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Topic starter
09/08/2021 12:56 pm
It's the 76th anniversary of the dropping of the Pu-239 atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki. Brumm made replicas in 1/43 scale of both Fat Man and the Hiroshima bomb "Little Boy". A very odd subject, since there's not a lot you can display with them except a Jeep or a very large B-29 model.
In October 2002 the remaining members of the 509th Composite Group had a reunion in Oak Ridge, along with female pilots who were assigned the task of ferrying new B-29s across the Pacific (Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASP). I got a photo of the Enola Gay, with Bockscar in the background, pre-signed by Tibbets and Sweeney, and signed at the affair by the Enola Gay navigator, Captain Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk. Also got a signed photo from some of the WASPs who attended.
When the American Museum of Science and Energy relocated and updated its exhibits, I snagged a few items from the WW2 exhibit that were being sold off. The first is a big enlargement of the Enola Gay. The second is a series of high-speed film records of the July 1945 Trinity test of the first A-bomb (aka the "Gadget") in New Mexico.
09/08/2021 4:27 pm
I think it is a bit strange that Brumm in Italy made these replicas. But it is a nicely-done, historical reminder.
And I did take a photo of Bockscar at Wright Patterson AFB six years ago.
After much controversy, the Enola Gay is displayed at the Smithsonian. I saw both planes the same year, a very weird coincidence...
David Green and David Green reacted
09/08/2021 4:44 pm
Interesting Harv. I have a car story to go with this. I had a Viper many years ago. The Viper Club was invited by the Kruse Auction folks to participate in their Memorial Day Weekend festivities. My Viper was selected as the Grand Marshall's vehicle and the pilot of the Enola Gay rode with me as well as the US Senator. What a thrill.
All of the living crew at the time Weber there and also honored. Very memorable event. The crew were all terrific folks. I remember most how much the parade crowd cheered for them as we passed by. I have not thought about this for a long time and your thread brought back these memories.
Topic starter
09/08/2021 5:17 pm
And as a postscript, here's my old Miata, made in Hiroshima. It's parked next to the old guard gate building for our "Secret City" of Oak Ridge. Note the old machine gun sallyports below the windows. A bit of irony. This is less than 2 miles from me.
