Anderson, Edward V. (1923-2011)

https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:8584#/kaltura_audio

Biographical Information: Edward V. Anderson was born on April 14, 1923, in DeKalb, Illinois. He enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1942 at the age of 19, and served as a B-24 pilot in Europe during the last months of World War II as a second Lieutenant. After his service, Anderson returned to the University of Illinois to finish his undergraduate education, and married his wife, Lucy Cleveland Johns, on September 27, 1947. They had five children: David, Howard, Carol, Joyce and Timothy. Anderson earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked as a mechanical engineer until his retirement in 1983. Anderson died on March 13, 2011 at his home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, at the age of 87.

Transcript Summary: Edward V. Anderson described his experiences as a B-24 pilot during World War II. He enlisted in 1942 and graduated from pilot training in Lubbock, Texas, in May 1944. Anderson was part of the wave of replacement crews sent to the European theatre in early January 1945 and stationed in Seething, England. He discussed the pilot training he went through while in the United States, as well as the 13 missions he flew while in Europe. In his first mission, he described having to crash-land his airplane in a Belgian field after running out of fuel. While flying his second mission, the plane lost two engines and his crew member was hit by flak shrapnel shot by German anti-aircraft defenses. After the war, his crew was low on points, so they were reassigned to participate in the Japanese Theater of war, but Japan surrendered before they had to ship out. Anderson detailed the daily routines for missions as well as training flights for pilots during WWII and briefly summarizes his life after the war.

Interview by John Carter