Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., pilot of the ENOLA GAY, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, waves from his cockpit before the takeoff, 6 August 1945.  Army Air Forces.  (OWI)
NARA FILE #:  208-LU-13H-5
WAR &amp; CONFLICT BOOK #:  1240

Colonel Paul Tibbets and the ENOLA GAY

Dead French soldier during battle of France 1940

Fallen French soldier 1940

The last seconds of life of the six crewmen of the USAAF’s Glenn Martin B-26C Marauder Serial Number 42-107566 of 320th Bombardment Group’s 441st Bomb Squadron hit by Flak over Marzabotto, Emilia’s Apennines, Northern Italy, July 10, 1944. The 320th, took off from Decimomannu, Sardinia, in afternoon of that day, for a raid over railroad bridges in Marzabotto’s area during the Operation Mallory, an operation to knock out all the bridges across the Po River. The target was bombed at 17,20 local time by nine planes with a total of seventy-two 500 lbs bombs. According the mission report the aircraft S/N 42-107566 was hit on the bomb run over target by AA fire and the right wing being shot off just outboard of engine nacelle. The aircraft spun to the ground, crashed and exploded at 44° 19’ N/10° 02’E. No chutes were seen. All the Marauder’s six crewmember died on the crash.
After some weeks, between 29 September and 5 October 1944, Marzabotto was theater of terrible massacre of near civilian perpetrated by 16 Panzeraufklärungsabteilung leaded by Major Walter Reder of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Reichsführer SS. Victor Sierra
