{"id":26009741,"date":"2026-10-01T21:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=26009741"},"modified":"2026-10-01T21:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:31:41","slug":"henry-red-erwin-b-29-medal-of-honor-phosphorus-bomb-1945","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/henry-red-erwin-b-29-medal-of-honor-phosphorus-bomb-1945\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Erwin: The B-29 Radioman Who Threw a Burning Bomb Out the Window"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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Instead it came back up the chute and hit Staff Sergeant Henry Erwin in the face, burning at around 1,300&deg;F (about 700&deg;C). Within seconds he was blind, his clothes were on fire, and thick white smoke was pouring into the cockpit of a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/b-29-superfortress\/\">B-29 Superfortress<\/a> that was now diving toward the Pacific with twelve men aboard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the morning of 12 April 1945. Erwin, a 23-year-old radio operator from Alabama whom his crew called &ldquo;Red&rdquo; for his auburn hair, did the one thing that could save the aircraft. He picked the burning bomb up and carried it forward to the cockpit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His story is one of the most widely shared Medal of Honor accounts of the Second World War, and it turns up on social media again and again. The popular versions get the core right. A few details are off, and one is missing entirely: what happened to the man afterwards is as remarkable as the 22 seconds that made him famous.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Who:<\/strong> Staff Sergeant Henry Eugene &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Erwin, radio operator, born 8 May 1921<\/li><li><strong>Unit:<\/strong> 52nd Bombardment Squadron, 29th Bombardment Group, Twentieth Air Force, Guam<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> B-29-25-MO Superfortress 42-65302, <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Date:<\/strong> 12 April 1945, mission to the Hodogaya chemical plant at Koriyama, Japan<\/li><li><strong>Threat:<\/strong> A phosphorus smoke bomb that detonated in the launch chute, burning at about 1,300&deg;F<\/li><li><strong>Outcome:<\/strong> Pilot recovered the dive at about 300 ft; all 12 aboard survived<\/li><li><strong>Award:<\/strong> Medal of Honor, presented on Guam on 19 April 1945<\/li><li><strong>Died:<\/strong> 16 January 2002, aged 80<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Lead Ship and the Smoke Bomb<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Erwin flew with the 52nd Bombardment Squadron of the 29th Bombardment Group, operating from North Field on Guam. His aircraft was a B-29 built by the Glenn L. Martin plant in Nebraska, serial 42-65302, and like many of the group&rsquo;s bombers it carried the name of an American city: <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em>. Captain George Simeral was the aircraft commander. Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Strouse was flying in the co-pilot&rsquo;s seat, which made the aircraft the formation lead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The target that day was the Hodogaya chemical works at Koriyama, north of Tokyo. Big B-29 raids did not take off in formation. Each bomber flew to an assembly point on its own, and the lead ship then marked itself so the rest of the group could find it and form up. On <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em> that job belonged to the radio operator. Erwin&rsquo;s task was to drop phosphorus smoke bombs through a chute in the floor of the forward compartment as the bomber reached the assembly area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/29th-bomb-group-b-29-city-of-allentown-1945.jpg\" alt=\"B-29 City of Allentown of the 29th Bombardment Group, 1945\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\"><em>City of Allentown<\/em>, another 29th Bombardment Group B-29. Many of the group&rsquo;s bombers were named after American cities, among them Erwin&rsquo;s <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em>. Photo: US Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bombs had a delay fuse so they would ignite well below the aircraft. Accounts differ on whether this was Erwin&rsquo;s 10th or 11th combat mission. What they agree on is that one of the bombs was faulty. It went off inside the chute and shot back into the aircraft, striking Erwin in the face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Twenty-Two Seconds<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to his Medal of Honor citation, the burning phosphorus destroyed Erwin&rsquo;s nose and left him completely blind. Smoke filled the cabin so thickly that the pilot could no longer see, and the B-29 began to lose altitude fast. Burning phosphorus is extremely hard to put out: it keeps burning as long as it has oxygen and can reignite after it seems to be out. As the citation puts it, Erwin realised the aircraft and crew would be lost if the bomb stayed inside.