William Y. Anderson

William Yngve Anderson
Nickname(s) Willie
Born (1921-06-28)June 28, 1921
Kramfors, Sweden
Died May 9, 2011(2011-05-09) (aged 89)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army Air Forces
Years of service 1942–1945
Rank Captain
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross (2)
Air Medal (13)
Croix de guerre (France)
Other work Commercial pilot United Airlines

William Yngve Anderson (June 28, 1921 – May 9, 2011) was a Swedish-born American fighter ace of World War II, credited with seven official victories in Europe while flying P-51 Mustang fighters with the United States Army Air Forces.

Anderson was born in Kramfors, Sweden, on June 28, 1921. In 1922, Anderson's family emigrated from Sweden to Chicago. Anderson joined the United States Army Air Forces in September 1941. After completion of training in 1943, he was stationed at RAF Boxted, near London, on "Diver" patrols, defending London from V-1 flying bombs.

Anderson shot down a V-1 on June 17, 1944 and it is possible but not confirmed that he shot down more V-1s.[1] His official tally of 7, however, does not include V-1s, as shooting down pilotless aircraft did not officially count towards his victory tally.[1]

Official victories:

References

  1. 1 2 Swedes at War: Willing Warriors of a Neutral Nation, 1914–1945, author Lars Gyllenhaal and Lennart Westberg (2010) ISBN 978-0-9777563-1-5
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.