Return of the Enola Gay

Rating:
Summary: A Real Hero
Review: I am proud to say that I come from the town of Quincy, Illinois. Probably one of the most important people ever to come from Quincy is Paul W. Tibbets, though it's very likely that even most Quincians wouldn't know his name. In fact, Col. Tibbets is the man who trained the crews and commanded the mission that dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. Return of the Enola Gay is Col. Tibbets' story, told in his own words.

To be honest, though I very much wanted to like this book, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Col. Tibbets prose is somewhat unpolished but his folksy, colloquial style is in the classic storytelling tradition and it is very readable. Reading this book, I often felt like I was sitting at my grandfather's feet, listening to stories of the war. He may come across as a little arrogant at times (like most of the great soldiers) but Tibbets' stories are always worth hearing.

And stories are something that Col. Tibbets has in great supply. The heart of the story is the organization and training of the squads that will ultimately compose the strike forces dropping "fat man" and "little boy" and, certainly, hearing Col. Tibbets describe his experiences on August 6, 1945, is gripping. However, Col. Tibbets was involved with many other important figures and events of World War II of which I was not even remotely aware. He trained (and shot skeet) with George Patton before the war. He piloted the first daylight bombing raids over Nazi occupied Europe. He flew Eisenhower and other important soldiers crucial to the Allied invasion of North Africa and flew a number of raids there.

And even though the stories of war might be enough to make a good book, Col. Tibbets does much more. He tells us the story of his life--the moving around, military school, leaving medical school to become a pilot, his years after the war and his ultimate retirement from the air force. He gives us insight into many of the famous and important people he met, like Patton and Doolittle. He describes how the Nagasaki bombing and the first nuclear test at Bikini atoll were near disasters. In particular, I was fascinated by his insights into the politics of the military, how certain people earn promotions and assignments. All in all, it is an absorbing account of an important period of American history told by a man who lived it.

A warning: an anti-war reader looking for an apology for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will have to look elsewhere. Col. Tibbets is proud of his role in what he often points out are the attacks that ended World War II, likely saving the lives of millions of Allied and Japanese soldier despite what revisionist "historians" would like to say. And, though I am leery of American tendencies to jump into war, I also think that Monday-morning quarterbacking 60 years later is an easy way to get up on a soapbox for people who didn't have to make the hard choices. I am proud to have Col. Tibbets as a sterling representative of my hometown and its values, well-reflected in this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Hero
Review: I am proud to say that I come from the town of Quincy, Illinois. Probably one of the most important people ever to come from Quincy is Paul W. Tibbets, though it's very likely that even most Quincians wouldn't know his name. In fact, Col. Tibbets is the man who trained the crews and commanded the mission that dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. Return of the Enola Gay is Col. Tibbets' story, told in his own words.

To be honest, though I very much wanted to like this book, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Col. Tibbets prose is somewhat unpolished but his folksy, colloquial style is in the classic storytelling tradition and it is very readable. Reading this book, I often felt like I was sitting at my grandfather's feet, listening to stories of the war. He may come across as a little arrogant at times (like most of the great soldiers) but Tibbets' stories are always worth hearing.

And stories are something that Col. Tibbets has in great supply. The heart of the story is the organization and training of the squads that will ultimately compose the strike forces dropping "fat man" and "little boy" and, certainly, hearing Col. Tibbets describe his experiences on August 6, 1945, is gripping. However, Col. Tibbets was involved with many other important figures and events of World War II of which I was not even remotely aware. He trained (and shot skeet) with George Patton before the war. He piloted the first daylight bombing raids over Nazi occupied Europe. He flew Eisenhower and other important soldiers crucial to the Allied invasion of North Africa and flew a number of raids there.

And even though the stories of war might be enough to make a good book, Col. Tibbets does much more. He tells us the story of his life--the moving around, military school, leaving medical school to become a pilot, his years after the war and his ultimate retirement from the air force. He gives us insight into many of the famous and important people he met, like Patton and Doolittle. He describes how the Nagasaki bombing and the first nuclear test at Bikini atoll were near disasters. In particular, I was fascinated by his insights into the politics of the military, how certain people earn promotions and assignments. All in all, it is an absorbing account of an important period of American history told by a man who lived it.

A warning: an anti-war reader looking for an apology for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will have to look elsewhere. Col. Tibbets is proud of his role in what he often points out are the attacks that ended World War II, likely saving the lives of millions of Allied and Japanese soldier despite what revisionist "historians" would like to say. And, though I am leery of American tendencies to jump into war, I also think that Monday-morning quarterbacking 60 years later is an easy way to get up on a soapbox for people who didn't have to make the hard choices. I am proud to have Col. Tibbets as a sterling representative of my hometown and its values, well-reflected in this book.