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Brig. Gen. Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr.

United States Air Force
February 23, 1915(1915-02-23) – November 1, 2007 (aged 92)

Brig. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets (USAF Photo)
Place of birth Quincy, Illinois
Place of death Columbus, Ohio
Allegiance Flag of the United States United States of America
Service/branch United States Air Force
United States Army Air Forces
Years of service 1937–1966
Rank Brigadier General
Commands held 509th Composite Group
308th Bomb Wing
Battles/wars World War II
Atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Awards Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Legion of Merit
Purple Heart
Air Medal
Other work Charter Pilot with Executive Jet Aviation
Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr.
Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. Quincy Illinois, known as the " Gem City " is a city on the Mississippi River in Adams County, Illinois, United States Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. The 509th Composite Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War and as the 509th Operations Group, is World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158 signed by Franklin D
Tibbets in 2003
Tibbets in 2003

Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (February 23, 1915 – November 1, 2007) 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. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at

Contents

Biography

Early life

Tibbets was born in Quincy in western Illinois, the son of Paul Tibbets, Sr. Quincy Illinois, known as the " Gem City " is a city on the Mississippi River in Adams County, Illinois, United States The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. , and the former Enola Gay Haggard. He was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his father was a confections wholesaler. Cedar Rapids (ˌciːdɪrˈræpɨds is the second largest City in the U The family was listed there in the 1920 U. S. Federal Population Census. The 1930 census indicates that his family had moved and was living at the time in Des Moines. Thereafter, the family moved to Miami, Florida. Tibbets attended the University of Florida in Gainesville and was an initiated member of the Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity in 1934. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research Gainesville is the largest City in and County seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States. ΣΝ (Sigma Nu is an undergraduate College fraternity with chapters in the United States and Canada Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal

Military career

On February 25, 1937, Tibbets enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article refers to the general definition of cadet A Cadet may also be a member of the Cadets, a historical Russian Political party. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC was the predecessor of the U Fort Thomas is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, along the Ohio River. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1938 and received his wings at Kelly Field, Texas (later Kelly AFB and now the Kelly Field Annex of Lackland AFB[1]). Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer Military rank in many Armed forces. Kelly Field Annex (Formerly Kelly Air Force Base is a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Tibbets was named commanding officer of the 340th Bomb Squadron, 97th Heavy Bomb Group flying B-17 Flying Fortresses in March 1942. The 97th Air Mobility Wing ( 97 AMW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Based at RAF Polebrook, he piloted the lead bomber on the first Eighth Air Force bombing mission in Europe on August 17, 1942, and later flew combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations until returning to the U. RAF Polebrook is a former World War II Airfield located 35 miles east-south-east of Oundle, Northamptonshire, UK Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This page deals with the United States military 's Mediterranean Theater of Operations S. to test fly B-29 Superfortresses. "By reputation", Tibbets was "the best flier in the Army Air Force". [2] One of those who confirmed this reputation was Dwight D. Eisenhower, for whom Tibbets served as a personal pilot at times during the war. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general

In September 1944, he was selected to command the project at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, that became the 509th Composite Group, in connection with the Manhattan Project's Project Alberta. Wendover Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Utah now known as Wendover Airport. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The 509th Composite Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War and as the 509th Operations Group, is The World War II Manhattan Project developed the first Nuclear weapon (atomic bomb 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

On August 5, 1945, Tibbets formally named B-29 serial number 44-86292 Enola Gay after his mother (she was named after the heroine, Enola, of a novel her father had liked). Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story On August 6, the Enola Gay departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with Tibbets at the controls at 2:45 a. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Tinian (ˈtɪniən /ˌtiːniˈɑːn/ is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (14°59’51”N 145°37’39”E m. for Hiroshima, Japan. The Japanese city of ( is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest of Japan 's The atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, was dropped over Hiroshima at 8:15 a. Little Boy was the Codename of the Atomic bomb, developed via the "Manhattan Project" which was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6 1945 by the m. local time. Some 140,000 Japanese were killed, and many more died thereafter.

The film Above and Beyond (1952) depicted the World War II events involving Tibbets, with Robert Taylor starring as Tibbets and Eleanor Parker as his first wife Lucy. Above and Beyond is a 1952 film about Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb Enola Gay. Robert Taylor (August 5 1911 &ndash June 8 1969 was an American Actor. Eleanor Jean Parker (born June 26, 1922) is an American film and television actress In 1980, a made-for-television movie aired, again telling a possibly more fictionalized version of the story of Tibbets and his men, with Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing from the CBS series Dallas) having played the part of Tibbets and Kim Darby as Lucy. Patrick G Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American Television Actor who has appeared primarily in Soap operas and CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Dallas is a highly popular long-running American prime-time television Soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991 Kim Darby (born July 8, 1947) is an American Actress. Biography Darby was born Deborah Zerby in Los Angeles The film was called, Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb. Tibbets was also portrayed in the films Day One and The Beginning or the End. Day One is a 1989 Television film about the creation of the first Nuclear bomb during World War II in the USA by a team The Beginning or the End is a 1947 film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Brian Donlevy and Hume Cronyn.

