest. A similar incident occurred to a Project Alberta courier, 2nd Lt. William A. King, transporting the plutonium core of the Fat Man bomb to Tinian, secured to the floor of one of the 509th's C-54s. The transport made a refueling stop at Hickam Field
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
, Hawaii, on 24 July 1945, where the colonel commanding a combat unit returning to the United States learned that the Skymaster had only one passenger. He attempted to enter the C-54 to requisition it as transport for his men, but was prevented by Lt. King, who aimed his .45 caliber automatic pistol
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
at the officer.
With the addition of the 1st Ordnance Squadron to its roster, the 509th CG had an authorized strength of 225 officers and 1,542 enlisted men, almost all of whom deployed to Tinian. The 320th TCS did not officially deploy but kept its base of operations at Wendover. In addition to its authorized strength, the 509th had attached to it on Tinian 51 civilian and military personnel of Project Alberta
Project Alberta
Project Alberta was a section of the Manhattan Project which developed the means of delivering the first atomic bombs, used by the United States Army Air Forces against the Empire of Japan during World War II...
, and two representatives from Washington, D.C., Brigadier Thomas Farrell (General Leslie Groves
Leslie Groves
Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves, Jr. was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. As the son of a United States Army chaplain, Groves lived at a...
' executive officer) and Rear Admiral William R. Purnell of the Military Policy Committee.
The 509th began replacement of its 14 training Silverplates in February 1945 by transferring four to the 216th Base Unit. In April they began receiving Silverplates of the third modification increment and the remaining ten training B-29s were placed in storage. Each bombardier completed at least 50 practice drops of inert pumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II...
s and Col. Tibbets declared his group combat-ready. Preparation for Overseas Movement (POM) began in April.
Equipment and crews
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- B-29, "ENOLA GAY", 44-86292. Dropped "LITTLE BOY", 6 August 1945, on Hiroshima
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- B-29, "BOCKSCAR", 44-27297. Dropped "FAT MAN", 9 August 1945, on Nagasaki
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- Combat B-29's of the 393rd Bomb Squadron
Source:Richard H. Campbell, The Silverplate Bombers, ISBN 0-7864-2139-8AAF serial # Victor # Name Crew # Airplane Commander USAAF Delivery Arr. Tinian Tail Code B-29-36-MO 44-27296 84 Some Punkins Some PunkinsSome Punkins was the name of a B-29 Superfortress modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II.-Airplane history:...
B-7 Capt. James N. Price 19 March 1945 14 June 1945 Large A B-29-36-MO 44-27297 77 Bockscar BockscarBockscar, sometimes called Bock's Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan....
C-13 Capt. Frederick C. Bock Frederick C. BockFrederick C. Bock was a World War II pilot who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, flying the B-29 bomber The Great Artiste, which was used for scientific measurements of the effects caused by the nuclear weapon. The bomber which actually dropped Fat Man was called Bockscar as it...
19 March 1945 17 June 1945 Triangle N B-29-36-MO 44-27298 83 Full House Full House (airplane)Full House was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945....
A-1 Maj. Ralph R. Taylor 20 March 1945 17 June 1945 Square P B-29-36-MO 44-27299 86 Next Objective Next Objective (B-29)Next Objective was the name of a B-29 Superfortress modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II.-Airplane history:...
A-3 Capt. Ralph N. Devore 20 March 1945 17 June 1945 Triangle N B-29-36-MO 44-27300 73 Strange Cargo Strange Cargo (B-29)Strange Cargo was the name of a B-29 Superfortress modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II.-Airplane history:...
A-4 Capt. Joseph E. Westover 2 April 1945 11 June 1945 Large A B-29-36-MO 44-27301 85 Straight Flush C-11 Maj. Claude R. Eatherly Claude EatherlyClaude Robert Eatherly was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and the pilot of a weather reconnaissance aircraft Straight Flush that supported the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, August 6, 1945.-The bombing of Hiroshima:The Straight Flush was one of seven...
2 April 1945 14 June 1945 Triangle N B-29-36-MO 44-27302 72 Top Secret Top Secret (B-29)Top Secret was the name of a B-29 Superfortress modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II.-Airplane history:...
B-8 Capt. Charles F. McKnight 2 April 1945 11 June 1945 Large A B-29-36-MO 44-27303 71 Jabit III Jabit IIIJabit III was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945...
