Rudolf Anderson

Anderson was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina near Greenville.[3] He earned the rank of Eagle Scout from Boy Scout Troop 19 in Greenville and was a member of Recovery Lodge no. 31, Greenville's oldest Masonic Lodge. After graduating from Augusta Circle Elementary School in Greenville, he graduated from Greenville High School in 1944. In 1948, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Engineering from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina as a member of Air Force ROTC Detachment 770.[4][5] For the next three years, he was employed in Greenville.

He entered the Air Force in November 1951 during the Korean War.[3] Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1952, Anderson completed Primary and Advanced pilot training and received his U.S. Air Force aeronautical rating as a pilot; he received his pilot wings in February 1953. He began his operational career flying RF-86 Sabres and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses for reconnaissance missions after the war ended, when he was assigned to the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea and flying missions out of Komaki Air Base in Japan. In April 1955, he returned to the United States. After qualifying on the U-2 on September 3, 1957, "he became the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing's top U-2 pilot with over one thousand hours, making him a vital part of the United States' reconnaissance operation over Cuba in late October of 1962."[4]

S-75 Dvina with V-750V 1D missile (NATO SA-2 Guideline) on a launcher. An installation similar to this one shot down Major Anderson's U-2 over Cuba.

Some of the wreckage of Major Anderson's aircraft is on display in three museums in Cuba. One of the engine intakes is at the Museo de la Lucha contra Bandidos in Trinidad. The engine and portion of the tail assembly from the U-2F is at the Museum of the Revolution in Havana. The right wing, a portion of the tail assembly, and front landing gear are at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, or La Cabaña, Havana. The two latter groups of parts were previously displayed at the Museo del Aire, Havana.

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  The engine of the U-2F in the Museum of the Revolution in Havana.
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  One of the engine air intakes of the U-2F in the Museo de la Lucha contra los Bandidos in Trinidad.
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  The underside of the right wing showing the U.S. national insignia, a portion of the tail assembly (right side of photo) and the front landing gear.
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  Reconnaissance objectives in Cuba, 1962.

Anderson's military awards and decorations are as follows:[15]

Air Force Cross citation

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Air Force Cross (Posthumously) to Rudolf Anderson, Major, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Strategic Air Command (SAC), from 15 October 1962 to 27 October 1962. During this period of great national crisis, Major Anderson, flying an unescorted, unarmed aircraft, lost his life while participating in one of several aerial reconnaissance missions over Cuba. While executing these aerial missions, Major Anderson made photographs which provided the United States government with conclusive evidence of the introduction of long-range offensive missiles into Cuba and which materially assisted our leaders in charting the nation's military and diplomatic course. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Major Anderson reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.[15]

Memorial in Greenville, SC.

Plaque at Laughlin AFB, Texas.

Anderson's other recognitions:

• Cheney Award, 1962
• Anderson Elementary School at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska was named for him in 1964.[16]
• The Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr. Squadron of the Arnold Air Society at Clemson University was named in his honor.[4][17]
• American Legion Post 214 in Greenville, South Carolina, was named after him in 2015.
• A memorial to Anderson was erected and dedicated to him in 1963 at Cleveland Park in Greenville. No surplus U-2 aircraft were available at the time, so an F-86 Sabre like the ones he flew in Korea was used instead: North American YF-86H-1-NA Sabre, AF Ser. No. 52-1976.[18] The memorial was redesigned, and it was rededicated on October 27, 2012, the 50th anniversary of Anderson's death.[19]
• The building for the 47th Operations Group at Laughlin AFB, Texas, was renamed "Anderson Hall" in 2001.
• Anderson was inducted in the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008.[20]
• Anderson was inducted into the Greenville County Schools Hall of Fame in 2019.[21]

The shooting down of Anderson's U-2 reconnaissance flight over Cuba is featured in the 2000 film Thirteen Days starring Kevin Costner; actor Charles Esten plays the role of Anderson.[22][23]

• Central Intelligence Agency report – supplement 8 to Joint Evaluation of Soviet Missile Threat in Cuba, 0200 hours, October 28, 1962.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rudolf Anderson.

• "Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr". United States Air Force.
• 'The Twelfth Day' by Liz Newell Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from the Clemson University alumni magazine website
• Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. on ClemsonWiki by Mark Sublette from the Clemson Wiki website
• Anderson as a Mason in Greenville, SC
• Rudolf Anderson at Find a Grave