[Annotator's Note: There is a background humming noise throughout this interview.] Edwin “Pete” Goldberg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in November 1923. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Trenton, New Jersey. His father was a pharmacist and had been in the Navy during the First World War. There were hard times in the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. Goldberg was an only child. He attended high school in Trenton and graduated in June 1941. His parents were friendly with a rabbi who passed on a lot of information about what was going on in Europe. It was hard for Goldberg to believe Jews were being killed and that concentration camps existed. A refugee named Pierre [Annotator’s Note: no surname provided] visited with the Goldberg family and explained the tough times in Europe. That information drove Goldberg to reconsider continuing his education. He felt that he could do something about the situation. He was in Johnny Bellow’s [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] room at Kempler University [Annotator's Note: unable to identify]. He heard the news over the radio but did not know what Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] was. At that point, he decided to enlist. He passed an aviation cadet examination. He went to work at an aircraft factory in Bristol, Pennsylvania until he was called up after two months. When he boarded the train for Philly [Annotator’s Note: Philadelphia], he saw a friend, Dave Eldridge [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces First Lieutenant David R. Eldridge], he had not seen for a while. Eldridge later flew P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft]. Goldberg would bump into him in London, England during a bombing attack on the city. Goldberg was in London trying to find his uncle. He later searched for his uncle all over France. Goldberg applied for aviation training in hopes of being a bombardier and not a pilot. It was only later in training that he was told that he would be a pilot.

[Annotator's Note: There is a background humming noise throughout this interview.] Edwin “Pete” Goldberg reached a replacement depot in Stone, England [Annotator’s Note: in November 1944] before being assigned to the 323rd and the 455th Squadron [Annotator’s Note: 455th Bombardment Squadron, 323rd Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force] at Laon [Annotator's Note: Laon, France]. Goldberg had turned 21 years of age while in route to Europe. He had a job to do and did not expect to return home. His pilot, John “Johnny” Vote [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling] felt the same. Goldberg and Vote became good friends. The bombardier, Maurice “Mo” Reich [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling] did not express his feelings on his life expectancy. The bombardier and Goldberg maintained contact after the war. He was from Sweetwater, Texas. He was Jewish and quite a character. The bomber that Goldberg flew most was the “Santa Barbara Mist” which was not named by Goldberg’s crew. It had belonged to a crew that was rotated back to the States. She was a good ship [Annotator’s Note: it was a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber]. It was difficult to learn to fly but could take a lot of punishment with a very low casualty rate, the best in the ETO [Annotator’s Note: European Theater of Operations]. It was heavier and more difficult to operate than the 25 Mitchell [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber]. It took muscle to fly but could take a lot of punishment. The B-26 needed a lot of runway to takeoff. It took patience to get it off the ground. Landings came in fast. A pilot had to learn to fly the plane to feel comfortable in it. Johnny Vote was a good pilot. Goldberg lost track of him after the war, but eventually, they reunited. Vote was contacted through Goldberg’s multiple efforts. Vote talked to him over the telephone with Vote calling Goldberg by his old nickname, “Goldie.” They got back together and attended several reunions together. After Vote passed away, Goldberg did his eulogy at Arlington [Annotator’s Note: Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia]. Goldberg maintains contact with Vote’s widow. The bomb squadron flew missions across France and Germany.

[Annotator's Note: There is a background humming noise throughout this interview.] Edwin “Pete” Goldberg’s first mission [Annotator’s Note: as a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber co-pilot in the 455th Bombardment Squadron, 323rd Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force] was a rude awakening. He told John [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling], his pilot, that the bastards were trying to kill them [Annotator’s Note: he laughs]. They came close. The plane had a maneuverability that helped them evade harm. It gave the crew a level of confidence that made them cocky. They especially liked flying missions with a particular lead bombardier that could place the flight’s ordnance very close to target. The six plane flights knew to follow the path of the lead bombardier. A few missions had to be aborted due to weather conditions. Aluminum strips would be tossed out of the aircraft to deceive enemy radar. That was referred to as “Window.” Window ships led the bombardment squadron. A couple of times, Goldberg’s aircraft had that responsibility. After dropping the strips, they had to exit quickly. The ack-ack [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] let the airmen know the enemy was down below. The infantry had it tougher than the airmen. An 82nd Airborne [Annotator’s Note: 82nd Airborne Division] member fumed at Goldberg for bombers dropping bombs on them. Goldberg responded that it was an intelligence screw up. Goldberg thought the paratrooper was going to kill him. The worst part about the missions was the cold weather. There was no protection against it in the B-26 at 10,000 to 15,000 feet altitude. Goldberg and his pilot alternated flying the plane so they could warm their hands. At Laon [Annotator’s Note :Laon, France], the men lived in tents and had to cut firewood. The local farmers were not happy with that situation. Goldberg and the others had to carry a .45 [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol] with them when they cut wood. The Frenchmen did not like the wood being cut and posed a threat to the airmen. The men had confidence in the B-26 during the missions. The doctor always allowed the men to have a shot or two of liquor at the debriefing after returning home. While stationed at Hérin [Annotator's Note: Hérin, France] Goldberg exchanged soap for eggs with a local young boy. Goldberg even gave the boy’s brother a shirt for his wedding. He and Mo [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling], the crew’s bombardier, received a delicious homecooked meal in return. Goldberg remembered the address for the French family. He stayed in contact with them for years. The young boy ended up moving to Calgary, Alberta. There was no romance for Goldberg in France. He had no time. The two missions to Xanten [Annotator’s Note: Xanten, Germany] were tough missions. Cologne [Annotator’s Note: Köln (Cologne), Germany] was horrendous because there were still fighters coming at the bombers. Planes went everywhere to evade the attack. It was easy to become disoriented. The heavies [Annotator’s Note: a reference to the heavy four engine bombers as opposed to the two engine bombers such as Goldberg’s B-26] had most of the fighter support. The 51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] were up high and usually not seen. Flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire] injured one crewman and nearly got another. The airplane was amazingly compact inside. A bomb hung-up once in the bomb bay. The flight engineer, Frank Ward [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], had to kick it loose to eject from the ship. The plane could not land with a 500-pound bomb hanging under it. It was courageous for Ward to do but that was the kind of guy he was.

