Although he originally planned o becoming a doctor, Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. In 1937, a 22-year-old man from Quincy, Illinois enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. The story of the Enola Gay actually starts before the outbreak of the War in the Pacific. The History of the Plane That Devastated Japan She would soon serve an important purpose that was aimed at finally putting an end to the war. Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress, was placed into service in May of 1945, toward the end of the Second World War. But one plane in particular has a more difficult and ambivalent history. Storied battleships, mighty aircraft carriers, and fearsome warplanes all contributed to the massive Allied forces in the Pacific Theater. There were many memorable ships and planes that played a larger-than-life role in the American war effort of the 1940s. Enola Gay landing after the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, 6 August 1945
