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Jewish Royal Air Force Hero Remembered for ‘Outstanding Contribution’ Against Nazi Targets in World War II
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Squadron leader Lawrence “Benny” Goodman. Photo: RAF Museum.
One of the last surviving British pilots from a Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron that carried out 30 operations against German enemy targets during World War II died on Sunday at the age of 100, The Telegraph reported.
Jewish squadron leader Lawrence “Benny” Goodman volunteered to join the RAF at age 18 at the outbreak of war, in September 1939. He began training as a pilot in June 1941 and then as a bomber pilot, before joining the No. 617 Squadron, the RAF’s precision bombing unit known as the “Dambusters.”
He was involved in the attack against the German battleship Tirpitz in late 1944, and in the final weeks of the war, during March of 1945, he helped demolish Germany’s Arnsberg railway viaduct with a 22,000-pound “Grand Slam” — the biggest bomb ever dropped by the RAF.
In April 1945, Goodman was part of the team that dropped a Tallboy bomb on Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” retreat in Bavaria, Germany. His career with the RAF spanned 24 years and in 2017 he was awarded France’s highest honor, the Légion d’Honneur. Goodman was also honored in March 2020 at an exhibition for Jewish war veterans at the RAF Museum.
Maggie Appleton, CEO of the RAF Museum, paid tribute to Goodman, saying, “So many of us will be mourning Benny while celebrating his outstanding contribution during the Second World War and his faultless RAF Service. The RAF Museum has been fortunate to call Benny a friend.”
“He supported us in sharing the incredible story of Jewish servicemen and women during the war and the brave airmen who were in a particularly perilous situation should they have been captured,” Appleton added. “Benny was a special man who lived a long and fruitful life and brought joy and inspiration to many. He will be sadly missed by his friends at the RAF Museum, but we will ensure that his stories live on to inspire generations to come.”
Goodman was born on September 24, 1920, in London and educated at Herne Bay College in Kent. He was also a flight commander in the 80 Squadron based in Germany and after a tour in the Air Ministry, he finally left the RAF in 1964 to work in his family’s film and advertising business in London. He obtained British and American civil pilot’s licenses and flew until he was 93.
“In retirement, Benny supported several RAF charities and worked hard to promote reconciliation with Germany and educate younger people about the realities of war,” according to the RAF Museum. “More recently, he offered tireless support to the RAF Museum’s ‘Jewish Hidden Heroes’ project, which highlights the vital role played by Jewish people, like himself, in the RAF’s battle against Nazi tyranny.” He also supported the RAF Museum’s partnership with the British soccer team Chelsea FC and the club’s campaign to combat antisemitism and racism through education.
Goodman is survived by a son. The last surviving member of the Dambusters Squadron is now 99-year-old squadron leader George Leonard “Johnny” Johnson, who was an air gunner.
