Nose art on B-29, Bockscar. All photos courtesy of Richard H. Campbell.

Historians and World War II Veterans undoubtedly know about Tinian Island and the Top Secret work that was done there in 1945. The information about Tinian Island, the 509^th Composite Group, the B-29 Superfortress planes modified to carry atomic bombs, and the A-Bombs that Lt. Col. Richard H. Campbell, USAF Ret., began pursuing in 1994, ultimately became the definitive book on the subject titled The Silverplate Bombers.

Richard H. Campbell, born and raised in Fairmont, West Virginia, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1950 and enlisted in the U. S. Air Force. Lt. Col. Campbell retired from the USAF in 1975 with an impressive record of assignments including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the Atlas/Centaur space vehicle program, the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program office in the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of State in international space programs, and with the Air Force Systems Command.

Campbell earned his Master of Science in Public Administration from George Washington University in 1965. Following his military service, Campbell worked for the Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington D.C. In 1979 he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to establish the DOE Uranium Waste Sites Clean Up Project. This operation was headquartered in Albuquerque because most of the sites were in the western United States. Following retirement from DOE in 1990, Campbell worked as a consultant for several years. At the invitation of the Board of Trustees of the National Atomic Museum Foundation in Albuquerque, Campbell joined the Board and served as secretary. [The museum is soon to be renamed the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.]

Author Richard H. Campbell

In 1994, aware of the ongoing controversy over the then proposed display of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the upcoming 50^th anniversary of the veterans of the 509^th, Campbell proposed to the Foundation Board of Trustees that they invite the 509^th Composite Group to hold their 50^th anniversary reunion in Albuquerque in August of 1995. Proper invitations were sent, decisions were made, and working arrangements moved forward with a year to make it all come together.

Taking the project under his wing, Campbell was connected with Frederick C. Bock from the 509^th and began to learn a great deal about the group, the airplanes, missions, crews, and the bombs they dropped. It is no wonder that the 50^th anniversary reunion continues to be recognized as the best ever by many of the remaining veterans and their families. The five-day event hosted over 200 veterans of the 509^th and a total of 425 individuals including family members. Campbell admits that arranging a fly-by of a B-2 from the 509^th Bomb Group out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri was a bit challenging, but worth the effort to truly add the perfect event to a spectacularly planned program including banquets, a tour and reception at the National Atomic Museum, and tours of Trinity Site, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories.

With a keen interest in historical matters and the opportunity over the years to get to know many of the men involved in the events on Tinian Island including Paul W. Tibbets, the commanding officer of the 509^th and pilot of the Enola Gay on the Hiroshima mission, Richard H. Campbell began to build an impressive file of information. Early in the twenty-first century, Campbell realized the valuable resource and considered putting a book together. With a challenge from his friend Paul Tibbets to the effect that if he would write it, Tibbets would write the foreword, Campbell was focused on the final task, which produced the self-published version in 2004 and the final book early in 2005. When asked about the availability of the book, The Silverplate Bombers, Campbell said, “I wrote the book to share the information with others.” He further clarified, “It can be purchased from McFarland & Co., Inc. Publishers or most any bookstore can order it.” Yavapai County residents can also borrow a copy of the book at area libraries.

This well-informed gentleman is sharing his unique knowledge of this part of our aviation history at a free, public, American Aviation Historical Society program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s DLC Auditorium in Prescott on Wednesday, September 10, at 7 PM (doors open at 6:30). For additional information, contact Professor Nick Manderfield at 928-777-6985.

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