Archive · 20 May 2025
Hiroshima Bombing: Pilot's Account of the Mission and its Aftermath
In 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
The pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets, described the flight as 'boring' because everything went as planned.
Before the mission, he told the crew the bomb was a 'special weapon.'
The bombing caused immense destruction and loss of life, with the city turning into a 'black, boiling mess.'
Tibbets maintained he had no regrets, believing he did the right thing to end the war, even though the bomb killed around 80,000 people.
He revealed the truth to the crew mid-flight.
The US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, led the mission.
Tibbets described the flight as 'boring' due to its successful execution.
He briefed the crew mid-flight about the nature of the 'special weapon.'
Tibbets maintained he had no regrets regarding his actions.
- Who
- Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, and the United States.
- What
- US dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
- When
- August 6, 1945.
- Where
- Hiroshima, Japan.
- Why
- To end World War II.
- Pilot
- Colonel Paul Tibbets
- Aircraft
- Enola Gay
- Date of Bombing
- August 6, 1945
- Location
- Hiroshima, Japan
- Tibbets's Perspective
- No regrets, believed it was the right decision
- Mission Description
- Described as 'boring' due to flawless execution
- Crew Briefing
- Informed of the mission's gravity mid-flight.