His family returned to Alton, Illinois, in the late 1920s. He was 92 and insisted . The film Above and Beyond (1952) depicted the World War II events involving Paul Tibbets, with Robert Taylor starring as Tibbets and Eleanor Parker as his first wife, Lucy. In 1927, when he was 12 years old, he flew in a plane piloted by barnstormer Doug Davis, dropping candy bars with tiny parachutes to the crowd of people attending the races at the Hialeah Park Race Track. Did Paul Tibbets and his wife divorce? Now we've had a nice lunch, you and I and your companion. [14], In July 1942 the 97th became the first heavy bombardment group of the Eighth Air Force to be deployed to England, where it was based at RAF Polebrook. Why did Lucy and desi get divorced? Brig. [4] On 25 February 1937, he enlisted in the army at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and was sent to Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, for primary and basic flight instruction. Its purpose was to provide "skilled machinists, welders and munitions workers"[42] and special equipment to the group to enable it to assemble atomic weapons at its operating base, thereby allowing the weapons to be transported more safely in their component parts. He was seen as one of the most successful United States Air Force pilot of all times. In simulated combat engagements against a P-47 fighter at the B-29's cruising altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100m), he discovered that the B-29 had a smaller turning radius than the P-47, and could avoid it by turning away. Paul Tibbets was born on February 23, 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, USA as Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. "[27], Tibbets did not get along well with Norstad, or with Doolittle's chief of staff, Brigadier General Hoyt Vandenberg. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. At 08:15 local time, they dropped the atomic bomb, code-named Little Boy, over Hiroshima. In February 1956, he returned to the U.S. and took command of the 308th Bombardment Wing in Georgias Hunter Air Force Base. He started commanding the 6th Air Division at the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida from January 1958 and was elevated to the position of brigadier general the following year. It was piloted by Doug Davis and dropped candy bars to the crowd that attended the Hialeah Park Race Track races. [1] In June 1941, Tibbets transferred to the 9th Bombardment Squadron of the 3d Bombardment Group at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, as the engineering officer, and flew the A-20 Havoc. In one planning meeting, Norstad wanted an all-out raid on Bizerte to be flown at 6,000 feet (1,800m). [59][75] He had suffered small strokes and heart failure during his final years and had been in hospice care. He, however, dropped out from the university after 1.5 years, to become a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps. He then got enlisted in the United States Army.. Of course, Paul was the pilot of the Enola Gay B-29 Superfortress on it's secret mission during. You can find out how much net worth Paul has this year and how he spent his expenses. At one point, Tibbets found that Lucy had co-opted a scientist to unplug a drain. In the first weeks of August 1942, under the tutelage of Royal Air Force veterans, the group received intensive training for its first mission. He was told that Norstad had vetoed the promotion, saying "there's only going to be one colonel in operations. [65] He subsequently served as B-47 project officer at Boeing in Wichita from July 1950 until February 1952. [51][52] Enola Gay, serial number 4486292, had been personally selected by him, on recommendation of a civilian production supervisor, while it was still on the assembly line at the Glenn L. Martin Company plant in Bellevue, Nebraska. His walk has slowed, but he remains erect and dignified. When he was five years old, the family moved to Davenport, Iowa, and then to Iowa's capital, Des Moines, where he was raised, and where his father became a confections wholesaler. But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible. He then attended the University of Florida in Gainesville,[1] and became an initiated member of the Epsilon Zeta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity in 1934. with Robert Taylor starring as Tibbets and Eleanor Parker as his first wife, Lucy. After receiving basic flight training at Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas in 1937, Tibbets quickly rose through the ranks to become commanding officer of the 340thBombardment Squadronof the97th Bombardment Group. During his career he participated in Operation Allied Force in the Balkans and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and is one of the few pilots qualified to fly all three of the USAF's strategic bombers: the Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. In addition to its authorized strength, the 509th had attached to it on Tinian all 51 civilian and military personnel of Project Alberta. At the time, the B-29 program was beset by a host of technical problems, and the chief test pilot, Edmund T. Allen, had been killed in a crash of the prototype aircraft. [22], In the leadup to Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, the commander of the Eighth Air Force, Major General Carl Spaatz was ordered to provide his best two pilots for a secret mission. