Nigel Cullen

Richard Nigel Cullen
Undated portrait of Nigel Cullen
Nickname	"Ape"
Born	5 June 1917 Newcastle, New South Wales
Died	4 March 1941(1941-03-04) (aged 23) Himarë , Albania
Allegiance	Australia  United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1937–1941
Rank	Flight Lieutenant
Unit	No. 267 Squadron RAF (1940) No. 80 Squadron RAF (1940–41)
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II Middle East Theatre Western Desert Campaign Mediterranean Theatre Battle of Greece
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross

Richard Nigel Cullen DFC (5 June 1917 – 4 March 1941) was an Australian fighter ace of World War II. Serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF), he was credited with sixteen aerial victories before being killed in action during the Battle of Greece. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Cullen was living in London and had already seen action in the Spanish Civil War when he joined the RAF in 1937. Following the outbreak of World War II, he served initially with No. 267 Squadron in the Middle East, before seeking reassignment to fighters. He was then posted to No. 80 Squadron, flying Gloster Gladiator biplanes, and shot down six Axis aircraft before the unit converted to Hawker Hurricanes. Nicknamed "Ape" due to his physical bulk, Cullen was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for destroying five enemy aircraft in a single sortie on 28 February 1941. He was credited with another four victories in the one engagement on 3 March; the next day, he was shot down and killed while on escort duty over Albania, by a Regia Aeronautica Fiat G.50bis, at the age of twenty-three. However, a number of his air victories are not confirmed by Regia Aeronautica records.^[1]

Early career

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales on 5 June 1917,^[2] Nigel Cullen was the son of Horace David Cullen (originally Horace David Cohen) and his wife Hero.^[3][4] The boy's uncle was future Major General Paul Alfred Cullen.^[5] Nigel was taken to England at an early age by his parents and attended Sherborne School in Dorset, before studying at the College of Aero Engineering, Chelsea. Fired by a love of adventure, he competed in motorbike racing at Brooklands in 1934, and later saw action as a member of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, suffering a wound to the stomach that necessitated repatriation to England.^[2][6] When he caught up again with his friends from Brooklands, he was reluctant to talk about the conflict except to say that "the wars of the future would be fought in the air".^[5]

Cullen was living in Putney when he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1937, and was granted a short-service commission as an acting Pilot Officer on 9 August.^[7][8] Completing his probation the following May, he was promoted to Flying Officer on 31 December 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II.^[9][10] Posted to the Middle East, his early wartime service was with No. 267 Squadron, a transport unit ferrying passengers and freight to and from Egypt.^[2][11] "Browned off" with transport duties, however, he sought reassignment to fighters and before long was able to wangle a transfer to No. 80 Squadron, flying Gloster Gladiator biplanes, a type that was obsolescent well before the war began.^[2][5]

Fighter pilot

Gladiators

After joining No. 80 Squadron in the Western Desert Campaign, Cullen was schooled in fighter tactics by "Pat" Pattle, one of the leading British aces of the war.^[6] Nicknamed "Ape" by his colleagues due to his imposing physique,^[2][12] Cullen was described by a fellow pilot as "a big, smiling, long-armed giant from Putney, with an irresistible offensive spirit and quite fearless".^[13] He was "blooded" on 9 October, after being detailed to search single-handedly for a missing Allied truck. Failing to locate the vehicle, he spotted five Italian Breda Ba.65 ground-attack aircraft south of Sidi Barrani and immediately engaged them, gaining credit for probably destroying one. The Ba.65s were those of the 159^a Squadriglia, 12^oGruppo, 50^o Stormo Assalto, which didn’t suffer any losses.^[1]

The squadron redeployed to Greece the following month, to assist in resisting the Italian invasion. There Cullen achieved his first confirmed victory, over a Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 three-engined bomber - believed to be from 38^o Stormo B.T. ^[1] - near the Kassandra Peninsula on 30 December.^[2][5] He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant the next day.^[14]

RAF Gloster Gladiator based in the Mediterranean theatre, 1940

Cullen claimed his second "kill", on 28 January 1941. That day, while on an offensive patrol between Kelcyre and Premet, over Albania, with 14 Gladiators from 80 Squadron, he attacked four 37^o Stormo Fiat BR.20s and five CANT Z.1007bis bomber from 35^o Stormo. Flying Officer Cullen reported shooting down a Z.1007bis, which exploded in midair, but as only one CANT was actually lost by Regia Aeronautica, it is presumed that he also fired at the aircraft already shot down by Marmaduke Pattle’s section.^[1] He then claimed a Fiat CR.42 fighter from 150^o Gruppo CT and a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bomber on successive days, 9 and 10 February respectively. He then recorded two victories in one mission on 20 February, over Albania. After sending a Fiat G.50 down in flames while escorting Allied bombers, he discovered two formations of CR.42s nearby and shot down one of them as well. Cullen later remarked, "The others made off at once. Just as well—I hadn't any ammo left." He had also been slightly wounded in the hand by a bullet.^[2][5] Despite the many RAF claims (six Italian aircraft destroyed and two probables, included Cullen’s), on 20 February, it seems that only the Fiat G.50 of Tenente Alfredo Fusco of the 361^a Squadriglia was shot down (the pilot was killed), while Tenente Livio Bassi of 395^a Squadriglia was wounded and while attempting to force-land his damaged aircraft at Berat, the G.50 flipped over and caught fire.^[1] On 23 February, he attacked a CANT Z.506 three-engined floatplane as it was taking off at Preveza in Greece, at first simply attempting to prevent it from getting airborne but then, when it refused to stop, destroying it on a second pass. The result did not add to his official score, however, as the Italian plane was not in full flight at the time of its destruction.^[2][6]

Hurricanes

By the time No. 80 Squadron began re-equipping with Hawker Hurricanes in February 1941,^[15] Cullen's total stood at six enemy aircraft destroyed, plus one probable.^[16] He had earned a reputation for extreme aggression and doggedness in the air. His favourite tactic was to duel head-on with his intended victim, two aircraft firing at each other with a closing speed of over 500 miles per hour (800 km/h); he was quoted as saying, "It's always interesting to see who will pull away first". His colleagues reportedly said of him, "He never came out of a fight while a single enemy aircraft was left in the sky to give battle. He came home only when his guns were empty."^[5] Cullen opened his score in the Hurricane on 27 February, shooting down a Fiat CR.42 while escorting Bristol Blenheim light bombers to Valona, Albania.^[2] The day after, in what has been described as "the greatest air battle of this period", he was officially credited with shooting down five Italian planes in the one engagement, a record for his unit.^[6][17] His combat report read:^[18]

The battle exended right across Albania. First, I found four Breda 20s. I got one, which went down in flames. There we found three formations of SM.79s. I took on one and aimed at the starboard engine. It caught fire and crashed in flames. I climbed and dived on the next. He too crashed in flames. Then we attacked ten CR.42s, climbing to get above them. I got behind one, and he caught fire and went down in flames. Up again immediately – dived, fired into the cockpit and another one took fire, rolled over and crashed. I had to come home then – no more ammo.

Flight Lieutenant Cullen standing beside his Hawker Hurricane of No. 80 Squadron RAF at Paramythia, Greece, just before taking off on his final sortie, 4 March 1941

For his achievements on 28 February, the RAF's most successful day of the campaign, Cullen was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).^[18] "But that day", recalled Corrado Ricci, Capitano of Regia Aeronautica "we lost only a CR.42... Our pilots, in return, claimed four Glosters and a Hurricane".^[19] Some of Cullen air victories of 28 March are not confirmed as, actually, that day no Savoia Marchetti SM.79 was shot down: only one SM.79 of 104^oGruppo was damaged, while the Breda 20s in the quote were in fact FIAT BR.20s.^[1] He claimed another multiple kill on 3 March, when he and one of his comrades chased a group of CANT Z.1007 bis from 50^oGruppo B.T. that had just bombed Larissa, Greece. Catching the retreating bombers south-west of Corfu, 80 Squadron claimed 6 and 1 probable. Cullen reported to have destroyed four CANTs and was also credited with one probable. But only two CANT bombers were in fact lost.^[1] The following day, 4 March, flying Hurricane V7288, he was escorting a group of Blenheims near Himarë in southern Albania. Once the Blenheims had bombed their target (five Italian warships) and were on their return flight, South-African ace Flight Lieutenant Marmaduke Pattle ordered the Hurricanes to hunt in pairs over the warships, where a number of Italian fighters were seen. At once a lone G.50bis attacked Pattle and his wingman, on this occasion Flying Officer Cullen. Pattle reported to have promptly shot the Fiat down and to have watched it spiral into a mountainside just north of Himarë, but at this moment a second Fiat jumped Cullen Hurricane and he was not seen again; his aircraft crashed near Himarë, and the Australian ‘ace’ was killed. That day, according to Regia Aeronautica records, no Fiat G.50 was in fact lost.^{[1] [2][5][17]} He was twenty-three years old.^[6] The citation for his DFC was promulgated in the London Gazette on 14 March:^[20]

Flight Lieutenant Richard Nigel CULLEN (39967), No. 80 Squadron. In February, 1941, this officer was pilot of one of a formation of aircraft which attacked a large force of enemy bombers escorted by at least 30 fighters. Displaying remarkable skill, Flight Lieutenant Cullen shot down five of the enemy's aircraft in the ensuing action. He has now destroyed 11 enemy aircraft and has consistently shown great resource and courage.

