Howard Anderson was born in December 1922 in North Dakota. He grew up on a farm. His father was a farmer. The family did not have much money, but always had food. Anderson and his sister would walk to school. The family used horses and bicycles for transportation until they could buy a car. Eventually the family moved into the town of Landa [Annotator's Note: Landa, North Dakota], where his father worked at a grain elevator. Anderson finished high school in June 1941. He bought a Model A [Annotator's Note: Ford Model A, an early car made by the Ford Motor Company] and took some friends to California. It was the first time any of them had been out of the state of North Dakota. All of the friends had temporary jobs until college. Anderson attended Santa Monica Technical School [Annotator's Note: Santa Monica, California], where he learned aircraft manufacturing and structure. He was given a job at the Douglas Aircraft Corporation in Santa Monica and was there when the war broke out. He worked there for a year, until he received his draft notice in December 1942. Anderson knew he would be called up after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was petrified and did not know when he would be drafted. He was sworn into the military and went to Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California. He was given the option of what branch he wanted to join, so he chose the Army Air Forces. Anderson got onto a troop train and was taken to Florida. While on the way to Florida, some of the depots in the south had different facilities for White and Black people. It was the first time Anderson saw segregation and did not know it was actually happening. Eventually, he made it to Clearwater, Florida, where he did his basic training. The discipline surprised him. Anderson's training was on the beach and he slept in a hotel the government had taken over. He was given a uniform. After taking an aptitude test, Anderson was sent to radio operator mechanic school. The school was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was very cold because it was March. There was snow on the ground and he had to live in a tar paper shack. He was trained to operate a radio, but he also had physical training. Anderson marched everywhere he went. The dining halls were segregated for White and Black airmen. The segregation disturbed Anderson. At school, he learned communication and Morse code. To graduate, he had to type 16 words a minute. After graduating, 120 men, including Anderson, were sent to Philadelphia [Annotator's Note: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania], to learn how to maintain and operate a specific radio they would be using. Anderson enjoyed Philadelphia. He was sent to Kansas, then to Pratt Army Air Field [Annotator's Note: near Pratt, Kansas], where he found out he would be in the B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] program. At the time, there were no B-29s at the base. He was trained in B-26s [Annotator's Note: Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber] and B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] that had flown in the European Theater. Finally, he received his B-29, in the fall of 1943. Eventually, there were ten in his unit. They were brand new, but had some issues with the engines. The engines would overheat.

Howard Anderson finally had enough training and was assigned to an 11 man crew. His commander had flown many different kinds of planes. Anderson remained with the same crew for the rest of the war. Some crews were broken up because of the losses suffered during the war. Anderson's crew left Pratt, Kansas, in April 1944. All the B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] crews left for overseas duty at that time. A group was sent to India earlier in March. Anderson's crew flew to Maine, where he was snowed in. He remained there for some time. He then flew to Gander, Newfoundland, where they performed minor maintenance before flying to Marrakesh, Morocco. It was a non-stop, 15 hour flight. The bomb bays had rubber tanks in them. By the time he arrived in Marrakesh [Annotator's Note: Marrakesh, Morocco], Anderson's plane was running low on fuel. The tower cleared them for landing, but warned there might be camels on the runway. The aircraft was refueled and inspected, then Anderson's crew flew to Cairo, Egypt. That flight was the first time Anderson flew into a lightning storm. The plane was hit by lightning, burning out his high frequency radio equipment. The flight engineer showed him the balls of electricity coming off of the wings and propellers. In Cairo, Anderson sat a large table and was waited on by Italian POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war]. After some sleep, Anderson retuned to the plane to help the maintenance crew with his radio equipment. Some other crew joined him, but other crew members saw some of the countryside. Soon enough, he was flying to Karachi, Pakistan [Annotator's Note: then Karachi, India], which did not impress Anderson. It was hot and there was poverty everywhere. Kids begged for food. After some rest, the crew flew to their main base at Chakulia, India. He was in the 58th Bombardment Wing, 20th Air Force. There were four bombardment groups in that unit, but located at different bases. There were some British RAF [Annotator's Note: Royal Air Force] troops and Indian Air Force troops at the base as well.

