Personnel

CREW



2ND LT EARL F. CULLIMORE            P FEH

2ND LT WILLIAM H. LIBBY          CP FEH

2ND LT PAUL A. ROYER           NAV FEH  (TAPS - DATE UNKNOWN)

2ND LT BURDELL W. BREKKEN    BOM FEH

    CPL WESLEY C. PARKER       ROG FEH   (TAPS - 29 JUN 1979)

    CPL JOSEPH H. NELSON        TTE FEH  (TAPS - 01 MAY 1973)

    CPL CHARLES R. MAUPIN       BTG FEH  (TAPS - 29 NOV 1981)

    CPL JOHN L. ORR, JR.             TG KIA    14 MAR 45, HANOVER

    CPL ROBERT W. SUTTON        WG FEH



418th Sqdn.. Crew joined the 100th 9 Feb 1945, Crew flew "SILVER DOLLAR" A/C 232090, LD-R (HARDSTAND 44) PILOT WHO FLEW SILVER DOLLAR WHEN SHE PUT IN HER "100TH" MISSION OVER GERMANY. 



2ND LT EARL CULLIMORE- sn # 0781235, Class of 44F. FLEW 21 MISSIONS OVER GERMANY AND 3 CHOW HOUNDS. 



Crew flew "Silver Dollar" unit she was damaged in Runway accident.  Johnny Orr was Killed on the crews 7th Mission 14/03/45 to Hanover.  According to Lt Cullimore, "On our seventh mission, my tail gunner Johnny Orr was killed when an anti aircraft shell came up throught the tail and tore his leg off, he died immediately and was only 19 years old.  After a 3 day layoff from flying to attend Johnny's burial we were scheduled to fly a mission-when I inspected our plane there was still blood and sulfa powder in the plywood crawl space and I refused to put my crew in the plane in that condition.  I was told I could be court martialled but I refused to fly the plane in that condition.  The Colonel came out and inspected the plane and agreed with me.  New boards the next day." (E. Cullimore 2000)



I was a non drinker and on two occasions I was sent to Edinburgh, Scotland, land and stay overnight while cases of Scotch Whiskey were loaded on the whole floor of my B-17 and then fly back to our base so the scotch could be distributed to the bases in England.  Damn short runway for a B-17 but I made it twice!!!!!! Dances at the base were a welcome break from flying-trucks were sent to Diss, Thorpe Abbotts, Norwich, and English Girls would come by the hundreds to have a party at Thorpe Abbotts. Trips to London were fine and I did a lot of sghtseeing-lost faith in the Red Cross though when they charged us for a coffee and donut!  



 My crew was sent home in May 45,  but they kept the pilots and sent us to Munich to pick up new Crews and B-17's but they dropped the big bomb on Japan and that was that." In Munich I saw the results of what the Germans did to the Jewish and other people. To see the results and smell the stink is hard for me to forget.  





Known Missions of 2nd Lt Earl Cullimore ( Mpf and Jack O'Leary)



1.    

2.

3.

4.   02/03/1945 Dresden      A-Sqdn, Low Flight, #2                  338314  LN-S LITTL DINAH I'LL BE AROUND  HS 33

5.   09/03/1945  Frankfurt    C-Sqdn, Low Flight                        232090  LD-R SILVER DOLLAR                      HS 48

6.   11/03/1945 Hamburg

7.   14/03/1945 Hanover-     C-Sqdn, Lead flight, Element 2, #2,  232090  LD-R SILVER DOLLAR   HS 48  TG  Johnny Orr killed by flak shell

8.   19/03/1945 Fulda/Jena-  C-Sqdn, Element 2, #2                   232090  LD-R SILVER DOLLAR                     HS 48

9.   21/03/1945 Plauen

10. 24/03/1945 Steenwijk-   C-Sqdn, Element 3, #3                   232090  LD-R SILVER DOLLAR                     HS 48     

11. 28/03/1945 Hanover      B-Sqdn, Element 3, #2                   232090  LD-R SILVER DOLLAR                     HS 48             

12. 30/03/1945 Hamburg

13. 31/03/1945 Zeitz

14. 03/04/1945 Keil             D-Sqdn, Tail End Charlie                  232090   LD-R SILVER DOLLAR                    HS 48

15. 04/04/1945 Keil             B-Sqdn, Element 3, #2                   337811   LD-D  BABY SWEET                     HS 49