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the commander and pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in the final days of World War II, died yesterday at his. Gene Tibbets, son of Brig. At the time, he thought to himself, "People are getting killed down there that don't have any business getting killed. He was a colonel in the United States Army Reserve and worked as a hospital pharmacist. I. He found that without defensive armament and armor plating, the aircraft was 7,000 pounds (3,200kg) lighter, and its performance was much improved. EDUCATION. [91] Tibbets figured largely in the 2000 book Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man Who Won the War by Bob Greene of the Chicago Tribune. I was instructed to perform a military mission to drop the bomb. An interview of Paul Tibbets can be seen in the 1982 movie Atomic Cafe. [57] The 509th Composite Group was awarded an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1999. [41], On 6 March 1945 (concurrent with the activation of Project Alberta), the 1st Ordnance Squadron, Special (Aviation) was activated at Wendover, again using Army Air Forces personnel on hand or already at Los Alamos. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born Feb. 23, 1915, in Quincy, Ill. and spent most of his boyhood in Miami. Still no regrets for frail Enola Gay pilot (Col. Paul Tibbets) Columbus Dispatch ^ | August 6, 2005 | Mike Harden Posted on 08/06/2005 4:18:39 AM PDT by Columbus Dawg. After flying 43 combat missions, he became the assistant for bomber operations on the staff of the Twelfth Air Force. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets IV will retire on Dec. 1, after not being allowed to pin on his second star and receiving a letter of admonishment, an Air Force spokeswoman said in response to a. He was seen as a national hero who had ended the war with Japan. Paul Warfield Tibbets IV (born 21 November 1966) is a former United States Air Force brigadier general. Blake Stilwell. He died on November 1, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Tibbets, who had accumulated more flying time on the B-29 than any other pilot in the Air Force, was selected to lead the 509th Composite Group, a fully self-contained organization of about 1,800 men that would be responsible for dropping the first atomic bomb on Japan. In July 1942, the 97th became the first heavy bombardment group to be deployed as part of the Eighth Air Force, and Tibbets became deputy group commander. In March 1944, a year after the developmental testing of the bomber, Tibbets was made the director of operations of the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing.. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born on February 23, 1915, in Quincy, Illinois. He and Merle Haggard are 6th cousins, 1x removed. He was the pilot of the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb Little Boy on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Nov. 2, 2007 12 AM PT. [7][8], While Tibbets was stationed at Fort Benning, he was promoted to first lieutenant[9] and served as a personal pilot for Brigadier General George S. Patton, Jr., in 1940 and 1941. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot in command of the "Enola Gay" when it dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, Aug. 6, 1945. He was never forgotten, however, and never would be. At 92 years old, Paul Tibbets height not available right now. Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Major General Carl Spaatz immediately after landing on Tinian. Personal touch and engage with his followers. He was made the deputy director for operations to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in July 1962. Paul Tibbets net worth is $15 Million Paul Tibbets Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. (February 23, 1915 - November 1, 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, best known as the pilot of the Enola Gay - named for his mother - the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born in Quincy, Illinois, on 23 February 1915, the son of Paul Warfield Tibbets Sr. and his wife, Enola Gay Tibbets. He is remembered for flying the first aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb, the B-29 Superfortress known as Enola Gay. The aircraft had dropped the atomic bomb Little Boy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the last stages of the Second World War. Also find out how he got rich at the age of 92. "[61], The 509th Composite Group returned to the United States on 6 November 1945, and was stationed at Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico. Poor bombing accuracy resulted in numerous civilian casualties and less damage to the rail installations than hoped, but the mission was hailed an overall success because it reached its target against heavy and constant fighter attack. He was one of the founding board members and attempted to extend the company's operations to Europe, but was unsuccessful. [45], The ground support echelon of the 509th Composite Group received movement orders and moved by rail on 26 April 1945, to its port of embarkation at Seattle, Washington. On August 5, 1945 Tibbets formally named his B-29 Enola Gay after his mother. [19] On 9 October 1942, Tibbets led the first American raid of more than 100 bombers in Europe, attacking industrial targets in the French city of Lille. Wiki Biography & Celebrity Profiles as wikipedia. He then became Deputy Director of Operations of the Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. In September 1944, he was appointed the commander of the 509th Composite Group, which would conduct the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Lucy and Desi were married for 20 years before divorcing. [73] On 5 June 2015, he assumed command of the 509th Bomb Wing. Jones Construction Company. He successfully dropped his bomb upon reaching the Target city, this single attack being the culmination of many months of tireless effort, training and organization unique in the Army Air Forces history, during which he constantly coped with new problems in precision bombing and engineering. [8][76] He was survived by his French-born wife, Andrea,[77] and two sons from his first marriage, Paul III and Gene as well as his son, James, from his second marriage. He was 92. Tom Ferebee, Paul Tibbets, Dutch Van Kirk, and Bob Lewis. Those are not soldiers." Thereafter, he served as the director of management analysis on a tour of duty at the Pentagon.. Flight crews practiced dropping large dummy bombs modeled after the shape and size of the atomic bombs in order to prepare for their ultimate mission in Japan. Colonel (later General) Paul Tibbets was the pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Flying the 1,500 miles of open water to the coast of Japan, he guided his plane over the island of Shikoku and the Inland Sea, threatened with the constant danger of anti-aircraft. Meanwhile, he took training in private flying at the Opa-locka Airport in Miami. We had feelings, but we had to put them in the background. Paul Tibbets was born on February 23, 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, USA as Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. 