NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bockscar

Bockscar, sometimes called Bock's Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on August 8, 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan. Bockscar aircraft, which dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki during World War II. From: http://www. ... Bockscar aircraft, which dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki during World War II. From: http://www. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ... The B-17 Flying Fortress is one of the most recognizable and famous bombers of World War II. A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... Fat Man is the codename of the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... Nagasaki (Japanese: é•·å´Žå¸‚, Nagasaki-shi , long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Fat Man mushroom cloud resulting from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rises 18 km (11 mi, 60,000 ft) into the air from the hypocenter. ...

The name painted on the aircraft after the mission (shown here) is a pun on "boxcar" after the name of its aircraft commander, Captain Frederick C. Bock. A Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway boxcar on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin. ... French dirigible ...

Atomic bomb mission

Bockscar was flown on that day by the crew of another B-29, The Great Artiste, and was commanded by Major Charles W. Sweeney, commander of the 509th Composite Group's 393rd Bomber Squadron . The Great Artiste, which was the assigned aircraft of the crew with whom Sweeney most often flew, was slotted in preliminary planning to drop the second bomb, but it had been fitted with observation instruments for the Hiroshima mission.^[1] The Great Artiste, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bomber, was the regular aircraft of Major Charles Sweeney who piloted Bockscar to drop the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki on the 9 August 1945. ... Brigadier General Charles W. Sweeney (1919 - July 15, 2004) was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew the Fat Man atomic bomb to Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. ... 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 a current unit of the United States Air Force. ...

Bockscar had been flown by Sweeney and crew C-15 in three test drop rehearsals of inert "Fat man" assemblies in the eight days leading up to the second mission, including the final rehearsal the day before.^[2] Rather than move the instrumentation from The Great Artiste to Bockscar, a complex and time-consuming process, the crews of The Great Artiste and Bockscar switched planes. The result was that the bomb was dropped by Bockscar flown by the crew C-15 of The Great Artiste.^[1] Fat Man is the codename of the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. ...

There was confusion over the name of the plane because an initial eyewitness account by reporter William L. Laurence of the New York Times said that the second bomb had been dropped from The Great Artiste.^[3] Laurence, who accompanied the mission as part of Bock's crew, had interviewed Sweeney and his crew in depth and was aware that they referred to their airplane as The Great Artiste. Except for Enola Gay, none of the 393rd's B-29s had yet had names painted on the noses, and unaware of the switch in aircraft, Laurence assumed victor 77 was The Great Artiste.^[4] William Leonard Laurence (March 7, 1888â€“March 19, 1977) was a Lithuanian-American journalist known for his science journalism writing of the 1940s and 1950s while working for the New York Times. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Colonel Paul Tibbets waving from Enola Gays cockpit before the bombing of Hiroshima. ...

Kokura was the primary target, but when Bockscar arrived at its rendezvous point off the coast of Japan the third aircraft of its flight (the photo ship Big Stink) was not present. After fruitlessly waiting 40 minutes, Sweeney and Bock proceeded to Kokura but found it obscured by clouds. Sweeney had orders to drop the atomic bomb visually if possible, and after three unsuccessful passes over Kokura, conferred with weaponeer Commander Frederick Ashworth (USN). They agreed to strike the secondary target, Nagasaki.^[5] Kokura (å°å€‰) is an ancient castle town and the center of KitakyÅ«shÅ«, Japan, guarding, via its suburb Moji, the Straits of Shimonoseki between HonshÅ« and KyÅ«shÅ«. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound Sanyo Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR KyÅ«shÅ« and... Big Stink was the name of a B-29 Superfortress (B-29-40-MO 44-27354, victor number 90) participating in the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. ... Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. ... Frederick Ashworth in 2004 Frederick L. Dick Ashworth (1912 in Beverly, Massachusetts â€“ December 3, 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona) was the weaponeer on the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb Fat Man on Nagasaki, Japan. ... {{ USN redirects here. ...

