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SDPB Homefront Stories

Cornelius Charles (Charlie) Anderson, 2007

  • Branch of Service: United States Army Air Corps
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Military Service: Aug 1942 - Oct 1945


Listen to the following sections by scrolling forward to the timecode.

:40 - Branch of service 
1:10 - Missions (lost 36 planes, 156 holes in the plane, fire in the aircraft, jump from aircraft)
4:36 - Captured and experiences in captivity (POW - Black March)
24:14 - Liberated (weighed 85 lbs) 
29:00 - How did being a POW affect your life
30:34 - Firearms (gunner) instructor 
33:02 - Memories and flashbacks 
33:25 - Final thoughts - POW camp

Cornelius Charles "Charlie" Anderson Obituary 

This story was recorded at an SDPB event in Hot Springs, SD. 


Images Provided by Cornelius Anderson

Cornelius "Charlie" Anderson holds a 50 caliber machine gun after graduating from gunnery school in November of 1942. The 50 caliber gun was the same type of gun he used as a tail gunner during WWII.


Charles Anderson, by Sabrena Pearman (Click)


Cornelius and Virginia Anderson, 2007


Mrs. Virginia Anderson, by Sabrena Pearman (Click)


Cornelius Charles (Charlie) Anderson, 1943


Training mission in Sioux City, Iowa, February 19th, 1944



For more information about SDPB's educational resources 
and services contact Steven Rokusek at
EdServices@sdpb.org or at (605) 222-3422


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