Robert J. Anderson
Rank: Private First Class, U.S. Army
Serial: 32241511
Unit: 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division
Entered service from: New Jersey
Died:
Buried at: Plot H, Row 20, Grave 12, Normandy American Cemetery, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France
Awards: Purple Heart
Biography
Private First Class Robert J. Anderson.
Private First Class Robert J. Anderson was born in Pennsylvania in 1920. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel G. Anderson of 442 Bergen Street, Gloucester City, New Jersey. He had grown up in Gloucester City, attending St. Mary’s parochial school, and was a charter member of St. Mary’s Men’s Guild. Prior to his induction into the Army in February of 1942, he had worked as an auto mechanic for the Blanton Dunn Co., a prominent automobile and auto repair business, in Camden, New Jersey.
Private Anderson went overseas as a member of the 30th Infantry Division in March of 1944. The division landed across Omaha Beach on June 10, 1944. The 117th Infantry attacked across the Vire River on July 7, 1944, establishing a bridgehead at St. Jean-de-Daye, which the 3rd Armored Division exploited. As the division advanced on St. Lô it checked a German counterattack along the main Hauts-Vents Highway on July 11, and Pont Hébert fell after protracted fighting on July 14. Patrols reached the Périers–St. Lô Road on July 18, and the division attacked across it on July 25 to drive beyond St. Lô during Operation COBRA. It was during this period that Private Anderson was killed in action. He was 24 at the time of his death.
Robert J. Anderson was survived by his parents. His mother served as president of the Mother’s Service Club of Gloucester City.