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Erwin understood that. He picked the bomb up and, feeling his way, crawled around a gun turret toward the cockpit. The navigator&rsquo;s fold-down table was blocking the narrow passage, so he clamped the burning canister between his forearm and his body, released the table&rsquo;s spring lock with his free hand and raised it. He stumbled into the smoke-filled cockpit, groped with burning hands for the co-pilot&rsquo;s window, found it, and threw the bomb out. Then he collapsed on the floor, still on fire.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/henry-red-erwin-staff-sergeant-portrait.png\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"flex-shrink:0\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/henry-red-erwin-staff-sergeant-portrait.png\" alt=\"Henry &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Erwin\" style=\"width:96px;height:96px;border-radius:50%;object-fit:cover;object-position:top;display:block;border:2px solid #ddd\"><\/a><div><em>&ldquo;It seemed like miles when you are burning.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Henry &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Erwin<\/strong> &mdash; describing the walk of roughly 13 feet to the cockpit window, as quoted by the US Department of Defense<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Congressional Medal of Honor Society puts the whole episode at about 22 seconds. Once the smoke cleared, Captain Simeral could see again and pulled the bomber out of its dive at about 300 feet above the water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/b-29-forward-compartment-assembly.jpg\" alt=\"Forward pressurized compartment of a B-29 Superfortress under assembly at Boeing\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">B-29 forward compartments on the Boeing assembly line. The pilots, bombardier, navigator, flight engineer and radio operator all worked in this one pressurized section, the space Erwin crossed while blind. Photo: US Army Air Forces, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LZhtyuBRrwc\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Medal From a Display Case<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simeral abandoned the mission and flew to Iwo Jima, the nearest airfield where Erwin could get emergency treatment. Nobody expected him to survive. He was moved on to Guam, and the request for a Medal of Honor went up the chain at extraordinary speed, pushed by Major General Curtis LeMay, the head of XXI Bomber Command. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society says the award was approved in about six and a half hours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was one practical problem: there was no medal to give him. The only Medal of Honor available in the Pacific was in a locked display case at Army headquarters in Honolulu. It was taken out and flown to Guam, and on 19 April 1945, one week after the mission, Major General Willis Hale pinned it on Erwin as he lay in his hospital bed. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, LeMay even arranged for Erwin&rsquo;s brother Howard, a Marine on Saipan, to be flown in to see him, on an aircraft piloted by the actor Tyrone Power, then a Marine transport pilot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2043418943386259663&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:560px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He remains the only B-29 crew member ever awarded the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The 57 Years Nobody Expected<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The medal was rushed because he was expected to die. He did not. Erwin spent about two and a half years in hospitals and went through 41 operations, many of them skin grafts. His eyes were sewn shut for a long period, but he eventually regained some of his sight and the use of his arm. He was promoted to master sergeant and received a disability discharge in October 1947.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he went home to Alabama and spent 37 years at the Veterans Administration in Birmingham, much of it as a benefits counsellor helping other veterans, including burn patients. He and his wife Betty raised four children. One of his sons, Hank Erwin, later served in the Alabama State Senate.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/henry-red-erwin-medal-of-honor-hickam-1995.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"flex-shrink:0\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/henry-red-erwin-medal-of-honor-hickam-1995.jpg\" alt=\"Henry &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Erwin\" style=\"width:96px;height:96px;border-radius:50%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;display:block;border:2px solid #ddd\"><\/a><div><em>&ldquo;I came from a poor family in Alabama, had no high school education, no college and no money.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Henry &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Erwin<\/strong> &mdash; as quoted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Henry Erwin died on 16 January 2002, aged 80, almost 57 years after the morning over the Pacific. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. His story was dramatised in the 1951 film <em>The Wild Blue Yonder<\/em>, and his grandson, the film director Jon Erwin, co-wrote a book about him, <em>Beyond Valor<\/em>, published in 2020.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tzx8BkSwwWk\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the Viral Version Gets Wrong<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The version circulating on Instagram is accurate on the essentials: the date, the aircraft, the unit&rsquo;s mission, the bomb going off in the chute, the walk to the window, the 300-foot recovery, the medal from Hawaii and the fact that he is the only B-29 crewman to receive it. A few details need correcting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The temperature.<\/strong> The post says the bomb burned at &ldquo;over 1,000 degrees&rdquo;. The figure usually given by Air Force historians is about 1,300&deg;F, or roughly 700&deg;C.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Air Force award.<\/strong> The Henry E. Erwin Outstanding Enlisted Aircrew Member of the Year Award was created in 1997, as the post says, but it does not go to a single top airman. According to the US Army&rsquo;s account, it is presented every year to three enlisted aircrew members. It was only the second Air Force award named after an enlisted person.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The life jacket.<\/strong> The post says Erwin wore a life jacket on every mission because he could not swim. We could not find that detail in his citation, in the Air Force and Defense Department accounts, or in the Encyclopedia of Alabama, so we have left it out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ending, though, is exactly right. They rushed him the medal because they thought he was dying. He lived almost 57 more years, most of them spent helping other veterans.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Who was Henry \"Red\" Erwin?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Henry \"Red\" Erwin was a US Army Air Forces staff sergeant and B-29 radio operator from Alabama. On 12 April 1945, over the Pacific, he carried a burning phosphorus smoke bomb through the forward compartment of the B-29 <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em> and threw it out of the cockpit window, saving the aircraft and its 12-man crew. He received the Medal of Honor one week later.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happened on the B-29 City of Los Angeles on 12 April 1945?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 12 April 1945 the B-29 <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em> was leading a 29th Bombardment Group formation to the Hodogaya chemical plant at Koriyama, Japan. A phosphorus smoke bomb dropped by radio operator Henry Erwin detonated in its launch chute and flew back into the aircraft, blinding him. Blind and on fire, Erwin carried it to the cockpit and threw it out, and the pilot pulled out of the dive at about 300 feet.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How hot was the phosphorus bomb that burned Red Erwin?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The phosphorus smoke bomb that struck Henry Erwin burned at about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 700 degrees Celsius, according to the figure usually given by Air Force historians. Viral posts that say \"over 1,000 degrees\" understate it. The phosphorus left Erwin blind and destroyed his nose.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did Red Erwin receive his Medal of Honor so quickly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Henry Erwin received the Medal of Honor one week after the mission because nobody expected him to survive his burns. Major General Curtis LeMay pushed the award through, and the only medal available in the Pacific was taken from a display case at Army headquarters in Honolulu and flown to Guam. Major General Willis Hale presented it to Erwin in his hospital bed on 19 April 1945.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is Red Erwin the only B-29 crew member to receive the Medal of Honor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Staff Sergeant Henry \"Red\" Erwin is the only crew member of a B-29 Superfortress ever awarded the Medal of Honor. He received it for saving the B-29 <em>City of Los Angeles<\/em> and its crew on 12 April 1945.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How long did Red Erwin live after the Medal of Honor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Henry \"Red\" Erwin lived almost 57 more years. He spent about two and a half years in hospitals, underwent 41 operations, regained partial sight and worked for 37 years at the Veterans Administration in Birmingham, Alabama. He died on 16 January 2002, aged 80.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the Henry E. Erwin award?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Henry E. Erwin Outstanding Enlisted Aircrew Member of the Year Award was created by the US Air Force in 1997. It is presented every year to three enlisted aircrew members, not to a single airman, and it was only the second Air Force award named after an enlisted person.