A combination of factors including confusion about a malfunctioning transfer pump made fuel consumption a critical factor. Ashworth did not want to be forced to dump the bomb into the sea and decided to make a radar bombing run if necessary.^[6] However, enough of an opening appeared in the cloud cover to allow Bombardier Kermit Beahan to confirm Nagasaki and the bomb was dropped, with ground zero being about ¾ mile from the planned aiming point. This combined with Nagasaki's position on the foothills (as opposed to Hiroshima's mostly flat terrain) resulted in lower overall casualties than in Hiroshima, with much of the blast confined in the Urakami Valley.^[7] The crews of bomber aircraft, historically, included a bombardier, as they were known in the United States, or a bomb aimer, as they were known in other countries, who was responsible for targetting the planes munitions. ... Raymond Kermit K. Beahan was the bombadier on the American B-29 Superfortress Bockscar, and was the one who, on August 9, 1945, visually targeted Nagasaki, Japan, in order to drop an atomic bomb onto it. ...

Because of the delays in the mission, the B-29 did not have sufficient fuel to reach the emergency landing field at Iwo Jima, so Major Sweeney flew the aircraft to Okinawa, where, despite being unable to make contact with the control tower, he made a safe landing with virtually empty fuel tanks.^[5] For other uses, see Iwo Jima (disambiguation). ... This article is about the prefecture. ...

Airplane history

Bockscar, B-29-36-MO 44-27297, victor number 77, was assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron of the 509th Composite Group. One of 15 Silverplate B-29s used by the 509th on Tinian, Bockscar was built at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Plant at Omaha, Nebraska at what is now Offutt Air Force Base, as a Block 35 aircraft. It was one of 10 modified as a Silverplate and re-designated "Block 36". Delivered on March 19, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to Capt. Frederick C. Bock and crew C-13 and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah.^[8] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Unit identification aircraft markings were numbers, letters, geometric symbols, and colors painted onto the tails (vertical stabilizer fins) of the combat aircraft (primarily bombers) of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. ... 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 a current unit of the United States Air Force. ... Silverplate was the code reference for the United States Army Air Forces participation in the Manhattan Project during World War II. Originally the name for the aircraft modification project for the B-29 Superfortress to enable it to drop an atomic weapon, Silverplate eventually came to identify the training and... Saipan, Tinian & Aguiguan The atom bomb pit on Tinians North Field, where Little Boy was loaded aboard the Enola Gay Tinian Shinto shrine. ... The Glenn L. Martin Company was an aircraft company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin on August 16, 1912. ... Nickname: Motto: (Latin) Courageously in every enterprise Location in Nebraska Coordinates: , Country United States State Nebraska County Douglas Founded 1854 Incorporated 1857 Government - Mayor Michael Fahey (D) - City Clerk Buster Brown - City Council District 1: Jim Suttle District 2: Frank Brown District 3: Jim Vokal District 4: Garry Gernandt (Council... Offutt Air Force Base (Offutt AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force and a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... French dirigible ... Wendover Air Force Base is a former USAF base in Utah. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area Ranked 13th - Total 84,889 sq mi (219,887 kmÂ²) - Width 270 miles (435 km) - Length 350 miles (565 km) - % water 3. ...

It left Wendover on June 11, 1945 for Tinian and arrived June 16. It was originally given the victor number 7 but on August 1 was given the triangle N tail markings of the 444th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 77 to avoid misidentification with actual 444th aircraft.^[9] June 11 is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Unit identification aircraft markings were numbers, letters, geometric symbols, and colors painted onto the tails (vertical stabilizer fins) of the combat aircraft (primarily bombers) of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. ...

Bockscar was also used in 13 training and practice missions from Tinian, and three combat missions in which it dropped pumpkin bombs on industrial targets in Japan. Bock's crew bombed Niihama and Musashino, and 1st Lt. Don Albury and crew C-15 bombed Toyama.^[10] Pumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II. The name pumpkin bomb resulted from the large ellipsoidal shape of the munition and was the actual reference term used in official... The map showing the city in Shikoku island. ... Musashino (武蔵野市; -shi) is a city located in Tokyo, Japan. ... Toyama (富山市; -shi) is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. ...

