James Casell Hull was born on 12 July 1918 in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of James Munroe Hull and Ella Ruth Seiver.
Died 1 December 1943
358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
James C. Hull was the pilot of aircraft P-47D-2RE with serial number 42-8006. He was on a ramrod mission and shot down by fighters in the vicinity of Antwerpen.
Statement from 2nd Lt Harold H. Macurdy:
On December 1, 1943 returning from an Operational mission over enemy territory. A flight led by Major Myers was separated from the group during an engagement. We started home in a wide V Formation flying above a layer of high, thin stratus clouds. Major Myers, flight leader, reported six contrails above at 5 o’clock so we went down through a hole in the clouds and flew along beneath the cloud. Lt Hull was flying on my left wing at approximately 300 yards. The last time I saw him was when we encountered a heavy cloud formation and he disappeared. I continued to climb at full throttle to 20,000 feet on instruments until icing conditions became so severe I could not maintain climbing speed. I put the nose down and dove to 2,500 feet where I was out of the clouds SE of Antwerp. I continued home on the deck encountering severe rain storms all the way.
Lt Hull was found dead on the place of the crash. He was initially buried on 12/3/1943 at the cemetery for enemy soldiers Antwerpen – Deurne in Belgium.
The Knoxville Journal, February 1, 1944:
First Lt. James C. Hull, pilot of a P-47, was killed in action over Belgium, Dec. 1, the War Department has reported to his mother, Mrs. Ruth S. Hull. The family was advised Lieutenant Hull was missing, Dec. 8, and word he was killed was received Sunday. The only other survivor is a sister, Mrs. Gordon Brown, also of 2730 Magnolia Avenue. Lieutenant Hull, who was 25, was graduated from Knoxville High School. He enlisted in May, 1941, and received his wings at Marietta, Ga., in January 1943. He had been awarded the Air Medal.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, April 18, 1944:
Three times in the past fine months, Mrs. Ruth Hull, 2730 Magnolia Avenue, has heard varying reports of her son, Lt. James C. Hull. Now, she says, she’s “just holding her breath.”On December 9, Mrs. Hull received word from the War Department that Lt. Hull was missing in action after the air raid of Dec. 1 over enemy territory. Then, on March 1, she received word that he had been killed in action. Last week came the good news: He is a prisoner of war held by the Nazis. “I had letters from the squadron he was with in England and they told us that his name had been published in a recent issue of the soldiers’ newspaper, “The Stars and Stripes,” as a prisoner. They told me that they had gone wild with joy when they saw it, because they thought he had been killed. They must have thought I already knew it, but that’s the first word that has come – and you can imagine we’re all holding our breath!” said his mother.
- Rank: First Lieutenant
- Date of birth: 12 July 1918
- Date of death: 1 December 1943
- County: Knox
- Hometown: Knoxville
- Service Branch: Army/Army Air Forces
- Division/Assignment: 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
- Theater: Europe
- Conflict: World War II
- Awards: Air Medal, Purple Heart
- Burial/Memorial Location: Lynnhurst Cemetery, Knoxville, TN
- Location In Memorial: Pillar XIV, Middle Panel
- Contact us to sponsor James C. Hull
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