35, Tibbets, with Robert A. Lewis as his co-pilot, flew the bomber from the North Field and reached Hiroshima after 6 hours. Also Known As Eagle on His Cap, The Story of Col. Paul Tibbets, The Story of Colonel Tibbets Genre Drama Action Biography War Release Date Jan 2, 1953 Premiere Information World premiere in Washington, D.C.: 31 Dec 1952 Production Company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. Distribution Company Loew's Inc. Country United States Location On June 26, 1940, young pilot Lt. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., was summoned to aid Col. Samuel R. Hopkins, whose wife and son were in a terrible automobile accident near Elmira. Tibbets was chosen to fly Major General Mark W. Clark and Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower to Gibraltar. He then attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, and became an initiated member of the Epsilon Zeta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity in 1934. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. Employing the new Joint Direct Attack Munition, Captain Tibbets successfully targeted 16 separate impact points and destroyed critical military production facilities including the Smederevo Petroleum Product Storage near Belgrade, a radio relay facility, and an arms production plant in Kragujevac. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV, the former deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, made inappropriate comments in public about a female junior airman under his command and a woman at a. When he was eight, his family moved to Hialeah, Florida, to escape from harsh midwestern winters. His body was cremated because he had earlier instructed that no funeral was to be held and no headstone was to be constructed for him, as he was skeptical that his resting place could be used by opponents of the bombing for protests and destruction. [13] In 1964, Tibbets was named military attach in India. He transferred to the University of Cincinnati after his second year to complete his pre-med studies there, because the University of Florida had no medical school at the time. By extraordinary flying skill, gallant leadership, and successful performance of the flight despite considerable danger, Colonel Tibbets thereby rendered outstanding, distinguished and valorous service to our Nation. The mind of the pilot whose B-29 dropped the first atomic bomb often seems more prisoner than resident of his bantamweight body wracked by injury, ailments and 90 years of living. In order to disguise all the civilian engineers on base who were working on the Manhattan Project, Tibbets was forced to lie to his wife; he told her that the engineers were "sanitary workers". Paul Tibbets (Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr.) was born on 23 February, 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, USA, is an Actor. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He retired from the company in 1987. In 1934, he became an initiated member of the Sigma Nu fraternitys Epsilon Zeta chapter. I made up my mind then that the morality of dropping that bomb was not my business. Paul Tibbets and the Enola Gay. Tibbets enlisted in the United States Army in 1937 and qualified as a pilot in 1938. [13] Crews were reluctant to embrace the troublesome B-29, and to overcome crew anxiety, Tibbets taught and certified two Women Airforce Service Pilots, Dora Dougherty and Dorothea (Didi) Moorman, to fly the B-29 as demonstration pilots,[33] and the crews' attitude changed. He was then assigned to the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., from which he graduated in 1947. The 320th Troop Carrier Squadron kept its base of operations at Wendover. Paul Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died Thursday. His citation read: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Paul W. Tibbets IV, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a B-2 Mission Commander, at or near Yugoslavia, on 8 April 1999. "[59][60] "I knew when I got the assignment," he told a reporter in 2005, "it was going to be an emotional thing. Paul Tibbets was born on February 23, 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, USA. By Eric Malnic. He was the pilot of the B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay", which dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Paul Tibbets was a retired Air Force brigadier general who flew the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped Little Boy, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. [36] Tibbets selected Wendover for its remoteness.[37]. 2023 Wiki Biography & Celebrity Profiles as wikipedia, Dave Ingram Wiki, Biography, Age, Net Worth, Family, Instagram, Twitter, Social Profiles & More Facts, Virginie Thevenet Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth, Harold Tichenor Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth. Bien qu'ignorant le plein potentiel de cette nouvelle arme, il sait qu'elle peut faire normment plus de dgts que n'importe quelle autre arme utilise auparavant, et que le nombre de morts rsultant d'elle sera norme. