Andy Anderson
Ballplayers Who Were Prisoners of War
| Date and Place of Birth: | November 13, 1922 Bremerton, WA |
| Date and Place of Death: | July 18, 1982 Seattle, WA |
| Baseball Experience: | Major League |
| Position: | Infield |
| Rank: | Private First-Class |
| Military Unit: | 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Andy H. Anderson was born on November 13, 1922 in Bremerton, Washington.
He graduated from Silverdale High School in 1940 and was signed by Jack
Fournier for the St. Louis Browns. In 1941 he played for the Paragould
Broncos in the Class D Northeast Arkansas League and in 1942, the
19-year-old infielder was with the Springfield Browns in the Class B
Three-I League, where he batted .302 in 109 games with 14 home runs.
Anderson entered service with the Army on November 28, 1942. He played
baseball in Washington before being deployed overseas. Private First
Class-Anderson served in Europe with the 423rd Infantry Regiment of the
106th Infantry Division. During the early days of the Battle of the
Bulge, the 423rd, along with the 422nd, were encircled by German forces
and cut off from the remainder of the 106th Infantry Division in the
vicinity of Schonberg, Belgium. The two Regiments (6,000 troops)
surrendered to the Germans on December 19, 1944, in one of the largest
mass surrenders in American military history. Suffering a debilitating
case of frostbite he was held at Stalag 9B in Bad Orb Hessen-Nassau,
Germany. When Anderson was liberated five months later on May 4, 1945,
his weight had dropped from 185 pounds to 125 pounds. He was sent to
Santa Barbara, California to recuperate and gain his strength.
Jack Fournier, the scout who had signed the youngster in 1940, went to
visit him at Santa Barbara. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he told The
Sporting News on July 21, 1948. “He didn’t even resemble the fine young
athlete we had sent away to the army. I told Andy he could have his job
back with the Browns’ organization whenever he was ready to resume his
baseball career.”
Anderson's progress was slow but steady and he joined the San Antonio
Missions of the Texas League during the summer of 1946 and batted .246.
The following season he hit .250 with the Missions. He joined the St.
Louis Browns at their spring training camp in 1948 and manager Zack
Taylor decided to keep the hustling infielder for insurance. Anderson
made his major league debut on May 10, and appeared in 51 games for the
Browns, batting .276. He was back with the Browns in 1949, but batted
just .125 in 71 games. He returned to the Missions in 1950 and continued
to play in the minors until 1953.
Andy Anderson passed away on July 18, 1982 in Seattle, Washington. He
was 59 years old and is buried at Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery in
Seattle.
Date Added May 16, 2020.
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