Lawrence W. Goldberg

Lawrence W. Goldberg was born in September 1925 in Washington D.C. He was an honored World War II US Army Air Corps veteran. Goldberg served seven missions in the 20th Air Force as a B-29 Aerial Navigator in the Pacific during World War II. His highest rank was First Lieutenant. Before he entered the military, he was a student at Penn State University. Goldberg spent two semesters there, which included taking a course in architectural training. He had noted that this course helped propel him into joining the military and servicing aircraft. 

Goldberg heard about the Pearl Harbor attacks while in a fraternity meeting in college. He later enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1943 at the age of seventeen. Due to joining at such a young age, Goldberg needed permission to join the military. His parents felt that it was very honorable for him to serve his country. Goldberg’s brother Jerry also served in the military. When questioned about his decision to join the Air Corps, Goldberg responded, “My objective was to get over Germany and drop bombs on Adolf Hitler.” He believed that the best way to retaliate against enemy incursion was by means of the air and bombing enemy cities.

Goldberg was sent along with others to Washington D.C. to take installation tests, where his skills in coordination and eyesight were examined. The tests were meant to determine if candidates could fly aircraft, ejecting bombs, and navigating areas by means of flight. After passing these tests, he went to Waterville, Maine and took a five-month college training detachment course. The intention was for the training to better educate and prepare recruits for service, including ten hours of flight instruction. His group also went to Greenwood, Mississippi for further training and assisted servicing aircraft.

In January of 1945, Goldberg was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He was assigned to B-29 training in Tucson, Arizona for another five months. According to his description, “The B-29 then was the finest aircraft in the world as far as we were concerned.” Since the aircraft was also heavily pressurized, it was not always necessary for men in his group to use oxygen equipment. The B-29 also had a very effective radar system, being able to detect far-off areas and objects. Goldberg estimated that the B-29 could carry up to ten tons of bombs at a time. The B-29 could also reach a maximum speed of 300 mph.

Goldberg’s 40th Group, 25th Squadron flew in the Air Offensive Japan, from Tinian, Marianas. His Flight Log showed seven bombing missions which included the targets Utsonomiya, Fukui, Osaka, Tsu, Hachiaji, Toyokawa, then the flyover of Tokyo Bay surrender, and their relief mission to Formosa.

“Although the combat missions themselves were the crew’s main efforts, my most indelible memory is of being over Japan on the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. We learned of this as we returned from our mission to the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal on August 6, 1945. We were still in the air, somewhere near Iwo Jima, which was near halfway on our return to Tinian. I heard the news on the Armed Forces radio and relayed it to my crew. The thought that a single plane could now do major damage to an entire city was sobering indeed. Surely war must now be rendered ‘impossible’ in the future. In the immediate aftermath, it required another atomic bomb to end the war. And other wars would ensue.”

Goldberg stated that in the aerial missions he was involved in, his main focus was on helping to end World War II through his efforts in the military. He believed that the main goal was to eliminate the enemy, realizing that this unfortunately involved putting innocent lives at risk during bombing assaults.

Among Goldberg’s service awards he earned were the Air Medal, the Presidential Unit Badge, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Philippine Independence Ribbon

Goldberg was discharged from the US Army Air Corps in October 1946. He visited a fellow soldier who served around the same time as him. Interestingly, the crewman had two sons named Larry and Jerry. This was a great coincidence, since Goldberg and his brother Jerry shared the two same names as the sons.

Goldberg stated that he did not talk much about his past military experiences, although stories occasionally “seeped out.” He lived in the Philadelphia area and worked for Boeing-Vertol, an American aircraft manufacturer. His role there was editing research and development reports. Goldberg later moved to the Jersey Shore and became an editor for the Communications Electronics Command of the Department of Defense at Fort Monmouth in Eatontown. He occupied this position for over two decades before retiring in 2004. 

Lawrence W. Goldberg passed away on January 20, 2008 at the age of eighty-two. He is survived by his many nieces and nephews.

Additional Resources:

• Holocaust Museum in Japan referred to in the interview
• History and Memorabilia of the 40th Bomb Group