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Submit- Full
name
CULLEN, Ross Agnew - Date of
birth
17 June 1921 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois -
Hometown
Winamac, Pulaski County, Indiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-716373 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
729th Bombardment Squadron,
452nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
2 January 1945 - Place of
death
Bitburg, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Luxembourg
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| H | 3 | 74 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Wilmot Cullen (father)
Lucy (Agnew) Cullen (mother)
Donald Cullen (brother
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38921 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Ehrang, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yards
MACR: 11225
More information
1st Lt Ross A. Cullen graduated from Lake View High School in Chicago and was an office machine operator.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Chicago, Illinois on 3 August 1942. He was commissioned a 2nd Lt. and navigator on 18 March 1944 and was sent to England in May 1944.
His brother, Sergeant Donald Cullen, served in India.
About 1 minute before bombs away, the aircraft received a direct hit between #1 and #2 engines, bending back the outer wing panel which hit the rudder, sending the plane into a flat spin. In the spin on the way down, the plane broke apart. One crew reported seeing parachutes, alle the other crews reported no parachutes seen.
One crew member survived and was taken prisoner. The other eight crew members were killed.
Lt Cullen flew 29 missions.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.memorial.com, www.abmc.gov, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.newspapers.com - Journal and Courrier - 1 January 1946
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Luxembourg American Cemetery, Lake View High School 1939