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Outstanding grouping of 25 signatures of crew members of the Enola Gay, Bockscar, and The Great Artiste—three of the 'Silverplate' B-29s that flew in the atomic bomb missions over Japan in August 1945—on two 8.5 x 11 sheets. Nearly every signer adds his mission assignment, plane name, and date. Signers include: Paul Tibbets, Morris R. Jeppson, Jacob Beser, Theodore J. Van Kirk, George R. Caron, Tom Ferebee, Richard H. Nelson, James R. Corliss, Russell Gackenbach, Fred Bock, Kermit Beahan, Frederick Ashworth, Ralph D. Curry (2), Fred J. Olivi, John D. Kuharek, Charles W. Sweeney, James Van Pelt, Ray Gallagher, Hugh C. Ferguson, Harold M. Agnew, Laurence H. Johnston, Ralph Belanger, Leonard Godfrey, and Melvin H. Bierman. In overall fine condition.
During World War II, the Enola Gay was the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Accompanying it on the mission was The Great Artiste, which served as the blast measurement instrumentation aircraft to collect scientific data. Three days later, on August 9, the B-29 Bockscar dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, while The Great Artiste, originally slated to be the strike plane, again flew alongside to carry instrumentation and observe the effects of the bomb.
