http://michaeldsellers.weearth.com/2010/04/02/studs-terkel-interviews-the-pilot-of-the-enola-gay-paul-tibbets/

The Beser foundation has another interview with him on transcript. The Beser foundations interviews due to their age are probably the most interesting artifact. We see both sides of Tibbets displayed. His book was revised after a controversy flared up http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Enola-Gay-Paul-Tibbets/dp/0942397118/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291673701&sr=1-5

I will at this point wade into the controversy of the Nagasaki Mission V Hiroshima I will also deal with the nature of Bob Lewis. Ferebee ( http://www.mishalov.com/Ferebee.html ),Van Kirk http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1086088,00.html along with Tibbets were the core of Composite group together. They had been shot at together. The Hiroshima bombing occurred under better weather conditions the pilot in command Tibbets had been combat tested more then once. Furthermore the last minute decision to assemble the guts of bomb in flight made the mission a far harder target for the Murphy’s laws of combat. http://www.military-quotes.com/norsk/murphy.htm Also in the fine tradition of Murphy the strike flight that could most cope with Murphy’s laws of combat was immune to them. The crew least prepared to deal with Murphy had Murphy enter Bock‘s car. http://www.mputtre.com/id45.html Before criticism of Sweeney gets loud and heavy bear in mind despite his rank he had lacked the experience Tibbets had and the Nagasaki mission did as Beser points the bomb centered on more the industrial guts of the city rather then a residential area. This is also not the only controversy about the two bomb drop missions. What is interesting to note is that in one of the books written about the bombing of Hiroshima it is recounted that the very explosive charges were kicked looking like bean bags as the Enola Gay was loaded by a crew member. So the Enola Gay was remarkably free of Murphy.

Captain Bob Lewis had nose pushed out of joint. He had been assigned the plane that would name be named the Enola Gay his bombadier and his navigator were replaced by old buddies of Tibbets. There comment about my God is another controversial element. This is highlighted some of the sites. It is my opinion that the depiction of Lewis in the Movie Enola Gay is probably the most accurate in terms of mentality though how Tibbets dismissed this was very different then the movie Enola Gay portrayed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGNtJvewtzk BBC has the actual exchange. (6:28) dramatized of course. Tensions were also exacerbated at take off (in my opinion) seen at part (3:14-3:22). Lewis’s point about wishing the bombs were ready sooner strike home. How many Marines would have lived if the bomb had been used on Iwo? The idea he brings fourth of bombing Iwo Jima had the bomb been sooner is actually a surprising insight. (see Beser foundation)

The bombs that ended World War II and revealed most completely the horror of war were dropped by primarily young men very young men (under 30). Tibbets was a rebel son who named the airplane for his mother. Probably the most interesting take is from Lewis who was a hot pilot he bemoaned the fact the bomb was not developed soon enough to be dropped on Iwo Jima. Pg 20 of his interview from Beser foundation. The uniting theme is get the blasted war over. What we found about Much of the lore straight from the horses mouth is Dutch Van Kirk http://www.youtube.com/user/uwgucm#p/u/33/8vYwY5nQUYU the whole interview provides interesting insights. You can go to the channel and see the whole interview. Parsons who was on the Enola Gay was the old man of the group. Due to his early death not much is about him. Imagine being over 40 in an airplane commanded by someone under 30 and the co pilot. The recordings from the surviving crew and transcripts indicate a universal degree of praise for Parsons. It was his decision that made the Enola Gay’s mission much safer. His thoughts on the crew would have been interesting. What we do have is biography with less then full source material on the web http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1557501203/theatomicarchive/#_

We see the men as older men the family of Beser did us the service of offering a freeze frame far closer to the event. There is older film of the men close to the event but there is woefully little of it. So we are stuck with the interviews of the older men and the record 15 years after the bomb drop. We have the recollections of men looking back. We also have some historical records of orders cut that were declassified. The phenomenal amount of info though allows inferences.