eBay: Airwar ww2 The Pilots. (5 Viewers)

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Bill Cullerton was not only a very good fighter pilot but a gentleman.

DidI mention survivor? Shot down strafing Asbach airfield, a mission my father was leading on April 8, 1945. Bailed out, and was captured by SS. When he suurendered his 1911 to the SS Colonel, the bastard shot him in the guts after telling Cullerton "For you the war is over' - and lft him to die.

A Jewish doctor rescued him and treated him in his attic until over run by US infantry -

Bill flew west around 2015 IIRC.
Assigned to 357FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited with 5 kills and 21 [Ground]. Hit by flak strafing Ansbach A/D baled out near Ansbach on 8-Apr-45 in P-51D 44-64011 'Miss Steve'.

Gentleman gun slinger i would say.

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Assigned to 357FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited with 5 kills and 21 [Ground]. Hit by flak strafing Ansbach A/D baled out near Ansbach on 8-Apr-45 in P-51D 44-64011 'Miss Steve'.

Gentleman gun slinger i would say.

View attachment 746400
Bill's score was 5 air, 16 gnd, 13 of which were scored on two missions. He received DSC for 11-1944 mission.

Kind of a sad note, his wingman claimed the one destroyed by Cullerton but the #3 in flight corrected him publically in the de-briefing session.

He came to 355th about sametime my father maybe a week later.
 
Grave Uffz. Michel vom Sturzkampfgeschwader 51 3./StG51

View attachment 746399

17th May 1940
8./StG51 Junkers Ju87B-1. Shot down by Hurricanes of No.151 Squadron in combat north of Landrecies 10.30 a.m. Possibly that claimed by F/L Ives. Pilot Lt. Gerhard Wanke and Bordfunker Uffz. Siegfried Michel both killed. Aircraft 100% write-off.

Note: '3' in Luftwaffe parlance denotes 3. Staffel. 'III' denotes III. Gruppe, of which 8. Staffel was a part (7. 8, & 9. Staffeln formed III. Gruppe). Hope this helps.
 
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17th May 1940
8./StG51 Junkers Ju87B-1. Shot down by Hurricanes of No.151 Squadron in combat north of Landrecies 10.30 a.m. Possibly that claimed by F/L Ives. Pilot Lt. Gerhard Wanke and Bordfunker Uffz. Siegfried Michel both killed. Aircraft 100% write-off.

Note: '3' in Luftwaffe parlance denotes 3. Staffel. 'III' denotes III. Gruppe, of which 8. Staffel was a part (7. 8, & 9. Staffeln formed III. Gruppe). Hope this helps.
So how did one get this info on his grave? Seems specific. His dogtag perhaps?
Any idea?
Thanks in advance.
 
So how did one get this info on his grave? Seems specific. His dogtag perhaps?
Any idea?
Thanks in advance.

The dog tag gives two sets of numbers. The top numbers, comprising of five numbers, is the unit identifier. The bottom numbers, usually two, are the numbered ID of the person within the unit. From those two things, the deceased can be identified from unit records. The fuselage code of the aircraft, if identifiable, also gives a clue at unit level, as they would know who was flying in which aircraft.
 
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German Stuka Geschwader 1, Major Gustav Preßler mit Kommandeur StG1

Career Summaries - Luftwaffe Officers 1935 - 1945
Section L - R
PRESSLER, Gustav. (DOB: 13.10.12 in Hamburg). (RE, DKG). 1934 entered the Luftwaffe.
01.07.39 Oblt., trf from IV.(Stuka)/LG 1 to St.G. 77. 09.39 Oblt., Staka 4./St.G. 77. 09.40 promo to
Hptm. 10.40 Hptm., ordered to set up and command Stuka Erg.Gr. Lippstadt. 02.41 appt Ia in
Stab/St.G. 77. 11.07.41 Hptm., Stab/St.G. 77 MIA - Ju 87 B (S2+CA) shot down vic Kishinev, bailed
out and evaded capture, returning 5 days later. 01.10.41 appt Kdr. III./St.G. 2. 13.01.42 Hptm., Kdr.
III./St.G. 2 awarded DKG. 04.02.42 Hptm., awarded Ritterkreuz, Kdr. III./St.G. 2. [12.42 appt
provisional Kommodore St.G. 1 – very doubtful]. 26.01.43 Hptm., awarded Eichenlaub (No. 188),
Kdr. III./St.G. 2. 01.04.43 Maj. (Tr.O.) and Kdr. III./St.G. 2, appt provisional Kommodore St.G. 1 (to
04.43). [07.43 Maj., still Kdr. III./St.G. 2?]. 01.09.43 provisional Kommodore of St.G. 1, approved
for promo to Obstlt. pending establishment of RDA. 18.10.43 Maj., appt Kommodore SG 1 (to
22.04.44). 01.03.44 RDA for Obstlt. 04.44 trf to the Deutsche Lw.-Mission in Bulgarien and appt
Ausbildungsleiter (training director) with the Bulgarian Air Force. 01.09.44 (or 15.12.44?) Obstlt.,
appt Kommodore SG 104 (to 17.04.45). Credited with 530 combat missions. Served in the postwar
Bundeswehr from 1956 to 1965. †09.10.85 in Lippstadt.

