MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
From: Tom Schad <chargern52@gmail.com>
To: Undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Fwd: Happy 100th Birthday Bud Anderson!
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 22:50:28 -0600
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From: Tom Schad <chargern52@gmail.com>
To: Undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Fwd: Happy 100th Birthday Bud Anderson!
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2022 22:50:28 -0600
Subject: Happy 100th Birthday Bud Anderson!
Reply-To: Warbirds of America <Warbirds@eaa.org>
Colonel Clarence E. "Bud" Anderson, USAF Retired
Col Anderson is a WWII Triple Ace Fighter Pilot and Veteran Military Experimental Test Pilot.
Born in Oakland CA he spent his early years on a rural farm near Newcastle CA. He attended Placer Union High School, Sacramento Jr College and the George Washington University. Military education includes the Air Command and Staff College and the Army War College. He is a life member of the American Fighter Aces Association and holds the rank of Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
He was married to the former Eleanor Cosby of Auburn, CA; they were married for over 60 years. She passed away in January 2015. They have two children, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. After retirement from the Air Force in Mar 1972, he joined the McDonnell Aircraft Company and served for 12 years at Edwards AFB as Manager of the Company Flight Test Facility. He has flown over 130 different types of aircraft and has logged over 7500 flying hours.
After full retirement in 1984, the family moved from Lancaster and now Bud resides in Auburn CA where he has many, many friends.
After full retirement in 1984, the Andersons moved from Lancaster and now reside in Auburn CA.
"Somewhere in my youth I wanted to fly, it became a passion. I built model aircraft and had aviation photos all over the walls in my room. It was all I could think and dream about. We lived on a farm and the depression hit everyone. Mom and Dad did not have money for me to learn how to fly, so I decided that I would join the military service to learn. I checked out the Navy and the Army programs (we did not have a US Air Force at that time) and found out that I had to have two years of college, be 20 years old, single and in good physical condition (this was the peacetime requirements). So I went to the nearest two year college I could find, Sacramento Jr. College. They had an aeronautics course that qualified me to be an aircraft mechanic and that became my Plan B in case I could not fly.
During the spring of 1941 I became aware of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) offered at school. The Government could see that war was likely and this program was to encourage young men to join the service as pilots, although there was no service commitment associated with the program. So for the price of $9.50 for an insurance policy for my parents and their written permission, I got my CAA Private Pilot license at age 19.
The training was at the Sacramento Municipal Airport (now Sacramento Executive airport). This was very handy as the second year of college was taught at the airport.
The training was in a Piper Cub J3 C50 with an advertised 60 HP engine. The Cubs came without radios. My first flight was on 4 March, 1941 and my instructor was Dale Hunter. The course was very structured and I soloed on March 26, 1941 with the required 8 hours of dual instruction. The course was 35 hours, the minimum for the Private Pilots flight test. That was accomplished on March 27, 1941. I was now a certified Pilot.
So next it was off to Army Air Corps flight training school. The Army was trying to build up the Air Corps as fast as possible and so they were even hiring civilian schools to teach primary flying. There were three phases Primary, Basic and Advanced flying schools. I was just a kid off the farm and ready to see the world. I thought I surely would go to Texas or Florida, so where do you think I went for Primary flight training? I went to San Diego, CA, to the Ryan School of Aeronautics. We lived in a Motel on a major highway right next to the Lindberg International Airport. There we flew the Ryan PT-22 trainer powered with a 165 HP Kinner engine. It was an open air cockpit low wing monoplane with no radios. Communication with your instructor was via a one way Gosport speaking tube from instructor to student. We had civilian instructors. Since Lindberg International was such a busy airport, the Instructors would fly the aircraft with a student to one of three auxiliary dirt strips in the large mesa north of San Diego. Half the class would be there flying and the other half would be doing academics. Then we would swap so everyone got to fly every day. There were twin brothers instructors there and I recall their last name was Krug. One of them was my Instructor. I started flying on Feb 26, 1942. I received 60 hours of dual and solo flying and left for Basic flight school in May of 1942.
We started flying again on June 1, 1942. Now we were flying in the Vultee BT-13A basic trainer with a P&W 450 HP engine. It had a closed canopy and we had a radio. We could practice instrument flying under a large hood that covered the rear cockpit. The landing gear was fixed and it had a two position propeller. My Instructor was 1st Lt F. G. Burris and we started flying again. Some new training introduced such as night flying, formation, and instrument flying. We also flew in the Link ground trainer for weather flying. One thing in my memory is how good the food was at Minter Field. They had a hired civilian Chef and he really took care of the Cadets. I believe we got about another 60 hours flying time and moved to our advanced flying school at Luke AAF, AZ. Luke was constructed in 1941 and is still an active Air Force Base. Here we were introduced to the North American AT-6. It was another tail wheel trainer but the landing gear was retractable and it had a constant speed propeller. The canopy was similar to the BT-13 with an instrument flying hood covering the back seat. The engine was a P&W 600HP radial. The flight training was pretty much a rehash of what we did in Basic, but with a more powerful complex aircraft. Near the end of our training we did fly to a remote field near Ajo, AZ and fired the 30 caliber machine gun at ground targets with the AT-6.
