Iconic WWII ‘triple ace’ passes away at 102 in the USA

Brig. Gen. Clarence “Bud” Anderson, the last American “triple ace” of World War II, died Friday at his California home at 102 years old.

A native of the Golden State, Anderson was born on Jan. 13, 1922, and joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942. He entered the Second World War as a member of the 357th Fighter Group and flew a P-51 Mustang named “Old Crow” for his favorite whiskey, according to a report.

Anderson is credited with 16.25 aerial combat victories and was renowned for his heroics as a “triple ace.”

The title “ace” is given to a pilot with at least five credited kills, and a “triple ace” is an individual with 15.

Anderson could recall his first victory nearly eight decades after it happened.

“On March 8, we were heading home, three or four guys, with [1st Lt. John England] along with us,” he recalled in 2022. “We saw a Boeing B-17 below us, smoking, so we were headed over there when three Messerschmitt Me-109s came up. … They didn’t even see us. We cut them off at the pass and I saw one and said, ‘This one’s mine.’ I wanted one bad.”

The fight soon became one of concentric circles.

“It’s hard to get a shot in at 90 degrees,” he said. “I was pulling a lot of G’s. … I fired blind, and when he next came in view, black smoke was coming out — I got him in the coolant system. He went up and bailed out.”

Later that night, Anderson’s actions were celebrated in the officer’s club, according to the report.

“Best shooting I’ve ever seen in my life,” his wingman told him, Anderson said. “You hit that son of a b**** out there at over 40 degrees!”

After World War II, Anderson worked to guide the United States into the age of jet aircraft.

“He flew many models of the early jet fighters and was involved in two very unusual flight test programs,” Anderson’s website reads. “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.”

During his three-decade military career, Anderson also commanded an F-86 squadron in Korea, flew Republic F-105D fighter-bombers in the skies over Vietnam, and was responsible for an F-105 wing in Japan.

He logged over 7,500 flight hours in over 130 different aircraft until his retirement in 1972, according to the report.

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For his service, Anderson was awarded five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals, two Legions of Merit, a Bronze Star, and a Commendation Medal, and he was bestowed with the rank of brigadier general shortly before his death.

Outside of his military service, he wed Eleanor Cosby in 1945, and the pair raised two children.