October 2013 Auction Ends Tuesday, October 29th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/29/2013
Morris Jeppson's signed souvenir journal detailing his experience as the weapons officer during the Enola Gay's flight to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Jeppson's personal account of the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Mission is written in his hand in a leather-bound diary and signed upon the title page, "Morris Jeppson / Weapon Test Officer…" Extraordinary content reads in part: "The Manhattan Project initiated in 1943 by WWII President Roosevelt was the largest scientific project in history. Two new super bomb explosives were being developed, both derived from the natural element uranium…uranium atoms broke apart (fission) when exposed to neutrons of a certain energy. The combined masses of the fission products was discovered to be less than that of the original uranium; the missing mass converted to energy - enormous energy. Even a few pounds of a particular uranium isotope might produce a gigantic explosion - an 'atomic bomb'. The Manhattan Project constructed enormous factories at Oak Ridge, Tenn. to separate U235 from natural uranium…the entire outputs of U235 from the Oak Ridge plants was in the Hiroshima bomb! The gun type bomb used at Hiroshima use U235…We had completed 8 months in electronic and radar engineering at Harvard and MIT, when we were ordered to Wendover, Utah. We worked at the newly formed 509th B29 group being organized at Wendover Air Field in Utah. The sole purpose of the 509th, brought together by Colonel Paul Tibbets, was to work with Los Alamos to help develop and deliver atomic bombs. We worked for Dr. Edward Doll, PhD Cal Tech, who was developing the bomb fuzing, of course nobody used the word atomic bomb, or ever mentioned the word nuclear. It was probably the biggest secret in the country…I, Jeppson was weapon test officer, I had the responsibility for testing the electronic fuzing system of the bomb during the flight to Hiroshima. If tests showed problem, I was to advise Parsons to abort the mission and return Little Boy to Tinian. I had figured out during working trips to Los Alamos that we were working on atomic bombs. Van Kirk flew a few test mission from Tinian to further test the bomb fuzing system. Colonel Tibbets himself, Parsons, Besser and I were not allowed to fly any Tinian tests or combat missions until the dropping of the first atomic bomb…Towards the end of July order came that the 509th Composite Group would drop their bomb as soon as weather would permit after about August 3, 1945. Try to visualize 2000 B29s carrying full loads of conventional high explosive bombs would be needed to give the blast of one atomic bomb!…A pit had been constructed where Little Boy could be unloaded for transfer to another B29 on standby - if the Enola Gay could not complete the mission. A similar loading pit was needed at North Field also (there were 2), because the atomic bombs were too massive to be loaded directly into a B29 from the ground. On August 2 the Hiroshima strike was set for August 6. On August 6, I believe, the 509th briefing was held for the Hiroshima mission in a building (hut) restricted and guarded by MPs. Airial photos of Hiroshima, Kokura and Nagasaki were reviewed as targets…Parsons said that the bomb we were to drop on Japan was something new, and it would change the history of warfare. He said, 'it is the most destructive weapon ever produced,' and that is should knock out everything within a 3 mile area. He then asked the projector operator to show the film of the test explosion at Alamagerdo. However, the film got stuck in the projector, and nobody ever saw the film. So Parsons came back on the platform and said something like, 'The film you are not about to see was made of the only test that has been made of this explosive!'…Parsons said that no one knows what would happen when the bomb was dropped from the air, as this had never been done before. He then sketched a mushroom shape on the black board, and said they expected a cloud of that shape would rise quickly to 30,000 feet or more. He went on to say the flash would be incredibly bright and that crews should wear dark goggles to avoid possible eye damage - these were distributed as he spoke. Col. Tibbets, then, reminded us not to mention any of this to anyone…My boss, Ed Doll, a civilian, told me privately not to tell everything if I was captured, but at the briefing, Buscher, who was Air Force security, gave us the official Air Force version, which was quite different. Colonel Tibbets concluded the briefing by saying he was honored, and was sure all of us were, to have been chosen to take part in this mission, which he felt should shorten the war…A day or so before 5 August I would fly the first mission. Remember, at this late date, it was not supposed to be known or confirmed that the mission was an atomic bomb. 1 AM, we squeezed into the back of a truck and made our way to the Enola Gay runway. We climbed into the B29. I sat on a cushion on the floor in front of the monitoring console, and Parsons sat near me on another