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Richard A. Peterson (aviator)

April 10, 2024

Richard Allen Peterson (February 26, 1923 – June 4, 2000) was a fighter ace and a major in the United States Army Air Forces. During World War II, he was the fourth highest scoring ace of 357th Fighter Group, with 15.5 aerial victories.[1][2][3]

Richard Allen Peterson
Major Richard A Peterson of the 357th Fighter Group
Nickname(s)Pete, Bud
Born(1923-02-26)February 26, 1923
Hancock, Minnesota
DiedJune 4, 2000(2000-06-04) (aged 77)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Forces
Years of service1942–1945
RankMajor
Unit357th Fighter Group
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsSilver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
Air Medal (13)

Early life and education edit

Peterson was born in Hancock, Minnesota and grew up in Alexandria, Minnesota. He graduated from Alexandria High School in 1940 and then attended the University of Minnesota.[1][4][5]

World War II edit

 
Peterson's P-51 Mustang "Hurry Home Honey"

On 30 March 1942, he enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the United States Army Air Forces and on June 1942, he left the university to become an aviation cadet.[6]

 
The top scoring fighter aces of the 357th Fighter Group. L-R; Richard Peterson, Leonard Carson, John England, and Clarence Anderson.

After finishing flight training in March 1943, Peterson was assigned to the 364th Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group at Tonopah, Nevada, flying Bell P-39 Airacobras. On October 4, 1943, while flying a P-39 during a transfer flight from El Paso, Texas to Tucson, Arizona, he became disoriented and got separated from his flight. Despite suffering from navigation issues, Peterson made a deadstick landing at El Chapo town in Chihuahua, Mexico, resulting in his aircraft being damaged beyond repair and some railcars also being damaged due to the P-39's landing. Mexican officials confisciated the P-39's ammunition despite an USAAF officer showing up at the crash site upon Peterson's request. Peterson was later allowed to travel back to Nevada to rejoin his fighter group.[7][8]

In November 1943, the 357th Fighter Group was assigned to European Theater of Operations and was stationed at RAF Leiston in England, where the unit was now equipped with the North American P-51 Mustangs. On March 6, 1944, he shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 over Bordeaux, France, his first aerial victory. On March 16, he was credited with the shared destruction of a twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf 110 and on March 18, he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Augsburg, Germany, his second aerial victory. By the end of May 1944, he shot eight more enemy aircraft including two shared destructions, bringing his total aerial victories to nine and earned the title of flying ace. On July 1, he shot down two Bf 109s south of Saint-Quentin, France and later on the same month, he returned to the United States for shore leave.[9][10]

In October 1944, he returned to the 357th FG and on October 6, he shot down a Fw 190 over Berlin, Germany and on October 7, he shot down a Bf 109 over Jena, Germany. On November 2, he shot down a Bf 109 north of Merseburg, Germany. His fifteenth and final aerial victory was on November 11, when he shot down a Bf 109 over an airfield in Neuhausen, Germany.[11][10]

Peterson had 15.5 air victories and destroyed 3.5 aircraft on the ground while flying 150 missions.[12] His P-51 Mustang aircraft were named Hurry Home Honey after his wife's letter closing.[2] On one of the missions, he witnessed a Bf 109 shooting at American B-17 bomber crews in parachutes after being shot down. Peterson attacked the Bf 109 and forced the German pilot to bail out of the aircraft. He shot and killed him as he descended on his parachute. Peterson recalled that some of his unit were nervous that this would invite a retaliatory response from the Luftwaffe. "But they had to be there to know what I was seeing," Peterson said. "Those guys were helpless, the bomber crews going down".[13][14][15]

Post war edit

Peterson and his wife Elaine had a son and numerous grandchildren. After World War II, he left military service in 1946, and returned to the University of Minnesota and obtained a degree in Architecture in 1949 which became his career. In 2000, he was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame.[16][17][18][1]

He died of cancer on June 4, 2000, at the age of 77.[1]

Aerial victory credits edit

SOURCES: Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II

Awards and decorations edit

  Silver Star
 
 
 
 Distinguished Flying Cross with two bronze oak leaf clusters
 
 
 
 
 
 Air Medal with two silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters
  American Campaign Medal
 
 
 European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with silver campaign star
  World War II Victory Medal
  Croix de Guerre with bronze star (France)

