On August 9th, 1945, the U.S. Army Air Force B-29, Bockscar, dropped the plutonium bomb, “Fat Man” on Nagasaki. Nagasaki, was not the primary target. The primary target was not visible due to smoke from firebombing an adjacent city the previous day and heavy cloud cover. After three unsuccessful bombing runs over the primary, Bockscar diverted to the secondary target, Nagasaki.
The Quiz – What was the primary target for the second bomb drop, “Fat Man”, over Japan? And who was the bombardier on Bockscar during the Nagasaki mission?
The Answer – The primary target for “Fat Man” was Kokura, a heavily industrialized and military based city. The bombardier on Bockscar during the Nagasaki mission was Captain Kermit K. Beahan, he turned 27 years old that same day. He was known for his precision bombing skills and was later nicknamed “The Great Artiste” for his accuracy.
The Winners
K3WGS Kokura, Captain Kermit Beahan
N4JLR Kokura
K3HP Kokura
W0PC Kokura
K8EA Kokura
An interesting article, where the author interviewed many of the service members on-board the Enola Gay and Bockscar, can be found here:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/22/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-author-stephen-walker?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Thanks, to those who participated in today’s Net!
– Ron
Quite a story
tnx Ron
How did I get in the winner’s circle Ron? Haha. I don’t think I had a guess. L-)