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., seen here, says Friday's visit to Hiroshima by U.S. He died in West Monroe, Louisiana, in 2016. Paul Tibbets personally selected one of them to be his operational aircraft on May 9, 1945. So, how much is Paul Tibbets worth at the age of 92 years old? Robert Taylor, who had earned a flying license before the war and went into naval aviation as an instructor, played Paul Tibbets; Eleanor Parker played his wife, Lucy. He was also interviewed in the 1970s for the British documentary series The World at War. Husband of Enola Gay Tibbets. When Tibbets was eight years old, his family moved once again, to Miami, Florida. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered over the English Channel. Family (1) Trivia (6) He was the pilot of the B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay", which dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Wilson was the Army Air Force project officer who provided liaison support to the Manhattan Project. On 7 December 1941, Tibbets heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while listening to the radio during a routine flight. The story of Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Colonel Tibbets said that while growing up, he was aware of what his grandfather had done during World War II. He had named the aircraft after his mother. In . Brig. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In 1933, he graduated from the Western Military Academy. Following this, he studied at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Tibbets met a divorcee named Andrea Quattrehomme while he was posted in France. Lucy F Wingate 1907 Georgia Lucy F Wingate in 1910 United States Federal Census. He returned to Whiteman in July 2003, where he served as a T-38 and B-2 flight examiner, director of operations of the 325th Bomb Squadron and then the 13th Bomb Squadron. The atomic bomb Little Boy was dropped over the city of Hiroshima, resulting in an almost complete destruction of the city. Frederick Ashworth and Paul Tibbets prior to takeoff. He was elevated to the position of colonel in January 1945. [1] The B-18s were used as an intermediate trainer, which pilots flew after basic flight training in a Cessna UC-78 and before qualifying in the B-17. Tibbets succeeded Sundlun as president on 21 April 1976, and remained in the role until 1986. Paul was an ideal celebrity influencer. He was transferred to the 3rd Bombardment Groups 9th Bombardment Squadron at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, in June 1941. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/paul-tibbets-9377.php. To supporters, Tibbets became known as a national hero who ended the war with Japan; to his detractors, he was a war criminal responsible for the deaths of many thousands of Japanese civilians. [53] The regularly assigned aircraft commander, Robert A. Lewis, was unhappy to be displaced by Tibbets for this important mission, and became furious when he arrived at the airfield on the morning of 6 August to see the aircraft he considered his painted with the now-famous nose art. In June 1955, he graduated from the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama, and then served at the Allied Air Forces in the Central Europe Headquarters at Fontainebleau, France, as the director of war plans. But instead of being interred at home or at Arlington National . During his training, he showed himself to be an above-average pilot. Courtesy of the Joseph Papalia Collection. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 23 February. He is the grandson of Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. He transferred to the University of Cincinnati after his second year to complete his pre-med studies there, because the University of Florida had no medical school at the time. Among the old photos of the B-29 bombers that made up this wing, one stands out. Paul Tibbets wiki ionformation include family relationships: spouse or partner (wife or husband); siblings; childen/kids; parents life. When he was five years old the family moved to Davenport, Iowa, and then to Iowa's capital, Des Moines, where he was raised, and where his father became a confections wholesaler. He died in 2007. 1944 Sep 1st Selected to lead the 509th Composite Group. The two married on May 4, 1956, and had a son named James. The Life Summary of Paul. He was made the commander of the 509th Composite Group in September 1944. 1943 Flew Major General Mark W. Clark from Polebook to Gibraltar. So I got you beat by three years. [64], Tibbets then attended the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born on February 23, 1915, in Quincy, Illinois, U.S., to Paul Warfield Tibbets Sr. and Enola Gay Tibbets. I am supposed to be a bomber pilot and destroy a target. He was born on 1 November 2007, in Columbus, Ohio.Columbus is a beautiful and populous city located in Columbus, Ohio United States of America. Trusted by millions of genealogists since 2003. . In his later years, he would draw the ire and criticism of nuclear activists something he would make no apologies for. Tibbets retired from the United States Air Force in 1966. He commanded the 308th Bombardment Wing and 6th Air Division in the late 1950s, and was military attach in India from 1964 to 1966. [8][76] Tibbets had asked for no funeral or headstone, because he feared that opponents of the bombing might use it as a place of protest or destruction. Today, in his nineties, Paul Tibbets is still a handsome man. He was married to Andrea P. Quattrehomme and Lucy Frances Wingate. Just after 8.15am Japanese time, on August 6 1945, six miles above Hiroshima, a Boeing B29 bomber, the Enola Gay, commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets, who has died aged 92, carried out the. He was the Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations in the Global Operations Directorate of the United States Strategic Command, where he was responsible for the nuclear mission of the nation's ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers. Updated January 04, 2023 10:44:57. But