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  1. http://www.ww2.dk/Lw Offz - L-R Apr 2024.pdf
  2. https://www.ebay.de/itm/266500362807?hash=item3e0ca8d237:g:f48AAOSwLLBlTizV
 
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Seenotretter von Bülow wird versetzt Verabschiedung

Career Summaries - Luftwaffe Officers 1935 - 1945
Section A - F
BÜLOW, Carl Raban Werner Bernhard Günter Heinrich Julius von. (DOB: 18.09.12 in Warin/Mecklenburg).
01.04.37 Ofhr., RLM pool (Schul.Etat), promo to Lt.(RDA 01.04.35). 01.11.39 Oblt., trf from 3./Kü.Fl.Gr. 506
to Fl.Waffenschule (See) Lobbe. 31.01.41 Hptm., appt permanent Staka 1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 706 (to 00.41). 01.09.41
Hptm., acting Kdr. Stab/Kü.Fl.Gr. 906. 01.03.43 in RLM pool, promo to Maj. 15.04.43 in Führer-Reserve
Ob.d.L., trf to Ob.d.L. pool (Sch.Etat) (to 26.08.43). 26.08.43 trf to IV./KG 3. (n.d.) Reached rank
Korvettenkapitän in the Bundeswehr. †25.05.89 died vic Lüneburg

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  1. http://www.ww2.dk/Lw Offz - A-F Apr 2024.pdf
  2. https://www.ebay.de/itm/296038382957?hash=item44ed433d6d:g:vckAAOSwZaNlTkXg
 
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In honor of Bill Cullerton - highest day score for 355th FG pilot. Two air, six ground. Would not be broken until April, 1945

November 2, 1944

FO 1281A. Major Elder led a Free Lance fighter Sweep for First and Second Division bombers attacking Merseburg. The 355th put up 56 Mustangs to try to take full advantage of the opportunity to roam out in front of the bomber force, unfettered by close escort responsibilities.

The Group took off at 1012, made rendezvous west of Merseburg at 1216 and provided area support north and east of the Merseburg area and the main bomber track.

At 1248 the 358FS intercepted six Me109s attacking one box of B-17s just northwest of Merseburg as the force started the return home. The109s shot down a B-17 while Lieutenants Mikalauskas and McElroy came away with one Me-109 destroyed and one damaged.

At 1253 Lieutenant Priest led Green flight into a flight of 25+ Me109s ten miles west of Naumburg and broke up an attack on 1st Division B-17s. Priest and Woolard destroyed one apiece before the109s split for the deck. The 109 that Priest shot down was clobbering a Mustang with 'black' (more likely the blue/white of the 364th) and white checkered nose.

Priest pulled up next to the damaged P-51 and the pilot gave him a 'thumbs up' but Priest and Woolard assumed high covering position and escorted him back to the English coast where they left their new friend.

The 357FS climbed to head off several Me 262s coming in from the east at 30,000 feet and pursued them when they broke for the deck. The 357th lost the jets but spotted some Me 109s from I./JG3 which were landing at Borkheide airdrome near Wernigerode. The time was approximately 1250. Elder led the 357th to bounce the 109s in the landing pattern.

