Bud Anderson

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For the baseball player, see Bud Anderson (baseball).

Bud Anderson
Anderson in 1944
Nickname(s)Bud
Born(1922-01-13)January 13, 1922
Oakland, California, U.S.
DiedMay 17, 2024(2024-05-17) (aged 102)
Auburn, California, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Forces
United States Air Force
Years of service1942–1972
Rank
Unit357th Fighter Group
Commands held69th Fighter-Bomber Squadron
18th Tactical Fighter Wing
355th Tactical Fighter Wing
Battles/warsWorld War II
Vietnam War
AwardsLegion of Merit (2)
Distinguished Flying Cross (5)
Bronze Star Medal
Air Medal (16)
Spouse(s)
Eleanor Cosby
​
​
(m. 1945; died 2015)​
Children2
Other workManager of the McDonnell Aircraft Company's Flight Test Facility at Edwards AFB (1972–1998)

Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson (January 13, 1922 – May 17, 2024) was an officer in the United States Air Force and a triple ace of World War II. During the war he was the highest scoring flying ace in his P-51 Mustang squadron.

Toward the end of Anderson's two combat tours in Europe in 1944 he was promoted to major at 22, a young age even for a highly effective officer in wartime. Afterward, he became a test pilot and a fighter squadron and wing commander, serving a combat tour in the Vietnam War.

Anderson retired as a full colonel in 1972, after which he worked in flight test management for McDonnell Douglas. A member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, he continued to speak at aviation and military events well into his 90s. He received an honorary promotion to brigadier general in 2022.

Early life[edit]

Anderson was born on January 13, 1922, in Oakland, California, and raised on a farm near Newcastle, California.[1] He graduated from Placer Union High School in Auburn, California.[2] In high school, he played football and basketball. He was introduced to aviation at Oakland Municipal Airport. He was working at the Sacramento Air Depot during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.[3]

Military career[edit]

In January 1942, shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor,[4] Anderson enlisted in the United States Army as an aviation cadet. He completed Primary Flight Training at Lindbergh Field, San Diego, and his Advanced Training at Luke Field, Arizona. He received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces at Hamilton Field, California in September 1942.[5]

Anderson began flying Bell P-39 Airacobras with the 329th Fighter Squadron of the 328th Fighter Group at Hamilton Field and then at the Oakland Municipal Airport, from September 1942 to March 1943. He was later assigned to the 363rd Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group at Tonopah, Nevada, in March 1943, moving to various bases in California from May to October 1943, then at Casper, Wyoming, from October to November 1943, and finally deploying to England in November 1943.[6]

World War II[edit]

Anderson onboard his P-51D-10-NA Mustang 'Old Crow'
The top scoring fighter aces of the 357th Fighter Group. L-R; Richard Peterson, Leonard Carson, John England, and Clarence Anderson.

The 357th Fighter Group was stationed at RAF Leiston, and the group was equipped with the North American P-51 Mustang in January 1944. Anderson flew his first mission on February 5. On March 3, he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that was attacking a straggling B-17 Flying Fortress northwest of Hanover, his first aerial victory. On April 11, he shot down another Bf 109, his second aerial victory. On the same mission, he and two other members of his flight took turns in shooting down a Heinkel He 111 bomber that was landing at an airfield in Hanover, resulting in the bomber crashing, crediting the three of them with the shared aerial victory. Anderson continued to score aerial victories until he shot down a Bf 109 over Frankfurt on May 12, his fifth aerial victory, thus making him a flying ace. Before the end of May, he destroyed three more enemy aircraft.[6][7][8]

On June 29, Anderson led his fighter squadron on a bomber escort over Leipzig. Over the target, the squadron encountered eight Focke-Wulf Fw 190s attempting to attack the bomber formation. He shot down the lead Fw 190 then, in the subsequent dogfight, shot down two more Fw 190s, for a total of three. In July, after scoring his twelfth aerial victory, he took leave and returned to the United States.[9][8][10]

That fall, Anderson returned to 357th FG and on November 27, shot down two Fw 190s over Magdeburg and forced another to crash land as he attempted to shoot it, crediting him with two aerial victories and one probable in the mission. On December 5, while leading a fighter escort of bombers over Berlin, the escort was attacked by a formation of 20 Fw 190s and in the dogfight, he shot down two, his final aerial victories.[11][6]

Anderson flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in Europe while with the 363d Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group, based at RAF Leiston, England, and was the group's third leading ace with 16+1⁄4 aerial victories.[8] The others only flew one tour so they had less time in the air. His first P-51 Mustang (P-51B-15-NA AAF Ser. No. 43-24823) and his second (P-51D-10-NA Mustang, AAF Ser. No. 44-14450 B6-S), both nicknamed Old Crow[12] (after the whiskey of the same name), carried him safely through 116 missions without being hit by fire from enemy aircraft and without Anderson ever having to turn back for any reason.[13]