16  06/04/1945 Leipzig

17. 08/04/1945 Eger, CZ      B-Sqdn, Tail End Charlie                  338821   LD-0  GIRDLE GERTIE                Runway 4  

18. 09/04/1945 Munich        A-Sqdn, #3                                 2102649   LD-T LADY GERALDINE                 HS 46

19  10/04/1945 Burg-bei-Magdeburg  B-Sqdn, Element 3, #3       338525   LD-A MISS CON DUCT                   HS 43 

20. 11/04/1945 Landshut     D-Sqdn, Element 3, #3                  338525    LD-A MISS CON DUCT                   HS 43

21. 18/04/1945 Staubing     C-Sqdn, Element 3, #3                   232090    LD-R SILVER DOLLAR                    HS 48                    



April 18, 1945 Practice Mission: Cullimore "Near the end of the conflict we were practicing short field landings and take-offs-three planes on the runway at once; One at the end turning of, one landed at the center of the runway, and another touching down landing on the first part of the runway.  On this occasion I was in the center of the runway and the plane behind me (HEAVEN'S ANGEL #817) came in to close and landed on my plane.  It took the tail off my SILVER DOLLAR and the right wing.  Took the left wing off the other airplane, Pilots name was Lt Goldsmith. I remember-a poor way to end my flying days of the SILVER DOLLAR.  Our Crew flew  21 mission over Germany and 3 missions dropping food to the Dutch. 



April 25, 1945 Practice Mission:               B-Sqdn, Element 2,#2        338945 LD-F  DUFFY'S TUFFYS               HS 48



CHOWHOUND MISSIONS:

May 1, 1945  VALKENBURG, HAGUE       (still to be confirmed)

May 6, 1945  ALKMAAR, AF,                  B-Sqdn, Element 1, #3        339162 LD-U  GINGER                           HS 41

May 7, 1945  SHIPHOL AF HOLLAND       A-Sqdn, Element 3, #2       337994  LN-D  MY BLUE HEAVEN            HS 49



FERRY MISSIONS:

May 19, 1945  POW's from Horsching to France  A-Sqdn, Element 2, lead   339005  LD-Y LUCKY LASSIE          HS 50

Jun 3, 1945    POW/DP  Linz Austria to Paris      C-Sqdn, Element 2, #2       48481  LD-D                               HS 49

Jun 4, 1945    Green Support-Casablanca           B-Sqdn, Element 1, #3       48481  LD-D                              HS 49

POW/KIA notes: Leg torn off by direct hit from FLAK, killed instantly.



Sir,

Attached please find a photo of the Crew of the Silver Dollar when they flew with the 418th.



From Left to Right:

Standing





Cpl Nelson - Armorer (upper right turret)

Cpl Orr - Tail Gunner

Cpl Parker - Engineer Gunner (Right waist)

Cpl Kelleher - Ball Turret Gunner

Cpl Maupin - Radio Gunner (Left Waist)



Kneeling

Lt Libby - Co-Pilot

Lt Cullimore - Pilot

Lt Royer - Navigator

Lt Brekken - Bombardier



Cpl John Lewis Orr was my uncle.  John was killed on 14 March over Hanover, very near the end of the war.  My mother was his younger sister.



Growing up I remember John's flag and Purple Heart in my Grandmother's cedar chest.  What I really remember was John's gold ring.  I remember that it was given to me and kept by my mother when I was very young.  You see, I am the only male decedent of John's Parents, John Lewis Orr and Helen Johnson Orr, so it was important to them that I have the ring.  I remember being very impressed with the ring because it had a cut on it where, I was told, it had been cut off his hand after he was killed.  When I was engaged to be married I took that ring along with my Grandmother's wedding band (she had passed on by that time) and had them melted to make my wedding ring.  I am very proud to have worn that ring every day since my wedding on 1 April 1989.  It has been with great pride that I tell the story of my ring, in a very real way John Lewis Orr lives on.  



My mother often told me of a time when many of the crew came to visit she and her parents.  I remember seeing pictures of that visit but do not know what happened to them.  



I hope that you will post this picture and my story of his ring as part of both the Crew of the Silver Dollar and with the record of my Uncle's death.





Semper Fi,

Jeff Rogers 

MSgt  USMC (Ret)