TINIAN, MARIANA ISLANDS, 1945
US Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbets waves from the cockpit of the B-29 bomber
Enola Gay
in the early hours of
6 August 1945. He’s about to fly the aircraft – named after his mother – to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where his crew will drop the first atomic bomb. Co-pilot Robert A Lewis was in disbelief after watching the explosion: “We saw the entire
city disappear… I wrote in my log, ‘My God,
what have we done?’” When asked years
later if he had any regrets, Tibbets was unequivocal: “I wouldn’t hesitate if I had the choice. I’d wipe ‘em out.”
Read the complete article and many more in this issue of
BBC History Revealed Magazine
Purchase options below
If you own the issue,
Login to read the full article now.
Single Digital Issue
July 2018
This issue and other back issues are not included in a new BBC History Revealed Magazine subscription. Subscriptions include the latest regular issue and new issues released during your subscription.
Annual Digital Subscription
$39.99
billed annually
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99
billed monthly