The 357th group was also known as the Yoxford Boys.[14]

Post-war[edit]

Anderson as a test pilot at Edwards AFB

Anderson returned to the U.S. in January 1945, serving at Perrin Field, Texas, until that October, when he was assigned as a recruiter in Ohio. He served as a test pilot at Wright Field from May 1948 to February 1953. During this time, he took part in the FICON project, a concept to increase the effective combat radius of jet fighters by attaching them to a propeller-driven bomber, one hooked up to each wingtip. The hope was that it would not only increase fuel efficiency and effective range, but also allow the bomber to carry its own fighter escort deep into enemy territory.[5][15][16]

Anderson attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, from September 1954 to August 1955, and then was assigned as Director of Operations for the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, from August 1955 to February 1956 and commander of the 69th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at Osan, from February to August 1956.[5]

Anderson continued as a test pilot and was assigned as Assistant Chief and then Chief of the Flight Test Operations Division at Edwards Air Force Base from November 1957 to August 1962. He attended the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from August 1962 to July 1963. From August 1965 to December 1967, he was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa where he served as deputy director, director of operations and commander of the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing.[5][10]

After serving another tour at the Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon until December 1969, Anderson commanded the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, an F-105 Thunderchief unit, during its final months of service in the Vietnam War, from June to December 1970. Stationed at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, he flew 25 missions in strikes against enemy supply lines and later was in charge of closing the base when 355th TFW was inactivated.[17][5][10][18]

Anderson retired as a colonel in March 1972. He was decorated 25 times for his service to the United States, during which he flew over 100 types of aircraft and logged over 7,000 hours. He was a close friend of Brigadier General Chuck Yeager during and after the end of World War II, where both served in the 357th Fighter Group.[19]

Personal life and death[edit]

Anderson with flying ace Hubert Zemke at the Gathering of Eagles event at Maxwell Air Force Base in 1989
Anderson (seated second from the right) in 2011
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force Charles Q. Brown Jr. administers the reaffirmation of the oath of office to Anderson, after promoting him to the honorary rank of brigadier general (2022)

Anderson married Eleanor Cosby, on February 23, 1945. She died on January 30, 2015, in Auburn, California, just four days before her 92nd birthday, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[20][21] They had two children.[22]

After his retirement from active duty as a colonel, Anderson became the manager of the McDonnell Aircraft Company's Flight Test Facility at Edwards AFB, serving there until 1998.[23] In 1990, he cowrote the book To Fly & Fight—Memoirs of a Triple Ace.[24]

On July 19, 2008, Anderson was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.[25] In 2013, he was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.[26] A life-size bronze statue of him was installed at the Auburn Municipal Airport.[27]

Anderson turned 100 in January 2022.[28][29] His hometown Auburn honored him with a grand celebration.[30] He was the last living American triple flying ace of World War II.[31][32] On December 2, he was promoted to the honorary rank of brigadier general by General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the Air Force chief of staff at the Aerospace Museum of California.[33][34]

Anderson died in his sleep at his home in Auburn, California, on May 17, 2024, at the age of 102.[35][36]

Aerial victory credits[edit]

Date # Type Location Aircraft flown Unit Assigned
March 8, 1944 1 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Hanover, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
April 11, 1944 1
0.20		 Bf 109
Heinkel He 111		 Hanover, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
April 30, 1944 1 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Orléans, France P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
May 8, 1944 1 Fw 190 Soltau, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
May 12, 1944 1 Bf 109 Frankfurt, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
May 27, 1944 2 Bf 109 Strasbourg, France P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
May 30, 1944 1 Bf 109 Schönebeck, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
June 29, 1944 3 Fw 190 Leipzig, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
July 7, 1944 1 Bf 109 Leipzig, Germany P-51B 363 FS, 357 FG
November 27, 1944 2 Fw 190 Magdeburg, Germany P-51D 363 FS, 357 FG
December 5, 1944 2 Fw 190 Berlin, Germany P-51D 363 FS, 357 FG
SOURCES: Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II

Awards[edit]

Anderson earned 25 awards, including:

  Command pilot

Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster[28]
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Distinguished Flying Cross with four bronze oak leaf clusters[28]
Bronze Star Medal[28]
Silver oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
 Air Medal with three silver oak leaf clusters[28]
Air Force Commendation Medal[18]
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
American Campaign Medal[37]
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
 European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze service stars[37]
World War II Victory Medal[37]
Bronze star
 National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star[37]
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Korea Defense Service Medal[N 1]
Silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and one bronze oak leaf clusters[37]
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Legion of Honour (France)[39]
Silver star
 Croix de Guerre, with silver star (France)[28]
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Bibliography[edit]

  • Anderson, Colonel Clarence "Bud" with Joseph P. Hamelin. To Fly and Fight, Memoirs of a Triple Ace, Pacifica Military History, Library of Congress. ISBN 0-935553-34-7