Although the official history of Australia in the war puts the number of Cullen's victories at thirteen,^[17] his total score is more commonly estimated as sixteen,^[2][5][6] or sixteen-and-a-half.^[2][7] Anyway, at least five of his air victories are not confirmed by Italian records, and probably other were shared with other pilots.^[1] He is buried in Tirana Park Memorial Cemetery, Tirana, Albania.^[21] His name appears on the Commemorative Roll at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.^[22]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_cullen.htm
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Newton, Australian Air Aces, p. 83
3. ^ Baker, Paul Cullen, Citizen and Soldier, p. 72
4. ^ London Gazette: no. 33967. p. 32. 8 August 1933. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Pynt; Epstein, Australian Jewry's Book of Honour, pp. 19–22
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Garrisson, Australian Fighter Aces, p. 129
7. ^ ^{a b} Shores, Aces High, p. 129
8. ^ London Gazette: no. 34429. p. 5388. 24 August 1937. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
9. ^ London Gazette: no. 34521. p. 3833. 14 June 1938. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
10. ^ London Gazette: no. 34769. p. 164. 9 January 1940. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
11. ^ 267 Squadron at Royal Air Force. Retrieved on 12 May 2010.
12. ^ Mordike, The RAAF in Europe and North Africa 1939–1945, p. 111
13. ^ Holmes, Gloster Gladiator Aces, p. 64
14. ^ London Gazette: no. 35076. pp. 901–902. 14 February 1941. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
15. ^ 80 Squadron at Royal Air Force. Retrieved on 12 May 2010.
16. ^ Holmes, Gloster Gladiator Aces, p. 83
17. ^ ^{a b c} Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy, p. 20
18. ^ ^{a b} Holmes, Hurricane Aces 1941–45, p. 34
19. ^ Boyne 1997.
20. ^ London Gazette: no. 35106. p. 1523. 14 March 1941. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
21. ^ Casualty Details: Cullen, Richard Nigel at Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved on 12 May 2010.
22. ^ Commemorative Roll – Richard Nigel Cullen at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on 12 May 2010.

References

• Baker, Kevin (2005). Paul Cullen, Citizen and Soldier. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 1877058289. 
• Garrisson, A.D. (1999). Australian Fighter Aces 1914–1953. Fairbairn, Australian Capital Territory: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0642265402. http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publications/Details/220/Australian-Fighter-Aces-1914–1953.aspx. 
• Herington, John (1954). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume III – Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3633363. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67914. 
• Newton, Dennis (1996). Australian Air Aces. Fyshwyck, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1875671250. 
• Schubert, David (20 October 1994). "RAAF personalties in the European and North African Campaigns during World War II". In John Mordike. The RAAF in Europe and North Africa 1939–1945: The Proceedings of the l994 RAAF History Conference. Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0642224757. http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publications/Details/201/RAAF-History-Conference-1994-The-RAAF-in-Europe-and-North-Africa-19391945.aspx. 
• Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1966). Aces High: The Fighter Aces of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces in World War II. London: Neville Spearman. 
• Thomas, Andrew (2002). Gloster Gladiator Aces. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 9781841762890. 
• Thomas, Andrew (2003). Hurricane Aces 1941–45. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 9781841766102. 
• Wisdom, T.H. (1973). Pynt, Gerald; Epstein, Jack. ed. Australian Jewry's Book of Honour: World War II. Netley, South Australia: Australian Federation of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women. ISBN 0959876308. 
• Boyne, Walter J. Scontro di Ali: L'aviazione militare nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale (Clash of Wings: The Air Force in World War II (in Italian). Milano: Mursia, 1997. ISBN 978-8842522560.

Persondata
Name	Cullen, Nigel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 June 1917
Place of birth	Newcastle, New South Wales
Date of death	4 March 1941
Place of death	Himarë , Albania