B-6 Maj. John A. Wilson 3 April 1945 11 June 1945 Large A B-29-36-MO 44-27304 88 Up An' Atom Up An' AtomUp An' Atom was the name of a B-29 Superfortress configured during World War II in the Silverplate project to carry an atomic bomb.-Airplane history:...
B-10 Capt. George W. Marquardt 3 April 1945 17 June 1945 Triangle N B-29-40-MO 44-27353 89 The Great Artiste The Great ArtisteThe Great Artiste was a U.S. Army Air Forces Silverplate B-29 bomber , assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group, that participated in the atomic bomb attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Flown by 393rd commander Major Charles W...
C-15 Capt. Charles D. Albury 20 April 1945 28 June 1945 Circle R B-29-40-MO 44-27354 90 Big Stink Big StinkBig Stink was the name of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber that participated in the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945...
A-5* Lt.Col. Thomas J. Classen* 20 April 1945 25 June 1945 Circle R B-29-45-MO 44-86291 91 Necessary Evil C-14 Capt. Norman W. Ray 18 May 1945 2 July 1945 Circle R B-29-45-MO 44-86292 82 Enola Gay Enola GayEnola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
B-9 Capt. Robert A. Lewis 18 May 1945 6 July 1945 Circle R B-29-50-MO 44-86346 94 Luke the Spook C-12* Capt. Herman S. Zahn* 15 June 1945 2 August 1945 Square P B-29-50-MO 44-86347 95 Laggin' Dragon Laggin' Dragon-Operation Silverplate:As part of the Manhattan Project, the American development and delivery of the world's first nuclear weapons on targets in Japan, that brought the Second World War to a close in August 1945, a squadron of modified Boeing B-29 Superfortresses was delivered to the U.S...
A-2 Capt. Edward M. Costello 15 June 1945 2 August 1945 Square P
- Combat B-29's of the 393rd Bomb Squadron
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*These crews and aircraft commanders switched airplane assignments on 9 August 1945
Although all of the B-29's were named as shown, the only nose art
Nose art
Nose art is a decorative painting or design on the fuselage of a military aircraft, usually located near the nose, and is a form of aircraft graffiti....
applied to the aircraft before the atomic bomb missions was that of Enola Gay. With the exceptions of victors 71 and 94, the others were applied some time in August 1945. Luke the Spook was not named until November 1945, and it is not known if nose art was ever applied to Jabit III, although the version shown at the 509th Yearbook gallery was first shown in 1997.
Color images of 393rd Bomb Squadron nose art
Operational history
The ground support echelon of the 509th CG received movement orders in April 1945 and moved by rail to its port of embarkation at Seattle, Washington. On 6 May the support elements sailed on the SS Cape Victory for the Marianas. An advance party of the air echelon flew to North Field, TinianTinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, on 18 May, where it was joined by the ground echelon on 29 May 1945, marking the group's official change of station. Project Alberta
Project Alberta
Project Alberta was a section of the Manhattan Project which developed the means of delivering the first atomic bombs, used by the United States Army Air Forces against the Empire of Japan during World War II...
's "Destination Team" also sent most of its members to Tinian to supervise the assembly, loading, and dropping of the bombs under the administrative title of 1st Technical Services Detachment.
Due to their geographical separation from other USAAF pilots and crew members, rigid security measures and failure to participate in regular bombing missions led to the 509th being ridiculed as having a "soft life".
The air echelon began deploying from Wendover 4 June 1945, with the first B-29 arriving at North Field on 11 June. The group was assigned to the 313th Bomb Wing, whose four groups had been flying missions against Japan since mid-February, but because of security considerations was given a base area near the airfield on the north tip of Tinian, several miles from the main installations in the center part of the island. Two of the group's bombers were not delivered by Martin-Omaha until early July and remained at Wendover until 27 July to act as transports to Tinian for two of the Fat Man
Fat Man
"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...
atomic bomb assemblies.
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
pointing forward, but at the beginning of August, after it began flying combat missions, its fifteen B-29's were given the tail markings of other XXI Bomber Command groups as a security measure. The victor numbers previously assigned the aircraft were changed to avoid confusion with B-29s of the groups from whom the tail identifiers were borrowed.
Victor numbers 82, 89, 90, and 91 (including the Enola Gay
Enola Gay
Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
) carried the markings of the 6th Bomb Group
6th Operations Group
The 6th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida....
