Charles Anderson was from Gary, Indiana.

He joined the 4th Fighter Group, 335th Fighter Squadron on 11 August 1943. He flew P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs, shooting down a mixed bag of Luftwaffe aircraft. He shot down Me-109s and Fw-190s, plus a Do-217 to make 10 aerial victories, and destroyed five different types of aircraft on the ground for a total of 15.

His P-47 was named "Hell's Belle", and his P-51 was called "Paul". his first victory was scored on 30 January 1944 when, on an abortive bomber escort mission, the group was bounced by the Luftwaffe. Charles was the only one to score and he also damaged a second. On 29 March he destroyed 2 1/2 Fw-190s to become an "Ace". On 12 April he became a "Double-Ace" with the destruction of two Me-109s. Unfortunately Charles' luck ran out, as he was killed in action one week later on a Ramrod mission to Eschwede, shot down by enemy fighter Hoher-Meissner, Germany.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 15 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de Guerre.