The base's runway had been lengthened by the locals. It was not quite long enough, but was adequate. Howard Anderson bombed places under Japanese control such as Rangoon [Annotator's Note: then Rangoon, Burma; now Rangoon, Myanmar], Bangkok [Annotator's Note: Bangkok, Thailand], and Thailand. He also flew supplies to the forward operating bases in China, which means he "flew the Hump" [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China]. The B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] was pressurized, so it was able to fly over the mountains. Anderson did not have to use oxygen because the plane had a pressurized cabin. His plane took ammunition, bombs, and gasoline. Anderson flew into base "A1" in Hsin Chiang [Annotator's Note: Hsin King, China; also known as Changchun, China]. The supplies were used by the Americans. They did a good job of maintaining the base. The Americans had better living conditions than the natives in India. His bed was made out of straw, but he also had an inflatable mattress. When the plane was offloaded, the plane would have just enough gas to return to India. The supply train was very weak in Anderson's theater [Annotator's Note: the China, Burma, India Theater]. He always had enough ammunition to attack enemy planes, however, his crew was never harassed by the enemy. Anderson did not know what was happening in the Pacific Islands. He started flying into Manchuria [Annotator's Note: Manchuria, China], where he bombed railway yards and factories. He also bombed Formosa [Annotator's Note: present day Taiwan] and Kyushu [Annotator's Note: Kyushu, Japan]. Those flights were 13 hours long without landing. The flights were stressful, especially when over enemy territory. He did not know if he would be attacked by aircraft or ack-ack [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire]. He had to take off in the evening to make those runs. Anderson's first mission into Japan was a bombing run over Omura [Annotator's Note: Omura, Japan], on the island of Kyushu. That run took place in June 1944. His primary mission was to bomb Japan. Those were the first serious bombing missions over Japan. The bombing runs over Japan took upwards of 16 hours. Anderson flew around 20,000 feet over Japan during those attacks. Anderson flew three missions to Singapore [Annotator's Note: Singapore, Malaysia] and had to fly 30,000 feet over his target. Anderson flew 27 total missions.

Flying to Japan was not easy because so much of China was under Japanese control. All of the missions Howard Anderson flew were hectic. The early missions were all during the day, until LeMay [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Major General, later United States Air Force General, Curtis Emerson Lemay] took over and switched them to night flights. In November 1944, Anderson flew a mission over Omura [Annotator's Note: Omura, Japan] on Kyushu Island [Annotator's Note: Kyushu, Japan]. He was bombing a munitions factory. During the attack, Anderson's plane was hit by Japanese fighters, knocking out two engines. The flight engineer managed to keep the other two engines running. They dropped their bombs and had to reduce their altitude. The gunners managed to shoot down three fighters and damaged another. The commander wanted to fly to Vladivostok, Russia, since it was a close Allied base. Anderson contacted an American submarine, the Spadefish [Annotator's Note: USS Spadefish (SS-411)], and set up a rendezvous. Anderson was comforted knowing the submarine would be there to find the crew. After giving the submarine's bearing, the plane started flying towards its area. The aircraft commander decided to try to get to an emergency landing base in China. By that time, the plane was at 14,000 feet and the crew had to use oxygen. After finding an emergency base, the crew landed. The base had some American P-51 [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] pilots on it. The runway was made of grass. Anderson's plane landed at the edge of the runway, tearing up the grass in the process. The Chinese greeted the crew immediately. Anderson saw Scandinavian missionaries in the area. The crew was exhausted from the overnight flight and the experience they just endured. The Chinese soldiers cut down trees and used them to camouflage the bomber. The missionaries fed the Americans and let them sleep in their building. Another B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] crashed nearby, so some of the crew used gear from that plane to repair their own bomber. They had just enough tools and equipment to get the job done. To keep the plane airborne, the crew had to throw out equipment that was not useful to them, making the plane lighter. The crew got the bomber airborne and were almost immediately over Japanese lines. The bomber had to be filled up by using five gallon gas cans. They had to make an assembly line of workers carrying the gas cans. After returning to their base in western China, they found out there had been a Japanese air raid the night before, damaging the facility. After resting and checking the plane, Anderson flew "the Hump" [Annotator's Note: aerial supply route over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China] and arrived back at his base in India. He went to his quarters and found out they had been turned into a supply area. Soon enough, Anderson was preparing for another flight.

