ROBERT W. ANDERSON:

Robert Warner Anderson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 14, 1922. He graduated from Marshall High School in 1940. In August of 1942 Robert joined the United States Navy, in which he served for the remainder of World War II, ending with the rank of Aviation Ordnance Man Second Class (2/C). Robert received his initial training in Great Lakes, Ilinois in the fall of 1942 then went on to the Naval Training School, Aviation Maintenance at Millington, Tennesee. From February on Anderson spent much of 1943 stationed at various East Coast bases; his time included stays in Norfolk, Virginia, Hatboro, Pennsylvania, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island. In the spring and summer of 1944 Robert sailed off to the Pacific theatre on the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Franklin.

The U.S.S. Franklin saw extensive action in the Pacific, its planes having participated in strikes on, among others, the Bonins, Iwo Jima, Guam, Rota, and Manila Bay during the summer and fall of 1944. The “Big Ben,” as the Franklin was often referred to, suffered substantial damage inflicted by kamikaze attacks in October of 1944 and, later, March of 1945. The March 19, 1945 attack, which claimed nearly a thousand casualties, resulted in Robert spending three hours overboard until his eventual rescue. With the ship in need of repairs after each attack, Robert was stationed in Bremerton, Washington (January and February 1945) and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (April-October 1945) working and waiting for orders.

Robert W. Anderson is the son of Godfrey W. Anderson and his wife Emma. He had two brothers, William and Roger. The elder Anderson was a World War I veteran and an attorney who practiced law briefly at Proctor before going to work as a claims agent for the Soo Line Railroad. Robert’s brother William was killed in action in 1944 in Italy. Robert’s time in the Navy coincided with the courtship of his future wife Doris Husak.

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The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, especially from Robert W. Anderson to his parents and brother back in Minneapolis. Also included are a number of photographs of Robert W. Anderson and acquaintances from various times and locations during his service. The collection also includes a few letters addressed to his grandparents and uncle, as well as a letter from his brother, William Anderson, that can be found with Robert’s letter dated January 29, 1943. Interspersed periodically within the correspondence are newspaper clippings, church programs, greeting cards, postcards, and assorted other documents.

Letters dated October 16, 1942-January 14, 1943 include four photographs of Anderson and his friends. Letters written from Atlantic City, New Jersey, and dated May 13, 1943 contain five photographs of Anderson and of a girl, possibly his future wife Doris Husak, and his family. A letter dated May 29, 1945 includes five photographs of Robert Anderson with some friends in the Navy.

Letters frequently comment on health, weather, food, acquaintances, work duties, leisure activities on liberty and leave, plans for visits, sporting news, speculation about the war’s end, and discussion of post-war plans for marriage and employment. The correspondence from Robert Anderson’s time in training from September of 1942 to February of 1943 gives accounts of the daily life of sailors in training. In a letter dated February 6, 1944 Robert discusses learning of the death of his brother, William Anderson. Due to censorship the letters during the period from the summer of 1944 until the spring of 1945, are often less detailed as to his whereabouts and happenings. The letter dated May 19, 1945 refers in some detail to his personal experience during the “catastrophe” on the U.S.S. Franklin.

The collection also includes Anderson's flight log book, ceremonial programs and certificates, ship newsletters, and photographs.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Robert W. Anderson Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,225; 16,495

Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Processed by: John Knauss, November-December 2007; Shelby Edwards, November 2011.

Catalog ID number: 006800064

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The papers of Robert W. Anderson's brother, William L. Anderson, are also available at the Minnesota Historical Society.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Soldiers -- Social life and customs.

Soldiers' writings, American.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean.

Persons:

Anderson, William L., 1920-1944.

Organizations:

Franklin (Aircraft carrier)

United States. Navy -- Aviation ordnancemen.

Titles:

Big Ben, the flat top.

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