Flight of the 'Enola Gay'

摘要

THE HEAVILY LADEN B-29 taxied slowly toward Runway Able, one of four parallel runways clustered at North Field on the northern tip of Tinian, a tiny green dot in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. The flight, designated as Dimples 82, was cleared for takeoff. Army Air Forces Col. Paul Tibbets steered the Superfortress onto the asphalt and crushed-coral runway. None of his 11 crewmembers knew the exact nature of this mission, and they would not know until after takeoff. There were uncertainties about this flight, explaining why in one pocket Tibbets carried a small box containing 12 cyanide tablets.