John B. Anderson (general)

John Benjamin Anderson

Born	March 10, 1891 Parkersburg, Iowa, United States
Died	September 1, 1976 (aged 85) Washington, D.C., United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1914–1946
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-3686
Unit	Field Artillery Branch
Commands held	1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment 2nd Battalion, 24th Field Artillery Regiment 102nd Infantry Division XVI Corps
Battles/wars	Pancho Villa Expedition World War I World War II
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star

Major General John Benjamin Anderson (March 10, 1891 – September 1, 1976) was a senior American Army officer, who commanded XVI Corps during World War II.

John Benjamin Anderson was born on March 10, 1891 as a son of Danish immigrants, Carl Christian Anderson and his wife Louisa Simonsen Anderson. Anderson, aged 19, attended the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York and graduated on June 12, 1914, shortly before World War I broke out in Europe. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Field Artillery Branch of the United States Army on that date. Many of his classmates later became general officers during World War II. For example: Carl Andrew Spaatz, Brehon B. Somervell, Frank W. Milburn, Harold R. Bull, Vicente Lim, Harry C. Ingles, Jens A. Doe, Robert W. Crawford, Ralph Royce, Orlando Ward and James L. Bradley.

Anderson was subsequently assigned to the 6th Field Artillery Regiment and transferred to El Paso, Texas with his unit, where he served on the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916. He was there upon the American entry into World War I, which occurred on April 6, 1917, with the United States declaring war on Germany.