ENOLA GAY CREW - - "NO REGRETS"

www.enolagay.org ^ | 8-6-05 | ?

[jordan8]

ENOLA GAY CREW - - "NO REGRETS"

Columbus, Ohio (August 6, 2005) - On this occasion, the surviving members of the Enola Gay crew would like the opportunity to issue a joint statement.

This year, 2005, marks the sixtieth year since the end of World War II. The summer of 1945 was indeed an anxious one as allied and American forces gathered for the inevitable invasion of the Japanese homeland. President Truman made one last demand, one final appeal. Together with Great Britain's Churchill, and Russia's Stalin, the President of the United States urged the Japanese to " … proclaim the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces … The alternative," they said, "for Japan is prompt and utter destruction". Ignoring the obvious military situation, the Japanese Prime Minister Baron Kantaro Suzuki issued the Japanese refusal to surrender which included these words: "… there is no other recourse but to ignore it [the surrender demand] entirely and resolutely fight for the successful conclusion of the war."

While it is certainly unfortunate this course of action was necessary, for the allies, at that moment in time, there was no other choice. Secretary of War Henry Stinson wrote, "The decision to use the atomic bomb … was our least abhorrent choice".
President Harry S. Truman approved the order to use the atomic bomb. It was his decision and his hope to avoid an invasion of the Japanese homeland. An invasion that would have cost tens of thousands of Japanese and allied lives.

Winston Churchill concurred with the decision saying, "To avert a vast, indefinite butchery [the invasion], to bring the war to an end, give peace to the world, to lay healing hands upon its tortured peoples … at the cost of a few explosions, seemed after all our toils and perils, a miracle of deliverance."
On August 6, 1945, the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped the world's first atomic bomb on the island of Hiroshima hoping to expedite the end of World War II. The second atomic weapon was delivered over Nagasaki by the B-29 Superfortress Bocks Car three days later. The availability of those weapons in the American arsenal left President Truman no choice but to use them. To spare the world a horrific invasion and to save American, allied, and Japanese lives was literally the only course of prudent action.

The surviving members of the Enola Gay crew: Paul W. Tibbets (pilot), Theodore J. "Dutch" Van Kirk (navigator) and Morris R. Jeppson (weapon test officer) have repeatedly and humbly proclaimed that, "The use of the atomic weapon was a necessary moment in history. We have no regrets". They have steadfastly taken that stance for the past six decades.

"In the past sixty years since Hiroshima I have received many letters from people all over the world. The vast majority have expressed gratitude that the 509th Composite group consisting of 1700 men, 15 B-29s and 6 C-54s were able to deliver the bombs that ended the war. Over the years, thousands of former soldiers and military family members have expressed a particularly touching and personal gratitude suggesting that they might not be alive today had it been necessary to resort to an invasion of the Japenese home islands to end the fighting. In addition to Americans veterans, I have been thanked as well by Japanese veterans and civilians who would have been expected to carry out a suicidal defense of their homelands. Combined with the efforts of all Americans and our allies we were able to stop the killing," comments Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets. It is a sentiment upon which the surviving crewmen are unanimous.

In this year, 2005, we will observe the anniversary of the epic flight of the Enola Gay close to our homes and our friends. To our fellow veterans and the American nation we all echo one sentiment, "I pray that reason will prevail among leaders before we ever again need to call upon our nuclear might. There are no regrets. We were proud to have served like so many men and women stationed around the world today. To them, to you, we salute you and goodbye."

[Christian4Bush]

No regrets BTTT

[Last Dakotan]

they should be expressing thanks that we didn't administer this treatment to Tokyo and every single metropolitan center in the country

We didn't have any more A bombs.

[Last Dakotan]

...but his great-nephew is sitting in my house right now..

Turn the lights off and see if he glows.

[Basilides]

My father, after having been wounded in Operation Varsity as part of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, didn't have enough points to be sent home after VE-Day, and found himself on the SS. James Jackson on August 6th, about to enter the Panama Canal, headed for the Pacific War as a part of a yet to be assigned "Combat Team."

He said every soldier on that ship thought they were dead men until the dropping of the A-bomb was announced.

[COEXERJ145]

We didn't have any more A bombs.

Actually we had one more. Tibbets had sent 3 B-29's back to the U.S. to pick it up but General Groves had placed a hold on more bombs being shipped until the Japanese had chance to surrender.

[Last Dakotan]

pinger

[Prince Caspian]

I wish it never happened...but I thank God it did.

