His plane was also disabled in a mission to supply the French resistance. He had to fly back to England, the crippled bomber unaccompanied by protective fighter planes. The damage forced them to a cruising altitude of 5,000 feet, down from their usual 17,000. Anti-aircraft fire struck the plane after it had dropped its bombs, blowing a hole in the underside and disabling the crew’s oxygen.
When asked about his own perilous missions, Bertram described a bombing run to Munich. While he flew two bombing missions on D-Day, Bertram gave credit to the troops on the ground. That is what we were there for, and what we prayed for.” You can’t imagine how meaningful that was to us. “We were so excited, we were jumping up and down,” Bertram said. He flew two missions on D-Day, a moment in history about which the cadets were highly interested.īertram said the air crews, when they were brought in for their morning briefing, didn’t realize they were flying support for the land invasion of Europe – until the commander pulled back a curtain to reveal the maps. The group was stationed out of Horham, England, from June 1943 to May 1945. “When you were up there, you were on your own,” he said.īertram, drafted in 1942, flew B-17 Flying Fortresses as a first lieutenant in the 95th Bomb Group, the only Bomb Group awarded three presidential citations.
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He said the skies were full of airplanes around the training centers, and there was no air traffic control for them. On the bad side, there were 12,000 deaths in training in the United States.” And the training in this country was unbelievable. “There were 16 million men and women who served and there were 9 million overseas. “The enormity of World War II was indescribable worldwide,” he said. His mind sailing back in time, Bertram recalled for the cadets some of what he experienced in a war that ended more than 50 years before they were born. “A lot more effort went into creating this than went into those briefings,” he said.īertram was dapper in his blue blazer and khaki trousers, his white hair thinned on top. The 101-year-old Bertram joked that the room, with its young, eager faces, hard wooden chairs and a black-out curtain across the south-facing windows, reminded him of the room where the B-17 pilots were briefed on their missions. They were dressed in their civilian clothes, since it was not an official Air Force ROTC function.
He discussed his experience as a B-17 bomber pilot over Europe during World War II.īertram, who flew 36 missions over enemy territory, stood slightly stooped at the podium for his March 26 talk, held in the Colonnade Club on UVA’s Grounds. like it used to be.John “Jack” Bertram, born in the waning days of the Woodrow Wilson administration, recently spent nearly two hours with a group of University of Virginia Air Force ROTC cadets. "But my biggest wish right now is that we come together as a country.
"One, I just wish that each day I continue to have good health," he said. So what's to look forward to next? Cottrell said he has two big wishes. Keep your mind going and be nice to people. But the real secret is to keep active, keep busy. I'm just a plain old small country boy that was lucky to live to be 100."Ĭottrell spent his birthday golfing with his buddies in Florida.Īsked for his secrets to a long life, he replied: "I tell people the main thing is to drink lots of water and marry a good woman. My daughters have been in touch with me, and I feel like a celebrity, but I'm not. "I've had all my friends call me on the phone. "I'm in Miami Beach, 70 degree temperature, nice sun," Cottrell told ABC11 on Monday. Cottrell flew 65 missions as a World War II pilot, and he flew out of North Carolina on Saturday night to escape the winter storm. MIAMI (WTVD) - A local World War II pilot celebrated a big milestone birthday Monday, turning 100 years old.ĪBC11 caught up with him to find out how he celebrated the big day.īack in November, Ed Cottrell celebrated the big day early by skydiving with the All Veteran Group out of Raeford. On his birthday Monday, he played golf and dispensed life advice. Ed Cottrell did a skydive in Raeford back in November, an early start to turning 100.
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