Because you mentioned Curtis Lemay last week, I’d like to tell you a tiny bit of military trivia that probably isn’t recorded in any history book. General Lemay was my father-in-law’s commanding officer during WW2. Fred Billingsley, who retired a lieutenant colonel, served under Lemay primarily as a navigator, but he also was the test pilot for the prototype of the Enola Gay (just for the prototype, not for the actual Enola Gay). Of course, he knew nothing about the Manhattan Project, or what this new plane was for. But years later, he told his son (my husband) that when he saw the size of those huge bomb bay doors, he knew that the Allies had come up with ‘some very special new weapon’.
An insightful answer.
And I wanted to say, Mr. Kust, Happy Veteran’s Day. Thank you for your service!
Because you mentioned Curtis Lemay last week, I’d like to tell you a tiny bit of military trivia that probably isn’t recorded in any history book. General Lemay was my father-in-law’s commanding officer during WW2. Fred Billingsley, who retired a lieutenant colonel, served under Lemay primarily as a navigator, but he also was the test pilot for the prototype of the Enola Gay (just for the prototype, not for the actual Enola Gay). Of course, he knew nothing about the Manhattan Project, or what this new plane was for. But years later, he told his son (my husband) that when he saw the size of those huge bomb bay doors, he knew that the Allies had come up with ‘some very special new weapon’.