World Gay News

Enola Gay co-pilot’s logbook recording first A-bomb up for auction – New York Post

The Enola Gay flight log that recorded the world’s first atomic bombing goes up for auction Saturday.

The sole in-flight documentation of the American bombing of Hiroshima was made by the Enola Gay’s co-pilot Capt. Robert E. Lewis.

Lewis’ shock-and-awe account of the Aug. 6, 1945 mission was written in pen and pencil during the flight.

Bidding starts at $400,000.

The documentation of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was made by co-pilot Capt. Robert E. Lewis.
The documentation of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was made by co-pilot Capt. Robert E. Lewis.
AFP/Getty Images
[World War II, Bombing of Hiroshima. Autograph Logbook of Capt. Robert A. Lewis [USAAF, Co-Pilot of the Enola Gay.
His shock and awe account was written in pen and pencil.
HA.com
A page from the Enola Gay's logbook.
A page from the Enola Gay’s logbook.
HA.com
Bidding starts at $400,000 for the logbook.
Bidding starts at $400,000 for the logbook.
AFP/Getty Images
Minor edgewear, minor chipping to a few leaves but not affecting text, wrappers and text block lightly toned, light scattered dampstaining to the upper and lower covers, ink and pencil mark corrections throughout, chiefly in Lewis's hand with pencil corrections in the hand of William L. Laurence, journalist.
The log book previously sold for $350,000.
HA.com
This image provided by the Museum of World War II Boston shows the operations order for Hiroshima, dated Aug. 5, 1945.
This image provided by the Museum of World War II Boston shows the operations order for Hiroshima, dated Aug. 5, 1945.
AP

The world’s first atomic bomb obliterated Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people. Three days later, the U.S. dropped a second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, killing 70,000 people.

American leaders believed the strikes — which led to Japan’s surrender a week later on Aug. 15 — preempted what would have been a prolonged land invasion of Japan that could have cost 1 million American lives.

The log book previously sold for $350,000 at a March 2002 auction in The Big Apple, It was from the collection of late financial publisher Malcolm Forbes at the time.

The book is being sold by an anonymous consignor on auction platform Heritage Auctions.