(Circle R); victors 71, 72, 73, and 84 those of the 497th Bomb Group
497th Air Refueling Wing
The 497th Air Refueling Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was assigned to Strategic Air Command, based at Plattsburgh AFB, New York. The unit was inactivated on 15 September 1964...
(large "A"); victors 77, 85, 86, and 88 those of the 444th Bomb Group
444th Bombardment Group
The 444th Air Expeditionary Wing was a United States Air Force provisional unit possibly allocated to Air Materiel Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom...
(triangle N); and victors 83, 94, and 95 those of the 39th Bomb Group
39th Air Base Wing
The 39th Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Third Air Force. It is stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey...
(square P).
After ground training for the combat crews, the 509th began operations on 30 June 1945, with a calibration flight involving nine of the B-29s on hand. During the month of July and the first eight days of August the thirteen bombers of the 393rd BS flew an intensive training and mission rehearsal program that consisted of:
- 17 individual training sorties without ordnance
- 15 practice bombing missions against Japanese-held Truk, Marcus, RotaRota (island)Rota also known as the "peaceful island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. It lies approximately 40 miles north-northeast of the United States territory of Guam...
, and GuguanGuguanGuguan is an island in the Northern Marianas island chain and is 130 miles north of Saipan. It measures only 3.87 km² but contains two volcanoes, one of which is active. A major eruption in 1883 produced pyroclastic flows as well as lava flows. The coast is bordered by steep basaltic rock with...
, between 1 and 22 July with 90 B-29s using 500- and 1000-pound bombs to practice mission procedures - 12 combat missions against targets in Japan using high-explosive "pumpkin bombPumpkin bombPumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II...
s", with 37 B-29s dropping conventional-bomb replications of the Fat ManFat Man"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...
between 20 and 29 July - 8 component-tests and rehearsal drops of five inert Little BoyLittle Boy"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
and three Fat ManFat Man"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...
assemblies between 23 July and 8 August - a practice mission to Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
on 29 July in which an inert Little BoyLittle Boy"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
was unloaded and then reloaded to rehearse the contingency plan for using a back-up bomber in an emergency.
While this training was taking place, the disassembled components of the first two atomic bombs were transshipped to Tinian by various means. For the uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
bomb code-named Little Boy, the U-235
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
projectile
Projectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
and bomb pre-assemblies left Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, California, on 16 July aboard the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
USS Indianapolis
USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
USS Indianapolis was a of the United States Navy. She holds a place in history due to the circumstances of her sinking, which led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy...
, arriving 26 July. That same day three C-54s of the 320th TCS left Kirtland Army Air Field
Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy C. Kirtland...
each with one of the U-235 target rings and landed at North Field on 28 July.
The components for the bomb code-named Fat Man all arrived by air. On 26 July the bomb's plutonium core (encased in its insertion capsule) and the beryllium-polonium initiator
Urchin (detonator)
A modulated neutron initiator is a neutron source capable of producing a burst of neutrons on activation. It is a crucial part of some nuclear weapons, as its role is to "kick-start" the chain reaction at the optimal moment when the configuration is prompt critical. It is also known as an internal...
were transported from Kirtland by C-54 in the custody of Project Alberta couriers, also arriving 28 July. The pre-assemblies of Fat Man F-31 were picked up by B-29 at Kirtland on 28 July and reached North Field on 2 August.
The final item of preparation for the operation came on 29 July 1945. General Carl Spaatz
Carl Spaatz
Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz GBE was an American World War II general and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He was of German descent.-Early life:...
, commanding all strategic bombers in the Pacific, arrived at Tinian with the order for the attack. Drafted by Brig.Gen. Leslie Groves
Leslie Groves
Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves, Jr. was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. As the son of a United States Army chaplain, Groves lived at a...
and sent by Gen. George C. Marshall from Potsdam
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
on 25 July, the order designated four targets: Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Kokura
Kokura
is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyūshū, Japan, guarding, via its suburb Moji, the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshū and Kyūshū. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound Sanyo Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR Kyūshū and an important part of the...
, Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, and Nagasaki, and ordered the attack to be made "as soon as weather will permit after about 3 August."
