Why Was the Pilot Who Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima Given No Funeral or Gravestone?

Photo Credit: John van Hasselt / CORBIS / Getty Images
Photo Credit: John van Hasselt / CORBIS / Getty Images

Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, known for piloting the Enola Gay in the bombing of Hiroshima, became a notable figure in the United States at the end of World War II. Despite his fame, Tibbets expressed his wish for no funeral or gravestone at his burial site after his death.

Paul Tibbets enlists with the US Army Air Corps

Paul Tibbets standing in front of the Enola Gay
Paul Tibbets next to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay that he piloted during the atomic bombing mission over Hiroshima, Japan, 1945. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)

Paul Tibbets was an abdominal surgeon before joining the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Originally signed up for three years, he earned his pilot wings in 1938 and chose to continue active duty upon the outbreak of World War II. While renowned for his service in the Pacific Theater, Tibbets initially participated in bombing missions in North Africa and France. Notably, he served as Gen. George Patton‘s personal pilot from 1940-41.

He was a test pilot for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Bottom left side of gray Boeing B-29 Superfortress flying across a blue sky. "Fifi" is written near the nose, with a black and white US Air Force star on the side and 'A' on the vertical stabilizer and rudder.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Photo Credits: wallycacsabre / Flickr / Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0)

In the autumn of 1943, Tibbets was called back to serve as a test pilot during the development of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. He discovered that, by removing armor plating and armaments, the bomber became 7,000 pounds lighter and performed better. After a year, he was assigned to retrain other pilots in the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Very Heavy).

In 1944, Tibbets was appointed to lead the 509th Composite Group, which was tasked with the training and deployment of atomic bombs from B-29s.

Bombing of Hiroshima

Crew of the Enola Gay standing together
Crew of the Enola Gay before takeoff. (Photo Credit: John van Hasselt / Sygma / Getty Images)

In May of 1945, Paul Tibbets and his men were reassigned to Tinian, where they conducted traditional bombing raids against Japanese-held islands while also training with atomic bomb prototypes. When the 509th received authorization to bomb Japan, Tibbets assumed the role of pilot of the bomber slated to drop Little Boy, the codename for the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He named the aircraft Enola Gay, in honor of his mother.

Dropping Little Boy

Black and white. Eight men in uniform shirts and pants and one man without a shirt sit or stand around a bomb pit in the tarmac and look up into the open bomb bay of a plane.
View of the loading of the Little Boy nuclear bomb into the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay on Tinian, Mariana Island, 5 August 1945. (Photo Credits: US War Department. Office of the Chief of Engineers. Manhattan Engineer District / National Archives and Records Administration (NAID) / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

With his crew and accompanied by two observation aircrafts, Tibbets, embarked on the mission on August 6, 1945, and  successfully dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima. Reflecting on the bombing, Tibbets recounted that a mushroom cloud immediately shrouded the Japanese city after Little Boy detonated.

Although some crew members participated in subsequent missions to drop the second atomic bomb, Fat Man, on Nagasaki, Tibbets did not join them. Nevertheless, he became the first person in history to deploy an atomic weapon against an enemy city.

Paul Tibbets returns home as a war hero

Crew of the Enola Gay riding in an open-top Jeep
The crew of the Enola Gay parading around the streets of New York, April 15, 1946. (Photo Credit: Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone / Getty Images)

Paul Tibbets emerged as a national hero at the conclusion of the war, earning recognition with the Distinguished Service Cross for his service abroad. His notable achievements led to an invitation from President Harry Truman to visit the White House. In 1976, he participated in a re-enactment of the bombing of Hiroshima at the Harlingen, Texasairshow, though this was met with disapproval from the Japanese. Tibbets said it “was not intended to insult anybody,” prompting an apology from the US government.

In recent times, there has been ongoing debate regarding the ethical implications of employing atomic bombs. Despite this, Tibbets remained resolute in his belief that it was the necessary course of action. He wasn’t proud of the loss of lives, he found solace in the resolution the plan brought to the conflict. These convictions, opposing nuclear weapons and warfare, influenced Tibbets decision for his final resting place.

Paul Tibbets’ final resting place

Paul Tibbets and Tom Ferebee sitting in the cockpit of the Enola Gay
Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets and bombardier Tom Ferebee in the cockpit of the Enola Gay, 1981. (Photo Credit: Ben Martin / Getty Images)

Paul Tibbets’ health was in decline for months prior to his death. During this time, he made it clear that he didn’t want to have a grave or funeral. He was concerned his plot would be used as a place of protest by those who were against America’s actions in Japan and/or against nuclear weapons. He was also concerned it would be desecrated.

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Instead of a formal grave, Tibbets asked that he be cremated and his ashes scattered over the English Channel. He chose that spot because he’d flown over it many times during the war. After his death on November 1, 2007, at the age of 92, his wishes were honored and his ashes scattered by his family.

Rosemary Giles

Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the History Department.

Since completing her degrees, she has decided to take a step back from academia to focus her career on writing and sharing history in a more accessible way. With a passion for historical learning and historical education, her writing interests include social history, and war history, especially researching obscure facts about the Second World War. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book.

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