Six planes from the 509th Composite Group participated in the bombing mission that ultimately detonated an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The plane that carried the bomb was the Enola Gay. The mission of The Great Artiste was to take scientific measurements. Necessary Evil photographed the mission. Three other planes flew about an hour ahead of the Enola Gay, The Great Artiste, and Necessary Evil to scout the weather. Visual delivery was required for this mission, so overcast conditions would disqualify the target. The primary target was Hiroshima. The secondary target was Kokura. The tertiary target was Nagasaki.
Hiroshima Atomic Mushroom Cloud
This is a photo of the mushroom cloud resulting from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan 08/06/1945. At the time this picture was taken, the rising column extends 20,000 feet in the air while the blast on the ground radiates out 10,000 feet.
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