Military man in Austin H. Winn’s letters 1
Mentioned in letters as: Ira Cutrell
Enlisted man on Austin’s new July 1945 crew list. May correspond to one of the harder-to-read standing signatures (Ricker / Cotter / Frost) on the City of Annapolis crew photograph in manuscript chapter 18; handwriting match is uncertain.
FACT from the letters: On 4 July 1945 Austin listed “Ira Cutrell” among the enlisted men on his new crew.
FACT from the photograph: The ink over the third standing man appears to read “Ira Cutrell,” not “Leo C. Wall.”
FACT from the obituaries: Ira Glenn Cutrell Sr. of Windsor, North Carolina, died 13 September 2008. The Pilot notice says he “served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.” The Washington Daily News says “He served in the Army Air Corp during World War II.” Neither notice names a B-29, the 19th Bomb Group, a squadron, or a crew. Those obituaries alone do not identify Austin’s crewman.
FACT from a county veterans table: A Hyde County World War II list, compiled from interviews and discharge papers, has a row for “Cutrell, Ira Glenn (1925–2008),” hometown Fairfield, rank S/Sgt, branch Army, unit “93rd Bomb Sqd; AAF,” entered 08/43, discharged 12/45, Asiatic/Pacific, remarks “3 Bronze Stars; Dist. Flying Cross w/ 2 Bronze Stars.” The same table uses “93rd Bomb Group; 8th AF” for a different man, so this line does say Squadron. It does not say 19th Bomb Group, B-29, Guam, or a crew. He is not on the 20th Air Force association’s 19th Bomb Group C index.
HYPOTHESIS: The Hyde County staff sergeant and the Windsor obituary are the same Ira Glenn Cutrell. A further hypothesis is that he is the letters’ Ira Cutrell, because Austin’s squadron was the 93rd. The table never says 19th Bomb Group, so that crew identification stays with the letters.
Sources: Virginian-Pilot — Ira Glenn Cutrell Sr.; Washington Daily News — Ira Cutrell; Hyde County WWII veterans (Clarke list); 20af.org — 19th Bomb Group roster (C).