Lawrence N. Anderson was the son of Swedish immigrants Gustave and Olga Anderson. He was born and raised in Middlesex County, Massachusetts and graduated high school there. He worked as a clerk in a hardware store prior to joining the Army. The 1940 U.S. Census shows the family as living in Wakefield, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with the following family members living in the home at that time (note Anderson's first name is misspelled by the census taker):
Head Gustav Anderson M 62 Sweden
Wife Olga Anderson F 58 Sweden
Son Philip Anderson M 39 Sweden
Son Ernest Anderson M 34 Massachusetts
Son Lawerance Anderson M 19 Massachusetts
Anderson joined the Army Air Corps on 4/16/1941 in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to the beginning of World War II. He was single with no dependents. After he completed his basic training, Anderson was sent to various Army Air Corps schools and received his Aerial Gunnery and Flight Engineer wings and qualification as a crewman on the B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. He was assigned to the 777th Bomb Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, operating out of Panatella Air Base, Italy.
On 8/7/1944, Anderson's aircraft took off from Panatella with other bombers in his squadron to bomb the synthetic oil plants at Blechhammer, Germany, piloted by Captain James Tudor. From that day forward, the men of that plane were referred to as the "Tudor Crew" in official messages/research. They were flying in B-24G serial number #42-78318, nicknamed "All Meat and No Potatoes" after a popular song of the 1940s by jazz musician Fats Waller. The crew was very familiar with the plane and had flown it on numerous missionS and even had their crew photograph taken next to it.
Over their target, the aircraft took a direct hit from a flak shell outside the left outboard engine. The engine exploded, falling from the aircraft. The plane appeared to steady itself, but it soon flipped into an inverted position and went into a very tight left-hand spin. Witnesses from other bombers reported that no parachutes were seen coming from the spiraling plane. However, five of the crew did manage to bail out; the pilot went out the upper hatch, the co-pilot and navigator dropped from the bomb bays, and the nose gunner and bombardier went out the nose wheel hatch. The remaining five crewmen were either dead or held by centrifugal force inside the plane and could not jump. The aircraft crashed, caught fire, and all ammunition exploded.
The German soldiers captured the five crew members who parachuted out. The Germans also recovered five bodies from the wreckage. They were buried in a church cemetery by Polish civilians in Zalesic, Silesia. After the war ended, the bodies were recovered and returned to the United States for burial in a communal grave, as per practice for the remains of air crews, at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. For reasons unknown to this author as of this writing, only four names are inscribed on the gravestone.
Reportedly, Anderson was last seen sitting behind his guns in the top turret of his plane. It is believed he was dead, having been struck in the head, possibly due to exploding flak. Fellow crewmen stated in official reports that one of them had asked Anderson to put on a flak helmet just before he was killed. It was believed to have been Anderson's fourth mission with the crew. The navigator, Lt. William Hollmann, reported after he was liberated from a German Prisoner-of-War camp, that he saw Anderson in his gunner position just before he (Hollmann) bailed out of the plane and it was obvious from the massive head wound Anderson sustained he was dead.
According to the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #7534, the following personnel were on board the aircraft the day it went down:
Captain James R. Tudor, Pilot
Second Lieutenant James J. Ryan, Co-Pilot
Second Lieutenant William H. Hollmann, Navigator
Second Lieutenant Louis V. Valente, Bombardier
T/Sgt Lawrence N. Anderson, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
T/Sgt Henry C. Patrick, Assistant Engineer/Gunner
S/Sgt Robert E. Hickson, Left Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Joseph F. Kolzer, Right Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Kenneth A. Kramer, Nose Gunner
S/Sgt George E. Adams, Ball Turret Gunner
Technical Sergeant Lawrence N. Anderson, Sn# 11027282, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Silver Flight Engineer Wings
- Silver Army Air Corps Aerial Gunner Wings
- Purple Heart Medal
- Air Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- European Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star(s)
- World War II Victory Medal
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- Meritorious Unit Citation sleeve insignia (now a ribbon)
Head Gustav Anderson M 62 Sweden
Wife Olga Anderson F 58 Sweden
Son Philip Anderson M 39 Sweden
Son Ernest Anderson M 34 Massachusetts
Son Lawerance Anderson M 19 Massachusetts
Anderson joined the Army Air Corps on 4/16/1941 in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to the beginning of World War II. He was single with no dependents. After he completed his basic training, Anderson was sent to various Army Air Corps schools and received his Aerial Gunnery and Flight Engineer wings and qualification as a crewman on the B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. He was assigned to the 777th Bomb Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, operating out of Panatella Air Base, Italy.
On 8/7/1944, Anderson's aircraft took off from Panatella with other bombers in his squadron to bomb the synthetic oil plants at Blechhammer, Germany, piloted by Captain James Tudor. From that day forward, the men of that plane were referred to as the "Tudor Crew" in official messages/research. They were flying in B-24G serial number #42-78318, nicknamed "All Meat and No Potatoes" after a popular song of the 1940s by jazz musician Fats Waller. The crew was very familiar with the plane and had flown it on numerous missionS and even had their crew photograph taken next to it.
