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The Dog Tags of Major Charles William Sweeney, Pilot of the B-29 Superfortress Bockscar Which Dropped the World's ...
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Sold on Jun 19, 2023 for:
$20,000.00
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Description
The Dog Tags of Major Charles William Sweeney, Pilot of the B-29 Superfortress Bockscar Which Dropped the World's Second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki With a LOA From His Son.A truly unique and historic offering of Major Charles W. Sweeney's WWII dog tags. Each identical tag measures approximately 2 x 1-inches. Each is stamped "SWEENEY, CHARLES W. / AO 430633 / T42 42 A NEG / CATHOLIC". The original chain is still present. The "AO" prefix before Sweeney's service number is specific to Army Air Corps officers; the next line is his tetanus shot dates and blood type; the last line lists his religion.
Major Charles William Sweeney (1919-2004) was the pilot of the B-29 Bockscar carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. Sweeney became an instructor in the atomic missions training project and was selected to be part of the 509th Composite Group commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay on the Hiroshima mission. On May 4, 1945, Sweeney became commander of the 393d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, the combat element of the 509th, in charge of 15 B-29s and their flight and ground crews, 535 men in all. In addition to supervising the intensive training of his flight crews during July 1945, Sweeney was selected to command the second atomic bomb mission. He trained with the crew of Captain (Charles D.) Don Albury aboard their B-29 The Great Artiste. He and the crew flew five of the nine rehearsal test drops of inert Little Boy and Fat Man bomb assemblies in preparation for the missions. Major Sweeney and Albury piloted The Great Artiste as the instrumentation and observation support aircraft for the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945. Sweeney's mission to Nagasaki was plagued with visibility problems and the bomb was released over a mile northwest of the planned drop. After the war Sweeney left active service but remained with the Massachusetts Air National Guard and was promoted to full Colonel. Sweeney was named commander of its 102nd Air Defense Wing and shortly after was promoted to brigadier general. During this time, he was activated with the 102nd and served in Europe during the Berlin Crisis from October 1961 to August 1962. Sweeney was made chief of staff in October 1967.
The dog tags are accompanied by a letter of provenance from Joseph Sweeney, his son. This is the first time they are being offered at auction.
Condition: Excellent.
Auction Info
2023 June 19 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6271 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2023
19th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 8
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 930
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
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