Central City in Linn County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr.
(23 February 1915 1 November 2007)
| | Brigadier General in the United States Air Force | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 2025
1. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. Marker
Although born in Illinois, Tibbets was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his father was a confections wholesaler.
On August 5, 1945, Colonel Paul Tibbets formally named his B-29 serial number 44-86292 fighter plane the Enola Gay after his mother. She was named after the heroine, Enola, a novel her father had liked. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with Tibbets at the controls at 2:45 a.m. for Hiroshima, Japan. The atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, was dropped over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. local time.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Distinguished Service Cross/Navy Cross/Air Force Cross Recipients series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 6, 1945.
Location. 42° 11.734′ N, 91° 31.671′ W. Marker is in Central City, Iowa, in Linn County. It is on Central City Road 0.3 miles east of Marion Road (Iowa Route 13), on the right when traveling east. The marker and Linn County Freedom Rock are located in a covered shelter on the south side of
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Iowa. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: PFC Nicholas Aberle (here, next to this marker); Mancil V. Root (here, next to this marker); Robert Naughton (here, next to this marker); LTC Charles A. Clark (here, next to this marker); Salvatore Guinta, SSG (here, next to this marker); Central City Freedom Rock Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); J. C. Clegg Building (approx. 0.7 miles away); Amvets Auxiliary Coggon Honors its War Dead (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers
2. Marker detail: Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Central City Freedom Rock Veterans Memorial
Also see . . . Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: In September 1944, he was appointed the commander of the 509th Composite Group, which would conduct the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He is best known as the aircraft captain who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped a Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.(Submitted on October 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Tibbets was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross immediately after landing on Tinian. Tibbets later received an invitation from President Harry S. Truman to visit the White House. He became a celebrity, with pictures and interviews of his wife and children in the major American newspapers. He was seen as a national hero who had ended the war with Japan.
After the war, he participated in the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946, and was involved in the development of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet in theearly 1950s. He commanded the 308th Bombardment Wing and 6th Air Division in the late 1950s, and was military attachι in India from 1964 to 1966.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 20253. Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. MarkerThe marker is mounted near the base of the north side of the Linn County Freedom Rock.
He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1996. The 509th Composite Group was awarded an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1999.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 18, 2025
4. Linn County Freedom Rock & Shelter (north side)
General Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. is honored on the north side of the Linn County Freedom Rock.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 73 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 12, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