Over their target, the aircraft took a direct hit from a flak shell outside the left outboard engine. The engine exploded, falling from the aircraft. The plane appeared to steady itself, but it soon flipped into an inverted position and went into a very tight left-hand spin. Witnesses from other bombers reported that no parachutes were seen coming from the spiraling plane. However, five of the crew did manage to bail out; the pilot went out the upper hatch, the co-pilot and navigator dropped from the bomb bays, and the nose gunner and bombardier went out the nose wheel hatch. The remaining five crewmen were either dead or held by centrifugal force inside the plane and could not jump. The aircraft crashed, caught fire, and all ammunition exploded.
The German soldiers captured the five crew members who parachuted out. The Germans also recovered five bodies from the wreckage. They were buried in a church cemetery by Polish civilians in Zalesic, Silesia. After the war ended, the bodies were recovered and returned to the United States for burial in a communal grave, as per practice for the remains of air crews, at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. For reasons unknown to this author as of this writing, only four names are inscribed on the gravestone.
Reportedly, Anderson was last seen sitting behind his guns in the top turret of his plane. It is believed he was dead, having been struck in the head, possibly due to exploding flak. Fellow crewmen stated in official reports that one of them had asked Anderson to put on a flak helmet just before he was killed. It was believed to have been Anderson's fourth mission with the crew. The navigator, Lt. William Hollmann, reported after he was liberated from a German Prisoner-of-War camp, that he saw Anderson in his gunner position just before he (Hollmann) bailed out of the plane and it was obvious from the massive head wound Anderson sustained he was dead.
According to the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #7534, the following personnel were on board the aircraft the day it went down:
Captain James R. Tudor, Pilot
Second Lieutenant James J. Ryan, Co-Pilot
Second Lieutenant William H. Hollmann, Navigator
Second Lieutenant Louis V. Valente, Bombardier
T/Sgt Lawrence N. Anderson, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
T/Sgt Henry C. Patrick, Assistant Engineer/Gunner
S/Sgt Robert E. Hickson, Left Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Joseph F. Kolzer, Right Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Kenneth A. Kramer, Nose Gunner
S/Sgt George E. Adams, Ball Turret Gunner
Technical Sergeant Lawrence N. Anderson, Sn# 11027282, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Silver Flight Engineer Wings
- Silver Army Air Corps Aerial Gunner Wings
- Purple Heart Medal
- Air Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- European Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star(s)
- World War II Victory Medal
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- Meritorious Unit Citation sleeve insignia (now a ribbon)
Lawrence N. Anderson was the son of Swedish immigrants Gustave and Olga Anderson. He was born and raised in Middlesex County, Massachusetts and graduated high school there. He worked as a clerk in a hardware store prior to joining the Army. The 1940 U.S. Census shows the family as living in Wakefield, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with the following family members living in the home at that time (note Anderson's first name is misspelled by the census taker):
Head Gustav Anderson M 62 Sweden
Wife Olga Anderson F 58 Sweden
Son Philip Anderson M 39 Sweden
Son Ernest Anderson M 34 Massachusetts
Son Lawerance Anderson M 19 Massachusetts
Anderson joined the Army Air Corps on 4/16/1941 in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to the beginning of World War II. He was single with no dependents. After he completed his basic training, Anderson was sent to various Army Air Corps schools and received his Aerial Gunnery and Flight Engineer wings and qualification as a crewman on the B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. He was assigned to the 777th Bomb Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, operating out of Panatella Air Base, Italy.
On 8/7/1944, Anderson's aircraft took off from Panatella with other bombers in his squadron to bomb the synthetic oil plants at Blechhammer, Germany, piloted by Captain James Tudor. From that day forward, the men of that plane were referred to as the "Tudor Crew" in official messages/research. They were flying in B-24G serial number #42-78318, nicknamed "All Meat and No Potatoes" after a popular song of the 1940s by jazz musician Fats Waller. The crew was very familiar with the plane and had flown it on numerous missionS and even had their crew photograph taken next to it.
Over their target, the aircraft took a direct hit from a flak shell outside the left outboard engine. The engine exploded, falling from the aircraft. The plane appeared to steady itself, but it soon flipped into an inverted position and went into a very tight left-hand spin. Witnesses from other bombers reported that no parachutes were seen coming from the spiraling plane. However, five of the crew did manage to bail out; the pilot went out the upper hatch, the co-pilot and navigator dropped from the bomb bays, and the nose gunner and bombardier went out the nose wheel hatch. The remaining five crewmen were either dead or held by centrifugal force inside the plane and could not jump. The aircraft crashed, caught fire, and all ammunition exploded.
The German soldiers captured the five crew members who parachuted out. The Germans also recovered five bodies from the wreckage. They were buried in a church cemetery by Polish civilians in Zalesic, Silesia. After the war ended, the bodies were recovered and returned to the United States for burial in a communal grave, as per practice for the remains of air crews, at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. For reasons unknown to this author as of this writing, only four names are inscribed on the gravestone.