In January 1945, an engine change was required, so Howard Anderson had to fly the plane for four hours to test the engine. After the test, the plane started its landing process, however, the number two engine caught fire. The flight engineer tried to keep the engines running the best he could. The crew could not jump out of the plane because it was too low, so they either had to land or crash. On the final turn, the whole engine fell off the plane. The aircraft landed next to the runway, preventing sparks from touching off an explosion. During the landing, the nose gear fell off the plane. When the plane stopped, everyone jumped out of any exit they could. Anderson got hit in the mouth by the flight engineer's boot while he was exiting the plane. He had to get two teeth pulled after that. Everyone exited the airplane safely. The plane did not catch fire or explode. Anderson does not know why the plane did not take more damage from the engine fire. The fire trucks and ambulances were on the scene immediately. Everyone had to go to see the doctor for a checkout and were given bourbon. Anderson was heartbroken to see his plane destroyed. Anderson received plane 268 in brand new condition in Kansas and flew it all over the world. Anderson received a new airplane, 394, nicknamed "Last Resort." His previous plane did not have a name. In January 1945, Anderson was in a church service with some of his crew when they heard an explosion and thought the Japanese were bombing the area. Everyone evacuated the chapel and saw black smoke, but no Japanese fighters. Apparently, bombs were being loaded onto a plane near Anderson's plane. The rust bands that held the incendiary bombs together broke, causing an explosive to fall and detonate, causing a chain reaction of explosions. It took some time to get to the planes, but Anderson wanted to help. It was all roped off, and a gruesome sight. Nine people were killed and many more wounded. Anderson saw body parts everywhere. His plane was damaged in the explosions. Anderson knew many of those who died. There was a memorial service for the men who died. [Annotator's Note: Anderson gets emotional.]

Howard Anderson's crew was given a new airplane, 271, and his crew nicknamed it "Last Resort II." The missions to Singapore [Annotator's Note: Singapore, Malaysia] were the longest he flew. He was trying to destroy the Japanese dry dock and the cruiser in it. At 30,000 feet, the lead plane hit both the dry dock and the cruiser. They successfully completed the mission. It was a 17 hour and 40 minute flight. In early April 1945, Anderson was given orders to fly to Tinian [Annotator's Note: Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands]. The Army and Marines had captured the island and the Navy SeaBees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions] created airfields using coral. The unit [Annotator's Note: 40th Bombardment Group, 58th Bombardment Wing, 20th Air Force] moved 150 B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] from the 58th Bomb Wing to Tinian. Anderson stopped in eastern China to refuel and rest, then completed the flight to Tinian. Anderson's plane carried some maintenance men and their equipment. He took off from Luliang, China, and immediately two engines died in the air. All of the gas tanks and an assortment of other equipment were ejected from the plane. Anderson made an emergency landing on the runway he had just taken off from. The two engines that failed were clogged with dirt that was caught in the hoses that refueled the plane. The engines were fine after they were cleaned and refueled. The pilot and copilot took a single engine plane around to try and find the ejected equipment. They found the equipment, however, it was far away and the Chinese were already taking what they could. Anderson lost all of his personal gear. His plane was refitted with auxiliary tanks and the ensuing flight was uneventful. He flew over enemy land and water. On Tinian, Anderson lived in a Quonset hut [Annotator's Note: prefabricated barracks]. The quarters were better and so was the food. Anderson liked the ice cream and steaks. The weather was better than India, and he did not need mosquito netting.

Howard Anderson soon found out General LeMay [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Major General, later United States Air Force General, Curtis Emerson Lemay] was changing the bombing tactics to low altitude fire bombings. Everyone was disheartened, disgusted, and scared. They were worried about antiaircraft fire. The missions to Japan were around 14 hour flights. At the same time, Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan] was captured by the Marines. While flying to Japan, Anderson flew close to Iwo Jima. The island could be used by the bombers that needed to make an emergency landing. It was a morale booster for the airmen. Occasionally there were daylight raids against Japan. On 19 May 1945, Anderson was on a bombing run against the railyards at Hamamatsu [Annotator's Note: Hamamatsu, Japan]. On the way, his plane was hit by antiaircraft fire and the number two engine was hit, causing a fast oil leak. The engineer tried to stop to propeller, but it would not stop moving. Anderson notified his home base and the air rescue crews. The crew dropped the bombs, but Anderson does not know if they hit anything. His plane turned towards Iwo Jima as fast as possible. Oil ran out in the busted engine, but the propeller would not stop. Eventually, it would freeze over and break off, possible hitting the aircraft. The crew did not want to bail out over the water. Anderson was sitting near the busted propeller. The noise was unbearable. Eventually, the propeller broke free, hitting the side of the plane right behind the navigator's seat. The propeller cut the hydraulic line and electrical lines to the radio and some controls to the number one engine. The plane was close to Iwo Jima and a group of P-61s [Annotator's Note: Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter aircraft] met the bomber in the air. When the propeller came off, it almost hit one of the P-61s. A propeller had come off before, but it did not hit the plane. There was a hole in the side of the plane where the propeller hit. Anderson's crew decided to bail out of the plane near the island. Anderson told the crew in the back when to bail out. The crew jumped out of the plane, and most of them landed on the island without injury. The flight commander, Major Roberts, landed badly and broke two vertebrae. There were some other injuries, but not as serious. None of them wanted to land in the water. Anderson thanked the Marines for capturing the island. Anderson and one of the gunners landed near Mount Suribachi [Annotator's Note: dormant volcano located on Iwo Jima]. They were picked up and driven to an aid station. They were checked out by a doctor and Anderson's knees were shaking so bad he could barely stand. That was the only time he ever bailed out of a plane. The airplane crashed into the ocean. Some SeaBees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions] took pictures of the plane as it hit the water.

