Bockscar Crew photographed on August 9, 1945, at Tinian Naval Base the day it dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. Standing from left: Maj. Charles Sweeney, Lt. Charles Albury, Lt. Fred Olivi, Capt. Kermit Beahan, Capt. James Van Pelt, and Lt. Jacob Beser. Kneeling from left: Staff Sgt. John Kuharek, Sgt. Abe Spitzer, Sgt. Ray Gallagher, Staff Sgt. Buckley and Staff Sgt. Albert DeHart. (National Archives)
By Jon Grogan
Most people know that on August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress bomber flown by USAF Colonel Paul Tibbets and named after his mother, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. But Tibbets did more than fly the aircraft. As commander of the 509th Composite Group, made up of five C-54 transport aircraft and 15 specially designed B-29 bombers, Tibbets also hand-picked the crew of the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.
In August of 1995, I met and interviewed one of those pilots at the 509th’s 50th reunion in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I will never forget the experience.
I was on active duty with the Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, and a graduate student in history at the University of San Diego. I was looking for a topic for my master’s thesis and read an article in the local newspaper about Bockscar, the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. I figured few people knew the story and contacted the museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio, where the aircraft is on display.
The curator recommended I reach out to Fred Olivi, a second lieutenant and co-pilot on Bockscar. At that time, Fred was living in the south suburbs of Chicago and had recently retired from the Chicago Public Works Department. We had a nice chat on the phone. Fred said if I could make it to the 509th’s upcoming reunion, he would give me all the time I needed.
I jumped at the opportunity.
Albuquerque is one of the prettiest cities in the country. It’s not far from Los Alamos, where the bomb, also called the “device,” was tested. I met Fred before noon at the hotel, and we had coffee in the guest lobby.
Fred described growing up in suburban Chicago and his early days as a pilot. He made it clear that Tibbets was a demanding but fair leader who recognized the historical importance of the mission.
Other group members gathered to chat and renew old acquaintances. Some of them dressed casually, but many wore suits and ties. All or most were in their mid to late 70s, but you could tell from their demeanor that they knew they were a special group of people.
The question I was most interested in having Fred Olivi answer was why Captain Fred Bock, the original pilot assigned to Bockscar, wasn’t chosen to fly his plane on the Nagasaki mission.
Instead, Tibbetts picked Major Chuck Sweeney from Massachusetts to pilot the mission. Fred said, “It was Paul’s [Tibbets] decision who would fly the mission, and we didn’t question it.”
I asked if Bock was resentful, and Fred said, “No, we were a group working for a common goal, namely, to end the war.”
It wasn’t unusual for Tibbets to select pilots he determined were the best fit for the mission. Tibbets didn’t care whose name or image was on the plane’s nose. I asked Fred if he regretted dropping the bomb, and he replied, “No. We were there to do a job.”
As we talked, the lobby got quiet. Suddenly, the group parted to allow a solitary figure to pass. It was Tibbetts.
The event was like Charlton Heston in the movie The Ten Commandments raising his staff and parting the Red Sea. He made his way silently through the crowd and disappeared into a side room, perhaps to meet someone or give a lecture. After he had passed, everyone came back together as before.
Nagasaki was not the primary target on August 6, 1945. Sweeney’s orders were to drop the second bomb, nicknamed Fatman, on Kokura, an ancient castle town about halfway between Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tragically for the people of Nagasaki, heavy clouds prevented bombardier Captain Kermit Beahan from getting the required visual fix on the Kokura. Sweeney then made the decision to redirect his airplane to the secondary target of Nagasaki.
During our interview, Fred said that when they finally arrived over the secondary target, it was also very cloudy. After what seemed an eternity, Beahan confirmed he had visual contact by saying, “Ok, I got it,” and then released the bomb. Relieved of its heavy load, Bockscar jumped upward before speeding away. The crew eventually felt the blast’s shockwaves as it returned to Tinian Naval Base in the Northern Mariana Islands.
The B-29 Superfortress Bomber Bockscar on display at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio. The nose art was painted after its historic mission which is why it says Nagasaki and not Kokura. (National Museum of the USAF)
On August 14 (US time), less than a week after Nagasaki was bombed, Japan surrendered.
I returned to San Diego that evening, eager to discuss my trip to Albuquerque with my faculty advisor. After a short discussion, we agreed on another topic for my thesis. Still, I will never forget the experience of speaking to one of two dozen airmen who witnessed first-hand the only atomic attacks in history.
L. Jon Grogan served 21 years of active duty in the Marine Corps and retired at the rank of major. During that period, he served in a number of command and staff positions overseas and in the United States.
Editor’s note: The name of the aircraft that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki is listed in the Museum of the USAF as Bockscar. That is also the name painted on the plane’s nose. Conversationally, it is Bock’s Car, referencing its original assigned pilot, Captain Fred Bock.