Reportedly, Anderson was last seen sitting behind his guns in the top turret of his plane. It is believed he was dead, having been struck in the head, possibly due to exploding flak. Fellow crewmen stated in official reports that one of them had asked Anderson to put on a flak helmet just before he was killed. It was believed to have been Anderson's fourth mission with the crew. The navigator, Lt. William Hollmann, reported after he was liberated from a German Prisoner-of-War camp, that he saw Anderson in his gunner position just before he (Hollmann) bailed out of the plane and it was obvious from the massive head wound Anderson sustained he was dead.
According to the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #7534, the following personnel were on board the aircraft the day it went down:
Captain James R. Tudor, Pilot
Second Lieutenant James J. Ryan, Co-Pilot
Second Lieutenant William H. Hollmann, Navigator
Second Lieutenant Louis V. Valente, Bombardier
T/Sgt Lawrence N. Anderson, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
T/Sgt Henry C. Patrick, Assistant Engineer/Gunner
S/Sgt Robert E. Hickson, Left Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Joseph F. Kolzer, Right Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Kenneth A. Kramer, Nose Gunner
S/Sgt George E. Adams, Ball Turret Gunner
Technical Sergeant Lawrence N. Anderson, Sn# 11027282, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Silver Flight Engineer Wings
- Silver Army Air Corps Aerial Gunner Wings
- Purple Heart Medal
- Air Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- European Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star(s)
- World War II Victory Medal
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- Meritorious Unit Citation sleeve insignia (now a ribbon)
Head Gustav Anderson M 62 Sweden
Wife Olga Anderson F 58 Sweden
Son Philip Anderson M 39 Sweden
Son Ernest Anderson M 34 Massachusetts
Son Lawerance Anderson M 19 Massachusetts
Anderson joined the Army Air Corps on 4/16/1941 in Boston, Massachusetts, prior to the beginning of World War II. He was single with no dependents. After he completed his basic training, Anderson was sent to various Army Air Corps schools and received his Aerial Gunnery and Flight Engineer wings and qualification as a crewman on the B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. He was assigned to the 777th Bomb Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, operating out of Panatella Air Base, Italy.
On 8/7/1944, Anderson's aircraft took off from Panatella with other bombers in his squadron to bomb the synthetic oil plants at Blechhammer, Germany, piloted by Captain James Tudor. From that day forward, the men of that plane were referred to as the "Tudor Crew" in official messages/research. They were flying in B-24G serial number #42-78318, nicknamed "All Meat and No Potatoes" after a popular song of the 1940s by jazz musician Fats Waller. The crew was very familiar with the plane and had flown it on numerous missionS and even had their crew photograph taken next to it.
Over their target, the aircraft took a direct hit from a flak shell outside the left outboard engine. The engine exploded, falling from the aircraft. The plane appeared to steady itself, but it soon flipped into an inverted position and went into a very tight left-hand spin. Witnesses from other bombers reported that no parachutes were seen coming from the spiraling plane. However, five of the crew did manage to bail out; the pilot went out the upper hatch, the co-pilot and navigator dropped from the bomb bays, and the nose gunner and bombardier went out the nose wheel hatch. The remaining five crewmen were either dead or held by centrifugal force inside the plane and could not jump. The aircraft crashed, caught fire, and all ammunition exploded.
The German soldiers captured the five crew members who parachuted out. The Germans also recovered five bodies from the wreckage. They were buried in a church cemetery by Polish civilians in Zalesic, Silesia. After the war ended, the bodies were recovered and returned to the United States for burial in a communal grave, as per practice for the remains of air crews, at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. For reasons unknown to this author as of this writing, only four names are inscribed on the gravestone.
Reportedly, Anderson was last seen sitting behind his guns in the top turret of his plane. It is believed he was dead, having been struck in the head, possibly due to exploding flak. Fellow crewmen stated in official reports that one of them had asked Anderson to put on a flak helmet just before he was killed. It was believed to have been Anderson's fourth mission with the crew. The navigator, Lt. William Hollmann, reported after he was liberated from a German Prisoner-of-War camp, that he saw Anderson in his gunner position just before he (Hollmann) bailed out of the plane and it was obvious from the massive head wound Anderson sustained he was dead.
According to the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #7534, the following personnel were on board the aircraft the day it went down:
Captain James R. Tudor, Pilot
Second Lieutenant James J. Ryan, Co-Pilot
Second Lieutenant William H. Hollmann, Navigator
Second Lieutenant Louis V. Valente, Bombardier
T/Sgt Lawrence N. Anderson, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
T/Sgt Henry C. Patrick, Assistant Engineer/Gunner
S/Sgt Robert E. Hickson, Left Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Joseph F. Kolzer, Right Waist Gunner
S/Sgt Kenneth A. Kramer, Nose Gunner
S/Sgt George E. Adams, Ball Turret Gunner
Technical Sergeant Lawrence N. Anderson, Sn# 11027282, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Silver Flight Engineer Wings
- Silver Army Air Corps Aerial Gunner Wings
- Purple Heart Medal
- Air Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- European Theater of Operations Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star(s)
- World War II Victory Medal
- Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- Meritorious Unit Citation sleeve insignia (now a ribbon)
Inscription
TSGT, US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
