Atomic Bomb

Operation Crossroads Training Photo – The Enola Gay and Top Secret in Roswell, New Mexico 1946

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Not sure if I’ve posted this image before, but thought that now would be a good time to add some aviation related color slides from my personal collection.  A jackpot of an ebay find a few months back turned out to contain original color images of the 509th Composite Group training in Roswell, New Mexico prior to the Operation Crossroads testing.  I have other images from this grouping, as well as some original paper material related to the 509th posted to this blog. Please enjoy this first (and one my favorites) image of the Enola Gay and some other B-29’s of the 509th lined up at Roswell. Not sure who the crew member is, but I’m glad the photographer missed the focus on this one!

 

 

 

 

Operation Crossroads – Post-WWII Color Slide Photo – QB-17 Drone Plane at Roswell, New Mexico

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Color war photos are one of my favorite forms of amateur photography.  The history behind each image is intensified when documented in color, allowing the historian to glean historical details not visible in B/W photography.  One such image can be found below, from my collection of images taken in Roswell New Mexico right after WWII.  The photos were taken by a member of the 509th Composite Group.  The unit was responsible for dealing with the atomic weapons of WWII and also dropped a bomb on the Bikini Atoll in 1946.

The QB-17 shown below is possibly one of the first handful of B-17’s outfitted to fly unmanned.  This plane was used to fly through an atomic cloud and collect important radiation data.  These data were later used to test for radiation fallout numbers.  I’ve only personally seen two other color images of a QB-17 painted in this scheme.  What an important resource for historians, hobbyists, and vintage photography collectors!

Front Page of Drone Unit History

Back Cover of Drone Unit History