Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson (born January 13, 1922) is a retired officer in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

, a triple ace of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and the oldest and highest scoring living American fighter ace. During the war he was the highest scoring flying ace in his

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

squadron. Towards 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. After the war Anderson became a well regarded fighter test pilot, and a fighter squadron and wing commander. He served his wing commander tour in combat in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He retired as a full colonel in 1972, after which he worked in flight test management for

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it ...

. A member of the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with it ...

, Anderson has remained a sought-after speaker at aviation and military events well into his 90s. On December 2, 2022, Anderson was promoted to the honorary rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

by Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the Air Force chief of staff at the Aerospace Museum of California.

Early life

Anderson was born in Oakland,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, and reared on a farm near Newcastle, California. In high school, he played football and basketball. He was introduced to aviation at Oakland Municipal Airport. Anderson was working at the Sacramento Air Depot when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 .

Military career

In January 1942, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

as an aviation cadet. He completed Primary Flight Training at Lindbergh Field, San Diego, and his Advanced Training at Luke Field,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. Anderson received his wings and commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

at Hamilton Field, California in September 1942. Anderson began flying

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by ...

s with the 329th Fighter Squadron of the

328th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies ...

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 The 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as the Yoxford ...

Tonopah, Nevada Tonopah ( , Shoshoni language: Tonampaa) is an unincorporated town in, and the county seat of, Nye County, Nevada, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95, approximately midway between Las Vegas and Reno. In ...

, in March 1943, moving to various bases in California from May to October 1943, then at

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is ni ...

, from October to November 1943, and finally deploying to England in November 1943.

World War II

The 357th Fighter Group was stationed at

RAF Leiston Royal Air Force Leiston or more simply RAF Leiston is a former Royal Air Force station located northwest of Leiston and south of Theberton, Suffolk, England. History USAAF use Originally intended as a fighter station for RAF Fighter Com ...

, and the group was equipped with the

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

in January 1944. Anderson flew his first mission on February 5, 1944. On March 3, 1944, he shot down a

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

that was attacking a straggling

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

over

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, his first aerial victory. Anderson continued to score aerial victories until he shot down a Bf 109 over Frankfurt, his fifth aerial victory, thus making him a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

. On June 29, 1944, Anderson shot down three Focke-Wulf Fw 190s over

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

. In July 1944, he took leave and returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. In Fall 1944, he returned to 357th FG and continued to score aerial victories. He scored his final aerial victories on December 5, 1944, when he shot down two Fw 190s over Berlin. Anderson flew two tours of combat against the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

'' in Europe while with the 363d Fighter Squadron of the

, based at

, England, and was the group's third leading ace with aerial victories. The others only flew one tour so they had less time in the air. His P-51 Mustang, (P-51B-15-NA AAF Ser. No. 43-24823) the P-51D-10-NA Mustang, AAF Ser. No. 44-14450 B6-S, again nicknamed ''Old Crow'' (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.

Post war

Anderson returned to the U.S. in January 1945, serving at Perrin Field, Texas, until October 1945, when he was assigned as a recruiter in Ohio. Anderson 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. Anderson attended Air Command and Staff College at

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States ...

, 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 of the from February to August 1956. Anderson continued serve as 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 June to December 1970, he commanded the

355th Tactical Fighter Wing 355th may refer to: Aviation *355th Fighter Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit *355th Fighter Wing, a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force *355th Tactical Airlift Squadron, a U.S. Air F ...

, an F-105 Thunderchief unit, during its final months of service in the

. Stationed at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Anderson flew strikes against enemy supply lines, and later was in charge of closing the base when 355th TFW was deactivated. Anderson retired as a colonel in March 1972. He was decorated 25 times for his service to the

. During his career, he flew over 100 types of aircraft and logged over 7,000 hours. Anderson was a close friend of Brigadier General Chuck Yeager during the end of World War II, where both served in the 357th Fighter Group.

Personal life and retirement

Anderson married Eleanor Cosby, on February 23, 1945. She died on January 30, 2015, in Auburn, California, just four days before her 92nd birthday. After his retirement from active duty as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

, he became the manager of the McDonnell Aircraft Company's Flight Test Facility at Edwards AFB, serving there until 1998. In 1990, Anderson co-authored the book ''To Fly & Fight—Memoirs of a Triple Ace.'' On July 19, 2008, Anderson was inducted into the

. In 2013, Anderson was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the

San Diego Air & Space Museum San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM, formerly the San Diego Aerospace Museum) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, United States. The museum is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, ...

. He

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

in January 2022. Anderson's hometown Auburn honored him with a grand celebration. He is the last living American triple flying ace of WW2.

Aerial victory credits

::::SOURCES: ''Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II''

Awards

During his lengthy career, Anderson earned many decorations, including: COMMAND PILOT WINGS

Command pilot * American Fighter Aces Association life member *Fellow, Society of Experimental Test Pilots * Aerospace Walk of Honor, 1993
Crystal Eagle Award, 2011
* Congressional Gold Medal, May 2015

Bibliography

*Anderson, Colonel Clarence "Bud" with Joseph P. Hamelin. ''To Fly and Fight, Memoirs of a Triple Ace'', Pacifica Military History, Library of Congress.

References

External links

''To Fly and Fight'' - C.E. "Bud" Anderson's Official websiteAuburnjournal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Bud 1922 births Living people American World War II flying aces Aviators from California Placer High School alumni People from Oakland, California Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force officers United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Air Medal American test pilots U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees People from Newcastle, California Military personnel from California Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur American centenarians Men centenarians