Forum: Air Force Life

Had a chance to see this guy a few years back at a speaking engagement. Incredibly sharp mind and very interesting person. Take care sir, Cool

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I can't begin imagine the dedication to duty and balls of steel it must have taken to fly the Enola Gay into the heart of Japan. I sure am glad I do not speak Japanese or German today though. Thank you sir for your service, RIP.
Salute

Roger that, knowing what he was responsible for collectively and then "taking" all the crap that came after it years later from people all over the world...he was a true "Hero" in my book, he did the right thing, then and after...a true American hero and Warrior.

Rest in peace Sir...Salute

His career was FAR more interesting than setting up the 509th actually.....he was a true American hero. He was one of the pioneers of the europen and North African bombing campaigns.

Its funny, Paul Tibbets was the pioneer of B-17 operations in the ETO, but is known for flying B-29s. Robert Morgan (Memphis Belle's pilot) was the pioneer of B-29 operations, but was known for flying B-17s.

That is odd but as you stated, it shows just how great these men were, good info, I did not know that.

I believe one of Tibbets' grandsons is a B-2 pilot with the 509th at Whiteman. What goes around comes around.

AfterburnerDecalsScott wrote:

His career was FAR more interesting than setting up the 509th actually.....he was a true American hero. He was one of the pioneers of the europen and North African bombing campaigns.

Its funny, Paul Tibbets was the pioneer of B-17 operations in the ETO, but is known for flying B-29s. Robert Morgan (Memphis Belle's pilot) was the pioneer of B-29 operations, but was known for flying B-17s.

Absolutely right!!!! Tibbets early work in Europe with B-17s made him a LeMay protegee of sorts even after the war LeMay would send him in to fix stuff or clean it up. I think one of his last assignments in the USAF was to go down to McDill and take command and kick some a$$ and clean up a bad unit.

Interesting, after the Box Car strike on Nagasaki press briefing Tibbets was their tagging along with LeMay when LeMay took the AC of the Box Car into a closed room and gave him an a$$ chewing. ( Box Car AC made multiple passes over the target against the agreed upon op order... the target was partially obscured and the Nagasaki bomb was off target by a margin.)

Return of the Enola Gay is a great book. Put it on your list. Cool

Another Tibbets funny is that before the war he was a liason pilot for General George S. Patton when he was at Benning. One day according to Tibbets, Patton was showing off some tanks to a large party of press. Patton took the drivers seat in a tank and told everyone what he was going to do: Drive the tank through an old house a ways a way. A tank sergeant told him it would be a bad bad idea. ( basement Laughing

) Patton didn't listen to him and crashed the tank into the house where it dropped into the basement. Patton gets out and goes over to the press and says something to the effect of: That should be an example that you should listen to a sergeant's advice Laughing

Going on tour with an all women B-29 crew in the early days of the B-29 ( it was a fire bug and other problems early on) to sell the point that the B-29 wasn't a death trap ( i.e. women are flying it = no problem )

Read that book if you haven't already and you can get some good laughs and stories. Appropriate to today. To remember a warrior that has pasted on with some light hearted moments also. Smile

Godspeed and rest in peace, Sir.

MechFromHell wrote:

I can't begin imagine the dedication to duty and balls of steel it must have taken to fly the Enola Gay into the heart of Japan. I sure am glad I do not speak Japanese or German today though. Thank you sir for your service, RIP.
Salute

forget flying it there.. emagine ho hard it was to drop there. a normal person would be shevering uncontrolobly and may go mad.. what nurves of steel. I salute him and all those who defend their nation

A gentleman who was a true legend of aviation. Risked his and his crew's lives to ensure that many more hundreds of thousands of lives would not be lost.

Such an injustice that this gentleman who helped to bring around the end of the second world war now does not want a final resting place due to the protesters who may use his grave as a point scoring exercise for their own causes. Why couldn't this legendary warrior be resting within the grounds of a US Air Force base instead? It would surely be a fitting place for him and the security would be there to ensure his resting place was not disturbed.

Thank you for what you did to ensure our freedom from tyranny Sir... Salute

A very good idea indeed. I bet he had his choice, I bet he even consider Arlington Cemetery but for the reasons he stated in the paper, that too was decided against. I think in future, a make shift memorial site will be made available but I could not agree more that this man and his crew deserve a site that is protected and treated as a shrine...less many of would agree with you on that big time.

His crew and he changed the world forever and they knew it both good and bad came from it but at that time in history, that mission although it took life's, saved many, many more and helped bring about a whole new planet. The results of that day will remain a point of debate forever but that man and his crew help end the ear in the Pacific...no doubt about it and they are all hero's...they deserve better as you stated.

Amen brother.....Amen

PS, the way US Bases close these days, nothing but Arlington is "safe" but even then, some group of scumbags might get in and still screw with his monument...if so, I think they should be shot on site but not many think like me (maybe that is a good thing, many more like me, we might never have peace either) Salute

Meathook wrote:

PS, the way US Bases close these days, nothing but Arlington is "safe" but even then, some group of scumbags might get in and still screw with his monument...if so, I think they should be shot on site but not many think like me (maybe that is a good thing, many more like me, we might never have peace either) Salute

Oh don't worry, I agree they should be shot on site as well.. It disgusts me that there are those out there who may protest about what Brigadier General Tibbets did while using the very same freedoms he fought to maintain.

Sure, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a terrible thing. I doubt anyone in their right mind would disagree with that, but the B-29 carpet bombing raids took a similar amount of lives almost nightly anyway and had nearly no effect at all on the Japanese resolve. It took a BIG display like Little Boy and Fat Man to get their attention. Perhaps these cities may be still intact were it not for Pearl Harbor? If not for that attack, Hiroshima and Nagasaki may never have needed to be bombed.

If a memorial to the Brigadier General IS built at anytime in the future, I would gladly visit to pay my respects, just as I would to the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's about never forgetting these events, NOT glorifying what was done. As soon as these things are forgotten, there is the risk they will happen again.

True words my friend...nicely stated

Forum: Air Force Life

Pilot of the 'Enola Gay' BG Paul Tibbets passes away at 92