"Source: Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" The Enola Gay, B-29-45-MO serial number 44-86292, was built at the Glenn L. Martin plant at Omaha (Located at what is today Offut AFB near Bellevue), Nebraska. Selected by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., CO of the 509th Composite Group to be part of Project Silverplate, which modified B-29s at the Martin Omaha plant to be able to carry the Little Boy and Fat Man atomic bombs, which including among other things, removing all gun turrets except for the tail position, removing armor plate, installing Curtiss electric propellers, and modifying the bomb bay to accommodate either the "Fat Man" or "Little Boy" versions of the atomic bomb. "After the war, Army Air Forces crews flew the airplane during the Operation Crossroads atomic test program in the Pacific, although it dropped no nuclear devices during these tests, and then delivered it to Davis-Monthan Army Airfield, Arizona, for storage. Later, the U. S. Air Force flew the bomber to Park Ridge, Illinois, then transferred it to the Smithsonian Institution on July 4, 1949. Although in Smithsonian custody, the aircraft remained stored at Pyote Air Force Base, Texas, between January 1952 and December 1953. The airplane's last flight ended on December 2 when the Enola Gay touched down at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The bomber remained at Andrews in outdoor storage until August 1960. By then, concerned about the bomber deteriorating outdoors, the Smithsonian sent collections staff to disassemble the Superfortress and move it indoors to the Paul E. Garber Facility in Suitland, Maryland. The staff at Garber began working to preserve and restore Enola Gay in December 1984. This was the largest restoration project ever undertaken at the National Air and Space Museum and the specialists anticipated the work would require from seven to nine years to complete. The project actually lasted nearly two decades and, when completed, had taken approximately 300,000 work-hours to complete. The B-29 is now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center." "
"The first US test of a captured German V2 rocket -1946 - Photo by Universal History Archive [3000x2310]"
Why am I reminded of the Hysterical Channel's "Life After People"? They did something similar with the USS Missouri.
Back to more terrestrial pix. "Fairy Swordfish flying over The his Majesty’s HMS Ark Royal. Taken in 1939."
"Soviet fighter ace, Gulayev Nikolaiy Dmitrievich, standing in the door of his P-39 Airacobra; he had the highest kill per sortie rate of all the nations aces. [800x440"
Never ends well...I seem to remember a similar scene in GoT…(and a bunch of other movies) A certain Trumpiness to this too...When the world is against you, it's time for re-evaluation not stubborn arrogance...
Heres a question to those Tanky geeks... How would a modern Abrams tank do in WW2...could anything German penetrate it? Would it make mince meat of a Tiger?
How many were transports? Still, to do this in a P-39 is impressive. Not sure why this aircraft had ongoing production to be honest...but I think the same about the P-40 also. Why continue making 2nd string fighters?
Lend Lease, keep the P-38s,P-51s and F4Us (after the Brits worked out the kinks for carrier use) for our use. Our allies today still get good planes but without all the bells and whistles.
And not every target even needs a hot pilot...or aircraft. But either way why bother with continuing to build second string aircraft? Why didn't they retool for Mustangs and P-47s? It's almost as if the US didn't want their best aircraft in the hands of their allies...(At least countries like USSR and Australia...) Perhaps thinking about after the war? Australia eventually bought the licence and made their own Merlins and Mustangs...So I dont't know the answer... Some of these Australian Mustangs were bought by Americans and raced post war...