That night, Howard Anderson was given some food. At some point in the night, air raid sirens started blaring because five Japanese Bettys [Annotator's Note: Mistubishi G4M medium bomber, known as the Betty] were over the island. Anderson was taken to a slit trench for protection. The planes were spotted and shot down. One plane tried to kamikaze dive and landed near the trench Anderson was in. Anderson watched all five get shot down. The next morning, Anderson and one of his gunners found the plane that landed near his position. He saw pieces of bodies and the destroyed plane. All of his wounded crew were taken care of and his aircraft commander was evacuated to Guam. Anderson did not see him again in the war. Sometime after the war, the commander made contact with Anderson. He remained on the island for some time. Anderson felt lucky to be alive. Finally, a C-46 [Annotator's Note: Curtiss C-46 Commando transport plane] came and took Anderson and his remaining crew back to Tinian [Annotator's Note: Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands]. He did not know what would happen since he did not have a plane and his crew was broken up. A flight surgeon interviewed the crew and he said the crew had seen enough combat and emergencies and sent them back to the United States. The crew was given up to three months of flying pay, but they did not have to fly. Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan] had been captured and the B-29s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] were still bombing Japan. Anderson was notified he would be sent to Hawaii on a C-47 [Annotator’s Note: Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport plane]. There were about six crewmen left on that plane. He stopped at several islands before landing at Hickam Air Field [Annotator's Note: now Hickam Air Force Base; part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam; Oahu, Hawaii]. Anderson took R&R [Annotator's Note: rest and recuperation] on Hawaii. Everything was free and everyone treated him very well. He had great meals and entertainment. Anderson was put on a military transport trip guarding Japanese prisoners. The ship sailed into the port at Oakland [Annotator's Note: Oakland, California]. It took seven to ten days to make the trip. He guarded the prisoners day and night. Howard carried a .45 pistol [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. The prisoners would walk up the gangway and start smoking American cigarettes. They were given liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] and ate the same food as the Americans. Anderson's father was not able to buy Lucky Strikes [Annotator's Note: popular American cigarette brand], but the Japanese prisoners were given them for free. Anderson guarded the prisoners until they left the ship. He was given leave and he took a train to his family's home in North Dakota. He received a very warm welcome. It was the first time he saw his family since 1941. He visited his family in Minot [Annotator's Note: Minot, North Dakota], where there was no military presence. He was on leave when the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] were dropped. Everyone was elated and people paid for all of his meals. Anderson enjoyed visiting his family, but he had to return to base.

Howard Anderson reported to El Toro, California where he spent two weeks in a rest and recuperation base. Nobody let him pay for anything while he was there. He went to see live music at the Hollywood Canteen [Annotator's Note: entertainent venue for servicemen founded by actress Bette Davis and actors John Garfield and Jules C. Stein]. Anderson saw Guy Lombardo [Annotator's Note: Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo; American musician], Wayne King [Annotator's Note: Wayne King; American musician, songwriter, and bandleader], and other top orchestras. The Army Air Forces asked Anderson if he wanted to remain in the military, but he wanted to return home. He went to school using the G.I. Bill. Anderson was discharged in September 1945. He rested, visited friends, and decided to go to school for air traffic control in Minneapolis [Annotator's Note: Minneapolis, Minnesota]. He bought a car and started school. After completing school, he applied for jobs, but could not get a job. Anderson started working odd jobs in town and on the farm. He enrolled in a state teachers college. Anderson and three of the men in the college were all fliers during the war. One day, they got mad at an instructor, who they thought was picking on them. The three of them decided to reenlist into the Air Force in 1947. Anderson remained in the Air Force until 1973. He retired as a Chief Master Sergeant. He does not think people think about World War 2 very often. He thinks the war is a great disaster, but people focus more on other events in the country's history.