Charles Donald Albury

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Charles Donald Albury
Born(1920-10-12)October 12, 1920
Miami, Florida, U.S.
DiedMay 23, 2009(2009-05-23) (aged 88)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Forces
Years of service1942–1945
RankCaptain
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsAir Medal

Charles Donald Albury (October 12, 1920 – May 23, 2009) was an American military

bombing of Nagasaki killed an estimated 40,000 people instantly, and led to Japan's unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, ending World War II.[1]

Early life

Albury was born in 1920 at his parents' home in

birthplace, as of 2009.[1]

World War II

Albury enrolled at the

atomic bombing of Hiroshima), the other headed by Sweeney with Albury as the co-pilot. Lewis and Albury acted as pilots and crew commanders for their respective planes when Tibbets and/or Sweeney were not flying.[1][2]

Cpt. C.D. Albury besides of Bockscar and aircrew C-15.

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, Albury witnessed the first atomic bombing of

magnitude of the atomic bomb from his plane.[1] He would later state in an interview with Time magazine, "When Tibbets dropped the bomb, we dropped our instruments and made our left turn. Then this bright light hit us and the top of that mushroom cloud was the most terrifying, but also the most beautiful, thing you've ever seen in your life. Every color in the rainbow seemed to be coming out of it."[1]

Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

On August 9, 1945, just three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, Sweeney's crew, with Albury as co-pilot, took off in the

radiation sickness and other injuries in the aftermath of the bombing.[1]

Immediately after the formal surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, Albury flew with Tibbetts, Sweeney and close to twenty other members of their aircrews to Japan. The group eventually reached Nagasaki and witnessed on the ground the destruction caused by the atomic bomb.[5]

Albury stated repeatedly during his life that he did not have any remorse for the attack or his role in the attack on Nagasaki, noting that many more lives would have been lost if the United States had launched a full invasion of mainland Japan.[1]

Post-war life

At the end of World War II, Albury moved to

Eastern Airlines[1] and flew during their 1989 strike.[citation needed] He later became the co-manager of Eastern's Airbus A300
training program. He later moved to a house in Hunter's Creek (south Orlando) where he lived until his death.

Charles Donald Albury died on May 23, 2009, at a hospital in

Smithsonian Networks
program Smithsonian Channel's War Stories, "The Men Who Brought the Dawn", in 1995, giving his recollections and reflections on the two atomic bomb missions.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Charles Donald Albury dies at 88; copilot on the Nagasaki bomb plane". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2009-06-09. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  2. ^ Sweeney: 38–39, 81, 107
  3. ^ Sweeney: 164–71
  4. ^ Sweeney: 207–26
  5. ^ Sweeney: 247, 252–58

References

External links
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