The B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima before Japan surrendered in 1945.
Enola Gay was a Boeing B-29 Superfortress assigned to the 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Forces. Colonel Paul Tibbets piloted the aircraft during the mission on 6 August 1945.
The bomber released Little Boy at 8:15 a.m. local time over Hiroshima. It was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The bomb caused catastrophic destruction and loss of life, while the Japanese government was still debating how to respond to the worsening military situation.
Bockscar, another B-29, dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki three days later. The two aircraft are often confused because both were involved in the atomic bombing missions, but Enola Gay flew the Hiroshima mission.