# Who (if anyone) was the Enola Gay named after?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-if-anyone-was-the-enola-gay-named-after/470698>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 2, 2008, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-if-anyone-was-the-enola-gay-named-after/470698 "2008-11-02T08:27:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-if-anyone-was-the-enola-gay-named-after/470698/21 "2008-11-03T00:11:16Z")

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> [@ivan\_astikov](#):
>
> Shouldn’t the plane that dropped the bomb have been Neccessary Evil, really? I’m sure Mrs Tibbet would have rather been associated with filming the devastation, than creating it! And what kind of person names a deliverer of 80,000 deaths after his dear old mom?

One who knows that stopping a war may require some drastic measures.

He also knew that the race to go nuclear wasn’t one-sided. He much preferred that the plane that stopped the war be named after Mrs. Hibbets instead of Mrs. Wong or or Mrs. Rommel.

When you have to do horrible things in order to protect your family you think of them often and just might put their names on your equipment to remind you why you have to do those horrible things.

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**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-if-anyone-was-the-enola-gay-named-after/470698/22 "2008-11-03T07:05:49Z")

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Thanks everyone… ignorance fought and vanquished once again…

And I promise to work on my google skills…

FML

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**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-if-anyone-was-the-enola-gay-named-after/470698/23 "2008-11-03T11:01:39Z")

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> [@Indistinguishable](#):
>
> Surely, there were people at the time who also thought it was wrong. We are not reaching across _that_ great a chasm of history here.

Of the history that I have read, some of the designers themselves were against the bomb, and in fact signed a petition to that effect. I don’t have a cite right now, but I also understand that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen specifically due to there heretofore “umbombed” status bringing into question the idea of “innocent” vicitims.

Although to be fair, as an town housing a large industrial workforce the destruction of Hiroshima, and the consequent destruction of factory workers could be considered a legitimate military target.

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**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-if-anyone-was-the-enola-gay-named-after/470698/24 "2008-11-03T11:13:55Z")

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> [@Gfactor](#):
>
> Then why do it?
> 
> **Gfactor**  
> General Questions Moderator

Sorry.

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