[Annotator's Note: There is a background humming noise throughout this interview.] Edwin “Pete” Goldberg [Annotator’s Note: a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber co-pilot in the 455th Bombardment Squadron, 323rd Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force] says there are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old, bold pilots. It takes someone young and stupid [Annotator’s Note: he laughs]. His primary training was in Missouri. He was told to stay clear of a particular bridge and yet they were cocky enough to take the challenge and buzz the bridge. The same was true of a B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber] base in Kansas. Told to stay clear, they would get in the prop wash [Annotator’s Note: to fly behind the four-engine bomber] and have a ball. Youth is a wonderful thing [Annotator’s Note: he laughs]. When a primary target was socked in by weather, a secondary was always available. Goldberg loved every bomb that dropped. It did not bother him a bit when he thought what they [Annotator’s Note: the Germans] were doing. Following one mission, Goldberg’s squadron was returning home when it dropped down through an overcast into a flight of P-38s [Annotator’s Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft]. That was memorable. He could see the pilots faces as both flights were surprised. John [Annotator’s Note: Goldberg’s pilot, John “Johnny” Vote, phonetic spelling] and Goldie [Annotator’s Note: Goldberg’s nickname] were both on the wheel pulling upward [Annotator’s Note: to reach a higher altitude and evade collision]. Another hair-raising event occurred when he was forced to fly in another plane back to his field from leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] near Paris [Annotator’s Note: Paris, France]. He hitched a ride on an A-20 [Annotator's Note: Douglas A-20 Havoc medium bomber] going to his base. The pilot had never flown the aircraft before and flew erratically before landing. Goldberg flew a total of 27 missions. For every five missions, he received an air medal [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while in aerial flight] and a cluster. When he flew for ATC [Annotator’s Note: Air Transport Command] out of Paris in a C-47 [Annotator’s Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft], he was high point man [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. He was in Belgium on 6 May [Annotator’s Note: 6 May 1945 was when the Germans surrendered]. It was a good day. Goldberg only received a package of canned shrimp from home. His bombardier regularly received bad smelling salami [Annotator’s Note: he laughs]. Goldberg’s mother and wife, Evie, wrote to him every day. Goldberg felt good about his wartime accomplishments particularly on V-E Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945]. He would do it again in a minute.

[Annotator's Note: There is a background humming noise throughout this interview.] When Edwin “Pete” Goldberg returned from war, those around him thought he had a problem. His wife said he was “flaky” [Annotator’s Note: a play on the German word for antiaircraft artillery fire]. It took time to calm down. Goldberg thought he was normal, but he was shaken up and did not realize it. Goldberg did not think he was going to return home, so it was scary going over to Europe. He was lucky. He attributes his longevity in life to luck and good red wine. His most frequent memory of the war involves a fuel leak on his aircraft while deploying. Flying from West Palm Beach [Annotator’s Note: West Palm Beach, Florida], he smelled gasoline. He told Johnny [Annotator’s Note: pilot John “Johnny” Vote, phonetic spelling] that he would check it out. Fuel lines from the auxiliary fuel tanks had come loose and gasoline had inundated the bomb bay. To release the fuel, Goldberg and the pilot jockeyed with the switch for the bomb bay doors to open. Having accomplished that safely, they rocked the plane until the fuel was largely emptied from the ship. The decision was made to go to Nassau [Annotator’s Note: Nassau, Bahamas] since it was closer than West Palm Beach. The aircraft radio was out so blinkers had to be used to communicate with the tower to land the plane. Shortly after landing, the repairs were made, and the flight continued on to Puerto Rico.