Triple Ace, General Bud Anderson's WW2 wings

[bschwartz]

I'm sure almost everyone here knows of General Bud Anderson. A triple ace with 16 1/4 confirmed victories, stellar pilot and an air show regular. Bud is 102 years old and still with us. I've had the pleasure of meeting him several times at the Oshkosh Air Show and he is one of the nicest people you could meet and has shared some amazing stories with me over the years. I feel very fortunate to have been able to talk casually with him several times in the Warbirds area where I volunteer.

 

Years ago I contacted his son, Jim, to see if I could get a photo of Bud's wings for my then very young ww2wings.com website. Jim sent me a rather blurry photo of two wings and he said that was the best he could do with the camera technology of the time. This is still back in the 1 MP era of camera photography. Well recently I reached out to Jim again and he sent me some new photos. While these are admittedly not the greatest wing photos of all time, I'm posting them here to remind our newer collectors, and older, that although we cherish the Luxenbergs, Blackintons, etc, that the guys we read about generally had some pretty basic run of the mill wings. The two wings that Bud wore during the WW2 era were simply marked "Sterling" on the back with the Pelican Beak pattern being a pin back and the clutch back pattern likely his graduation wings. So if your collection is just starting out and made up of some of the more common patterns, don't forget that the history of them could be very special. I've often wished that the wings I have in my collection could share their stories. Some may have sat on a shelf all through the war and some may have been right in the thick of it. I only have a few, treasured, pieces that I know the history of and who wore them. Pieces like these two without their history would both be less than $100. With their history they would be worth so much more than that. Collecting has many paths you can follow. I too search for the rare and the beautiful pieces but every once in a while it's nice to have a moment like this to be reminded that the common wings are common for a reason. There were so many men and women who served during that time and they all treasured the wings they owned. It's nice to honor them all.

 

 

 

 

[jeff41st]

2 hours ago, bschwartz said:

Pieces like these two without their history would both be less than $100. With their history they would be worth so much more than that. Collecting has many paths you can follow. I too search for the rare and the beautiful pieces but every once in a while it's nice to have a moment like this to be reminded that the common wings are common for a reason. There were so many men and women who served during that time and they all treasured the wings they owned. It's nice to honor them all.

So true. Many of the wings in my collection that I have the name of the serviceman or servicewoman that they belonged to are common wings, but are absolutely my favorites. Thanks for sharing these Bob. 

[AustinO]

I own another triple ace's uniforms and both of his wings on them are very basic US made wings. Nothing flashy at all! 

[pfrost]

I remember talking to a couple of WWII vets and having an "Abbot and Costello" moment when I tried to explain why I collected wings.  "Whose on hallmark" type thing... LOL.

 

They really didn't know or care about that at all.  As for getting a girl, the guy who served in the 8th in England told me that all you needed was a can of peaches or some SPAM.  But even then, the times were still pretty conservative, and mostly, you would be lucky to get a kiss and a cuddle.  He said a lot of these girls were pretty predatory (having already sent their brother, fathers, and boyfriends off to fight) and as a depression-era kid from Central Valley who had actually never kissed a girl, he was WAY out of his league dealing with hungry and manipulative young ladies with all the experience of 4 years of war and hardship in their own country!

 

Another guy told me that there was really no time for much shopping. You trained, did your duties, ate, and went to bed. The last thing you were worried about was wings to put on your uniform.  He said that he got some wings from when he graduated and just wore those.  He said that he sent all his pay home to his family anyway. His point was you wore what all your buddies wore.

 

Still, I do love those wings.  If they could tell stories

 

P

 

 

 

 

[Scarecrow]

Great posting Bob, thanks.