then he thought back to a lesson he had learned during his time at medical school from his roommate who was a doctor. Immediate Family: Son of Dr. Charles Joshua Tibbets and Susan H Warfield. To the end of his days, Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. believed that dropping the first atomic . [56] He became a celebrity, with pictures and interviews of his wife and children in the major American newspapers. When the operation was still in its development stages, Armstrong and Colonel Roscoe C. Wilson were the leading candidates to command the group who was designated to drop the atomic bomb. Wikipedia: Paul Tibbets; Find A Grave: Memorial . L'histoire du colonel Paul Tibbets, le pilote qui a largu la bombe atomique sur Hiroshima. They arrived at Wendover, Utah, for training and practice bombing on June 14. , money, salary, income, and assets. In 1995, he denounced the 50th anniversary exhibition of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Institution, which attempted to present the bombing in context with the destruction it caused, as a "damn big insult",[59] due to its focus on the Japanese casualties rather than the brutality of the Japanese government. [1][2], In the late 1920s, business issues forced Tibbets's family to return to Alton, Illinois, where he graduated from Western Military Academy in 1933. . See, I'm 90. He then attended the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia in 2009, and the NATO Defense College in Rome in 2010. Brigadier General Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. 1915-2007. [51][54], At 02:45 the next dayin accordance with the terms of Operations Order No. Later, he commanded the Proof Test Division at the Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida. To watch his first-person account of the Hiroshima mission, click here. [3] On 5 June 2015, he assumed command of the 509th Bomb Wing. On 6 May the support elements sailed on the SS Cape Victory for the Marianas, while the group's materiel was shipped on the SS Emile Berliner. From September 1944 until May 1945, Tibbets and the 509th Composite Group trained extensively at Wendover Air Force Base in Wendover, Utah. They divorced because of alcoholism problems and infidelity in the marriage. Tibbets commenced terminal leave on 19 October 2018,[7][8][9] and he retired on 1 December 2018.[3]. C. E. Centerworked for theUnion Carbide & Carbon Corporation. This was not Tibbets's regular aircraft, Red Gremlin, nor his regular crew, which included bombardier Thomas Ferebee and navigator Theodore Van Kirk, who later flew with him in Enola Gay. He was. Hiroshima bomber pilot Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr remained unrepentant till his dying day 1 November 2007. . One day his mother agreed to pay one dollar to get him into an airplane at the local carnival. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Explore Paul Tibbets Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Wife, Family relation. Paul Tibbets was a retired Air Force brigadier general who flew the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped Little Boy, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Me and Paul Tibbets, 89 years old, brigadier-general retired, in his home town of Columbus, Ohio, where he has lived for many years. The squadron was one of the two operational squadrons that had formed part of the 509th Composite Group when Tibbets commanded it. Brig. Paul Tibbets Jr. was born on Feb. 23, 1915, to Paul Warfield Tibbets and Enola Gay Haggard, in Quincy, Ill. Tibbets was convinced that the bombers of the future would be jet aircraft and thus became involved in the Boeing B-47 Stratojet program. Tibbets married his wife, Andrea, in about 1953 or 1954. The following year, he was formally inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.. Skip to comments. Listen to Paul Tibbets's Oral History on Voices of the Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project Spotlight: Paul Tibbets. [62] Colonel William H. Blanchard replaced Tibbets as group commander on 22 January 1946, and also became the first commander of the 509th Bombardment Wing, the successor to the 509th Composite Group. [55], Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Spaatz immediately after landing on Tinian. Ent gave Tibbets a choice of three possible bases: Great Bend Army Airfield, Kansas; Mountain Home Army Airfield, Idaho; or Wendover Army Air Field, Utah. Paul Warfield Tibbets IV is the grandson of Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945. Brig. [12], In February 1942, Tibbets reported for duty with the 29th Bombardment Group as its engineering officer. Tibbets chose the Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, from the three options of bases given to him for this top-secret project. [76], The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Air Corps) Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr., United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a B-29 Very Heavy Bomber in the 393d Bombardment Squadron, 509th Composite Group (VH), Twentieth Air force, while participating in a bombing mission on 6 August 1945, over Japan. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. His wife is Andrea P. Quattrehomme (4 May1956 - 1 November2007)( his death)( 1 child), Lucy Frances Wingate (19 June1938 - 1955)( divorced)( 2 children). On graduating in 1947 he was posted to the Directorate of Requirements at Air Force Headquarters at the Pentagon. At age 5, he relocated with his family to Iowa, where his father worked as a confections wholesaler. He attended the United States College of Naval Command and Staff at Newport, Rhode Island, from April 2002 to June 2003, from which he obtained a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. 1989 Bachelor of Science, Human Factors Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2000 Masters of Science, Human Factors Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow.