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August 14, 2025, marked the eightieth anniversary of Victory in Japan (V-J) Day and the end of World War II. Just days before the final, unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan saw the first, and only, atomic bombs dropped on targets in combat missions.
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress dubbed "Enola Gay" had completed the first-ever nuclear weapons strike on August 6, 1945. As terrifying as its payload was, the B-29 was an equally giant leap forward in weapons technology. Today, Enola Gay resides in preservation with the Smithsonian Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
Victory In Japan Day
The celebrations held on May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day), were overshadowed by the intensifying brutality of the Pacific campaign that raged on even as the Allied advanced closer to Japan's home island. Ominous signs that Japan's resistance would continue long after the invasion of "Operation Downfall" were shown by the horrifying carnage on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Up to that point in the war, Japan had never surrendered to a foreign power and no Japanese military unit had surrendered during World War II.
After dropping warning pamphlets in advance of the strikes, the US Army Air Forces(USAAF) would drop the "Little Boy" atomic bomb on the Army Headquarters in Hiroshima and "Fat Man" on the shipyard in Nagasaki. As the Mainichi recounts, kamikaze attacks and suicidal charges by Imperial Japanese troops continued after the Emperor broadcast his intent to surrender. Yet, the Japanese government formally surrendered on August 14, 1945.
The joy and relief of the final end to the bloody and devastating conflict was met with mixed emotions and effects. Historian Donald L. Miller, PhD, wrote that over 400,000 soldiers had died in action and at least 65 million people around the world were killed. The National WWII Museum spotlights this passage from his book "The Story of World War II":
"It was too much death to contemplate, too much savagery and suffering; and in August 1945 no one was counting. For those who had seen the face of battle and been in the camps and under the bombs -- and had lived -- there was a sense of immense relief."
The Fate Of The Enola Gay
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the most technically complex bomber to fly during World War II. It was the first bomber in history with pressurized compartments and a host of other innovations. Advanced crew survival systems, targeting computers, engines, and avionics systems were all invented under the umbrella of the Superfortress program.
Three days after Enola Gay executed its fateful mission, Major Charles Sweeney piloted the B-29, named "Bockscar," and to drop the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. At the end of the war, the bomber remained at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, in outdoor storage until August 1960. The Smithsonian then sent collections staff to disassemble the B-29 and move it indoors to the Garber Facility in Maryland for restoration, which the museum details on its webpage.
Initially estimated to be a seven- to nine-year undertaking, the project to fully restore and preserve Enola Gay lasted nearly two decades. The work began in 1984 by Garber staff, and would require 300,000 work-hours before it was completed. The B-29 is now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Ultimate Superweapon: Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 program cost roughly $3 billion, compared to the $2 billion for the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear bombs. The B-29 development exceeded the cost of the atomic bomb program by about $1 billion, making it 50% more expensive than the Manhattan Project itself. The Superfortress program became the most expensive single project of World War II, even compared to the Manhattan Project's immense scale and intensive secrecy.
The B-29 design's innovations included long, high-aspect ratio wings with large Fowler-type flaps that allowed the Superfortress to cruise at high speeds and high altitudes. It also maintained safe and maneuverable handling characteristics at slower airspeeds necessary during takeoff and landing. The flight deck forward of the wing, the gunner's compartment aft of the wing, and the tail gunner's station were all pressurized for crew endurance on long-hauls at 18,000 feet.
Boeing Stock Code BA Business Type Planemaker Date Founded July 15, 1916 CEO Kelly Ortberg Headquarters Location Chicago, USA Key Product Lines Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Expand Collapse
Boeing even designed a remote-controlled, defensive weapons system to give the B-29 stronger survivability when no escorts could protect it. Gunners aimed using computerized sights, and each could take control of two or more turrets to concentrate fire on a target as needed. The B-29 was as much of a superweapon in its own right