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General Charles Sweeney WWII Bockscar Pilot SIGNED CUT MATTED w/ 8x10 PHOTO For Sale


General Charles Sweeney WWII Bockscar Pilot SIGNED CUT MATTED w/ 8x10 PHOTO
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General Charles Sweeney WWII Bockscar Pilot SIGNED CUT MATTED w/ 8x10 PHOTO:
$250.00

Upfor sale is the following autographed Major General Charles Sweeney cut froma FDC that has been matted with an unsigned in-uniform 8x10 inch photograph:

BIO:Major General Charles Sweeney (Deceased) WWII Pilot of the Bockscar carrying theFat Man atomic bomb to the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. MajorGeneral Sweeney became an instructor in the atomic missions training project,Project Alberta, at Wendover Army Airfield, Utah. Selected to be part of the509th Composite Group commanded by Col. Paul Tibbets, he was named commander ofthe 320th Troop Carrier Squadron on 6 January 1945. Recipient of the SilverStar (3rd highest military decoration)

NagasakiMission took place on August 9th, 1945 Sweeney commanded Bockscar,which carried the atomic bomb Fat Man from the island of Tinian to Nagasaki. Inaddition to Bockscar, the mission included two observation and instrumentationsupport B-29s, The Great Artiste and The Big Stink, who would rendezvous with Bockscarover Yakushima Island. At the mission pre-briefing, the three planes wereordered to make their rendezvous over Yakushima at 30,000 feet due to weatherconditions over Iwo Jima (the Hiroshima mission rendezvous). That same morning,on the day of the mission, the ground crew notified Sweeney that a faulty fueltransfer pump made it impossible to utilize some 625 gallons of fuel in thetail, but Sweeney, as aircraft commander, elected to proceed with the mission. Beforetakeoff, Col. Tibbets warned Sweeney that he had lost at least 45 minutes offlying time because of the fuel pump problem, and to take no more than fifteenminutes at the rendezvous before proceeding directly to the primary target

Aftertakeoff from Tinian, Bockscar reached its rendezvous point and after circlingfor an extended period, found The Great Artiste, but not The Big Stink. Climbingto 30,000 feet, the assigned rendezvous altitude, both aircraft slowly circledYakushima Island. Though Sweeney had been ordered not to wait at the rendezvousfor the other aircraft longer than fifteen minutes before proceeding to theprimary target, Sweeney continued to wait for The Big Stink, perhaps at theurging of Commander Frederick Ashworth, the plane\'s weaponeer. After exceedingthe original rendezvous time limit by a half-hour, Bockscar, accompanied by theThe Great Artiste, proceeded to the primary target, Kokura. No less than threebomb runs were made, but the delay at the rendezvous had resulted in 7/10thscloud cover over the primary target, and the bombardier was unable to drop. Bythe time of the third bomb run, Japanese antiaircraft fire was getting close,and Japanese fighter planes could be seen climbing to intercept Bockscar.

Poorbombing visibility and an increasingly critical fuel shortage eventually forcedBockscar to divert from Kokura and attack the secondary target, Nagasaki. Asthey approached Nagasaki, the heart of the city\'s downtown was covered by densecloud, and Sweeney and the plane\'s weaponeer, Commander Ashworth, initiallydecided to bomb Nagasaki using radar. However, a small opening in the cloudsallowed Bockscar\'s bombardier to verify the target as Nagasaki. As the crew hadbeen ordered to drop the bomb visually if possible, Sweeney decided to proceedwith a visual bomb run. Bockscar then dropped Fat Man, with a blast yieldequivalent to 21 kilotons of TNT. It exploded 43 seconds later at 469 meters(1,539 feet) above the ground, at least 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) northwest ofthe planned aim point. The failure to drop Fat Man at the precise bomb aimpoint caused the atomic blast to be confined to the Urakami Valley. As aconsequence, a major portion of the city was protected by the interveninghills, and only 60% of Nagasaki was destroyed. The bombing also severed theMitsubishi arms production extensively and killed an estimated 35,000-40,000people outright, including 23,200-28,200 Japanese industrial workers and 150Japanese soldiers. Japan surrendered unconditionally six days later, endingWorld War II.

Lowon fuel, Bockscar barely made it to the runway on Okinawa. With only enoughfuel for one landing attempt, Sweeney brought Bockscar in fast and hard,ordering every available distress flare on board to be fired as he did so. Thenumber two engine died from fuel starvation as Bockscar began its final approach.Touching the runway hard, the heavy B-29 slewed left and towards a row ofparked B-24 bombers before the pilots managed to regain control. With bothpilots standing on the brake, Sweeney made a swerving 90-degree turn at the endof the runway to avoid going over the cliff into the ocean., 2nd Lt. JacobBeser recalled that at this point, two engines had died from fuel exhaustion,while \"the centrifugal force resulting from the turn was almost enough toput us through the side of the airplane.\" After Bockscar returned toTinian, Col. Tibbets recorded that he was faced with the dilemma of considering“if any action should be taken against the airplane commander, Charles Sweeney,for failure to command.” After meeting on Guam with Col. Tibbets and MajorSweeney, General Curtis LeMay, chief of staff for the Strategic Air Forces,confronted Sweeney, stating \"You fucked up, didn\'t you, Chuck?\", to whichSweeney made no reply. LeMay then turned to Tibbets and told him that aninvestigation into Sweeney\'s conduct of the mission would serve no usefulpurpose.

THISIS AN AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED CUT that was been matted with an unsigned inuniform 8x10 inch photograph perfect for framing. The black matt measures 11x14inches. This is one of the last remaining autographs that I have available ofhim. I am close to being permanently sold out do not miss out on your chance toadd this remarkable collectable to your collection. PLEASE NOTE this 8x10 photographwas printed posted war.

IONLY SELL AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA. I do not sell reprints orfacsimile autographs. When you offer on my items you get the real deal authentichand autographed items. You will receive the same item that is pictured in thescan. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. I combined S&H whenmultiple items are purchased. I ship items internationally the price forinternational S&H varies by country. I currently have other rareautographed military and historical signed items available. Please take a lookat my other sales of rare military and historical autographed items.


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