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THE WRIGHTS AND THEIR WRIGHT FLIER

IT WAS ON OCTOBER 14, 1947 THAT AVIATION TECHNOLOGY BROKE A BARRIER THAT MANY FELT WOULD NEVER CRUMBLE. THE BARRIER WAS THE SPEED OF SOUND, THE MAN THAT BROKE IT WAS MAJOR CHUCK YEAGER AND HIS AIRCRAFT WAS THE BELL X-1.
BOTH YEAGER AND HIS X-1, CHRISTENED GLAMOROUS GLENNIS, WERE COLORFUL CHARACTERS. THE X-1 WAS A BULLET SHAPED ROCKET PLANE FINISHED IN A BRIGHT ORANGE, YEAGER WAS A VETERAN OF THE AIR WAR OVER WWII EUROPE.

        IT WAS AT 2:45 AM OF AUGUST 6, 1945 THAT THE ENOLA GAY TOOK OFF FROM THE ISLAND OF TINIAN. HER PRIMARY TARGET WAS THE JAPANESE CITY OF HIROSHIMA, FIVE AND ONE HALF HOURS AWAY. HIROSHIMA, A MAJOR ASSEMBLY POINT FOR JAPANESE NAVAL CONVOYS, SITE OF SEVERAL WAR PLANTS AND HOME TO 245,000, WOULD SOON BE SUBJECTED TO THE POWER OF THE ATOM AND BURNED INTO WORLD HISTORY FOR ALL TIME.
        THE ENOLA GAY WAS A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS, PILOTED BY COL. PAUL TIBBETS AND NAMED AFTER HIS MOTHER. AT TAKE OFF THE AIRCRAFT CARRIED 12 MEN, 7000 GALLONS OF FUEL, A SECRET WEAPON AND WEIGHED IN AT 150,000 POUNDS. THE WEAPON WAS AN ATOM BOMB CALLED, LITTLE BOY, IT WAS A URANIUM CORED WEAPON WEIGHING 9,000 POUNDS. DUE TO THE UNKNOWN NATURE OF THE WEAPON IT WAS ARMED IN ROUTE TO HIROSHIMA BY NAVAL CAPTAIN PARSONS, CHIEF ORDNANCE OFFICER OF THE MANHATTAN PROJECT THAT HAD DEVELOPED THE BOMB.
        AT 8:12 AM THE ENOLA GAY REACHED THE INITIAL POINT OF THE BOMB RUN TO THE TARGET. AT 8:15 THE CITY OF HIROSHIMA ENTERED THE BOMB SIGHT, THE BOMBARDIER, MAJOR THOMAS FEREBEE, TOOK CONTROL OF THE PLANE FOR THE FINAL 15 SECONDS OF THE BOMB RUN. A TONE SOUNDED IN THE EARPHONES OF ALL CREW MEMBERS UNTIL 8:15:17 WHEN THE WEAPON LEFT THE AIRCRAFT.
        THE AIMING POINT HAD BEEN THE AIOI BRIDGE, NEARLY SIX MILES BELOW THE AMERICAN BOMBER. FORTY-THREE SECONDS AFTER THE BOMB WAS DROPPED, AT A HEIGHT OF 1890 FEET, THE RADAR OPERATED PROXIMITY FUSE TRIGGERED THE ATOMIC BLAST.
        ABOARD THE ENOLA GAY, AFTER A RADICAL MANEUVER TO AVOID THE BOMB'S BLAST, A TREMENDOUS GLARE ILLUMINATED THE INSTRUMENTS. TIBBETS SAID OF THAT LIGHT, " IT TASTED LIKE LEAD." TAIL GUNNER, SGT GEORGE CARON, HAD THE BEST VIEW IN THE HOUSE AND IT WAS TERRIFYING. FIRST IT WAS A PINKISH GLOW THAT CONTINUED TO GROW AND THEN A GREAT COMPRESSION WAVE COULD BE SEEN RACING TOWARD THE AIRCRAFT. THOUGH CARON TRIED TO WARN THE CREW HIS VOICE MADE ONLY A NOISE. THE MEN OF THE ENOLA GAY WERE TOSSED ABOUT AS THE WAVE OF COMPRESSED AIR HIT THE SHIP. MOST THOUGHT THAT THE JAPANESE ANTI AIRCRAFT BATTERIES HAD CAUGHT UP WITH THEM. CARON HAD NOW GAINED CONTROL OF HIS VOICE IN TIME TO WARN OF A SECOND BLAST WAVE CLOSING ON THE AIRPLANE. THE SECOND DISTURBANCE WAS THE LAST AND THE ENOLA GAY CONTINUED ON TO A PEACEFUL LANDING AT 2:58 PM AT THEIR BASE ON TINIAN. THE MISSION HAD GONE OFF WITHOUT A FLAW.
        WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CITY OF HIROSHIMA WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE POPULATION TO GRASP. A TREMENDOUS LIGHT SUDDENLY OUTSHONE THE SUN. SUPERHEATED AIR RUSHED OUTWARD FROM THE BLAST IN ALL DIRECTIONS AT 1,200 FEET PER SECOND DESTROYING ALL WOODEN STRUCTURES WITHIN TWO MILES AS THEY IGNITED FROM THE TREMENDOUS HEAT. THE POINT DIRECTLY BELOW THE FIREBALL WAS SUBJECTED TO 11,000 DEGREE HEAT AND AIR PRESSURE OF EIGHT TONS PER SQUARE YARD. VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE AT THIS POINT WAS VAPORIZED.
        OF THE FEW THAT DID SURVIVE NEAR THE BLAST'S CENTER THERE WAS NO MEMORY OF AN EXPLOSION AS THE BOMB DETONATED. AWAY FROM THE HYPOCENTER THE SOUND OF THE BLAST WAS MONSTROUS, TWELVE MILES AWAY WITNESSES WERE CERTAIN THAT A NEARBY AMMUNITION DUMP HAD EXPLODED. AT A DISTANCE OF EIGHT MILES WINDOWS WERE SHATTERED AND PEOPLE THROWN TO THE GROUND.
        ABOVE THE DESTRUCTION AND DEATH ROSE THE NOW WELL KNOWN MUSHROOM SHAPED CLOUD. THE CLOUD REACHED A HEIGHT OF 40,000 FEET AND THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN IT REACHED 540,000 DEGREES.
        THIS SINGLE BOMB WOULD EVENTUALLY ACCOUNT FOR 140,000 DEATHS BY SOME ESTIMATES, THOUGH AN ACCURATE COUNT WILL NEVER BE MADE. THOUGH MANY DIED IN THE INITIAL BLAST THE UNFORTUNATE WERE THOSE THAT SUFFERED AND DIED OF TERRIBLE BURNS AND RADIATION POISONING.
        DESPITE THE TERRIBLE RESULTS OF THIS ONE PLANE RAID THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT DID NOT RESPOND TO THE ALLIES SURRENDER DEMANDS. THE JAPANESE CABINET COULD NOT COME TO AGREEMENT ON A METHOD FOR ENDING THE WAR, THE ARMY REPRESENTATIVES WERE HOLDING OUT FOR A LAST DITCH DEFENSE.
        ON AUGUST 9TH A SECOND BOMB WOULD FALL WITH THE SAME SAD EFFECTS OF THE HIROSHIMA BOMB. THE CITY OF NAGASAKI WAS THE NEW TARGET. THIS EVENT LED THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN TO CALL AN UNPRECEDENTED MEETING OF THE CABINET WHERE HE EXPRESSED HIS DESIRE TO SEE THE WAR ENDED. THE CABINET MET THROUGH THE DAY, AUGUST 14TH, DRAFTING AN IMPERIAL RESCRIPT THAT WOULD BRING AN END TO THE WAR. ANOTHER PRECEDENT WAS BROKEN WHEN THE CABINET DECIDED THAT A RADIO BROADCAST BY THE EMPEROR WOULD BE NECESSARY TO ASSURE THAT THE PEOPLE WOULD OBEY THE SURRENDER ORDER. PRIOR TO THIS BROADCAST THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN HAD NEVER HEARD THE VOICE OF THEIR HEAVEN SENT LEADER.
        THE SURRENDER CEREMONY WOULD BE HELD IN TOKYO BAY ON THE BATTLESHIP MISSOURI, EXACTLY SIX YEARS AFTER THE GERMAN ATTACK ON POLAND AND THE UNSET OF THE MOST TERRIBLE WAR THE EARTH MUST EVER KNOW. I NOW QUOTE GENERAL OF THE ARMY DOUGLAS MacARTHUR, "LET US PRAY THAT PEACE BE NOW RESTORED TO THE WORLD AND THAT GOD WILL PRESERVE IT ALWAYS."

