Russell Gackenbach Autographed WWII Hiroshima & Nagasaki Color 8X10 Photo Navigator- Crew B-10 509th Composite Group-JSA #II11541

Russell Gackenbach served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 393rd Bombardment Squadron and in the 509th Composite Group. He flew in the Necessary Evil during the August 1945 Hiroshima bombing mission and in the Enola Gay during the Nagasaki bombing mission. On August 6, 1945 Gackenbach was a navigator aboard Necessary Evil, one of two B-29's that accompanied the Enola Gay. The mission of Gackenbach's aircraft was strike observation and photography. In the aftermath of the detonation of the Little Boy bomb, Gackenbach took a photo from 31,000 feet and sixteen miles from Hiroshima. The crew of Necessary Evil did not know at the time that they had dropped the first atomic bomb. He recalls being ushered into a debriefing immediately upon their return to the base. Russell Gackenbach has hand autographed this Vintage Color 8x10 Photo with Navigator Crew B-10 & 509th Composite Group inscriptions. JSA Authentication Sticker & Certificate of Authenticity #II11541