"I think everybody in the plane concluded it was a dud.
It seemed a lot longer than 43 seconds," VanKirk recalled.

Then came a bright flash. Then a shockwave. Then another shockwave.

Link

RIP

Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

(07-31-2014 01:16 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

Unwitting harbingers of calamitous modernity, it would seem.

(07-31-2014 01:49 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:16 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

Unwitting harbingers of calamitous modernity, it would seem.

I seriously doubt that had they been told exactly what they were doing and what they were carrying was going to do; that a single one of them wouldn't have still gone on the mission. What other weapon of war was ever used only twice and ended a war with not one boot yet on the enemy's soil?

And its never been needed again. Let's pray it never is.

(07-31-2014 01:52 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:49 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:16 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

Unwitting harbingers of calamitous modernity, it would seem.

I seriously doubt that had they been told exactly what they were doing and what they were carrying was going to do; that a single one of them wouldn't have still gone on the mission. What other weapon of war was ever used only twice and ended a war with not one boot yet on the enemy's soil?

And its never been needed again. Let's pray it never is.

I agree entirely. The crew of the Enola Gay took off during one era of warfare and landed in an entirely different one. That mission changed everything.

(07-31-2014 01:52 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:49 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:16 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

Unwitting harbingers of calamitous modernity, it would seem.

I seriously doubt that had they been told exactly what they were doing and what they were carrying was going to do; that a single one of them wouldn't have still gone on the mission. What other weapon of war was ever used only twice and ended a war with not one boot yet on the enemy's soil?

And its never been needed again. Let's pray it never is.

While they (except for Tibbets) may not have known the exact nature of the bomb they were going to drop, they were not totally ignorant of what was going to happen. They were all issued special glasses (essentially welders goggles) to put on right after the bomb was dropped. The planes were stripped of all non-essential equipment to facilitate the violent maneuvers required after the bomb was dropped.

Most bomber pilots never know if they killed anyone. That wasn't the case here. I wonder how they dealt with the lose of life their mission caused? They did what they had to do, they were patriotic Americans following orders that helped end a brutal regime in a brutal war. American heros. Thanks

(07-31-2014 01:52 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:49 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 01:16 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

Unwitting harbingers of calamitous modernity, it would seem.

I seriously doubt that had they been told exactly what they were doing and what they were carrying was going to do; that a single one of them wouldn't have still gone on the mission. What other weapon of war was ever used only twice and ended a war with not one boot yet on the enemy's soil?
And its never been needed again. Let's pray it never is.

Had I been a member of the crew and known, I would have gone. Absolutely, it's not close.

(07-31-2014 01:16 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 12:02 PM)john01992 Wrote:  Can't imagine having to be the crew of that mission.

They didn't really know what they had till they dropped it. They were told it was a really big bomb and that they should go full throttle once they dropped it. They were given some preparatory info like "don't look at the flash" that could indicate it was something really special, but till they saw the mushroom cloud they had no real clue what they had been carrying.

I read that they had been told that it was an A-bomb during the flight. They might not have realized exactly what an A-bomb would do, but they did find out what it was before they dropped it. Actually, IIRC one of them at least had guessed it.

They saved a huge number of lives by ending the war earlier
than it would have been.

The guys who dropped the Nagasaki bomb knew what was going to happen.