4570Rick
Member
I’m not sure why so many threads degrade to the point that moderators feel the need to lock them down. I understand the passions surrounding a subject like the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Arguments can be made for or against the necessity of nukes to bring the war to an end, or the number of lives saved or lost as a result of their use. I’m not going to go there. Instead, in holding to “The Rules Of Conductâ€, I’d like to visit a less contentious aspect of the Enola Gay.
The Enola Gay, the most famous B-29 was only one of the 3970 produced. The B-29 was an aviation first in many aspects and as such, is deserving of a place in history. The largest at that time, the B-29 was also the first to have a pressurized cabin and centralized and computerized defensive fire control. It also had the capacity to carry up to a 20,000-pound bomb load, or the ability to fly 5,830 miles, with a top airspeed of 365 miles per hour and a ceiling of 31,850 ft.
Additionally, the very existence of the B-29 is a source of great pride for me. You see, I have the great joy and frequent frustration of being the primary caregiver for my mother who, as an 18-year-old young woman living in Western NY in ’42, went to work at the Curtis Wright Plant on Military Trail in Buffalo NY. My mom was a genuine “Rosie the Riveter.†She worked on parts for the B-29 like engine cowlings. She can’t be sure, but it is just as likely as not that she worked on some parts of the Enola Gay, or Bockscar the B-29 that dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki.
In the ‘30s Nazi Germany lead by Hitler, started a campaign of aggression, acquisition, and mass murder. When Japan attacked the US December 7 1941, the US was no longer able to remain isolated and found itself fighting a world war again. The B-29 was only one of the many amazing accomplishments that ultimately lead to a victory over Fascism and Imperialism.
Today we have bigger ships, more accurate guns, faster and higher flying planes. We have engineering and manufacturing techniques second to none in the world. But at the onset of WWII, we were barely out of the Horse and Buggy – Blacksmith days, yet we managed to produce enough of the tools necessary for the military to once again preserve liberty for yet another generation. During a span of about 5 years, we built almost 13,000 B-17s, and 2,500 Liberty Ships, not to mention the Battle Ships, Destroyers, Aircraft Carriers and Support Vessels, the 6,000,000 plus M1 carbines, 2,000,000 plus M1 Garands, and the millions of other Firearms, Fighters and other Support Aircraft, etc. etc. and so on.
So the Enola Gay represents so much more than; The Only Aircraft To Ever Bring About An End Of A War.
My two cents worth.
The Enola Gay, the most famous B-29 was only one of the 3970 produced. The B-29 was an aviation first in many aspects and as such, is deserving of a place in history. The largest at that time, the B-29 was also the first to have a pressurized cabin and centralized and computerized defensive fire control. It also had the capacity to carry up to a 20,000-pound bomb load, or the ability to fly 5,830 miles, with a top airspeed of 365 miles per hour and a ceiling of 31,850 ft.
Additionally, the very existence of the B-29 is a source of great pride for me. You see, I have the great joy and frequent frustration of being the primary caregiver for my mother who, as an 18-year-old young woman living in Western NY in ’42, went to work at the Curtis Wright Plant on Military Trail in Buffalo NY. My mom was a genuine “Rosie the Riveter.†She worked on parts for the B-29 like engine cowlings. She can’t be sure, but it is just as likely as not that she worked on some parts of the Enola Gay, or Bockscar the B-29 that dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki.
In the ‘30s Nazi Germany lead by Hitler, started a campaign of aggression, acquisition, and mass murder. When Japan attacked the US December 7 1941, the US was no longer able to remain isolated and found itself fighting a world war again. The B-29 was only one of the many amazing accomplishments that ultimately lead to a victory over Fascism and Imperialism.
Today we have bigger ships, more accurate guns, faster and higher flying planes. We have engineering and manufacturing techniques second to none in the world. But at the onset of WWII, we were barely out of the Horse and Buggy – Blacksmith days, yet we managed to produce enough of the tools necessary for the military to once again preserve liberty for yet another generation. During a span of about 5 years, we built almost 13,000 B-17s, and 2,500 Liberty Ships, not to mention the Battle Ships, Destroyers, Aircraft Carriers and Support Vessels, the 6,000,000 plus M1 carbines, 2,000,000 plus M1 Garands, and the millions of other Firearms, Fighters and other Support Aircraft, etc. etc. and so on.
So the Enola Gay represents so much more than; The Only Aircraft To Ever Bring About An End Of A War.
My two cents worth.
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