Brig. Gen. Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. United States Air Force
February 23, 1915(1915-02-23) – November 1, 2007 (aged 92)
Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets (USAF Photo)
Place of birth	Quincy, Illinois
Place of death	Columbus, Ohio
Allegiance	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.

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 on Hiroshima. is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Image File history File links Paul_W_Tibbets_USAF_bio_photo. ... : Gem City United States Illinois Adams 14. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: , Country State Counties Franklin, Fairfield, Delaware Government  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area  - City 212. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Seal_of_the_US_Air_Force. ... USAF redirects here. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was the aviation component of the United States Army primarily during World War II. The title of Army Air Forces succeeded the prior name of Army Air Corps in June 1941 during preparation for expected combat in what came to be known as... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below 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 a current unit of the United States Air Force. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The mushroom cloud over Hiroshima after the dropping of Little Boy. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ... For other uses, see Distinguished Flying Cross. ... 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 services and achievements. ... For other uses, see Purple Heart (disambiguation). ... Air Medal Ribbon The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, on May 11, 1942. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1113x1376, 203 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Paul Tibbets ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1113x1376, 203 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Paul Tibbets ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 388 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1780 × 2752 pixel, file size: 955 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, in 2003. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 388 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1780 × 2752 pixel, file size: 955 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, in 2003. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... USAF redirects here. ... This article is about the bomber. ... The mushroom cloud over Hiroshima after the dropping of Little Boy. ... For other uses, see Hiroshima (disambiguation). ...

Biography

Early life

Tibbets was born in Quincy in western Illinois, the son of Paul Tibbets, Sr., and the former Enola Gay Haggard. He was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his father was a confections wholesaler. 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. : Gem City United States Illinois Adams 14. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Iowa Coordinates: , Country State County Linn Incorporated 1849 Government  - Mayor Kay Halloran (D) Area  - City 64. ... The Fifteenth United States Census was taken in 1930. ... “Des Moines” redirects here. ... Miami redirects here. ... -1... Location in Alachua County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State County Incorporated (city) 15 April 1869 Government  - Type Council-manager  - Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan  - City Manager Russ Blackburn Area [1]  - City 49. ... ΣΝ (Sigma Nu) is an undergraduate college fraternity with chapters in the United States and Canada. ... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words and , meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, Optimist International, or the Shriners. ...

Military career

On February 25, 1937, Tibbets enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. 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]). Tibbets was named commanding officer of the 340th Bomb Squadron, 97th Heavy Bomb Group flying B-17 Flying Fortresses in March 1942. 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.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. is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A cadet is a future officer in the military. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Fort Thomas is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, along the Ohio River. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Kelly Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in San Antonio, Texas. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... WWII Emblem of the 97th Bombardment Group The 97th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, was organized on 1 December 1947 at Mile 26 Air Field, later named Eielson Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska, but its heritage comes from the 97th Bombardment Group which flew B-17s in Europe during WWII. The... The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ... RAF Polebrook - August, 1948 RAF Polebrook is a former World War II airfield located 3. ... The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force (NAF) of the major command (MAJCOM) of Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force and it is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This pages deals with the United States militarys Mediterranean Theater of Operations. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. ... Dwight David Eisenhower, born David Dwight Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969), nicknamed Ike, was a five-star General in the United States Army and U.S. politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ...

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 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). On August 6, the Enola Gay departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with Tibbets at the controls at 2:45 a.m. for Hiroshima, Japan. The atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, was dropped over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. local time. Total casualties were in the range of 90,000-140,000 persons, due to the initial impact, injuries and subsequent radiation that came from the explosion. 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. 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. 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. Wendover Air Force Base is a former USAF base in Utah. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... 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. ... This article is about the World War II nuclear project. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article is about the bomber. ... For other uses, see Novel (disambiguation). ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saipan, Tinian & Aguiguan The atom bomb pit on Tinians North Field, where Little Boy was loaded aboard the Enola Gay Tinian Shinto shrine. ... Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (広島市; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japans islands. ... Little Boy was the codename of the atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945 by the 12-man crew of the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets (Tibbets, age 92, died Nov. ... 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 – June 8, 1969), was an American actor. ... Eleanor Jean Parker (born June 26, 1922) is an American film and television actress. ... For other uses, see Patrick Duffy (disambiguation). ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family The original cast of Dallas. ... Kim Darby (born Deborah Zerby on July 8, 1947 in Los Angeles, California although her father insisted on calling her Derby Zerby because he believed it was a great stagename) is an American actress, daughter of professional dancers John and Inga Zerby. ... // 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 of international physicists headed by Robert Oppenheimer. ... 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. In 1959, he was promoted to Brigadier General. He retired from the U.S. Air Force on August 31, 1966. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. After his retirement from the Air Force, he worked for Executive Jet Aviation, a Columbus, Ohio-based air taxi company now called 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. An attaché is a person who is assigned to the staff of a diplomatic mission and often has special responsibilities or expertise. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: , Country State Counties Franklin, Fairfield, Delaware Government  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area  - City 212. ... NetJets is a subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway, which offers fractional ownership and rental of private jets. ...