Atomic Bomb Missions
The Hiroshima mission was flown as planned and executed without significant problems or diversion from plan. The Nagasaki mission, however, originally targeted Kokura
Kokura
is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyūshū, Japan, guarding, via its suburb Moji, the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshū and Kyūshū. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound Sanyo Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR Kyūshū and an important part of the...
and encountered numerous problems which resulted in the bombing of the secondary target, a delay in bombing of almost two hours, detonation of the bomb some distance from the designated aiming point
Aiming point
In field artillery, the accuracy of indirect fire depends on the use of aiming points. In air force terminology the aiming point refers to holding the intersection of the cross hairs on a bombsight when fixed at a specific target....
, and a diversion of the strike force to emergency landing
Emergency landing
An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...
s on Okinawa because of a lack of fuel. However the basic objectives of the mission were met despite the problems.
Lieutenant Jacob Beser
Jacob Beser
Jacob Beser was a lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces who served during World War II. Beser was the radar specialist aboard the Enola Gay on August 6, 1945, when it dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, Beser was aboard Bock's Car when "Fat Man" was...
flew on both attack aircraft (the only man to do so), although Maj. Charles W. Sweeney and crew observed Hiroshima from The Great Artiste
The Great Artiste
The Great Artiste was a U.S. Army Air Forces Silverplate B-29 bomber , assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group, that participated in the atomic bomb attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Flown by 393rd commander Major Charles W...
and dropped the bomb on Nagasaki from Bockscar
Bockscar
Bockscar, sometimes called Bock's Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan....
. Lawrence H. Johnston of Project Alberta
Project Alberta
Project Alberta was a section of the Manhattan Project which developed the means of delivering the first atomic bombs, used by the United States Army Air Forces against the Empire of Japan during World War II...
observed all three nuclear explosions, including the Trinity test
Trinity test
Trinity was the code name of the first test of a nuclear weapon. This test was conducted by the United States Army on July 16, 1945, in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, at the new White Sands Proving Ground, which incorporated the Alamogordo Bombing...
.
Mission compositions
| Aircraft | Pilot | Call Sign | Mission role |
| Straight Flush | Maj. Claude R. Eatherly Claude Eatherly Claude Robert Eatherly was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and the pilot of a weather reconnaissance aircraft Straight Flush that supported the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, August 6, 1945.-The bombing of Hiroshima:The Straight Flush was one of seven... |
Dimples 85 | Weather reconnaissance (Hiroshima) |
| Jabit III Jabit III Jabit III was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945... |
Maj. John A. Wilson | Dimples 71 | Weather reconnaissance (Kokura) |
| Full House Full House (airplane) Full House was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.... |
Maj. Ralph R. Taylor | Dimples 83 | Weather reconnaissance (Nagasaki) |
| Enola Gay Enola Gay Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war... |
Col. Paul W. Tibbets Paul Tibbets Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, best known for being the pilot of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare. The bomb, code-named Little Boy, was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima... |
Dimples 82 | Weapon Delivery |
| The Great Artiste The Great Artiste The Great Artiste was a U.S. Army Air Forces Silverplate B-29 bomber , assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group, that participated in the atomic bomb attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Flown by 393rd commander Major Charles W... |
Maj. Charles W. Sweeney Charles Sweeney Major General Charles W. Sweeney was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew the "Fat Man" atomic bomb to Nagasaki on August 9, 1945... |
Dimples 89 | Blast measurement instrumentation |
| Necessary Evil | Capt. George W. Marquardt | Dimples 91 | Strike observation and photography |
| Top Secret Top Secret (B-29) Top Secret was the name of a B-29 Superfortress modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II.-Airplane history:... |
Capt. Charles F. McKnight | Dimples 72 | Strike spare—did not complete mission |
| Aircraft | Pilot | Call Sign | Mission role |
| Enola Gay Enola Gay Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war... |
Capt. George W. Marquardt | Dimples 82 | Weather reconnaissance (Kokura) |
| Laggin' Dragon Laggin' Dragon -Operation Silverplate:As part of the Manhattan Project, the American development and delivery of the world's first nuclear weapons on targets in Japan, that brought the Second World War to a close in August 1945, a squadron of modified Boeing B-29 Superfortresses was delivered to the U.S... |
Capt. Charles F. McKnight | Dimples 95 | Weather reconnaissance (Nagasaki) |
| Bockscar Bockscar Bockscar, sometimes called Bock's Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan.... |
Maj. Charles W. Sweeney Charles Sweeney Major General Charles W. Sweeney was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew the "Fat Man" atomic bomb to Nagasaki on August 9, 1945... |
Dimples 77 | Weapon Delivery |
