Tibbetts A-Bomb Mission Flight Suit & DSC For Sale

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:19 pm

Donated to a museum now for sale with the starting bid of $150,000 :shock:

http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190262550856

mike furline · **Joined:** Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm **Posts:** 2685

I wonder if his daughter knows about this? :shock:

Django · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:25 pm

It ended at 150k too.

What museum had this?

TAdan · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:25 pm

Wow...

I can only think of two places that uniform should be... On display next to the Enola Gay or Bockscar.

I also am curious about which museum had it, and why they are selling it. IMO this type of thing should go to the Smithsonian.

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:33 pm

I wonder if this was given to the museum in Columbus, OH? They had alot of cool artifacts at one time.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:39 pm

In Ohio . The owner died and his widow is selling stuff.

Dan K · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:42 pm

Django wrote:

It ended at 150k too.

What museum had this?

Check the letter of authorization in the auction. The letter is dated 1979 and addressed to "Mobile Museums, Inc." (whatever that is).

Zachary · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:18 pm

Who do you suppose bought it? Paul Allen?

Zack

wendovertom · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:32 pm

ok - I'll get out my soapbox - and now you have been warned.

Recognizing that this is a free market and that everyone has the right to do with thier property as they see fit, I think this is a travesty. The suit should be in a museum with a 509th display. I am biased and think that it should be here, in Wendover, along with many other itmes that have been donated.

It irks me that such personal links to history are hidden away in private collections - ie - the red safety plugs that were pulled from the Hiroshima bomb that were sold to a private collector who said they would be on display on his mantel for anyone who wanted to see them when they came by and visited the house. What a load of crap in my opinion. It is these small bits of history that remain which help tie us to the past - bring the past ot life and make it alive again. I'll never forget what an impression FIFI made to a former tail gunner with the 509th when he saw the B-29 for the first time since the war here in Wendover - he teared up and spoke of his experiences all those many years ago - it made that time, the reasons for the war and the atomic bomb come into real perspective for those of us who were standing with him. Thank you CAF B-29/B-24 squadron!!

Now, that I have ranted - I read the interview on file at Maxwell AFB that Tibbetts did when he turned a great deal of his memorabilia over to the Air Force Historical Agency - he made it plain that his kids wanted nothing to do with the stuff and so he was donating much of it and going to sell the rest of the "useless crap" - (I might be expressing his statement too strong there). So I doubt that his kids have much interest in it now either - or maybe they do and would sell it to.

Anyway - theres my rambling .02

Tom P.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:24 pm

nothing like "donating to a museum"

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:28 pm

Jack Cook wrote:

nothing like "donating to a museum"

I don't reall understand as to which museum if any this was donated to.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:59 pm

Quote:

In 1979 Tibbets gave this flight suit to a Ohio museum (Tibbets resided in Columbus) along with an original typed and signed of provenance which now accompanies the suit. It reads, in part: "...The light weight summer flying suit was worn by myself and the members of my crew while on the first atomic mission...I was pilot of the 'Enola Gay' which dropped the first bomb. This is the uniform I wore on that day when the first atomic bomb was dropped. The Distinguished Service Cross on the uniform is the one given to me by General Spaatz after our first mission...[Signed] Paul W. Tibbets". Tibbets, a modest man, never had great emotional attachment to such items, and that lack of sentiment helps explains his donation of the flight suit to the Ohio museum. It should be noted that several years after the interview for Duty, Tibbets attempted to purchase the flight suit from the widow of the museum owner (further adding to the uniform's provenance), but his offer was declined.

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:02 pm

Jack Cook wrote:

Quote:

In 1979 Tibbets gave this flight suit to a Ohio museum (Tibbets resided in Columbus) along with an original typed and signed of provenance which now accompanies the suit. It reads, in part: "...The light weight summer flying suit was worn by myself and the members of my crew while on the first atomic mission...I was pilot of the 'Enola Gay' which dropped the first bomb. This is the uniform I wore on that day when the first atomic bomb was dropped. The Distinguished Service Cross on the uniform is the one given to me by General Spaatz after our first mission...[Signed] Paul W. Tibbets". Tibbets, a modest man, never had great emotional attachment to such items, and that lack of sentiment helps explains his donation of the flight suit to the Ohio museum. It should be noted that several years after the interview for Duty, Tibbets attempted to purchase the flight suit from the widow of the museum owner (further adding to the uniform's provenance), but his offer was declined.

The widow of the museum owner? What museum would this be.

wendovertom · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:21 pm

Right on Jack. And I further have a problem with telling someone who donated an item "no, you can't have it back" maybe I am to old fashioned, but giving it back would be the right thing to do.

Tom P.

PhantomAce08 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:29 pm

Motts?

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