Doctor Frederick C. Bock | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Frederick Carl Bock Jr. |
| Born | (1918-01-18)18 January 1918 |
| Died | 25 August 2000(2000-08-25) (aged 82) |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | Army Air Force |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 509th Composite Group |
| Conflicts | Second World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross,Air Medal |
| Spouse | Helen Lossman Bock |
| Other work | Research Scientist |
Frederick Carl Bock Jr (18 January 1918 – 25 August 2000) was an American bomber pilot duringWorld War II who took part in the atomic bombing ofNagasaki in 1945.
Bock attended theUniversity of Chicago and went on to enroll in a graduate course inphilosophy.[1]
Upon the entry of the United States into the World War II, Bock enlisted in theArmy Air Force, becoming a pilot.[1] Bock flew missions fromIndia toChina over theHimalayas, a route known asthe Hump. He also participated in air raids onJapan flown from China.[1]
On the Nagasaki Raid, Bock flew theB-29 bomberThe Great Artiste, which was used for scientific measurements andphotography of the effects caused by the nuclear weapon.[1]
The bomber which actually droppedFat Man was calledBockscar,[2] an aircraft named for and usually flown by Bock. The staff was swapped just before the raid, and MajorCharles Sweeney pilotedBockscar, which flew withThe Great Artiste and another aircraft.
William L. Laurence, a science writer with theNew York Times, was a civilian observer aboardThe Great Artiste. His account of the mission was awarded the 1946Pulitzer Prize.[1] In his book,Dawn Over Zero (Knopf 1946), Laurence describes the scene aboard the B-29:[1]
I watched Capt. Frederick C. Bock, the pilot of our ship, go through the intricate motions of lifting a B-29 off the ground and marveled at the quiet efficiency of this Michigan boy who had majored in philosophy at Chicago University... I talked to him on the ground and I was amazed at the transformation that had taken place. Man and machine had become one, a modern centaur.
— William L. Laurence, Dawn Over Zero (1946)
Bock rose to the rank of major and received theDistinguished Flying Cross and theAir Medal.[1]
After the war, Bock returned toChicago, where he earned hisPhD inzoology, with a specialisation in mathematical statistics andgenetics.[1] Working in Chicago-based research laboratories, Dr. Bock createdalgorithms for solving complex problems.[1] AtBaxter Travenol Laboratories, he devised a mathematical model forperitoneal dialysis.[1] Dr. Bock retired from Baxter Travenol in 1986.
A native ofGreenville, Michigan, Bock died at hisArizona home in 2000 of cancer.[1]
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