Brigadier General Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, the last of the World War II triple aces, a legendary figure in American military aviation history, and a pioneering Air Force test pilot, died at the age of 102.
His life encapsulated a bygone era of aerial combat and the dawn of the jet age, embodying the courage and innovation that defined the Greatest Generation.
Born in Oakland, California, on January 13, 1922, Clarence Emil Anderson Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on January 19, 1942, and earned his pilot’s wings at Luke Field, Arizona, later that year.
He served in World War II with the 357th Fighter Group, the first unit in the U.S. Eighth Air Force to engage in combat flying the North American P-51 Mustang.
Throughout the war, the Mustang was credited with downing nearly 600 enemy planes, including a record 17 of Nazi Germany’s Messerschmitt Me-262 jets, and destroying more than 100 aircraft on the ground.
It also produced a record 42 aces, including Anderson, who had 16.25 victories by the end of the war.
This exceptional dogfighting prowess earned Anderson the title of “triple ace,” a term for pilots who have downed at least 15 aircraft in combat.
Other notable triple aces include Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, who shot down 17 aircraft during World War II and the Vietnam War; Capt. Joe Foss, who destroyed 26 aircraft in WWII; and Maj. Richard Bong, who achieved 40 aircraft kills in WWII.
After the war, Anderson helped usher the U.S. military into the jet age, serving as a test pilot at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and as a leading test official at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California.
According to Anderson’s website, he flew various early jet fighter models and participated in two unique flight test programs.
He was the first to fly an experimental program that coupled jet fighters to the wingtips of a large bomber aircraft to extend its range, and he also conducted initial development flights on the F-84 Parasite fighter, designed to be launched and retrieved by the B-36 bomber.
Anderson later commanded an F-86 squadron during the Korean War, oversaw an F-105 wing in Japan, and flew Republic F-105D fighter-bombers over Vietnam as commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing.
Over his 30-year military career, he flew more than 130 different types of aircraft and logged over 7,500 flying hours.
By his retirement in 1972 as a colonel, Anderson had earned five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals, two Legions of Merit, a Bronze Star, and a Commendation Medal.
In 2022, he was promoted to the honorary rank of brigadier general by the Air Force.
Relevant articles:
– Last WW2 triple ace pilot downed 16 German planes in dogfights, The Sydney Morning Herald
– Bud Anderson, America’s last World War II ‘triple ace,’ dies at 102, Air Force Times
– Bud Anderson, WWII Triple Ace and Air Force Test Pilot, Dies at 102, Air & Space Forces Magazine
– Bud Anderson, the last World War II ‘triple ace,’ dies at 102, Task & Purpose