OBIT

Nagasaki Pilot Dies

Bomb killed 40,000 instantly, but he felt no remorse.

Just days before the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, the pilot that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki that ended World War II died at the age of 88. Charles Donald Albury, whose actions killed 40,000 people on Aug. 9, 1945--and thousands more due to radiation sickness--had maintained he felt no remorse. Japan surrendered five days later. He also flew the support plane for the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, which he described to Time magazine four years ago: "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."