Written by Todd DePastino
WWII veteran Ed Cottrell passed away quietly on March 28, 2025, after just a couple weeks in hospice. He was 103 years old and participated in Veterans Breakfast Club Zoom conversations right up to the end. We will post memorial service arrangements as we receive them.
Ed was perhaps the world’s leading and most eloquent witness to the air war over Germany in World War II. By the time of the German surrender, Ed had flown 65 missions piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt with Ninth Air Force’s 48th Fighter Group, 493rd Fighter Squadron.
You can watch and listen to Ed Cottrell share his story on a Veterans Breakfast Club conversation from 2023:
Edwin Cottrell, born on January 17, 1922, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was raised in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.His early passion for aviation led him to enroll in the Civilian Pilot Training Program during his sophomore year at Slippery Rock State Teachers College, where he earned his pilot’s license after 30 hours of flight training in a Piper Cub.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and upon receiving his draft notice in August 1942, Ed Cottrell chose to join the Army Air Corps. He underwent primary flight training in Chico, California, flying the PT-13, and advanced training at Luke Field in Phoenix, Arizona, where he piloted the AT-6 Texan and had brief experience with the P-40 Warhawk. After earning his commission as a second lieutenant in April 1944, Cottrell married his college sweetheart, Millie, before reporting to Wendover Field, Utah, for final training. There, he was introduced to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, affectionately known as the “Jug,” renowned for its durability and firepower.
In the summer of 1944, Ed Cottrell was assigned to the Ninth Air Force’s 48th Fighter Group, 493rd Fighter Squadron, stationed at Cambrai Air Field near Paris, France. As a tactical fighter-bomber pilot, his primary mission was to provide close air support for ground forces, engaging in dive-bombing and strafing runs against enemy positions. On December 6, 1944, amidst challenging weather conditions with visibility as low as 200 feet, Cottrell participated in a mission to relieve American troops in Julich, Germany. Flying at treetop level at 300 miles per hour, his squadron successfully executed skip-bombing runs that allowed ground forces to advance, earning the 493rd Fighter Squadron a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions.
On December 17, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Cottrell’s squadron was tasked with halting a column of German Tiger tanks advancing toward Bastogne. After executing a dive-bombing run, his P-47 was struck by a 20 mm shell from a Messerschmitt Bf 109, severely damaging his engine and covering his windshield with oil.Struggling to maintain altitude and speed, Cottrell was unexpectedly escorted back to friendly lines by two German pilots who, rather than shooting him down, flew alongside his crippled aircraft before peeling off. He managed to make an emergency landing at his base, an experience that profoundly impacted his perspective on the humanity that can exist even amidst the brutality of war.
By the end of World War II, Cottrell had completed 65 combat missions over Europe. Opting to return home to meet his newborn daughter, he was discharged from the Army Air Corps on July 24, 1945. Cottrell later joined the Air Force Reserves, serving for 28 years and retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
In recognition of his wartime service, Ed Cottrell was honored by the French government and received the Legion of Honor.In September 2024, at the age of 102, he visited RAF Lakenheath in England, reconnecting with members of his former squadron, now flying the F-35A Lightning II, symbolizing the enduring legacy of the 493rd Fighter Squadron.
Ed Cottrell’s experiences as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot exemplify the courage and resilience of the Greatest Generation.
We salute you, Ed.