| The Great Artiste The Great Artiste The Great Artiste was a U.S. Army Air Forces Silverplate B-29 bomber , assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group, that participated in the atomic bomb attacks on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Flown by 393rd commander Major Charles W... |
Capt. Frederick C. Bock Frederick C. Bock Frederick C. Bock was a World War II pilot who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, flying the B-29 bomber The Great Artiste, which was used for scientific measurements of the effects caused by the nuclear weapon. The bomber which actually dropped Fat Man was called Bockscar as it... |
Dimples 89 | Blast measurement instrumentation |
| Big Stink Big Stink Big Stink was the name of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber that participated in the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945... |
Maj. James I. Hopkins, Jr. | Dimples 90 | Strike observation and photography |
| Full House Full House (airplane) Full House was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.... |
Maj. Ralph R. Taylor | Dimples 83 | Strike spare—did not complete mission |
While the Nagasaki mission was in progress, two B-29's of the 509th took off from Tinian to return to Wendover. Lt.Col. Classen, the deputy group commander, in the unnamed victor 94 and crew B-6 in Jabit III, together with their ground crews, were sent back to stage for the possibility of transporting further bomb assemblies to Tinian. However the plutonium cores were still at Site Y, and on 13 August Gen. Groves ordered that all shipments of material be stopped. His order reached Los Alamos in time to keep the third bomb from being shipped. The first Atomic War lasted 9 days, 6 August through 15 August 1945.
Post atomic bomb operations
After the Nagasaki mission the group continued combat operations, making another series of pumpkin bombPumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II...
attacks (12 dropped) on 14 August. With the announcement of the Japanese surrender, however, the 509th CG flew three further training missions involving 31 sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
s on 18, 20 and 22 August , then stood down from operations. The group flew a total of 210 operational sorties from 30 June to 22 August, and aborted four additional flights, with only one aircraft failure to take off. 140 involved the dropping of live ordnance
Aircraft ordnance
Aircraft ordnance or ordnance is weapons used by aircraft. The term is often used when describing the weight of air-to-ground weaponry that can be carried by an aircraft or the weight that has been dropped...
. 62 sorties received combat credits for missions flown (49 pumpkin bomb and 13 atomic bomb sorties).
The unit returned to the United States on 6 November 1945, being stationed at Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. The eight Silverplate bombers that had been delivered to Wendover in August also joined the group. Col. William H. Blanchard
William H. Blanchard
General William Hugh Blanchard was a United States Air Force officer who attained the rank of four star general and served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1965 to 1966....
replaced Col. Tibbets as group commander on 22 January 1946, and also became the first commander of the 509th Bomb Wing
509th Bomb Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....
.
At Roswell, the 509th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy became the core of the newly formed Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
in 1946.
Later in August of 1958 the 509th was based at Pease Air Force Base Portsmouth, NH until 1990 see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Pease_AFB.htm
Campaigns
Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
- Air Offensive, Japan
- Eastern Mandates
- Western Pacific
Honors
Department of the Air Force
Department of the Air Force
The Department of the Air Force is one of the three Military Departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America...
Special Order GB-294, dated 2 September 1999, awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with Valor) to the 509th Composite Group for outstanding achievement in combat for the period 1 July 1945 to 14 August 1945.
See also
- BockscarBockscarBockscar, sometimes called Bock's Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan....
- Enola GayEnola GayEnola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
- Paul TibbetsPaul TibbetsPaul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, best known for being the pilot of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare. The bomb, code-named Little Boy, was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima...
- Project AlbertaProject AlbertaProject Alberta was a section of the Manhattan Project which developed the means of delivering the first atomic bombs, used by the United States Army Air Forces against the Empire of Japan during World War II...
- Pumpkin bombPumpkin bombPumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II...
- SilverplateSilverplateSilverplate was the code reference for the United States Army Air Forces participation in the Manhattan Project during World War II. Originally the name for the aircraft modification project for the B-29 Superfortress to enable it to drop an atomic weapon, Silverplate eventually came to identify...
External links
- The Atomic Heritage Foundation. The former Children of the Manhattan Project site apparently is defunct, and its data can be found at the "MPHPA Classic" menu button
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress.Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Aircraft Retrieved: 4 November 2007.
- 509th CG Aircraft Page, MPHPA
- National Museum B-29 Superfortress Official Fact Sheet] Retrieved: 11 August 2007.