80 years later: The legacy of Enola Gay and Boeing's WWII superfortress

Before dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, US Army Air Forces distributed warning pamphlets. Despite these warnings and continued kamikaze attacks after Emperor Hirohito announced his intent to surrender, Japan formally surrendered on August 14, 1945.

Historian Donald L. Miller wrote about the scale of loss: “It was too much death to contemplate, too much savagery and suffering; and in August 1945 no one was counting. For those who had seen the face of battle and been in the camps and under the bombs—and had lived—there was a sense of immense relief.”

The B-29 Superfortress was recognized as one of the most technically advanced bombers of its era. It featured pressurized compartments and several other innovations for crew survival and operational effectiveness.

Three days after Enola Gay’s mission over Hiroshima, Major Charles Sweeney piloted another B-29 named “Bockscar” to drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. On that day, Enola Gay served as a weather reconnaissance aircraft. After its wartime service ended, Enola Gay remained at Andrews Air Force Base until August 1960 when it was moved by Smithsonian staff for restoration.

Restoration efforts began in 1984 at the Garber Facility in Maryland and required approximately 300,000 work-hours over nearly two decades before completion. The fully restored bomber is now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The B-29 program cost about $3 billion—about $1 billion more than what was spent on developing nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project—making it one of World War II’s most expensive undertakings relative to other major projects such as https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/manhattan-project Manhattan Project spending.

Design features included long wings with large Fowler-type flaps for high-speed cruising at altitude while maintaining safe handling during takeoff and landing. Pressurized sections allowed crews to operate effectively during extended missions at high altitudes.

Boeing also equipped the B-29 with remote-controlled defensive weapon systems operated by gunners using computerized sights—a significant innovation for bomber survivability without escort fighters.

Boeing remains a prominent aerospace manufacturer today with headquarters in Chicago and product lines including commercial aircraft such as https://www.boeing.com/commercial/737/ Boeing 737s among others.