Controversy led to the event’s cancellation. However, both the American Legion and the Air Force Association objected to elements of the planned exhibit, saying that they focused too much attention on the death and damage caused by the bombing. In 1995, the Smithsonian planned to display the aircraft in observance of the 50th anniversary of World War II’s end. Restoration of the Enola Gay began on December 5, 1984. His aircraft was transferred to an airbase in Roswell, New Mexico.Īfter the war, it was sent to Davis-Moncton Air Force Base in Arizona, and from there to various locations until 1961, when the Smithsonian took possession of its dismantled components. Colonel Tibbets landed his plane on a base at Tinian after a total of 12 hours and 13 minutes in flight, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross soon thereafter. The Enola Gay and its two companion aircraft returned safely from their mission.
