Hendersonville WWII veteran Cottrell to tell story of meeting an enemy decades later
On Dec. 17, 1944, the second day of the Battle of the Bulge, American P-47 pilot Ed Cottrell's engine was shot up by a German Messerschmitt. In the same battle on the same day, German pilot Karl-Heinz Bosse's Messerschmidt 109 was shot down.
Lt. Col. Cottrell (Ret.) of Hendersonville, now 102, steered to his base and expertly managed a dead-stick landing. Bosse, now 99, ejected and parachuted down but was seriously injured and hospitalized. Seventy-nine years later in December 2023, at the site near Bonn, Germany, where Bosse's plane had crashed, these two pilots and former enemies had a four-hour visit all these years later, sharing their stories with the help of a translator.
On April 13, Cottrell will tell the story of meeting his former enemy — two pilots whose historic mission was to destroy each other's planes — and perhaps lives. Cottrell will tell the story of how these former adversaries developed a quick friendship, ending their meeting “forever friends,” he said.
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Transylvania Board of Commissioners Chairman Jason Chappell will introduce Lt. Col. Ed Cottrell. Cottrell will be honored with the presentation of a United States flag flown over the North Caorlina Capitol, by Rep. Mike Clampitt, along with a tribute from the citizens of North Carolina.
Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof will unveil a new painting depicting Cottrell's encounter with two ME-109 pilots During the Battle of the Bulge. The painting, titled, "Waiting for the Bullets" was commissioned by Valor Studios: https://www.valorstudios.com/products/waiting-for-the-bullets-by-gareth-hector. Attendees may bid on a print of this painting in a silent auction which will close at 12:30 p.m. Proceeds will go to the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas to support its mission of honoring veterans, educating the public and preserving history.
Attendees will be invited to talk with Cottrell and have photos taken with him and the painting. He will be available to sign a copy of the museum's book "We Shall Come Home Victorious," which tells his complete story. Light refreshments will be served. The public is invited to this free program, which will be at 11 a.m. April 13 at Grace Brevard Church, 55 E. Jordan St., Brevard.
New exhibits are now on display at the museum, which is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and located at 21 E. Main St. beside the courthouse. The exhibits tell veterans’ stories from all of America’s conflicts since World War II. For more information or to schedule a group tour, call 828-884-2141 or visit www.theveteransmuseum.org.
Janis Allen is the communications director for the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: WWII enemies shot down in Battle of the Bulge meet decades later
