Anderson Jr. ,William Cleveland

Rank and Name, Captain William Cleveland Anderson Jr.

Unit/Placed in, 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts.

Camp Cabanatuan

After the Japanese occupation in 1942, the camp was converted by the Imperial Japanese Army into the Cabanatuan POW Camp. At its height, 8,000 prisoners were detained at this location. The prisoners also included some civilians including one British and one Norwegian citizen. This POW Camp detained prisoners until liberated during the night of January 30, 1945.

Oryoku Maru

The ship sailed on December 13, 1944, for Japan and arrived at Subic Bay. After arriving there, the same day, it was bombed by American planes from the USS Hornet, while it was picking up Japanese personnel. As dusk came, the planes broke off the attack. The planes returned and resumed the attack. On Dec. 15, 1944 and was sinking.

The Japanese abandoned ship. They then ordered the POWs to abandon ship. When the American pilots saw the large number of men climbing from the ship’s holds, they stopped their attack. As the POWs swam to shore, the POWs were shot at by Japanese soldiers with machine guns. For further journey they ordered the POW’s to the Enoura Maru

Enoura Maru

December 16, 1944 the ship left Subic Bay for Formosa, on 9 January 1945, while docked at the port of Takao in Formosa and loaded with Allied prisoners of war who had survived the earlier sinking of Ōryoku Maru, it was attacked by Allied aircraft resulting in the deaths of approximately 400 Allied POWs.

The Enoura Maru was permanently disabled by the air raid, but was hit again by United States Army Air Forces planes at Takao on 26 March 1945 and declared sunk. The ship actually survived afloat at the Takao dockside until the end of the war.

William is born approx. on May 19, 1918 in Pulaski County, Missouri.

Father, William C. Anderson.

Mother, Mary E. (Hill) Anderson.

Brother(s), Andrew G. and Charles A. Anderson.

William enlisted the service in Missouri with service number # 0-383446.

William died of his wounds sustained during the Bombing of the “Hellship Oryoku Maru” on Jan. 20, 1945, he is honored with a Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army & Air Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.

William is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Walls of the missing.

And he has a Memorial Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

He also has a Memorial Grave at Waynesville Memorial Park, Waynesville, Pulaski County, Missouri, USA.

Thanks to,

Jean Louis Vijgen, WW2-Pacific Website.

Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.

ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov

Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org

POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.

Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org

Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker