WWII mystery [View all]
At a fellow DUer's suggestion, I'm cross-posting this here from the Lounge, hoping someone here can help me in my search for a particular Colonel Anderson from WWII.
Yesterday while going through a box of old letters and photos of my step-mother's from WWII (she served with the American Red Cross in India), I came across a photo that intrigued me. I searched the Internet for information about Maybelle Hostetter, who is shown in the photo with a Colonel Anderson.
The writing on the back of the photo wasn't clear as to whether it was Hostetter, or Anderson, or both, who died in General Saunders' crash. I found this about General Saunders:
(website snip) ~It was during his years as an All-American tackle at West Point that Saunders' coal black hair earned him the nickname “Blondie”.
In September 1944, General Saunders’ B-25 crashed while taking off from an air base in India. When it was reported Blondie's plane didn't reach its destination, General Curtis LeMay, who was there to replace Blondie, ordered a search of the area. While flying over the jungle, General LeMay discovered the wreckage about 3 miles from the base. After directing the ground search party to the crash site, LeMay and his pilot landed their plane and walked the 3 miles through the jungle where they found Blondie barely alive and suffering from a crushed ankle from one of the B-25’s engines. Blondie spent the next 2 and-a-half years recuperating in a hospital. He was retired in 1947 after losing a portion of his leg to the accident. General Saunders died November 16, 1968.~
In the article no mention was made of any passengers, whether casualties or survivors.
I've found no information online about Colonel Anderson, but I found information about Army nurse Hostetter at the website Together We Served. On her TWS page it says in part: "Circumstances of Lt. Hostetter's death are not known at this time. However, many nurses were lost due to jungle related diseases including malaria and amoebic dysentery." Her date of death is given as September 18, 1944 - which is the day after the date given on the back of the photo.
I think Lieutenant Maybelle Hostetter probably died as the result of injuries she sustained in the plane crash. The more times I read what's written on the back of the photo, the more I think Colonel Anderson may have too.
I've run out of search ideas for this particular Colonel Anderson. Anyone? Anyone?
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