Upon the entry of the United States into World War II, Bock enlisted in the
Army Air Forces, becoming a pilot. The bomber that actually dropped
Fat Man was called
Bockscar, an aircraft named for and usually flown by Bock. The staff was swapped just before the raid, and Major
Charles Sweeney piloted
Bockscar, which flew with
The Great Artiste and another aircraft.
William L. Laurence, a science writer with the
New York Times, was a civilian observer aboard
The Great Artiste. His account of the mission was awarded the 1946
Pulitzer Prize. In his book,
Dawn Over Zero (Knopf 1946), Laurence describes the scene aboard the B-29: Bock rose to the rank of major and received the
Distinguished Flying Cross and the
Air Medal. == Post-war career ==