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who was Henry \\\"Red\\\" Erwin?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Henry \\\"Red\\\" Erwin was a US Army Air Forces staff sergeant and B-29 radio operator from Alabama. On 12 April 1945, over the Pacific, he carried a burning phosphorus smoke bomb through the forward compartment of the B-29 City of Los Angeles and threw it out of the cockpit window, saving the aircraft and its 12-man crew. He received the Medal of Honor one week later.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happened on the B-29 City of Los Angeles on 12 April 1945?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 12 April 1945 the B-29 City of Los Angeles was leading a 29th Bombardment Group formation to the Hodogaya chemical plant at Koriyama, Japan. A phosphorus smoke bomb dropped by radio operator Henry Erwin detonated in its launch chute and flew back into the aircraft, blinding him. Blind and on fire, Erwin carried it to the cockpit and threw it out, and the pilot pulled out of the dive at about 300 feet.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How hot was the phosphorus bomb that burned Red Erwin?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The phosphorus smoke bomb that struck Henry Erwin burned at about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 700 degrees Celsius, according to the figure usually given by Air Force historians. Viral posts that say \\\"over 1,000 degrees\\\" understate it. The phosphorus left Erwin blind and destroyed his nose.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did Red Erwin receive his Medal of Honor so quickly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Henry Erwin received the Medal of Honor one week after the mission because nobody expected him to survive his burns. Major General Curtis LeMay pushed the award through, and the only medal available in the Pacific was taken from a display case at Army headquarters in Honolulu and flown to Guam. Major General Willis Hale presented it to Erwin in his hospital bed on 19 April 1945.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is Red Erwin the only B-29 crew member to receive the Medal of Honor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Staff Sergeant Henry \\\"Red\\\" Erwin is the only crew member of a B-29 Superfortress ever awarded the Medal of Honor. He received it for saving the B-29 City of Los Angeles and its crew on 12 April 1945.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How long did Red Erwin live after the Medal of Honor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Henry \\\"Red\\\" Erwin lived almost 57 more years. He spent about two and a half years in hospitals, underwent 41 operations, regained partial sight and worked for 37 years at the Veterans Administration in Birmingham, Alabama. He died on 16 January 2002, aged 80.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the Henry E. Erwin award?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Henry E. Erwin Outstanding Enlisted Aircrew Member of the Year Award was created by the US Air Force in 1997. It is presented every year to three enlisted aircrew members, not to a single airman, and it was only the second Air Force award named after an enlisted person.\"}}]}<\/script><p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin-top:28px\">Sources: Medal of Honor citation, Congressional Medal of Honor Society; Congressional Medal of Honor Society, &ldquo;22 Seconds of Extraordinary Heroism&rdquo;; US Department of Defense, &ldquo;Medal of Honor Monday: Army Master Sgt. Henry Erwin&rdquo;; US Army, &ldquo;Soldier escapes death in World War II, inspires generations&rdquo;; National Museum of the United States Air Force; Encyclopedia of Alabama, &ldquo;Henry Eugene &lsquo;Red&rsquo; Erwin Sr.&rdquo;; This Day in Aviation, 12 April 1945; Wikipedia, &ldquo;Henry E. Erwin&rdquo;.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/b-29-development-battle-of-kansas\/\">The Bomber That Cost More Than the Bomb<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/tokyo-firebombing-operation-meetinghouse\/\">History&rsquo;s Deadliest Air Raid Wasn&rsquo;t Nuclear<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/steven-bennett-ov-10-bronco-medal-of-honor-ditching-1972\/\">Steven Bennett: The OV-10 Pilot Who Ditched to Save His Observer<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/eric-slover-medal-of-honor-mh-47-chinook-night-stalker-venezuela-2026\/\">Eric Slover: The Night Stalker Who Held His Chinook Under Fire<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 12 April 1945 a phosphorus bomb blew back into a B-29 and blinded radio operator Henry Erwin. He carried it to the cockpit and threw it out. The full story, and what the viral version gets wrong.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":26009098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26009741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Red Erwin: The B-29 Radioman Who Threw a Burning Bomb Out the Window | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Red Erwin carried a burning phosphorus bomb through a B-29 and threw it out, saving 12 men. 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