The 357FS had a field day at Borkheide. By chance some stray rounds shot at the low flying 109s near Borkheide lit up well camouflaged Me 109s of I./JG 300 hidden in the brush and trees surrounding the airfield.

In addition to Lieutenant Cullerton shooting down two, Major Elder and Lieutenants Wilkes and Moroney destroyed on fighter each. In total three Me109s and two FW 190s were clobbered over Wernigerode airfield. The squadron claimed another 22 fighters on the ground. Top ground scores were turned in by Cullerton with six and Elder with five.

Cullerton and Elder had their individual best days of the war getting a combined air/ground total of eight and six respectively. Captain Dufresne and Lieutenants Miller, Williams and Moroney each claimed two apiece. Lieutenants Riffle, Cavender, and Engelbreit each got one apiece on the ground.

Engelbreit was hit hard by flak on his last pass and had to belly his 'Spook III' in near the airdrome to become a POW.

The actual number of I./JG 300 Me109s destroyed , revealed after the war, was 32 Bf 109G-14's. Only 22 were awarded as destroyed – a rare case of 'under claiming.' The JG3 leader was reprimanded severely after this action for leading the Mustangs to the base.

On the way home 354FS pilot Lieutenant Zimmerman had an engine problem and bailed out over occupied territory in Holland. He evaded capture and joined the Dutch underground and fought with them until the following March when the Allies finally liberated Holland. He then returned to the US.

The rest of the Group returned to base by 1530.

Lieutenant Bill Cullerton set the final record for individual number of enemy aircraft destroyed for the 355th Fighter Group in one day. It would never be broken. For Cullerton's valor on this day he received the Group's sixth Distinguished Service Cross.

The 355th FG became the third 8th AF combat unit to destroy 500 German aircraft on this day. The 355th was still in third place behind the 4th and 56th but now close to 175 credits behind each of them.

Final score 30-0-2 for loss of two - both flak related.
 

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German Maximilian Schick Flugzeugführer Aufklärer 1.(F)/AG124 Kette Lappland

Career Summaries - Luftwaffe Officers 1935 - 1945
Section S - Z
SCHICK, Maximilian. (DOB: 05.11.20). (W.B.K. Zwettl). (DKG). 01.04.43 promo to Lt./Ln. 16.07.43 Lt.,
1.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 124. 13.09.43 Lt., Beobachter, awarded the Ehrenpokal. 01.01.45 Lt., Aufkl.Gr. (F) 124
awarded the DKG. (n.d.) with NSKdo. 11. †26.06.2009

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  1. http://www.ww2.dk/Lw Offz - S-Z Apr 2024.pdf
  2. https://www.ebay.de/itm/285554492031?hash=item427c5fc27f:g:Vt4AAOSwE~1lT3Uq
 
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German Obltn. Matern StG77

Career Summaries - Luftwaffe Officers 1935 - 1945
Section L - R
MATERN, Karl-Heinrich. (DOB: 20.02.19 in Althof Krs. Preussisch Eylau/Ostpreussen) (R). 1939-40
Zerstörer pilot in III./ZG 76. 06.41 in II./SKG 210. 29.08.41 Oblt. in Stab II./SKG 210, WIA - Bf
110 E-1 (S9+IC) S of Lake Ladoga, due to ground fire vic Iwanowskaja. 01.42 in II./ZG 1. 30.10.42
Oblt., with Stab II./ZG 1. 05.11.42 Oblt., Stab II./ZG 1. 18.12.43 Oblt., Stab II./ZG 1. 12.42 Oblt.,
appt Staka 4./ZG 1. 01.04.43 in Frontflieger-Sammelgruppe, promo to Hptm. 03.08.43 Hptm., appt
Kdr. of II./ZG 1. 08.10.43 Hptm., Kdr.II./ZG 1 KIA – in Bf 110 G-2 (S9+RP) shot down by RAF
Spitfires over the Atlantic 200 km NW of Brest in Pl.Qu.15 West 7077. 09.10.43 Hptm.,
posthumously awarded Ritterkreuz. 01.08.44 officially listed as MIA. Credited with 12 air victories
and 12 tanks destroyed

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  1. http://www.ww2.dk/Lw Offz - L-R Apr 2024.pdf
  2. https://www.ebay.de/itm/314953087336?hash=item4954aab968:g:tT0AAOSwIEBlTffE
 
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