US Air Force General Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson, the last living triple US fighter ace, turns 102 on Saturday, January 13!
He is a true legend who devoted his life to serving aviation and his homeland, a veteran of three great conflicts: World War II (confirmed 16 ¼ downed German planes over Europe), Korea and Vietnam. His extraordinary biography fascinates subsequent generations of military and aviation enthusiasts, and modellers are still building models of his fighters – P-39Q, P-51B and P-51D, all named “Old Crow” by the pilot.
A hundred-year-old general
In the USA and abroad, he is still an extremely popular figure, an inspiration for young military pilots. On December 2, 2022, a great celebration took place: Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson received an honorary promotion to the rank of brigadier general. The ceremony at the Aerospace Museum of California was presided over by then-Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.
Ace planes
Also for Arma Hobby, the personality of ‘Bud’ Anderson is a great inspiration. We have already released two model kits of his planes: P-39Q Airacobra and P-51B Mustang – both kits feature ‘Bud’ Anderson’s ‘Old Crow’ planes on beautiful boxarts painted by Piotr Forkasiewicz!
P-51B Mustang ‘Old Crow’ – ‘Bud’ Anderson’s personal fighter. Piotr Forkasiewicz’s artwork for Arma Hobby model kit boxart
P-39Q Airacobra ‘Old Crow’ – ‘Bud’ Anderson’s personal fighter. Piotr Forkasiewicz’s artwork for Arma Hobby model kit boxart
On this impressive Anniversary, we wish General Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson all the best!
Inspiration
Thanks to our Friend Jim Roeder, author of a monograph on Bud’s unit, 357th Fighter Group, we have the honour of being in contact with ‘Bud’ and his son Jim Anderson. Thanks to their kindness, we treasure in our collection copies of his autobiography “To Fly and Fight” signed by ‘Bud’, and Wojtek Bułhak also received a photo of ‘Bud’ with a dedication, which hangs in a place of honour above his desk at the company’s headquarters.
Generał Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson signing Piotr Forkasiewicz’s artworks created for Arma Hobby P-39Q Airacobra and P-51B Mustang model kit boxarts
‘Bud’ Anderson’s History
You can read the extraordinary story of the life and fight of General Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson on our blog in articles by Jim Roeder:
Even more about General Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson you can find on his website.
Check and buy General Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson’s “Old Crow” model kits:
Modeller, son and father of a modeller. Loves digging through references and analysing old photographs. He builds aircraft, ship and vehicle models, the older the better. He has a weakness for Polish equipment, but does not despise the RAF, FAA and Great War topics. A journalist by training.
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