ENOLA GAY. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber Enola Gay that became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb on an enemy, destroying the Japanese city of Hiroshima and killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. SP. 1p. Oblong 4to. N.p., circa November 19, 1990. A black-and-white printed photograph of the Enola Gay landing at Tinian, signed and inscribed by tail gunner GEORGE R. “BOB” CARON (1919-1995; “George R. Caron Tail Gunner”), commander PAUL TIBBETS (1915-2007; “Paul W. Tibbets Pilot”), navigator THEODORE “DUTCH” VAN KIRK (1921-2014; “Theodore J. ‘Dutch’ Van Kirk Navigator”), radar specialist JACOB BESER (1921-1992; “Jacob Beser ECM [Electronic Counter Measures]”), bombardier and the man who pulled the lever that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima THOMAS FEREBEE (1918-2000; “Thomas W. Ferebee Bombardier 11/19/90”), and radio operator RICHARD NELSON (1925-2003; “Richard H. Nelson Radio”). Caron has added the following caption in blue ink: “Enola Gay returning to Tinian 6 Aug 1946 after bombing Hiroshima” at the bottom portion of the photo.

Three days after bombing Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay served as the weather reconnaissance aircraft for Bockscar, which dropped a second atomic bomb, this time on Nagasaki, prompting Japan’s surrender and effectively bringing a close to World War II, the war in Europe having ended in May with Germany’s surrender.

American Air Force pilot Paul Tibbets had been piloting anti-submarine missions over the Atlantic since the attack on Pearl Harbor and flew 43 bombing campaigns over Europe. In 1943, he was tapped to help develop the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and served as a technical advisor on the nuclear testing. It was Tibbets who selected the aircraft from the assembly line and gave the Enola Gay aircraft her name after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets. Placed in command of the 509th Composite Group, he piloted the Enola Gay’s flight over Hiroshima.

As the sole crewman in a defensive position aboard the Enola Gay, Caron was the first person to witness from the air the mushroom cloud over Hiroshima and it was his unique photographs that captured the event. He later recorded his eyewitness account in the book Fire of a Thousand Suns, The George R. “Bob” Caron Story, Tail Gunner of the Enola Gay.

Tibbets had flown over Europe with Van Kirk, who completed 58 missions before Tibbets recruited him to join the 509th Composite Group tasked with the deployment of nuclear weapons. Van Kirk was the navigator of the Enola Gay, working in conjunction with bombardier Thomas Ferebee to drop the 9,000-pound bomb on its target in Hiroshima. After the 2010 death of Morris Jeppson, Van Kirk became the last surviving member of the 12-person Enola Gay crew.

Beser studied mechanical engineering before dropping out to enlist. His background led to his recruitment by the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos where he worked on the atomic weapon until he was transferred to the 509th Composite Group. In addition to participating in Enola Gay’s deployment of the bomb over Hiroshima, Beser also flew aboard the Bockscar’s over Nagasaki, making him the only person aboard both flights. After the war he worked in the defense industry and was a founder of Sandia National Laboratories.

In 1944, Tibbets recruited Major Ferebee, an Army Air Forces pilot with whom he flew over Europe and who had 60 wartime missions under his belt, to serve first as the bombardier aboard the Enola Gay. It was Ferebee who dropped the 9,000-pound bomb on a target he selected from aerial photographs. In media interviews over the course of his life, Ferebee reflected on his role stating, “I'm sorry an awful lot of people died from that bomb, and I hate to think that something like that had to happen to end the war,” but he remained firm in his belief that his actions saved the lives of American soldiers who were poised for a ground offensive, (“Man Who Bombed Hiroshima Dies,” Tampa Bay Times).

Nelson, at age 20 was the youngest member of the Enola Gay’s 12-man crew and, was responsible for sending a coded message to President Harry Truman which read “Results excellent.”

In very fine condition.