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. Tibbets said that he had meant for the reenactment to have been an insult to the Japanese.^[5]. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ... The Utterly Butterly wing_walking display team flying Boeing Stearman PT_17 biplanes An airshow is an event at which aviators display their flying skills, normally to the public, but occasionally to invited guests, or employees and their families only. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ...

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 Building or Castle on the National Mall serves as the Institutions headquarters. ...

An interview of Paul Tibbets can be seen in the 1982 movie Atomic Cafe. He was also interviewed in the 1970s British documentary series The World at War. Infiltrated by the Cacophony Society, the Wilshire Cafe became known as the Atomic Cafe after they put habenero pepper extract in all the food. ... 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. Tibbets IV, USAF (as of 2006) is commander of the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Missouri and flies the B-2 Spirit. The 393rd is one of two operational squadrons under the same unit his grandfather commanded, the 509th Bomb Wing. In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Whiteman Air Force Base (Whiteman AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force located in Johnson County, Missouri. ... The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth heavy bomber, capable of deploying both conventional and nuclear weapons. ... The 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) operates and maintains the United States Air Forces premier weapon system, the B-2 Bomber, and is based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. ...

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.^[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. Tibbets asked to be cremated and have his ashes dispersed into the waters of the English Channel. For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... Palliative care is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. ... This article is about the religious or spiritual journey. ... The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ... For the Thoroughbred racehorse of the same name, see English Channel (horse). ...

Awards and decorations

  Command pilot WWII Pilot Command Badge File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... USAF aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in aerial and space flight. ...

•   Distinguished Service Cross
•   Distinguished Flying Cross
•   Air Medal
•   Purple Heart
•   Legion of Merit
•   Commendation Medal
•   European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
•   Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
•   American Defense Service Medal
•   American Campaign Medal
•   World War II Victory Medal

The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ... For other uses, see Distinguished Flying Cross. ... Air Medal Ribbon The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, on May 11, 1942. ... Image File history File links Purple_Heart_BAR.svg‎ Source Own work, based on PD image from Commons uploaded by User:Zscout370. ... For other uses, see Purple Heart (disambiguation). ... 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 services and achievements. ... The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military award which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is a miliary decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created in 1942 by Executive Order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. ... The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created in 1941 by Executive Order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1942 by order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... WWII Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. ...

See also

• Sigma Nu Leadership learning program
• Charles W. Sweeney, Tibbets counter-part on the mission which dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki.

ΣΝ (Sigma Nu) is an undergraduate college fraternity with chapters in the United States and Canada. ... Charles W. Sweeney (1919 - 15 July 2004) was the pilot who dropped the A-Bomb on Nagasaki. ... This article is about the nuclear weapon used in World War II. For other uses, see Fat Man (disambiguation). ... Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki   listen? (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located at the south-western coast of Kyushu, Japan. ...

References

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. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by Knight Ridder. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News website in June 2007. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale Security checkpoint at entrance to headquarters parking lot. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper, based in Columbus, Ohio, that serves the central portion of the state. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Fox News redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Paul Tibbets

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Paul Tibbets

• USAF Official Bio
• Official Website
• Paul Tibbets (circa 1950-1960s) video interview @ youtube.com
• 509th Composite Group
• Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
• Annotated bibliography for Paul Tibbets from the Alsos Digital Library
• BBC News item announcing Tibbets' death
• In pictures: Paul Tibbets
• Paul Tibbets at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2008-01-27
• Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, November 2, 2007
• Obituary, The Guardian, November 2, 2007
• Obituary, The Independent, November 2, 2007
• Obituary, The Times, November 2, 2007
• Above and Beyond a 1952 MGM feature film with the love story behind the billion dollar secret, supposedly about Paul & Lucy Tibbets
• http://www.nowpublic.com/people/paul-and-hiroshima-its-8-15