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William Anderson-Family
to remember
Anderson, Homer C., TSgt.
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Contact Info
Home Town Zora
Last Address Lakeview Heights
Date of Passing Sep 29, 2005
Official Badges
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Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
TSgt. Homer Anderson enlisted on 31 October 1942 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In the ETO, he served with "The Ragged Irregulars of Bassingbourn", of the 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Bomb Squadron out of RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England (AF Station 121), 8th Air Force. His service in England began on 17 July 1944.
Primarily, he flew with William Eblen's crew aboard the B-17 "Sweet 17 - The Spirit of St Louis". Also, flew missions aboard "Heigh Ho Silver" and the famous "Nine-O-Nine".
Other airmen in his squadron that he remembered were William Marler, his co-pilot, and other squadron mates including: Arvin Basnight, John Yavis, John Annes, Finis Johnson, Joe Doran, and John Weisgarber.
He was standing about 3 or 4 feet behind General "Possum" Hansell when that gentleman earned the "Rigid Digit Award" for landing about a hundred yards short of the runway in the grass. Homer had already finished his 32 missions and was just hanging around the barracks waiting for orders home when he was approached with an offer for the job. The general wanted to do his periodic qualification flight and Homer was told that he didn't have to act as his engineer but that it would be appreciated. Hence that near death experience occurred, after several others.
TSgt. Anderson was honorably discharged on 14 October 1945 at Scott Field, Illinois. He had returned to the States on 1 April 1945. The last operational missions of the 323rd was on 25 April 1945.
Other Comments:
Hunter. An uncanny expert marksman. Killed his first 17 deer with with 16 cartridges from the 8 mm German Mauser that he built up. Worked with father and five brothers for three years in their gunstock mill in Springtown, Arkansas after war, providing blanks for Bishop Gunstocks of Warsaw, Missouri. He was a farmer, dairy and beef, then poultry, broilers, and later turkeys. An avid treasure hunter and trail bike enthusiast.
He passed away from Congestive Heart Failure. He was interred in Brushy Cemetery, Cole Camp, Benton County, Missouri.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Northern France Campaign (1944)
From Month/Year
July / 1944
To Month/Year
September / 1944
Description (Northern France Campaign 25 July to 14 September 1944) Bombardment along a five-mile stretch of the German line enabled the Allies to break through on 25 July. While some armored forces drove southward into Brittany, others fanned out to the east and, overcoming a desperate counterattack, executed a pincers movement that trapped many Germans in a pocket at Falaise. The enemy fell back on the Siegfried Line, and by mid-September 1944 nearly all of France had been liberated. During these operations in France, while light and medium bombers and fighter-bomber aircraft of Ninth Air Force had been engaged in close support and interdictory operations, Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces had continued their strategic bombing.
