Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson (January 13, 1922 – May 17, 2024) was an officer in the United States Air Force and a triple ace of World War II.

Toward the end of Anderson's two combat tours in Europe in 1944 he was promoted to major at 22, a young age even for a highly effective officer in wartime.

Afterward, he became a test pilot and a fighter squadron and wing commander, serving a combat tour in the Vietnam War.

[3] In January 1942, shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor,[4] Anderson enlisted in the United States Army as an aviation cadet.

He received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces at Hamilton Field, California in September 1942.

On 5 February he claimed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that was attacking a straggling B-17 Flying Fortress N. of Dessau damaged as his first aerial victory.

[9][8][10] That fall, Anderson returned to 357th FG and on November 27, shot down two Fw 190s over Magdeburg and forced another to crash land as he attempted to shoot it, crediting him with two aerial victories and one probable in the mission.

44-14450 B6-S), both nicknamed Old Crow[12] (after the whiskey of the same name), carried him safely through 116 missions without being hit by fire from enemy aircraft and without Anderson ever having to turn back for any reason.

During this time, he took part in the FICON project, a concept to increase the effective combat radius of jet fighters by attaching them to a propeller-driven bomber, one hooked up to each wingtip.

The hope was that it would not only increase fuel efficiency and effective range, but also allow the bomber to carry its own fighter escort deep into enemy territory.

He was a close friend of Brigadier General Chuck Yeager during and after the end of World War II, where both served in the 357th Fighter Group.

[22] After his retirement from active duty as a colonel, Anderson became the manager of the McDonnell Aircraft Company's Flight Test Facility at Edwards AFB, serving there until 1998.

[28] In 2015, he along with other flying aces received the Congressional Gold Medal, in recognition of "their heroic military service and defense of the country's freedom throughout the history of aviation warfare.

[37][38] A life sized bronze statue of Anderson dressed in his leather flight helmet and goggles, and wearing a parachute, was installed in Grass Valley, California about three months after his death.