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ As Anderson served in fighter units stationed in South Korea from 1955 to 1956, this award was retroactively awarded when it was created in 2004.[38]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ "Biography". Bud Anderson: To Fly and Fight. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Reunion for 98-year-old WWII air aces, both 1939 Placer High grads". goldcountrymedia.com.
  3. ^ "Biography". To Fly and Fight. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  4. ^ "Clarence Emil Anderson Jr". American Air Museum in Britain. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson". Veteran Tributes. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Bud Anderson – Triple Ace of 357th Fighter Group". Acepilots. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Chris Bucholtz (December 20, 2012). Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group. Bloomsbury. p. 21. ISBN 9781846039867. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II" (PDF). 1978. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Anderson, Clarence. "Combat Report (29 June 1944)". WWII Aircraft Performance. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Tillman, Barrett (August 30, 2017). "America's Last Living Triple Ace". History. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Anderson, Clarence. "Combat Report (5 December 1944)". WWII Aircraft Performance. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "P-51 Mustang "Old Crow" World War 2 artwork". toflyandfight.com. July 11, 1944. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "Resolution: Adopt and present a Resolution to Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson for his outstanding service to his country and his community". Board of Supervisors, County of Placer. October 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Olmsted, Merle. "D-Day and the Yoxford Boys". Bud Anderson: To Fly and Fight. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Mark Wolverton (December 2017). "Project Tip-Tow". History Net. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "Caught by the Wing Tip". To Fly and Fight. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "Bud Anderson – FU Hero". Fighter Pilot University. October 16, 2009. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d Tirpak, John (May 20, 2024). "Bud Anderson, WWII Triple Ace and Air Force Test Pilot, Dies at 102". Air & Space Forces Magazine.
  19. ^ "Brigadier General C.E. "Bud" Anderson World War II Triple Ace Fighter Pilot". Aerospace Museum of California. December 21, 2022. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  20. ^ "Eleanor Cosby Anderson 1923–2015 – Obituary – Auburn, CA | Auburn Journal". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  21. ^ "Burial detail: Anderson, Eleanor Cosby". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  22. ^ Chan, Amy (August 30, 2017). "America's Last Living Triple Fighter Ace". HistoryNet.
  23. ^ "The 10th Annual 'Taste Of Flight' Gala, An Incredible Evening with Bud Anderson" (PDF). planesoffame.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  24. ^ Anderson, Jim (August 7, 2017). To Fly and Fight: Memoirs of a Triple Ace Paperback – August 7, 2017. Author Solutions Incorporated. ISBN 978-1543414714.
  25. ^ "Anderson, Clarence E. "Bud"". nationalaviation.org. 2008. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  26. ^ Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006. ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.
  27. ^ Allen, Mark S. (November 10, 2023). "General 'Bud' Anderson, one of the most decorated fighter pilots, reflects on service". ABC10. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  28. ^ a b c d e f Jefimova, Elizabeth (January 13, 2022). Adams, Katherine; MacSweeney, Erica (eds.). "#VeteranOfTheDay Air Force Veteran Clarence "Bud" Anderson". blogs.va.gov. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  29. ^ "Col. Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson Celebrates his 100th Birthday Today!". warbirdsnews.com. January 13, 2022. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  30. ^ "Happy Birthday, Bud! Auburn celebrates as World War II Triple Ace pilot Anderson turns 100". goldcountrymedia.com. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  31. ^ "Col. Bud Anderson: Gunning for 100!". Flight Journal. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  32. ^ "S5 Ep07 Bud Anderson: WW2 Triple Ace Fighter Pilot – Your History Your Story". iHeart. April 18, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  33. ^ Novelly, Thomas. "100-Year-Old Flying Ace is Promoted to Honorary Brigadier General by Air Force Chief". Military.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  34. ^ "Congressmen LaMalfa and McClintock Celebrate Promotion of Colonel Bud Anderson to Brigadier General in U.S. Air Force". House.gov. December 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  35. ^ Goldstein, Richard (May 18, 2024). "Bud Anderson, Last of World War II's 'Triple Ace' Pilots, Dies at 102". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  36. ^ "WWII Triple Ace Brigadier General Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson Passing". Vintage Aviation News. May 18, 2024.
  37. ^ a b c d e "Clarence Emil Anderson | American Air Museum".
  38. ^ "Korean Defense Service Medal". Air Force Personnel Center. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  39. ^ "Legion Of Honor Award". chuckyeager.com. July 18, 2003. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  40. ^ "HONOREES 1993". Aerospace Walk of Honor. November 17, 2004. Archived from the original (by web.archive.org, the Wayback Machine) on November 17, 2004. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  41. ^ "The Aero Club Of Northern California". www.aeroclubnocal.org. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

External links[edit]

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