 Bud Anderson, a native of Oakland,
California, applied for pilot training when the US entered
World War II and graduated in September 1942. His first
assignment was with the 357th FG flying P-39 Aerocobras.
In November 1943, Anderson and the rest of the 357th
transferred to England and soon began flying the P-51
Mustang. Anderson make his first combat mission on February
8, 1944 in his P-51 “Old Crow” as an escort
on one of the first missions into Berlin.
His squadron engaged a group of
Me-109 fighters attaching a damaged B-17 bomber. After
a protracted turning fight with the highly maneuverable
German fighters, Anderson gained an angle and critically
damaged his opponent — the first of many kills
he would score on bomber escort missions over Germany. |
His most
productive mission came on June 29, 1944 while leading
his squadron on a mission to Leipzig. In a series of
duels with FW 190 fighters, Anderson shot down three
enemy aircraft. By the end of the war, Anderson had accounted
for 16.25 downed enemy aircraft and one more destroyed
on the ground.
