CHARLES A. ANDERSON, LT, USN
Charles Anderson '38
Lucky Bag
From the 1938 Lucky Bag:
Loss
Charles was lost when his SOC-3A Seagull was shot down near Gela, Italy, on July 10, 1943 during the invasion of Sicily. He was flying from USS Savannah (CL 42) while that cruiser conducted shore bombardment.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He is buried in Illinois.
Career
From naval aviation historian Richard Leonard via email on February 9, 2018:
- NAS Pensacola designated NA # 7402, 4/3/1941
- Date of rank LTJG from 1 Jul 1941 USN Register, 6/2/1941
- Date of rank LT from 1 Jul 1942 USN Register, 6/15/1942
- VCS-8 USS Savannah (CL-42) DFC PH KIA, 7/10/1943
Distinguished Flying Cross
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Charles Alden Anderson (NSN: 81237), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight during the invasion of the Island of Sicily in July 1943, while attached to the U.S.S. SAVANNAH (CL-42). Lieutenant Anderson, as Pilot of a cruiser scouting plane, performed spotting and reconnaissance missions with great efficiency in the face of heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire and air opposition. His spotting, performed under extremely hazardous conditions, contributed greatly to the success of the bombardment of enemy positions. His reconnaissance flights, which carried him deep into the enemy territory, were of great value to the assaulting forces. The courageous service of Lieutenant Anderson in which he gave his life was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: July 1943
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Division: U.S.S. Savannah (CL-42)
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1938
Ensign, USS Memphis
Others at this command:
January 1939
Ensign, USS Memphis
Others at this command:
June 1940
Ensign, USS Worden
November 1940
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
CDR William Sample '19
LT William Pennewill '29
LT Finley Hall '29
LT John Yoho '29
LT Lance Massey '30
LT George Bellinger '32
LT Martin Koivisto '32
LT John Spiers '32
LT Daniel Gothie '32
LT Dewitt Shumway '32
LT Albert Major, Jr. '32
LTjg John Phillips, Jr. '33
ENS Frank Peterson '33
LTjg Charles Brewer '34
LTjg Walker Ethridge '34
CAPT Floyd Parks '34
LTjg Charles Ware '34
LTjg Frank Whitaker '34
LTjg Philip Torrey, Jr. '34
LTjg George Nicol '34
LTjg Victor Gadrow '35
LTjg Richard Stephenson '35
LTjg Allan Edmands '35
LTjg Roy Krogh '36
LTjg Porter Maxwell '36
LTjg Richard Hughes '37
LTjg Frank Henderson, Jr. '37
LTjg John Thomas '37
LTjg John Boal '37
ENS Harry Howell '38
ENS Eric Allen, Jr. '38
ENS James Ginn '38
ENS Oswald Zink '38
ENS Frank Case, Jr. '38
ENS Howard Fischer '38
ENS Edmundo Gandia '38
ENS Charles Reimann '38
ENS Howard Clark '38
ENS Roy Hale, Jr. '38
ENS Leonard Thornhill '38
ENS Osborne Wiseman '38
ENS Curtis Howard '38
ENS Jep Jonson '38
ENS Roy Green, Jr. '38
ENS Marion Dufilho '38
2LT James Owens '38
ENS William Brady '38
ENS Carl Holmstrom '38
ENS Charles King '38
2LT John Maclaughlin, Jr. '38
ENS William Tate, Jr. '38
2LT Douglas Keeler '38
ENS Harry Bass '38
ENS John Kelley '38
ENS John Erickson '38
ENS William Lamberson '38
ENS Donald Smith '38
ENS Frank Quady '38
ENS Richard Crommelin '38
ENS Robert Seibels, Jr. '38
ENS Alphonse Minvielle '38
April 1941
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
LT William Pennewill '29
LT Finley Hall '29
LT John Yoho '29
LT William Sisko '31
LT George Bellinger '32
LT Martin Koivisto '32
LT John Spiers '32
LT Archibald Greenlee '32
LT Daniel Gothie '32
LT Albert Major, Jr. '32
LTjg John McCormack, Jr. '33
Others at or embarked at this command:
Class of 1938
Charles is one of 72 members of the Class of 1938 on Virtual Memorial Hall.