LOT #47045 |
Sold on Dec 1, 2022 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
[Enola Gay]. AAF Cloth Chart owned and used by George Caron, tail gunner aboard the B-29 Enola Gay, on its histori...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on Dec 1, 2022 for:
$68,750.00
Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
George Caron's large silk map of Japan, present aboard the B-29 Enola Gay on the mission that dropped the "Little Boy" atomic bomb over Hiroshima
[Enola Gay]. AAF Cloth Chart owned and used by George Caron,
tail gunner aboard the B-29 Enola Gay, on its
historic bombing mission of the Japanese city of Hiroshima on
August 6, 1945, the day the world was catapulted into the Atomic
Age. Printed silk map, 32.75 x 30.5 inches (83 x 78 cm).
February 1945. Scale 1:4,000,000. One of the most desirable of AAF
escape charts, the beautifully detailed colored maps show all of
Japan and parts of both Korea and French Indo-China as the Allied
Forces were preparing to invade Japan and end the War in the
Pacific.This AAF chart belonged to Technical Sergeant George Caron and was acquired from the tail gunner's survival kit on board the Enola Gay. This very chart was present on all three missions flown over Japan, including the mission to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, where the atomic bomb "Little Boy" decimated the city and killed approximately 71,000 people, with another 68,000 injured.
AAF Cloth Charts, often referred to as "silk" maps, were issued by the Army Air Force for the Aeronautical Chart Service, and usually carried by pilots and crews in their survival kits when they flew over enemy territory. Intended to be durable, these maps were actually made of a semi-synthetic fiber rather than silk. Due to rudimentary knowledge of air currents at the time, the US military relied on updated information from B-17 and B-25 pilots during their reconnaissance missions, resulting in a continuous reissuing of these maps throughout World War II. This particular map is printed as an "Advance Edition," dated February 1945, with November - March currents printed in red and May - September currents printed in green. The map legend is printed in the upper right corner of C-52.
Condition: Numerous pin holes along edges where previously mounted to foam board, light fraying and yellowing at edges, minor losses with some soiling at top edge, not affecting text. Map colors bright and clean with period folds, inventory mark in pencil at the bottom right corner of C-53, "12143134."
Provenance: Heritage Auctions, June 8, 2010, lot 34197. The silk map is accompanied by a handwritten letter, publicly notarized and signed by George Caron to Paul J. Boyer. The letter reads: "Dear Paul, Please accept this letter as certification that the silk map of the Western Pacific Ocean you acquired from me came from the Tail Gunner's survival kit that was on board the B-29, Enola Gay on her three missions over Japan including the one on Aug. 6, 1945 to Hiroshima. Sincerely yours, George R. Caron." The letter is dated October 26, 1982.
Also included is a colored photograph of the Enola Gay, signed and inscribed to Boyer from Caron. From the Melvin "Pete" Mark, Jr. Collection
Auction Info
2022 December 1 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6267 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2022
1st
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 7
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 717
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.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms