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Contact Info
Home Town Claremont, Virginia
Last Address Waverly, Virginia
Date of Passing Feb 10, 1998
Location of Interment Claremont Cemetery - Claremont, Virginia
Captain Anderson was born in Claremont, VA on September 22, 1914. He enlisted in the Navy in 1932 and was accepted to the Naval Academy in 1934. He graduated in the top 113 of his class in 1938. He received his gold Naval Aviator Wings in March 1941 and transitioned into the Douglas SBD. He reported aboard the USS Enterprise in May 1941. Enterprise participated in the Marshall Islands Raid. From June 4Ih to June 6 1942, the Enterprise, along with the carriers Hornet and Yorktown, fought the Battle of Midway. He served as a Section Leader of a bombing squadron aboard the Enterprise and for his actions was awarded the Navy Cross. He also received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts during the Battle of Midway. From August 1942 to January 1944, he served as a Chief Instructor for advanced carrier operations and Chief Flight Instructor at NAS Jacksonville and NAS Dayton Beach. From January 1944 to January 1945 he served aboard the USS Ticonderoga. He was the commanding officer of Bombing Squadron 80 and flew the SB2C. While serving on the USS Ticonderoga, he was severely injured in two Kamikaze attacks and received a Purple Heart as a result of these. In August 1949, he reported to the USS Midway as an Air Officer. In June 1955, he reported to the USS Forrestal where he served as the Executive Officer until July 1956. In August 1958 he was given his first command of a surface ship the USS Onslow, which was a seaplane tender. On June 6, 1961 he was given command of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and on July 1, 1968 he retired from the Navy after a 32-year career.
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Pacific Air Offensive (1942-45)
From Month/Year
April / 1942
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Description Allied forces conducted many air raids on Japan during World War II, causing extensive destruction to the country's cities and killing between 241,000 and 900,000 people. During the first years of the Pacific War these attacks were limited to the Doolittle Raid in April 1942 and small-scale raids on military positions in the Kuril Islands from mid-1943. Strategic bombing raids began in June 1944 and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. Allied naval and land-based tactical air units also attacked Japan during 1945.
The United States military air campaign waged against Japan began in earnest in mid-1944 and intensified during the war's last months. While plans for attacks on Japan had been prepared prior to the Pacific War, these could not begin until the long-range B-29 Superfortress bomber was ready for combat. From June 1944 until January 1945, B-29s stationed in India staged through bases in China to make a series of raids on Japan, but this effort proved unsuccessful. The strategic bombing campaign was greatly expanded from November 1944 when bases in the Mariana Islands became available as a result of the Mariana Islands Campaign. These attacks initially attempted to target industrial facilities, but from March 1945 were generally directed against urban areas as much of the manufacturing process was carried out in small workshops and private homes. Aircraft flying from Allied aircraft carriers and the Ryukyu Islands also frequently struck targets in Japan during 1945 in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan scheduled for October 1945. During early August 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were struck and mostly destroyed by atomic bombs.
Japan's military and civil defenses were unable to stop the Allied attacks. The number of fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft guns assigned to defensive duties in the home islands was inadequate, and most of these aircraft and guns had difficulty reaching the high altitudes at which B-29s often operated. Fuel shortages, inadequate pilot training, and a lack of coordination between units also constrained the effectiveness of the fighter force. Despite the vulnerability of Japanese cities to firebombing attacks, the firefighting services lacked training and equipment, and few air raid shelters were constructed for civilians. As a result, the B-29s were able to inflict severe damage on urban areas while suffering few losses.
The Allied bombing campaign was one of the main factors which influenced the Japanese government's decision to surrender in mid-August 1945. However, there has been a long-running debate over the morality of the attacks on Japanese cities, and the use of atomic weapons is particularly controversial. The most commonly cited estimate of Japanese casualties from the raids is 333,000 killed and 473,000 wounded. There are a number of other estimates of total fatalities, however, which range from 241,000 to 900,000. In addition to the loss of mostly civilian life, the raids contributed to a large decline in industrial production.
