Gerald "Gerry" Auerbach, B-29 aircrew, Berlin airlift

[DavidIsby]

from Facebook: World War II in Color
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With profound sadness, we mark the passing of Gerald “Gerry” Auerbach, a World War II veteran whose life spanned a century shaped by aviation, war, and service. He was 101 — one of the last living airmen of an era that changed the world forever. 🕊️🇺🇸
From boyhood, Gerry’s eyes were fixed on the sky. At just ten years old, he built his own model airplanes from balsa wood and paper, crafting dreams of flight with ingenuity and determination long before war would give them purpose. Brilliant and driven, he finished high school at sixteen and joined the City College of New York’s ROTC program, answering the call to serve even before the draft reached him.
In 1942, he entered the Army Air Corps and would eventually serve aboard B-29 Superfortresses flying firebombing missions over Japan. On the night of March 9–10, 1945 — remembered as the “Night of the Black Snow” — Gerry took part in the Tokyo raids, among the most devastating aerial attacks in history. It was a moment that underscored the terrible weight of modern war, where duty and destruction existed side by side.
When the guns finally fell silent, Gerry did not step away from service. He stayed in uniform, trained as a pilot, and went on to fly more than 200 missions during the Berlin Airlift — helping sustain a city not through destruction, but through hope, supply, and endurance.
Gerald Auerbach lived a life defined by commitment to flight, country, and duty — bearing witness to both the darkest and most redemptive chapters of the 20th century. We honor his service, remember the lives touched by the war he survived, and acknowledge the complexity of history he carried with him.
May he rest in peace.
And may his century-long journey remind us of the cost of war — and the responsibility of remembrance.