With a Nod to Billy Beck for the link:
(The Telegraph) Brigadier-General Paul Tibbets, who died on Thursday aged 92, commanded the USAAF bomber Enola Gay, which dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima on August 6 1945.
In September 1944 Tibbets, who had completed a tour of bombing operations in Europe, was briefed on the Manhattan Project, the codename for the development of the atom bomb. He was ordered to form a special unit of B-29 Super Fortress bombers, the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, and train it to deliver these weapons in combat operations.
He requisitioned 15 new B-29s and supervised the modifications necessary to make them capable of delivering the weapons. This included fitting fuel-injected engines, a re-configured bomb bay and changes to the aircraft’s armour plating.
The reason for fuel injection of course was to allow for a higher flying altitude. Enola Gay, in case you don’t know was named for Tibbits’ mother.
Amazingly, the echo of the announcement of Tibbits death hadn’t faded yet when the left started in… Rusty Shakleford says:
Kay in Maine comments on the death of Paul Tibbetts, the man who flew the Enola Gay.
Paul Tibbetts died a coward today at the age of 92…I spit on him….
Coward! …
Not only was a he a typical reich winger throughout his life, meaning he had zero compassion for the people of our planet, but he managed to be the typical reich winger upon his death by being a coward….
Typical reich wing coward ole Tibbetts was.
Not surprised. Rest in peace if you can Paul! Spit. Good riddance.
But don’t question her patriotism!H/T: Mike
UPDATE: Bozoer Rebbe remarks on Tibbets in the comments:
The irony of calling Paul Tibbets a “coward” is that Tibbets was assigned the Hiroshima mission in great part because he was considered the finest bomber pilot in the US Army Air Force. He piloted the lead B-17 in the first daylight bombing raid by an American squadron over Nazi occupied Europe in Aug. 1942 and later flew combat in the Mediterranean theater of operations. He personally shuttled Gen. Eisenhower from England to Gibralter prior to Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.Tibbets’ commendations:
* Distinguished Service Cross
* Distinguished Flying Cross
* Air Medal
* Purple Heart
* Legion of Merit
* Commendation Medal
* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
* American Defense Service Medal
* American Campaign Medal
* World War II Victory Medal
The trouble, Rusty, is that mere facts don’t matter to such idiots.
For my part, I will express my respects to the General, and thank him for a job well done.
Tags: BitsBlog, BO, Campaign, change, England, Idiots, Life, Men, NY, rope, The bell tolls, UN, W
