Alana Anderson

S.S. Biography
Andrew L. Anderson

Everything was going smoothly before German fighters appeared.

Usually they would turn back by the time they reached the coastline, but this
time they came full on. Six FW-190’s and two ME-109’s came right toward
them with their guns ready. Andrew’s (Andy) other companion plane, the
Cornhusker, went down and hit the water hard. Andy and his crew on the
Maternity Ward were left alone. A German plane came up behind them and
shot the rear of the plane. The tail and elevator cables were damaged, and
the plane quickly went into a steep dive. The flight was over—Maternity
Ward went down 3,000 ft. at a speed of 240 mph and Lt. Ward and Lt.
Anderson were the only men to survive.
Lt. Anderson was knocked unconscious from the impact, but quickly
overcame it and quickly swam to the surface. About 50 feet away he saw Lt.
Ward calling for help. They both swam toward each other and just waited.
While floating in the water, an emergency life raft shot up out of the water
and they climbed in. Ward and Anderson tried to remain calm and figure out
where they were. They knew that they were somewhere between Italy and
Greece. Anderson became nauseated from swallowing so much salt water
and inhaling the noxious fumes. They began calling for help until they were
hoarse, but no one answered. As the sweltering days and freezing cold nights
went on, Anderson and Ward seemed to go crazy. They had no food, water,
or any survival gear. Every other day a big boat would start to come near
them, but turned away almost ignoring the screams coming from the two
lieutenants. One day a big seagull came and landed on the raft next to
Anderson. Ward sitting eyes wide open told him to catch it and kill it, for it
would be the only food they would have. Anderson tried to catch it, but
didn’t have the heart to kill it. As the bird flew away Ward attacked
Anderson and wanted to kill him! Ward stopped though to not lose any of
the strength he had.
It was day twelve and two British Beaufighters spotted them and
signaled that they would send a rescue team. Ward and Anderson collapsed
on the bottom of the raft with joy. They stayed up all night and day to look
for a boat, plane, or anything. Starving and dehydrated, Anderson and Ward
almost decided to give up and just let themselves die.
On August 16, after fifteen days at sea with no food or water, the raft
came half a mile away from an island. When they were close enough, they
pulled themselves up on the shore and laid on the sand. “The pilot and co-
pilot of Maternity Ward had made a safe landing!” After about ten minutes a
crew of Italian soldiers came and picked them up and put them on their boat.
The soldiers gave them food and water and had a doctor tend to their
wounds. Although they were prisoners on the island, they were tended to
and had people on the island give them food. One day Germany attacked the
island and captured Anderson and Ward. The German soldiers took them to
war camps until World War II was over. They were in the camps for two
years and then let free. Within weeks they set foot on American soil again.
Andrew L. Anderson was not only a hero, but my grandfather. I never
met him before but I have heard from my dad that he was an amazing man.
He was known all across the United States at the time, and is still talked
about now sometimes. He is my hero.

Bibliography: Aronowitz, Marguerite. (1998). Maternity Ward. Prescott,

AZ: Pine Castle Books