Ross Hubert Buk was born on March 20, 1918, in Rawlins County, Kansas. He was the son of James Peter "Pete/JP" Buk and Edith A. Keeley Buk. He served in the 449th Bomber Squadron, 322nd Bomber Group, Medium, as a Captain and Bombardier of B-26 Marauder #43-34433 during World War II.

On February 22, 1945, the aircraft crash-landed at airfield A-61 in Beauvais-Tillé, France. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft suffered a failure in its left engine. It attempted to return to the runway but skidded upon landing as the landing gear collapsed, striking a parked B-26 with serial number 42-107739. The collision ignited a fire; however, the crew successfully evacuated the aircraft just four minutes before its bombs detonated. The explosion completely destroyed the plane. The crash occurred at 11:29 AM.

Cpt Buk was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Union Cemetery, Herndon, Rawlins County, Kansas, USA.

Source of information: http://francecrashes39-45.net/