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[Enola Gay]. George Caron's Emergency Sustenance Kit Carried on the Mission to Bomb Hiroshima.. ...
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Sold on Dec 9, 2024 for:
$1,250.00
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Description
[Enola Gay]. George Caron's Emergency Sustenance Kit Carried on the Mission to Bomb Hiroshima.Fishing kit fit for the Emergency Sustenance Vest Type C-1, 2.875" x 2.875" x 1"; carried by Enola Gay's tail gunner George Caron on the mission to drop the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Issued as a component of the Army Air Force C1 Survival Vest, the fishing kit was intended for use if Caron was forced to ditch the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, and parachute into the Sea below.
Together with an Autograph Letter Signed by Caron (8.5" x 11") dated May 27, 1989, attesting to the kit's veracity. In part: "This is to certify that the Emergency Sustenance Vest Type C-1 packet was carried by me aboard the B-29, Enola Gay, on Aug. 6, 1945 when we dropped the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan." The letter is signed twice, in cursive and print, at the conclusion, "George R. Caron / George R. Caron / Tail Gunner - Enola Gay," with notary's signature below. The letter and kit are mounted with two black and white printouts featuring an image of Enola Gay landing back at Tinian, the "Little Boy" bomb prior to the mission, and Caron's image of the mushroom cloud to an overall size of 19.5" x 15.125". Caron's AAF cloth chart also issued as part of his survival kit and flown on the Enola Gay previously sold at Heritage for $68,750 in 2022.
The Enola Gay, along with two other B-29's used for instrumentation and documentation, left from North Field on Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific in the early morning of August 6, 1945, making the approximate six hour journey to Hiroshima. As the sole gunner on board the Enola Gay, Caron would ultimately be the only defender of the bomber if they ever came under Japanese fire. Seated in his gunner position facing the rear of the plane and camera in hand, Caron would be the first of the crew to witness the mushroom cloud after the bomb was dropped at 8:15am local time, taking just 53 seconds to fall 31,060 feet.
Condition: The clear plastic kit has yellowed with scattered staining, but remains fully intact and sealed. Scattered foxing to letter, with light adhesive show through along margins. A few scattered stains to the board, with toning and wear to the edges, including small holes along the edges from prior framing. The board has fully detached from its plywood backing, but backing is still present.
Auction Info
2024 December 9 Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction #6303 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2024
9th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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