KITS 08/2019

44-13677, Lt. William G. Cullerton, 357th FS, 355th FG, Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, 1944

William Cullerton, a native of Chicago, was born on June 2nd, 1923. He volunteered

for the air service on America’s entry into the war, underwent training and flew P-51B and P-51D Mustangs with the 357th FG. On April 8th, 1945, he was hit during an

attack on the field at Ansbach and was forced to land. He was discovered by German

soldiers, one of which shot him in the stomach, and was abandoned. He was found by

a German farmer, who, thinking this was a German pilot, took him to the nearest hospital, from where the American was able to escape. After the war, he married Elaine

Stephen and in the fifties, he formed Cullerton Co., a maker of outdoor and fishing

products. He died on January 12, 2013. Over the course of the Second World War,

he destroyed 21 enemy aircraft, five in the air and sixteen on the ground. His aircraft

appeared as it was delivered, with the nose and tail were painted at unit level in light

blue. The nose bore an inscription relating to his lady friend, Miss Steve.

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INFO Eduard - August 2019