The uranium atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” was deployed on August 6, 1945, targeting the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, under the command of Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr., who served as the commander of the 509th Composite Group, and Captain Robert A. Lewis, was responsible for the deployment of the bomb.
Despite its delayed entry into World War II, the United States emerged as the nation responsible for introducing a weapon capable of bringing the conflict to a decisive conclusion. The United States formally joined the war subsequent to the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941. However, two years prior to this event, the United States had initiated the clandestine Manhattan Project, a program with a budget of $2 billion, aimed at the development of the atomic bomb. The aforementioned explosive devices were named Little Boy and “Fat Man,” and were subsequently deployed in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.
The atomic bomb “Little Boy” exploding over the Japanese city Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.