It returned to the United States in November 1945 and served with the 509th at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico. It was nominally assigned to the Operation Crossroads task force but there are no records indicating that it deployed for the tests. In August 1946 it was assigned to the 4105th Base Unit at Davis-Monthan Army Air Field, Arizona, for storage. Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico Walker Air Force Base, also known as Roswell Army Air Field, is a former United States Air Force Base, located 8 miles south of Roswell, New Mexico. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area Ranked 5th - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 kmÂ²) - Width 342 miles (550 km) - Length 370 miles (595 km) - % water 0. ... A 23 kiloton dropped nuclear weapon, known as Operation Crossroads (Event Able) A 21 kiloton underwater nuclear weapons effects test, known as Operation Crossroads (Event Baker), conducted at Bikini Atoll (1946). ... Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (IATA: DMA, ICAO: KDMA), also referred to as D-M, is a key US Air Combat Command installation, located within the city limits of Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area Ranked 6th - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 kmÂ²) - Width 310 miles (500 km) - Length 400 miles (645 km) - % water 0. ...

At Davis-Monthan it was placed on display as the aircraft that bombed Nagasaki, but in the markings of The Great Artiste. In September 1946 title was passed to the Air Force Museum (now the National Museum of the United States Air Force) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, but it was not moved there until September 26, 1961, where its original markings were restored.^[11] View of the National Museum of the United States Air Force Main entrance to the museum The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located at Wright-Patterson Air... Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties, adjacent to Riverside, Fairborn, Beavercreek, and Dayton, Ohio. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area Ranked 34th - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 kmÂ²) - Width 220 miles (355 km) - Length 220 miles (355 km) - % water 8. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bockscar is now on permanent display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio. This display includes a replica of the "Fat Man" bomb and signage that states that it was "The aircraft that ended WWII". This is in contrast to the display of Enola Gay at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, where little mention is made of that aircraft's role in WWII. View of the National Museum of the United States Air Force Main entrance to the museum The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located at Wright-Patterson Air... , : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area Ranked 34th - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 kmÂ²) - Width 220 miles (355 km) - Length 220 miles (355 km) - % water 8. ... Colonel Paul Tibbets waving from Enola Gays cockpit before the bombing of Hiroshima. ... Entrance to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Aerial view of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia. ...

In 2005, a short documentary was made about Charles Sweeney's recollections of the Nagasaki mission aboard Bockscar, including details of the mission preparation, titled "Nagasaki: The Commander's Voice." [1]It was the last recording of Sweeney before his death in 2004.

Regularly assigned crew

Crew C-13 (manned "The Great Artiste" on the Nagasaki mission) The Great Artiste, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bomber, was the regular aircraft of Major Charles Sweeney who piloted Bockscar to drop the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki on the 9 August 1945. ...

Nagasaki mission crew

Crew C-15 (normally assigned to The Great Artiste): Image File history File links Size of this preview: 660 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (714 Ã— 649 pixel, file size: 273 KB, MIME type: image/png) Enlisted flight crew of the Bocks Car. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 660 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (714 Ã— 649 pixel, file size: 273 KB, MIME type: image/png) Enlisted flight crew of the Bocks Car. ...

National Museum of the United States Air Force display

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (3072 Ã— 2304 pixel, file size: 97 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) B-29 Bockscar, on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force File links The following pages on the English... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3072x2304, 104 KB) Summary B-29 Bockscar and a replica of Fat Man, on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Fat Man Bockscar National Museum of... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 532 pixelsFull resolution (2064 Ã— 1373 pixel, file size: 139 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Notes

^ ^a ^b Reflections from above. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Retrieved on 9 May 2007.
^ Richard H. Campbell (2005). The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs. McFarland & Company, Inc.. ISBN 0-7864-2139-8. , 113-114.
^ Eyewitness account of atomic bombing over Nagasaki. Atomic Archive.com. Retrieved on 9 May 2007.
^ Campbell, 222 Appendix G note 13.
^ ^a ^b Timeline #3- the 509th; The Nagasaki Mission. The Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on 5 May, 2007.
^ Spitzer Personal Diary Page 25 (CGP-ASPI-025). The Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on 5 May, 2007.
^ Dennis D. Wainstock (1996). The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Praeger, 92.
^ Campbell, 172.
^ Campbell, 19.
^ Campbell, 113, 139, 142.
^ Campbell, 172-173.

is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Contents

Atomic bomb mission

Airplane history

Regularly assigned crew

Nagasaki mission crew

National Museum of the United States Air Force display

Notes

References

External links

Contents

Atomic bomb mission GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Airplane history

Regularly assigned crew

Nagasaki mission crew

National Museum of the United States Air Force display

Notes

References

External links

Atomic bomb mission