So I completed all the training required and on Sept 29, 1942, my Class 42-I received our pilot wings and a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the US Army Air Force. I had a total of 225:40 hours of flying time." - Bud Anderson.
During WW II he served two combat tours escorting heavy bomber over Europe in the P-51 Mustang, Nov 1943 through Jan 1945. He flew 116 combat mission (480 hrs) and destroyed 16 and 1/4 enemy aircraft in aerial combat and another one on the ground. Bud flew in the 357th Fighter Group "Yoxford Boys" and was the highest scoring ace in the 363rd Fighter Squadron.
Other assignment in his 30 years of continuous military service include duty as: Commander of an F86 Squadron in post war Korea, Commander of an F-105 Wing on Okinawa, and two assignments to the Pentagon as an advanced R & D staff planner and as Director of Operational Requirements. Further, he served in Southeast Asia where he was Commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. Col Anderson flew bombing strikes against enemy supply lines and later was in charge of closing the first large air base when his combat wing was deactivated Col Anderson was decorated 25 times. His awards include 2 Legion of Merits, 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, 16 Air Medals, the French Legion of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre, as well as many campaign and service ribbons.
He has an extensive flight-testing background spanning a 25-year period. At Wright-Patterson AFB OH he was a fighter test pilot and later became Chief of Fighter Operations. He flew many models of the early jet fighters and was involved in two very unusual flight test programs. He made the first flights on a bizarre experimental program to couple jet fighters to the wingtips of a large bomber aircraft for range extension. Later he also conducted the initial development flights on the F-84 Parasite fighter modified to be launched and retrieved from the very large B-36 bomber. At The Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB CA Col Anderson was assigned as the Chief Of Flight Test Operations and later Deputy Director of Flight Test. While there he flew the Century series fighters and all the other types of aircraft in the Air Force inventory. He has flown over 130 different types of aircraft and has logged over 7500 flying hours.
Brief history of the "Old Crows" flown by Triple Ace Col. Clarence E "Bud "Anderson during his 30 year military career.
To begin this story, first the origin of the name of "Old Crow" for Bud's aircraft. It came from the cheapest bourbon whiskey available at the time, Old Crow. Bud's first "Old Crow" aircraft was a P-39Q, tail number 42-20746. "Old Crow" was in white letters on the nose and the newly approved 363rd Fighter Squadron patch was painted on the door to the cockpit. This P-39 also had a red ring around the nose signifying the 363rd FS.
Next Bud flew three different P-51Bs during his first WWII combat tour with the 357th FG at Leiston Airfield, England. His first assigned P-51B was tail number 43-6723, code B6-S (B6 – 363rd FS squadron and S designated – Bud) and was lost on 21 Feb 1944 with Lt Al Boyle who became a POW. MACR 2418. This P-51B had the small white "Old Crow" under the exhaust stacks and had a white nose and white stripes as were the Group markings at the time. Bud's second P-51B, was a Mustang brought into the 357th FG by former RAF exchange pilot Lt Melvin Kehrer. This P-51B, was assigned to Melvin in the 362nd FS and was tail number 43-12315, Code G4-B. Melvin went down on his 4th mission in P-51B 43-6625, on 25 Feb 1944. Piecing this all together, since Bud lost his first P-51B on 21 Feb and Melvin went down on 25 Feb, Bud was assigned Melvin's Ex-RAF P-51B, 43-12315, as his second P-51B. This P-51B was lost on 22 Mar 44 with Lt Carter Jones, who became a POW. MCAR 3401.
Bud's third Mustang lasted him the rest of his first combat tour, P-51B, 43-24823, "Old Crow." This P-51B was painted with the red and yellow checked nose, had the large "Old Crow" lettering and was fitted with a Malcolm canopy. After Bud departed from his first combat tour, Lt Bill Overstreet took over Bud's P-51B and repainted it "Berlin Express." It would then go on to be a training aircraft at Clobber College for new replacement pilots and survived the war! Bud shot down 12 1/4 German aircraft in the P-51B.
During Bud's second tour with the 357th FG, he flew a P-51D "Old Crow," tail number 44-14450, Code B6-S. This was Bud's favorite P-51 as it had 6 fifty-caliber machine guns vs 4 on the B model and a bubble canopy. Bud shot down 4 more German aircraft in the P-51D. He was the only pilot who flew the P-51D "Old Crow," during his second tour. Bud got a new crew chief with the P-51D, Sgt Melvin "Schunny" Schuneman, but his old crew chief Otto Heino, now promoted to line chief, still kept close watch of Bud's aircraft. After Bud completed his second combat tour, his P-51D "Old Crow" went to replacement pilot, Lt James Taylor, 363rd FS. It was then repainted as "Pretty Pix" It survived the war and was transferred to Neubiberg Air Base, Germany and was scrapped.
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