Enola Gay goes on display

2003-12-15 20:36

Chantilly, Virginia - Grief overflowed and anger erupted on Monday as aged Japanese survivors confronted the Enola Gay, the US warplane which unleashed the world's first atom bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.

Six survivors and about 50 peace activists held up pictures of hideously burnt victims among the tens of thousands killed or injured by the blast, as the restored and shiny silver Boeing B-29 Superfortress loomed overhead.

The Enola Gay was put on display for the first time in one piece on opening day for a vast new annex to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, which also includes a just retired French Concorde and space shuttle prototype.

One protestor threw a bag of paint at the aircraft, and was hauled away by police, though activists could not identify the man.

It was not clear if the Enola Gay was damaged.

The vigil stirred anger among some visitors to the museum, just under the flightpath of Dulles international airport outside Washington.

"Remember Pearl Harbor" "Go home" "What about the Nanjing massacre?" several men shouted in references to the imperial Japanese army, as several scuffles broke out with activists.

Survivors are disappointed the plane is being displayed with no reference to casualty figures at Hiroshima, which some estimates say reach 230 000 people, when those who died in later years of radiation poisoning are included.

The Enola Gay bears a label describing it as the "most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II."

The museum's director, retired general John Dailey, has resisted groups who want the death toll from the Hiroshima bombings included.

"We don't do it for other airplanes," he said.

"From a consistency standpoint, we focus on the technical aspects."

- AFP