Jabit III
Encyclopedia
Jabit III was the name of a B-29 Superfortress
(B-29-36-MO 44-27303, victor number 71) participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima
on August 6, 1945. Assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group
, it was used as a weather reconnaissance plane and flew to the city of Kokura
, designated as the secondary target, before the final bombing to determine if conditions were favorable for an attack.
at Omaha, Nebraska
, as a block 35 Superfortress, one of 10 redesignated block 36 in recognition of its Silverplate status. It was delivered to the USAAF on April 3, 1945. Assigned to Crew B-6 (Maj. John A. Wilson, Aircraft Commander), it was flown to its home base at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
, in April 1945. It departed Wendover for Tinian
on June 5, 1945, arriving June 11.
It was originally assigned the victor number 1 but on August 1 was given the large 'A' tail markings of the 497th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 71 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. Jabit III was used by the group commander, Col. Paul Tibbets
, on July 24 and 25 to drop two dummy Little Boy
atomic bomb assemblies into the ocean off Tinian to test fire their radar altimeter
components.
In addition to the Hiroshima mission and two test flights, Jabit III was flown by Major Wilson and crew B-6 on ten training and practice missions, and three combat missions, dropping pumpkin bomb
s on industrial targets in Taira, Ube
, and Uwajima. Captain Ralph Devore and crew A-3 flew Jabit III on a pumpkin bomb mission to Osaka
.
The plane and crew B-6 were one of two sent back to Wendover on August 9, 1945, to stage for possibly bringing back the plutonium core and initiator
for a third atomic bomb, but the war ended before that occurred. The plane had been unnamed when it left Tinian but was possibly given a name and nose art during its return to the United States. It was damaged in a landing accident in Chicago
on September 29, 1945, while on a training flight and was scrapped in April 1946.
, serials 67-7193 and 68-0258, carried the original nose art of Jabit III on their nosewheel doors while based at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire
, in the 1970s and 1980s. -7193 was named Jabitt III and -0258 Jabit IV.
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...
(B-29-36-MO 44-27303, victor number 71) participating in the atomic bomb attack on 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...
on August 6, 1945. Assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group
509th Operations Group
The 509th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing , assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers...
, it was used as a weather reconnaissance plane and flew to the city of 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...
, designated as the secondary target, before the final bombing to determine if conditions were favorable for an attack.
History
One of 15 Silverplate B-29's used by the 509th CG, it was manufactured at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft PlantGlenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
at Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, as a block 35 Superfortress, one of 10 redesignated block 36 in recognition of its Silverplate status. It was delivered to the USAAF on April 3, 1945. Assigned to Crew B-6 (Maj. John A. Wilson, Aircraft Commander), it was flown to its home base at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
Utah
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...
, in April 1945. It departed Wendover for Tinian
Tinian
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 June 5, 1945, arriving June 11.
It was originally assigned the victor number 1 but on August 1 was given the large 'A' tail markings of the 497th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 71 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. Jabit III was used by the group commander, Col. Paul 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...
, on July 24 and 25 to drop two dummy Little Boy
Little 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...
atomic bomb assemblies into the ocean off Tinian to test fire their radar altimeter
Radar altimeter
A radar altimeter, radio altimeter, low range radio altimeter or simply RA measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft...
components.
In addition to the Hiroshima mission and two test flights, Jabit III was flown by Major Wilson and crew B-6 on ten training and practice missions, and three combat missions, dropping 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 on industrial targets in Taira, Ube
Ube, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 179,000 and the density of 622 persons per km². The total area is 287.69 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1921....
, and Uwajima. Captain Ralph Devore and crew A-3 flew Jabit III on a pumpkin bomb mission to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
.
The plane and crew B-6 were one of two sent back to Wendover on August 9, 1945, to stage for possibly bringing back the plutonium core and 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...
for a third atomic bomb, but the war ended before that occurred. The plane had been unnamed when it left Tinian but was possibly given a name and nose art during its return to the United States. It was damaged in a landing accident in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
on September 29, 1945, while on a training flight and was scrapped in April 1946.
Hiroshima mission crew
Crew B-6 (regularly assigned to Jabit III)- Maj. John A. Wilson, Aircraft Commander
- 2nd Lt. Ellsworth T. Carrington, Co-Pilot
- 2nd Lt. James S. Duva, Navigator
- 2nd Lt. Paul W. Gruning, Bombardier
- M/Sgt. James W. Davis, Flight Engineer
- S/Sgt. Glen H. Floweree, Radio Operator
- Sgt. Vernon J. Rowley, Radar Operator
- Cpl. Chester A. Rogalski, Tail Gunner
- Cpl. Donald L. Rowe, Assistant Engineer/Scanner
Other aircraft named Jabit III
Two FB-111A strategic bombers of the USAF 509th Bomb Wing509th 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....
, serials 67-7193 and 68-0258, carried the original nose art of Jabit III on their nosewheel doors while based at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, in the 1970s and 1980s. -7193 was named Jabitt III and -0258 Jabit IV.
Sources
- Campbell, Richard H., The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs (2005), ISBN 0-7864-2139-8
- 509th CG Aircraft Page, MPHPA