Tibbets' marriage, to the former Lucy Wingate ended in divorce in 1955;[3] a second wife was named Andrea. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. In 1959, he was promoted to Brigadier General. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. He retired from the U.S. Air Force on August 31, 1966. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar.

Later life

In the 1960s, Tibbets was named military attaché in India, but this posting was rescinded after protests. Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned ('attached' to the administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country After his retirement from the Air Force, he worked for Executive Jet Aviation, a Columbus, Ohio-based air taxi company now called NetJets. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. NetJets, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, offers fractional ownership and Rental of private Business jets History NetJets He retired from the firm in 1970 and returned to Miami, Florida. He later left Miami to return to Executive Jet Aviation, having sold his Miami home in 1974. [4] He was president of Executive Jet Aviation from 1976 until his retirement in 1987.

The U. S. government apologized to Japan in 1976 after Tibbets re-enacted the bombing in a restored B-29 at an air show in Texas, complete with mushroom cloud. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Tibbets said that he had not meant the reenactment to have been an insult to the Japanese. [5].

In 1995, he called a planned 50th anniversary exhibition of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Institution which attempted to present the bombing devoid of its context a "damn big insult"[5]. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of

An interview of Paul Tibbets can be seen in the 1982 movie Atomic Cafe. The Atomic Café is an acclaimed Documentary film about the beginnings of the era of Nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival of film from the He was also interviewed in the 1970s British documentary series The World at War. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality The World at War is a 26-episode television documentary series on World War II, including the events leading up to it and following in its wake

His grandson Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Tibbets IV, USAF (as of 2006) is commander of the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Missouri and flies the B-2 Spirit. Whiteman Air Force Base ( Whiteman AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force in Johnson County, Missouri, United States WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The 393rd is one of two operational squadrons under the same unit his grandfather commanded, the 509th Bomb Wing. This article is about the US Air Force B-2 Wing For the article on the World War II B-29 unit see 509th Operations Group.

Tibbets was interviewed extensively by Mike Harden of the Columbus Dispatch, and profiles appeared in the newspaper on anniversaries of the first dropping of an atomic bomb.

Tibbets expressed no regret regarding the decision to drop the bomb. In a 1975 interview he said: "I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it, and have it work as perfectly as it did. . . I sleep clearly every night". [5] In March 2005, he stated, "If you give me the same circumstances, hell yeah, I'd do it again. "

Death

Tibbets died in his Columbus, Ohio, home in 2007. [5][6][7] He had suffered small strokes and heart failure in his final years and had been in hospice care. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Palliative care (from Latin palliare to cloak is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of Disease Symptoms [8][9] Tibbets specified in his will that there should be no funeral service after his death and no headstone because anti-nuclear demonstrators could make his resting place a pilgrimage site. In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance Tibbets asked to be cremated and have his ashes dispersed into the waters of the English Channel. Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire

Awards and decorations

  Command pilot

See also

References

  1. ^ www. lackland. af. mil
  2. ^ Stephen Ambrose. The Victors, page 40
  3. ^ "Paul W. Tibbets Jr., Pilot of Enola Gay, Dies at 92", New York Times, 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Retrieved on 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi  
  4. ^ "Miamian who bombed Hiroshima in 1945 dies", Miami Herald, 2007-11-02. The Miami Herald is a daily Newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered in Downtown Miami Florida. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Retrieved on 2007-11-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000  
  5. ^ a b c d "Hiroshima bomb pilot dies aged 92", BBC News Online, 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Retrieved on 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi  
  6. ^ Julie Carr Smyth (November 1, 2007). Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Pilot of plane that dropped A-bomb dies. Associated Press at Yahoo News. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Yahoo! News is an Internet -based News aggregator provided by Yahoo!. Retrieved on 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi
  7. ^ Goldstein, Richard (2007-11-01). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Paul W. Tibbets Jr., Pilot of Enola Gay, Dies at 92. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi
  8. ^ Paul Tibbets Jr., who flew plane that dropped first atomic bomb, dies at 92. The Columbus Dispatch. The Columbus Dispatch is a daily Newspaper, based in Columbus Ohio, that serves the central portion of the state Retrieved on 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi
  9. ^ Man Who Dropped Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima Dies at 92. Associated Press at Fox News Channel. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Retrieved on 2007-11-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi

External links


Persondata
NAME Tibbets, Paul Warfield, Jr. Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American Air Force pilot; dropped first atomic bomb
DATE OF BIRTH February 23, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Quincy, Illinois, United States
DATE OF DEATH November 1, 2007
PLACE OF DEATH Columbus, Ohio, United States
Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Quincy Illinois, known as the " Gem City " is a city on the Mississippi River in Adams County, Illinois, United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
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