What island did the enola gay launch from

They were not by the dozen, but by the hundred. Beside these runways stood in long rows the great silvery airplanes. Enola Gay, piloted by Tibbets, took off from North Field, in the Northern Mariana Islands, about six hours' flight time from Japan, accompanied by two other Bs, The Great Artiste, carrying instrumentation, and a then-nameless aircraft later called Necessary Evil, commanded by Captain George Marquardt, to take photographs.

The three planes then returned directly back to Tinian Island, touching down at pm, after 12 hours 13 minutes. It includes the takeoff and return of the Enola Gay, which dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima on August 6, The footage also depicts the mushroom cloud above Nagasaki.

Six runways were completed within two months and Tinian soon became the biggest air base in the world. Navy construction battalions known as the SeaBees began bulldozing mere days after the island was secured. This proximity to Japan is one reason Tinian served as the headquarters of the th Composite Group.

Tinian Island was the launching point for the atomic bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Completing that mission, she sailed for the Philippines. Enola Gay, the B heavy bomber that was used by the United States on August 6, , to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

The ground literally shook as planes took off every minute of every day. It was the first time the explosive device had been used on an enemy target, and it destroyed most of the city. When the group arrived at Tinian, these bombs were not used as dummy bombs, but were used as destructive forces on real targets.

The Great Artiste and Necessary Evil followed shortly thereafter. Prior to being sent to Tinian, the th practiced accurate bomb dropping in Wendover, Utah. A great coral ridge was half-leveled to fill a rough plain, and to build six runways, each an excellent lane highway, each almost two miles long.

These were filled with 6, pounds of Composition B high explosive. In a letter to J. Robert Oppenheimer on July 9, Columbia scientist Dr. Norman Ramsey suggested that modifications be made to the Bs. With its proximity to Japan and infrastructure in place, Tinian was chosen as the base of operations for an atomic attack against Japan in February of Preparations for the assembly of atomic bombs and the readying of the th Composite Group began on April 3.

Nearly of her crew members lost their lives, many allegedly to sharks. The planes were met by several hundred people, including journalists and photographers. North Field consisted of four airfields and supported Bs. Here, 6, miles from San Francisco, the United States armed forces have built the largest airport in the world.

All the bomber groups on Tinian were involved in the devastating incendiary bombing raids launched against Tokyo. Because the round trip to Japan was close to miles, all bombers that took off from the island had to be overloaded with fuel. The round-trip flight from Tinian to Tokyo took Bs an average of twelve hours.

Tinian, easy to supply by sea and perfect for launching air attacks against Japan, was desired by the U. The U. The taking of Tinian was preceded by the invasion of Saipan, also part of the Marianas, on June 15, Fierce fighting by the more than 25, Japanese army men and the mass civilian suicides on Saipan left U.

The invasion of Tinian, which began July 24 and ended August 1, was similarly difficult — over Americans and 6, Japanese lost their lives. This requirement made takeoff crashes common — a problem that planners of the atomic bomb had not anticipated. Tinian served as the forward operational base from which bombers flew to Japan.

One of three islands in the Northern Marianas, Tinian is less than forty square miles in size and located approximately 1, miles south of Tokyo. Shortly after midnight on July 30, , she was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sank quickly. Other construction projects included: barracks, an administration building, oil storage facilities, weapons depots, an air-conditioned bomb assembly building, and bomb loading pits.