B-26 DEVELOPMENT

THE BIRTH OF THE MARTIN MARAUDER CAME ABOUT DUE TO SPECIFICATIONS ISSUED BY THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON JANUARY 25 th OF 1939. THESE SPECIFICATIONS SOUGHT A TWIN ENGINE BOMBER WITH GREAT EMPHASIS PLACED ON SPEED, RANGE AND OPERATIONAL ALTITUDE. THE MARTIN COMPANY PRESENTED A DESIGN IN LESS THAN SIX MONTHS THAT MET ALL REQUIREMENTS PERFECTLY, ON PAPER. THIS WAS ACCEPTED BY THE A.A.C. AND THEY PRESENTED THE COMPANY WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED ORDER FOR 1,000 AIRCRAFT SIGHT UNSEEN.

THE FIRST PROTOTYPE OF THE MARAUDER FLEW ON NOVEMBER 25 th OF 1940. AS OPERATIONAL USE OF THE B-26 BEGAN PROBLEMS THAT WOULD FOLLOW IT THROUGH ITS CAREER SURFACED QUICKLY. THE LARGEST OF THESE PROBLEMS WAS IN TRAINING THE FLIGHT CREWS AND THEN MAINTAINING THEIR TRUST IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE CREWS WERE DISCONCERTED BY CERTAIN FEATURES OF THE PLANE, PRIMARILY THE UNUSUALLY HIGH WING LOADING THAT NECESSITATED DANGEROUSLY HIGH LANDING SPEEDS. AFTER A NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS PRODUCTION WAS ACTUALLY STOPPED AND A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY WAS APPOINTED. IT WAS DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH PRODUCTION AFTER CERTAIN MODIFICATIONS, WHICH PROVED TO BE OF LITTLE ASSISTANCE.

DURING THE EARLY WEEKS OF OPERATION IN NORTH AFRICA THE MARAUDER WAS GAINING A REPUTATION AS A KILLER OF FLIGHT CREWS. IT WAS KNOW BY A NUMBER OF UNFLATTERING NICKNAMES, SUCH AS THE BALTIMORE WHORE AS IT HAD NO VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE HAD RECENTLY TAKEN COMMAND OF THE 12 ^TH AIR FORCE AND WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION. FIRST OF ALL DOOLITTLE DID NOT WANT HIS CREWS TO FEEL THAT HIGH COMMAND DID NOT CARE. SECONDLY THE GENERAL HAD TESTED THIS PLANE THOROUGHLY BEFORE MOST OF THE COMBAT CREWS HAD EVER SEEN ONE. HE KNEW IT WAS A PLANE THAT COULD MAKE A CREDITABLE MARK ON THE WAR EFFORT.

TO PROVE HIS POINT THE GENERAL STARTED TO TOUR UNITS WHILE FLYING A B-26 WITH NO COPILOT, ONLY A CREW CHIEF TO SERVICE THE CRAFT. JIMMY WOULD FLY OVER THE BOMBER UNITS DOING THINGS THAT MOST THOUGHT WOULD BRING CERTAIN DEATH. TO ILLUSTRATE THIS I AM GOING TO BORROW A BIT FROM GENERAL PAUL TIBBETS' MEMOIRS. THIS WAS WRITTEN AFTER A RIDE WITH DOOLITTLE DURING ONE OF HIS PERFORMANCES. I HAVE BORROWED THIS FROM DOOLITTLE'S BOOK, I COULD NEVER BE SO LUCKY AGAIN .

THE MARAUDER, 5157 OF THEM, AND THEIR CREWS PROVIDED FINE SERVICE TO OUR NATION AND A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE WAR EFFORT.

BOMBERS	FIGHTERS	TRANSPORTS	RECON-TRAIN	ATTACK

THE ENEMY	THE AUTHOR	THOSE WHO SERVED	MY COLLECTION	PIN UPS	MY DAD'S WAR