Lewis Captain Robert (1 results)

First Edition. United States War Department-issued "Line of Position" notebook (203 x 270 mm). 27 pp. of autograph text in ink and pencil, including covers. The account of Captain Robert A. Lewis (1917 - 1983) occupies the first 8 pp., followed by his 14-pp. history of the 509th Composite Group written by him, 1 p. additional notes, and a 2-pp. song about the 509th. Lewis also filled out both covers of the record book with notes: on the front cover, the title "Bombing of Hiroshima," a list of the crew aboard the Enola Gay, and several other notes; and on the back cover, a sketch of the Hiroshima mushroom cloud as observed by Lewis from the plane (dated and initialed "09:30 8/6/45 R.A.L."). The pages were later numbered, and the pencil emendations, visible across all eight pages, were made by New York Times editor William L. Laurence (1888 - 1977). Drab paper boards top bound in black cloth. Some light soiling to boards and a bit of wear to cloth binding. One leaf (p. 7 of the account) was torn from later in the notebook and taped in by Lewis at its current position (see below for a timeline of Lewis' account). In Very Good condition overall. This in-flight record documents the bombing of Hiroshima from the perspective of Captain Robert A. Lewis, co-pilot of the Enola Gay, on the journey to drop the "Little Boy" bomb. Over the course of the twelve-hour flight from Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands to Hiroshima and back again, Lewis recorded both what he saw - including a sketch of the mushroom cloud over the city - and what he felt - apprehension, confusion, shock, awe - as he and his crew entered history. Though Lewis' record is one of two firsthand accounts of the Hiroshima bombing written aboard the Enola Gay, it is the only account that documents the personal observations and emotional response of one of the crewmembers. The other documentation of the flight, the navigator's log of Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, is a purely technical account, recording data like timing and flight position but not including the historically valuable and emotionally impactful commentary present here. Lewis' record, then, provides an unequalled firsthand account of the flight of the Enola Gay. Lewis wrote this account at the request of New York Times science editor William "Atomic Bill" Laurence, who had been given permission to document the mission aboard the Enola Gay. At the last minute, however, Laurence was barred from the flight (he was ultimately allowed aboard the plane that bombed Nagasaki). Laurence asked Lewis to record the Enola Gay mission in his stead, and Lewis took this notebook aboard to document his experiences: "A great deal of the notes were written in almost complete darkness. Half way through I ran out of ink," Lewis wrote. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay left Tinian at 2:25am. The plane passed over Iwo Jima within three hours, and, by 7:30, Lewis wrote: "we are loaded, the bomb is now alive and it's a funny feeling knowing its right in back of you. Knock wood. We started out climb to 30,000ft.well folks its not long now." At 8:15, the Enola Gay dropped the bomb. The "Little Boy" fell for forty-four seconds before detonating over a Hiroshima hospital, instantly killing tens of thousands of people and destroying nearly four square miles of the city. Of the moment the bomb struck Hiroshima, Lewis wrote: "We then turned the ship so we could observe results and there in front of our eyes was with out a doubt the greatest explosion man has ever witnessed. The city was 9/10 covered with smoke.and a column which.reached 30,000 ft." In his later reflections, likely recorded within a few days, he added: "I am certain the entire crew felt this experience was more than anyone human had ever thought possible. It just seems impossible to comprehend. Just how many did we kill? I honestly have the feeling of groping for words to explain this.My God what have we done. If I live a hundred years I'll never quite get these few minutes out of my mind." We now. Signed.