A severe mercy.

[Basilides]

Actually we had the plutonium for a third at Los Alamos.

When Truman originally gave the OK to use Little Boy and Fat Man he didn't realize that the form of his order allowed both bombs to be dropped as the field commanders thought prudent. He thought he had only authorized one bomb...with the ability to OK the second. Nagasaki was a surprise to him.

Because of this, he reissued orders on August 10th, saying that no more atom bombs be dropped without his specific OK, and, sufficiently horrified at the women and children already killed in Horishima and Nagasaki, it was doubtful he would order a third bomb dropped on another civilian target. Therefore the plutonium core for the third bomb stayed at Los Alamos and never made it to Tinian.

In the first weeks of August, Marshall had gathered input from his field commanders regarding the efficacy of using atomic bombs as tactical weapons -- specifically for the Invasion of Japan. In fact, Admiral Richard Connolly specifically asked for six atomic weapons to bookend each of the three landing sites for Operation Majestic (formerly Olympic)-- the invasion of Kyushu. Given intelligence reports that the Japanese had 14 instead of 9 divisions on Kyushu by early August, the chances of tactical use of the atomic bomb would have appeared much more inviting.

On August 13th, Marshall was assured that there would be 7 additional plutonium bombs ready by November 1st -- the tentative date for the Kyushu invasion.

[Cricket24]

My father was in the Navy during WWII and was off the coast of Japan waiting for the invastion. He told me many times that had it not been for the Atomic bombs, he had no doubt that he would probably not have survived the invasion of Japan. I wouldn't be alive today so I am thankful that Truman made that decision.
Hundreds of thousands of Japanese also survived because of that decision. If we had invaded, the Japanese would have fought to the bitter end which included the civilian population.

[rlmorel]

Most people don't know this...

This was a flyer dropped before the bomb was dropped.

Front side of OWI notice #2106, dubbed the “LeMay bombing leaflet,” which was delivered to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and 33 other Japanese cities on 1 August 1945. Office of War Information [OWI] presses were turning out leaflets that revealed the special nature of Hiroshima’s destruction and predicted similar fates for more Japanese cities in the absence of immediate acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam agreement. The Japanese text on the reverse side of the leaflet carried the following warning:

“Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique which they are using to prolong this useless war. But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America's humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives. America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan. You can restore peace by demanding new and good leaders who will end the war. We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately.”

(See Richard S. R. Hubert, “The OWI Saipan Operation,” Official Report to US Information Service, Washington, DC 1946.) By 9 August, more than 5 million leaflets about the atom bomb had been released over major Japanese cities. The OWI radio station beamed a similar message to Japan every 15 minutes.

[rlmorel]

What I find most amazing about this is the statement:

"The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan."

Can anyone deny this was totally %100 true? If it had been the Soviets and not the Americans, would Japan be like it is today, or more like N. Korea?

[SevenofNine]

OH GUYS you know what they have something on Discovery Channel tonight that was pretty cool they interview one of the dudes he claim he name the plane after HIS MOTHER LOL!

[Euro-American Scum]

"The use of the atomic weapon was a necessary moment in history. We have no regrets."

Nor should they. They did the country and the world at large a tremendous service by landing the final blows to defeat an enemy whose evil is not fully appreciated to this day. Still.

[COEXERJ145]

It is likely, at least based on some of Groves' writings, that one more bomb would have been used on a Japanese city, probably Kokura. After that, tactical use for the invasion was highly likely as well as the use of poison gas.

[injin]

"But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes."

and now days they do !
I strongly suggest we go to work on Iran (and Syria) right away before , 1: they can acquire nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles 2: they can do our ground forces anymore damage by continuing to support the insurgency in Iraq and terrorism around the world.

We need a Gen. Curtis LeMay today!
Let's do this thing without further delay or commiserating.

[longfellow]

ENOLA GAY CREW - - "NO REGRETS" YEAH!!!

[kenth]

Good for them for making this statement.

But, next year the surviving crewmembers will again be asked if they regret dropping the bomb. The press continually shows its leftist colors; acting surprised and even appalled that they get the same answer year after year.

[Larry Lucido]

Thank God and Truman for that.

Sadly, there are a few FReepers who also question the morality of the decision: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1457266/posts

[Larry Lucido]

Try this again: US bishops mark anniversary of atomic bombings, condemn ‘total war’

[RobbyS]

What caused them to remember was the voice of the Emperor. We forget that they regarded him as divine.