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| Clyde and
Doris Cottle Jr., Baton Rouge Nat. Convention 1998
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Last
Name:
COTTLE |
First
Name Middle Initial:
CLYDE J |
Nick
Name:
'RED' |
| Street:
2063 SUMMERHILL RD |
City
& State: TURKEY, NC |
E-Mail:
|
| Zip:
28393-8711 |
Phone: |
Spouse:
DORIS D |
| Conflict:
WW II |
Service
Branch: Army Air Corp |
Unit:
303 BG |
| Theater:
ETO |
Where
Captured: KORNBURG |
Date
Captured: 01/13/45 |
| Camps
Held In: WETZLER,STALAG 13B |
How
Long Interned: 0 days |
| Liberated
/ repatriated: liberated |
Date
Liberated: |
Age
at Capture: 21 |
| Medals
Received: AIR MEDAL W/3 CLUSTERS, PURPLE HEART, AMERICAN
CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ETO MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN W/3 BATTLE SERVICE STARS, WW
II VICTORY MEDAL, POW MEDAL |
| Military
Job: TAIL GUNNER |
Company:
SEVERAL - P.T.S.D. |
| Occupation
after War: SALESMAN - MGR. RETAIL |
Bio:
Clyde's crew were hit by flak 1-13-45 during a mission in Mannheim,
Germany in the right wing. Their B17 got on fire, and the crew was
ordered to bailed out, the plane blew up one minute later. By photo all
came out. Clyde's crew fell into little town called Kornburg. Clyde fell
in a tree, and when he came too the Germans were waiting. There Ball
turret man broke his leg. They had to walk through snow 4’ thick with
only a crew of three, it was really hard to walk with flight clothes on
and while carrying their B.T. crewman. They went to a small town where
they were greeted by people that spat on them. Luckily they moved the
crew fast. They were later taken to a camp called Wetzler just to keep
them from freezing to death. The next day they were taken to Oberursel,
an Interrogation Center. Clyde spent one week there. He was fed by
slipping a plate of food under the door, treating them like they were
dogs, and the food was bad. Clyde left there and went through Frankfurt
R.R. Station. He was attacked by a civilian who twisted his arm and
messed it up. From there he was sent to Nurenburg 13B and 13D Stalag
where they were in a building with bunks 3 high. Two men had to sleep
with one another on a bed of straw just wide enough for one person. Lice
were rampant, and it was pure hell! Clyde and others were so hungry all
the time, they never had time to think of their families. Clyde and
others later received two Red Cross parcels. At times Clyde was so weak
he couldn’t get to bathroom in time. The time he spent as a POW messed
his mind up. When Clyde was walking around the compound he remembers a
young boy, 19 years old that went wild and ran to climb the fence and
was shot dead as he got over the last strand. Never to this day did
Clyde forget this trauma. He is now 76 years old. He was late getting
out in the snow for count and was beaten on his back one time. One time
an American comrade fell into the toilet. Clyde and others had to get
down in the mess to pull him out – (very stinky). They were mostly
with British that bellyached all the time. |
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