The B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the uranium atomic bomb Little Boy on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Enola Gay was flown by the 393rd Bombardment Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Its commander was Colonel Paul Tibbets, who named the aircraft after his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.
The mission departed from Tinian in the Mariana Islands and released Little Boy at approximately 8:15 a.m. local time. The explosion devastated Hiroshima and became a major factor in the final crisis that led Japan toward surrender.
A frequent mix-up is confusing Enola Gay with Bockscar. Bockscar carried Fat Man during the atomic bombing of Nagasaki three days later. The Great Artiste also participated in both missions, but it was an observation and support aircraft rather than the bomber that released either weapon.