The pilot of the bomber from which the first atomic bomb was dropped over Japan during the Second World War has died today at the age of 92.

Paul Tibbets was the pilot commanding the B-29 aircraft, also known as Enola Gay, from which the five-ton atomic bomb also known by the nickname "Little Boy" was dropped over the town of Hiroshima. This event took place in 1945 and was closely followed by the total capitulation of Japan.

According to estimates, almost 100,000 people have died in the blast, and many more after it due to the side effects.

At Mr. Tibbets’ request, his ashes were scattered over the English Channel, a place over which he enjoyed flying after the war ended. The main reason why he didn’t want a proper funeral and a headstone was the high possibility of protesters showing up and ruining the ceremony for his family.

A similar event has actually happened a few months ago as members of a Kansas Baptist church protested during the burial ceremony of a US soldier claiming that God is punishing the American people for their tolerance of gay people through the war in Iraq and its numerous casualties.

Anyway, back to Mr. Tibbets. The World War II pilot said that his conscience is clear over the Hiroshima event. During an interview in 1975, he said:

"I'm not proud that I killed 80,000 people, but I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did."

"You've got to take stock and assess the situation at that time. We were at war ... you use anything at your disposal. I sleep clearly every night."

Three days after the "Little Boy" was dropped over Hiroshima (the 6th of August), the US army dropped a second bomb, but this time on Nagaski. An estimated 40,000 people were killed because of the explosion.

The catastrophic and morale-breaking explosions determined the Japanese emperor to broadcast the unconditional surrender of his country on August 15 asserting that the war situation has changed in Japan’s disadvantage.