   Army Presidential Unit Citation

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d William Hess. America's Top Eighth Air Force Aces in Their Own Words. Zenith Imprint. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-1-61060-702-5.
  2. ^ a b Chris Bucholtz (20 December 2012). Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 37–. ISBN 978-1-78200-872-9.
  3. ^ Martin W. Bowman (2006). Echoes of England: The 8th Air Force in World War Two. Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-3738-5.
  4. ^ "Richard Peterson - Recipient -". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  5. ^ "Richard A. (Bud) Peterson". Alexandria Education Foundation. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  6. ^ "Access to Archival Databases (AAD)". National Archives. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  7. ^ Olmsted, Merle C. "See Them Tumbling Down". To Fly and Fight. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  8. ^ Flories, Santiago A. (2019). Mexicans at War: Mexican Military Aviation in the Second World War, 1941–1945. Helion Limited. ISBN 9781913118396. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  9. ^ "Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II" (PDF). 1978. p. 150. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Richard Peterson (Victory Table)". To Fly and Fight. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Peterson, Richard. "Combat Report (6 October 1944)". WWII Aircraft Performance. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  12. ^ Jerry Scutts (20 November 2012). Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 174–. ISBN 978-1-78200-675-6.
  13. ^ Jay A. Stout (2004). Fighter Group: The 352nd "Blue-Nosed Bastards" in World War II. Stackpole Books. pp. 126–127.
  14. ^ TJ3 History (2021-10-01). "The P-51 Mustang Pilot that Killed a German in his Parachute - Brutal True Story of Richard Peterson". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-12-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "WWII vet Richard Peterson explains why you don't Shoot a Parachuting Soldier". YouTube. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Richard A. "Bud" Peterson - - Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee". Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  17. ^ "Elaine B. Peterson". Star Tribune. 2015-08-16. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  18. ^ "Richard A. (Bud) Peterson". Alexandria Education Foundation. Retrieved 2023-05-10.

External links edit

  • "Richard A. "Bud" Peterson 1923 - 2000". Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  • "Richard A Peterson". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 2018-06-27.

