Frederick C. Bock

Doctor Frederick C. Bock
Born	(1918-01-18)January 18, 1918 Greenville, Michigan
Died	August 25, 2000(2000-08-25) (aged 82) Scottsdale, Arizona
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	Army Air Force
Rank	Major
Unit	509th Composite Group
Battles / wars	Second World War
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal
Spouse(s)	Helen Lossman Bock
Other work	Research Scientist

Frederick C. Bock (January 18, 1918 – August 25, 2000) was a World War II pilot who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. He flew the B-29 bomber The Great Artiste, which was used for scientific measurements and photography of the effects caused by the nuclear weapon.

A civilian observer was aboard The Great Artiste named William L. Laurence who was a science writer with the New York Times. His account of the mission was to be awarded the 1946 Pulitzer Prize.

In his subsequent book Dawn Over Zero (Knopf 1946), Laurence describes the scene aboard the B-29;

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)

The bomber which actually dropped Fat Man was called Bockscar as it was usually flown by Frederick Bock. The staff was swapped just before the raid and Major Charles Sweeney piloted Bockscar, which flew with The Great Artiste and another aircraft. A native of Greenville, Michigan, Bock died at his Arizona home in 2000, of cancer.