How many people were on the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb?

Answer 1

12 people were on the B-29 Enola Gay when it dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima.

1. Col. Paul Tibbits - Pilot and Aircraft Commander
2. Capt. Robert Lewis - Co-Pilot
3. Maj. Thomas Ferebee - Bombardier
4. Capt. Theodore Van Kirk - Navigator
5. Capt. (US Navy) William Parson - Weaponeer and Bomb commander
6. Lt. Jacob Beser - Radar Countermeasures
7. 2nd Lt. Morris Jeppson - Assistant Weaponeer
8. TSgt. George Caron - Tail Gunner
9. TSgt. Wyatt Duzenberry - Flight Engineer
10. Sgt. Joe Stibink - Radio Operator
11. Sgt. Robert Shumard - Assistant Flight Engineer
12. PFC. Richard Nelson - VHF Radio Operator

Answer 2

The aircraft was a B-29 Superfortress, which normally carried a crew of eleven - pilot, copilot, flight engineer, navigator, bombardier (all officers) and a radio operator, a radar operator, and four gunners, all enlisted men.

On the nuclear mission to Hiroshima August 6, 1945 there were twelve men aboard the Enola Gay. The pilot was Colonel Paul Tibbets, commander of the 509th Composite Bomb Group, to which the aircraft was assigned. Tibbets was very experienced and had flown a full tour with the 8th Air Force, bombing Europe from the United Kingdom. He was a pilot on the first American bombing raid on occupied Europe in 1942. Tibbets had formed the group and trained it for nuclear missions for more than a year, and had personally selected the aircraft which became Enola Gay while it was still on the assembly line. He named the aircraft Enola Gay after his mother. The name was painted on the nose the night before the nuclear mission.

Copilot was Captain Robert Lewis, who normally flew as pilot of this aircraft. Lewis was furious when he arrived on the flight line and saw the name painted on his aircraft, and realized Tibbets would be taking the left seat for the mission.

Bombarider, the man who actually dropped the bomb, was Thomas Ferrebee. He replaced the usual bombardier that flew with the Lewis crew.

Navigator was Theodore "Dutch" van Kirk.

Flight Engineer was T/Sgt Wyatt Duzenberry. This was ordinarily an officer's job, but Tibbets knew and trusted Duzenberry from their service together in Europe.

T/Sgt George R. Caron was tail gunner.

PFC Richard H. Nelson was radio operator.

Sgt Joe Stibonek was Radar Operator.

Sgt Robert H. Shumard was Assistant Flight Engineer.

In addition to these nine normal crewmen there were three specialists aboard, with unique abilities for the special nature of the mission.

Navy Captain William S. "Deak" Parsons was the Weaponeer and bomb commander.

2nd Lt Morris Jeppson was Assistant Weaponeer. The weaponeers had to arm the bomb in flight.

Lieutenant Jacob Beser was the Radar Countermeasures Operator. Beser was the only man to fly on both nuclear missions against Japan.

The gunners normally carried on B-29 missions were left behind to make room for the specialist personnel and their equipment. The reasoning was that the Japanese, accustomed to bombing raids by hundreds of B-29s, would pay little attention to a single aircraft, and would believe it to be a weather plane or on a reconnaissance flight, which was exactly the Japanese response.

Answer 3

From about 31,000 feet. The bomb detonated at about 2000 feet.