Prominently featured in that gallery would be the restored fifty-six-foot-longįorward fuselage of the aircraft, memorabilia donated by the men of the 509th, and a video-film the museum had produced, in which crew members of the Enola Gay and her sister ship Bockscar recalled their missions. But the Enola Gay and the men of the 509th had, some would argue, actually ended the war all by themselves.įifteen years later, largely inspired by these veterans' visit that day, the National Air and Space Museum would be preparing an exhibition on the mission of the Enola Gay. OthersĬould also claim to have contributed.
In 1945, the Enola Gay and the men who were now visiting her had ended the war.
When they had last seen her, she was a proud, brilliantly shiny, beautifully sleek B-29 Superfortress-the most powerful bomber the Army Air Forces flew in World War II. Garber Restoration, Preservation, and Storage Facility. With great expectations, they drove to Silver Hill, in Suitland, Maryland, just outside Washington's city limits, where the National AirĪnd Space Museum has its Paul E. They would be able to visit their beloved Enola Gay.
On this occasion they also had an additional attraction. At five-year intervals in the previous thirty-five years they had met in other cities to reminisce and exchange news. Late in the summer of 1980 a small band of men approaching retirement age convened in Washington.
