The B-29 Superfortress known as Bockscar is historically famous for dropping the "Fat Man" atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
The critical mission on August 9, 1945, was carried out by the crew typically assigned to another B-29, The Great Artiste, led by Aircraft Commander Maj. Charles W. Sweeney.
Post-war, Bockscar was preserved and is currently exhibited at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, with some recognizable features like its nose art added after the bombing.
A closer look at the famous B-29 known as Bockscar and the story behind the aircraft.
**Back row (left to right): Capt. Kermit R. Beahan, Bombardier; Capt. James F. Van Pelt, Navigator; Capt. Charles D. Albury, Pilot; 2nd Lt. Fred J. Olivi, Co-pilot; Maj. Charles W. Sweeney, Aircraft Commander. Front row (left to right): SSgt. Edward K. Buckley, Radar Operator; MSgt. John D. Kuharek, Flight Engineer; SSgt. Raymond G. Gallagher, Assistant Flight Engineer; SSgt. Albert T. Dehart, Tail Gunner; Sgt. Abe M. Spitzer, Radio Operator.****** For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“B-29 Bockscar **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar headed to Japan with the atomic bomb Fat Man on board. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar Cockpit **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar Cockpit **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar Cockpit **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 1959. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**Aerial reconnaissance photo of Nagasaki a few days before the bombing. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar in 1961 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**The nose paint on B-29 Bockscar was added quite some time after the bombing of Nagasaki. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**B-29 Bockscar at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**Items carried by one of the pilots aboard B-29 Bockscar during the atomic bombing mission. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**The crew that flew Bockscar during the Nagasaki bombing mission was actually the usual crew of The Great Artiste. **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
**The Great Artiste **For more, read “The Airplane that Ended a War“
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