cushion…Little Boy, painted in black, hung there, in cramped quarters with its nose just behind the pressure door. When Enola Gay was approaching Japan while climbing to bombing altitude, I strapped on my parachute. Some looked at me with an expression like, 'what do you know that maybe I should know.' No one else put on a parachute. Take off was a nervous minute as the plane was extremely heavy. Tibbets used almost the entire runway before the plane lifted off near the edge of the island…Crashes were the reason why Parsons wanted at the last to add an unplanned action. He worried that a crash of Enola Gay might ignite the powder that fired the projectile of U235 in Little Boy's gun to make a nuclear explosion. This would destroy, or could, 400 B29s and personnel on North Field…So, right after take off Parsons climbed into the bomb bay and opened a cover at the rear of Little Boy and connected the powder to the firing line from the fuzing system. I assisted him. Since this was my first (and only) combat mission, I found it amazing that the crew was relaxed. Besser was sleeping, Dick Nelson read a book and Van Kirk was busy navigating the plane to the target 1500 miles to Iwo, Japan and Hiroshima. Every few minutes I checked the bomb fuzing circuits all the steps from batteries to arming (testing plugs) in Little Boy…Col Tibbets started the climb towards 30,000 feet bombing altitude. By, lest I forget, I had to first climb into the bomb bay through the pressure door (the two cabins were not yet pressurized). I then climbed around the bomb, which crowded the space, and remove three green electrical 'plugs' embedded into the bomb towards the tail fins at near the back end on top. These plugs about the size of flashlight batteries contained simply some were connected into the circuits of the bomb. They allowed me to test through the console in the forward compartment the various electrical circuits within Little Boy…I replaced the green coded safety testing plugs with red coded plugs. These made connection between the bomb's fuzing system with the squibs in the gun that would fire the gun powder that fired the U235 projectile into the U235 target when Little Boy dropped to about 1800 feet above Hiroshima…About 8 AM we were approaching Hiroshima. Navigator 'Dutch' Van Kirk had brought Enola Gay precisely to target at the exact time planned. Tibbets came on the intercom: 'We're about to start the bomb run.' Put on your goggles and place them up on your forehead. When you hear the tone signal put them over your eyes and leave them there until after the flash. After buckling my parachute on my harness I got my oxygen mask ready and attached it to the emergency oxygen bottle. I had occurred to me that the blast from this bomb might damage the plane and rupture the pressurized cabins. I didn't want to be caught at 30,000 feet without oxygen. None of the other crew seemed to worry about this…Bombing was, by command, to be visual, not by radar or by guess. When Ferebee cried, 'I've got it,' Col. Tibbets double checked to confirm the target. Ferebee sounded 'bomb away'. It was 8:15 AM. The bomb bay doors sprang open - Little Boy released and all the electrical test cables pulled away. The plane jumped upward as the 5 ton bomb was released. Tibbets turned the plane sharply to the right. He knew there was a chance that blast (shock wave) from the explosion might damage the plane. Nobody was certain the plane was safe, as this was the first time an atomic bomb was being dropped from a plane…I knew it would take 43 seconds after the bomb was released for it to explode, so I mentally counted 43 seconds. After my count of 43 seconds there was no flash to indicate the bomb had detonated, and therefore that the fuzing system had functioned properly. My moment of dread - the bomb had failed somehow…But I had counted too fast. In seconds, the flash was reflected through the cabin - There was only a tiny window at the navigator's table. I remember a feeling of relief: The bomb was gone; it worked; my job was done. George Caron, tail gunner reported over the intercom that a bright ring was rising rapidly from the direction of the explosion. Then it passed the plane jarring it sharply. This was a shock wave from the explosion. It did no damage…Tibbets turned the plane to observe what was happening. I moved over for a look out of the navigator's window. I saw a huge white mushroom shaped cloud rising rapidly and a churning mass of dark smoke and orange flames surging out over the ground from Hiroshima. I realized with sorrow that death and destruction was below. Tibbets came on the intercom and state that we had carried the first atomic bomb…already there was speculation that this might shorten the war…I retained one of the three testing plugs I had removed from Little Boy before it was dropped on Hiroshima." Journal runs 35pp. and measures 5" x 6". Near fine.
Enola Gay Crewman Morris Jeppson Handwritten Signed Souvenir Account of Hiroshima -- "…Ferebee sounded 'bomb away'…churning mass of dark smoke and orange flames surging out over the ground…"
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