SaddleBrooke WWII Roundtable January 16

Larry Linderman

The worst war in history was brought to a close when the U.S. bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki using atomic weapons in August 1945. The history of the development of atomic weapons is a fascinating story. It begins with a letter sent to President Roosevelt by two eminent physicists and signed by Albert Einstein in 1939. It ends, of course, with the destruction of the above-mentioned cities.

The effort to develop the nuclear bombs was designated the Manhattan Project. The plane that delivered the bombs to their targets was the B-29. Returning to SaddleBrooke will be the director of the Commemorative Air Force in Mesa, Arizona, Jim Evans, who spoke to us on the torpedo-bomber Avenger last year. Jim will discuss the history of the B-29 and the Manhattan project. The Commemorative Air Force also boasts two B-29s that actually fly.

Director Evans will be in SaddleBrooke on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. in the MountainView West Ballroom.

The Roundtable does not collect dues and all are welcome. We do ask a contribution of $1 to cover the cost of treating our guest speakers to lunch in one of our restaurants and to cover driving expenses.