WORLD WAR II.] OLIVI, Fred J. (1922-2004), Co-pilot of Bock’s Car. Autograph manuscript, unsigned, n.d. [9 August 1945]. 8 pages, 4to and 8vo, in pencil.
WORLD WAR II.] OLIVI, Fred J. (1922-2004), Co-pilot of Bock’s Car. Autograph manuscript, unsigned, n.d. [9 August 1945]. 8 pages, 4to and 8vo, in pencil. “BIGGEST EXPLOSION I’VE EVER SEEN. THOSE POOR JAPS” A dramatic eyewitness account of the second atomic bombing, by the man who served as co-pilot to Maj. Charles W. Sweeny in Bock’s Car, the B-29 that dropped the uranium bomb, “Fat Man,” over Nagasaki. Olivi’s mission was plagued with problems throughout. Laden with the heavy weapon and over 7,000 gallons of fuel, the plane barely made it off the runway on takeoff. “We sweated it,” Olivi writes, and I mean just that.” One of the fuel pumps malfunctioned. They failed to locate one of the support planes at the rendezvous point over Iwo Jima. “Hoppy still hasn’t arrived,” he writes, referring to James T. Hopkins’s The Big Stink. “We can’t wait any longer. Our gas is going fast…“11:32 Our chances for ditching are good!!! Bomb must be dropped for more reason than one. Hope it goes off! It’ll be a hell of a lot of sweating for nothing if we don’t.” They proceeded to the primary target, Kokura, but cloud cover prevented visual targeting. “Made 3 runs on Kokura but couldn’t drop our bomb.” So after more lost time and fuel they proceeded to the secondary target, Nagasaki. “11:58 Bombs away! Bee [navigator Kermit K. Beehan] had a 30 sec Bomb run visually. Hope it’s in! 12:01 I’ve never seen anything like it! Biggest explosion I’ve ever seen. Those poor Japs. But they asked for it.” He describes the mushroom cloud of flame and smoke. “Damn thing is getting too close for comfort.” They did not have enough fuel to return to Tininan and had to make an emergency landing at Okinawa on their last few drops of fuel, “just as no. 2 conked. We didn’t get here a moment too soon.” They crew ate (“Spam, as I expected but it tasted good”) and refueled for the trip back to Tinian. “23:30 Landed okay…Reports on raid are good. Tinian looks good. Real tired but happy to be home safe!” Provenance: Darvick, 11 June 1992, lot 58.
WORLD WAR II.] OLIVI, Fred J. (1922-2004), Co-pilot of Bock’s Car. Autograph manuscript, unsigned, n.d. [9 August 1945]. 8 pages, 4to and 8vo, in pencil.
WORLD WAR II.] OLIVI, Fred J. (1922-2004), Co-pilot of Bock’s Car. Autograph manuscript, unsigned, n.d. [9 August 1945]. 8 pages, 4to and 8vo, in pencil. “BIGGEST EXPLOSION I’VE EVER SEEN. THOSE POOR JAPS” A dramatic eyewitness account of the second atomic bombing, by the man who served as co-pilot to Maj. Charles W. Sweeny in Bock’s Car, the B-29 that dropped the uranium bomb, “Fat Man,” over Nagasaki. Olivi’s mission was plagued with problems throughout. Laden with the heavy weapon and over 7,000 gallons of fuel, the plane barely made it off the runway on takeoff. “We sweated it,” Olivi writes, and I mean just that.” One of the fuel pumps malfunctioned. They failed to locate one of the support planes at the rendezvous point over Iwo Jima. “Hoppy still hasn’t arrived,” he writes, referring to James T. Hopkins’s The Big Stink. “We can’t wait any longer. Our gas is going fast…“11:32 Our chances for ditching are good!!! Bomb must be dropped for more reason than one. Hope it goes off! It’ll be a hell of a lot of sweating for nothing if we don’t.” They proceeded to the primary target, Kokura, but cloud cover prevented visual targeting. “Made 3 runs on Kokura but couldn’t drop our bomb.” So after more lost time and fuel they proceeded to the secondary target, Nagasaki. “11:58 Bombs away! Bee [navigator Kermit K. Beehan] had a 30 sec Bomb run visually. Hope it’s in! 12:01 I’ve never seen anything like it! Biggest explosion I’ve ever seen. Those poor Japs. But they asked for it.” He describes the mushroom cloud of flame and smoke. “Damn thing is getting too close for comfort.” They did not have enough fuel to return to Tininan and had to make an emergency landing at Okinawa on their last few drops of fuel, “just as no. 2 conked. We didn’t get here a moment too soon.” They crew ate (“Spam, as I expected but it tasted good”) and refueled for the trip back to Tinian. “23:30 Landed okay…Reports on raid are good. Tinian looks good. Real tired but happy to be home safe!” Provenance: Darvick, 11 June 1992, lot 58.
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Suchauftrag anlegen![WORLD WAR II] OLIVI, Fred J (1922-2004), Co-pilot of Bock’s...](http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/D58558/world_war_ii_olivi_fred_j_co-pilot_of_bocks_car_autograph_manuscript_u_d5855807g.jpg "Quelle: Christie's")
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