Russell Alfred Anderson was born on October 13, 1921, in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He was the son of Alfred Anderson and Emelia Anderson. He was the husband of Lavaun Mae Powers Anderson. He enlisted in the service on April 27, 1942. He served in the 734th Bomb Squadron, 453rd Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of B-24H #42-52226 during World War II.

On March 6, 1944, B-24H-10-FO Liberator #42-52226 departed from its base at RAF Old Buckenham, England, as part of a large bombing mission targeting industrial facilities at Genshagen, near Berlin, Germany. During the return flight, the formation came under heavy attack from German fighter aircraft and intense anti-aircraft fire. In the course of these engagements, the Liberator was hit and became separated from the protective bomber formation, leaving it more vulnerable to continued enemy attack. After sustaining severe damage, the crew lost control of the aircraft. Unable to maintain altitude or return safely to England, the Liberator crashed into the IJsselmeer, a large inland body of water in the Netherlands, approximately 4 kilometers northeast of Edam. The crash resulted in the deaths of several crew members, while others were able to escape the aircraft and were either rescued or later captured by German forces and taken prisoner.

2Lt Anderson successfully bailed out of the aircraft and was rescued from the water by Dutch fishermen along with Cripe and Dallacqua. However, they were immediately taken into custody by a German sea patrol boat. He was subsequently interned as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany, and according to his NARA WWII POW record, he was returned to military control on August 6, 1945. He died on October 20, 1983, and is now buried in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, americanarchive.iwm.org.uk