April 10, 2024
richard, peterson, aviator, richard, allen, peterson, february, 1923, june, 2000, fighter, major, united, states, army, forces, during, world, fourth, highest, scoring, 357th, fighter, group, with, aerial, victories, richard, allen, petersonmajor, richard, pet. Richard Allen Peterson February 26 1923 June 4 2000 was a fighter ace and a major in the United States Army Air Forces During World War II he was the fourth highest scoring ace of 357th Fighter Group with 15 5 aerial victories 1 2 3 Richard Allen PetersonMajor Richard A Peterson of the 357th Fighter GroupNickname s Pete BudBorn 1923 02 26 February 26 1923Hancock MinnesotaDiedJune 4 2000 2000 06 04 aged 77 Minneapolis MinnesotaAllegianceUnited StatesService wbr branchUnited States Army Air ForcesYears of service1942 1945RankMajorUnit357th Fighter GroupBattles warsWorld War IIAwardsSilver StarDistinguished Flying Cross 3 Air Medal 13 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 World War II 3 Post war 4 Aerial victory credits 5 Awards and decorations 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and education editPeterson was born in Hancock Minnesota and grew up in Alexandria Minnesota He graduated from Alexandria High School in 1940 and then attended the University of Minnesota 1 4 5 World War II edit nbsp Peterson s P 51 Mustang Hurry Home Honey On 30 March 1942 he enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the United States Army Air Forces and on June 1942 he left the university to become an aviation cadet 6 nbsp The top scoring fighter aces of the 357th Fighter Group L R Richard Peterson Leonard Carson John England and Clarence Anderson After finishing flight training in March 1943 Peterson was assigned to the 364th Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group at Tonopah Nevada flying Bell P 39 Airacobras On October 4 1943 while flying a P 39 during a transfer flight from El Paso Texas to Tucson Arizona he became disoriented and got separated from his flight Despite suffering from navigation issues Peterson made a deadstick landing at El Chapo town in Chihuahua Mexico resulting in his aircraft being damaged beyond repair and some railcars also being damaged due to the P 39 s landing Mexican officials confisciated the P 39 s ammunition despite an USAAF officer showing up at the crash site upon Peterson s request Peterson was later allowed to travel back to Nevada to rejoin his fighter group 7 8 In November 1943 the 357th Fighter Group was assigned to European Theater of Operations and was stationed at RAF Leiston in England where the unit was now equipped with the North American P 51 Mustangs On March 6 1944 he shot down a Focke Wulf Fw 190 over Bordeaux France his first aerial victory On March 16 he was credited with the shared destruction of a twin engine Messerschmitt Bf 110 and on March 18 he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Augsburg Germany his second aerial victory By the end of May 1944 he shot eight more enemy aircraft including two shared destructions bringing his total aerial victories to nine and earned the title of flying ace On July 1 he shot down two Bf 109s south of Saint Quentin France and later on the same month he returned to the United States for shore leave 9 10 In October 1944 he returned to the 357th FG and on October 6 he shot down a Fw 190 over Berlin Germany and on October 7 he shot down a Bf 109 over Jena Germany On November 2 he shot down a Bf 109 north of Merseburg Germany His fifteenth and final aerial victory was on November 11 when he shot down a Bf 109 over an airfield in Neuhausen Germany 11 10 Peterson had 15 5 air victories and destroyed 3 5 aircraft on the ground while flying 150 missions 12 His P 51 Mustang aircraft were named Hurry Home Honey after his wife s letter closing 2 On one of the missions he witnessed a Bf 109 shooting at American B 17 bomber crews in parachutes after being shot down Peterson attacked the Bf 109 and forced the German pilot to bail out of the aircraft He shot and killed him as he descended on his parachute Peterson recalled that some of his unit were nervous that this would invite a retaliatory response from the Luftwaffe But they had to be there to know what I was seeing Peterson said Those guys were helpless the bomber crews going down 13 14 15 Post war editPeterson and his wife Elaine had a son and numerous grandchildren After World War II he left military service in 1946 and returned to the University of Minnesota and obtained a degree in Architecture in 1949 which became his career In 2000 he was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame 16 17 18 1 He died of cancer on June 4 2000 at the age of 77 1 Aerial victory credits editChronicle of aerial victoriesDate Type Location Aircraft flown Unit AssignedMarch 6 1944 1 Focke Wulf Fw 190 Bordeaux France P 51B Mustang 364 FS 357 FGMarch 16 1944 0 5 Messerschmitt Bf 110 Ulm Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGMarch 18 1944 1 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Augsburg Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGApril 11 1944 1 Bf 109 Magdeburg Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGApril 24 1944 1 Bf 109 Munich Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGApril 30 1944 2 Fw 190 Auxerre France P 51B 364 FS 357 FGMay 12 1944 0 5 Fw 190 Frankfurt Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGMay 13 1944 0 5 Messerschmitt Me 410 Grunberg Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGMay 13 1944 1 Me 410 Grunberg Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGMay 28 1944 1 Bf 109 Magdeburg Germany P 51B 364 FS 357 FGJuly 1 1944 2 Bf 109 Saint Quentin France P 51D Mustang 364 FS 357 FGOctober 6 1944 1 Fw 190 Berlin Germany P 51D 364 FS 357 FGOctober 7 1944 1 Bf 109 Jena Germany P 51D 364 FS 357 FGNovember 2 1944 1 Fw 190 Merseburg Germany P 51D 364 FS 357 FGNovember 11 1944 1 Bf 109 Neuhausen Germany P 51D 364 FS 357 FGSOURCES Air Force Historical Study 85 USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft World War II dd dd dd Awards and decorations edit nbsp Army Air Forces Pilot Badge nbsp Silver Star nbsp nbsp nbsp Distinguished Flying Cross with two bronze oak leaf clusters nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Air Medal with two silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters nbsp American Campaign Medal nbsp nbsp European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with silver campaign star nbsp World War II Victory Medal nbsp Croix de Guerre with bronze star France nbsp Army Presidential Unit CitationSee also editRobert W Foy Chuck YeagerReferences edit a b c d William Hess America s Top Eighth Air Force Aces in Their Own Words Zenith Imprint pp 143 ISBN 978 1 61060 702 5 a b Chris Bucholtz 20 December 2012 Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group Bloomsbury Publishing pp 37 ISBN 978 1 78200 872 9 Martin W Bowman 2006 Echoes of England The 8th Air Force in World War Two Tempus ISBN 978 0 7524 3738 5 Richard Peterson Recipient valor militarytimes com Retrieved 2023 05 19 Richard A Bud Peterson Alexandria Education Foundation Retrieved 2023 05 19 Access to Archival Databases AAD National Archives Retrieved 2023 12 12 Olmsted Merle C See Them Tumbling Down To Fly and Fight Retrieved 2023 12 13 Flories Santiago A 2019 Mexicans at War Mexican Military Aviation in the Second World War 1941 1945 Helion Limited ISBN 9781913118396 Retrieved 2023 12 13 Air Force Historical Study 85 USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft World War II PDF 1978 p 150 Retrieved December 13 2023 a b Richard Peterson Victory Table To Fly and Fight Retrieved December 13 2023 Peterson Richard Combat Report 6 October 1944 WWII Aircraft Performance Retrieved 2023 12 13 Jerry Scutts 20 November 2012 Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force Bloomsbury Publishing pp 174 ISBN 978 1 78200 675 6 Jay A Stout 2004 Fighter Group The 352nd Blue Nosed Bastards in World War II Stackpole Books pp 126 127 TJ3 History 2021 10 01 The P 51 Mustang Pilot that Killed a German in his Parachute Brutal True Story of Richard Peterson YouTube Retrieved 2023 12 13 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link WWII vet Richard Peterson explains why you don t Shoot a Parachuting Soldier YouTube Retrieved 13 December 2023 Richard A Bud Peterson Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee Retrieved 2023 05 10 Elaine B Peterson Star Tribune 2015 08 16 Retrieved 2023 12 13 Richard A Bud Peterson Alexandria Education Foundation Retrieved 2023 05 10 External links edit Richard A Bud Peterson 1923 2000 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Retrieved 2018 06 27 Richard A Peterson American Air Museum in Britain Retrieved 2018 06 27 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard A Peterson aviator amp oldid 1210287238, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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