War tears most things apart

War tears most things apart. But in the case of Jack and Eileen Breedlove, it was war that brought them together, wearing the uniforms and standing up for the cause of their respective nations, America and England. Jack hailed from Toxaway, then a quiet mountain village, where he was born on a snowy April morning and grew up in robust good health, never sick a single day. Graduating in 1937, he was selected as high school Valedictorian. He went to work in the forest and eventually landed a great job with Duke Power. Fortune seemed to be smiling on him. He even owned a car.

But there were rumors of war. A sense of duty, the lure of adventure, practical considerations, the decisions made by friends — all had their sway. In the summer of 1940, Jack drove to Charlotte and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic training he saw an opportunity to become an Army Air Force Radio Operator. He applied successfully, soon training in Illinois. Upon graduation, Jack was assigned to fly as Radio Operator and Gunner on the Martin B-10 bomber, one of the fastest and most advanced aircraft in the sky.

Martin B-1 Bomber, one of the fastest aircraft in the sky

Eileen Friars

Britain’s ATS in formation

An ATS searchlight troop

Two million young American servicemen

The U.S. Army was not unaware that flooding England with two million young American servicemen constituted a social invasion of sorts. In a land of severe rationing, the Yanks were well supplied with chocolate, gum, sweets — even nylon stockings. GI’s received a 38-page pamphlet titled A Short Guide to Great Britain. The War Department sent anthropologist Margaret Mead to study British courtship habits. The island of Great Britain was packed with young people for whom the shadow of war could not eclipse the need for some adventures and fun.

Two such young adults, wearing the uniforms of their allied nations, Jack and Eileen met in an English Sergeants’ Mess one evening in October. Both enjoyed strong family ties and a good Christian upbringing. Jack was flying dangerous missions over Europe and Eileen was to depart soon for ATS officers training school at the University of Edinburgh. Eileen regularly claimed that “I do NOT date Yanks!” Nevertheless, four months later, on February 2, 1943, shortly after Eileen’s 21st birthday, Jack and Eileen bound their future in marriage with a ceremony in the English town of Windsor.

Eileen prior to her marriage

June 6th, D-Day

 As 1944 arrived, Eileen had just turned 22 and was pregnant. On June 6th, D-Day wrote itself into the pages of history. Seven days later, Germany unleashed the first V-1 flying bombs upon Britain. The 21-foot-long V-1 was really the first cruise missile. It was rapidly named a “doodlebug” or “buzz bob.” Three weeks into the Doodlebug’s reign of terror, Eileen found herself taking refuge in a bomb shelter, very pregnant. In fact, she went into labor and gave birth underground with no doctor present. And so on July 3rd, 1944, Yvonne Jacqueline “Jackie” Breedlove was born, literally a war baby.

In August 1944, Paris was liberated. By year’s end, the Battle of the Bulge, in which Jack flew missions, marked the last great turning point of the war. 1945 found Eileen freshly turned 23 and a new mother of six-month-old Jackie. By May 8th, Germany had collapsed and the war in Europe was over. By August, victory over Japan occurred suddenly and the world was no longer at war.

Jack and Eileen faced a gigantic choice: would they make a new home in Britain or America? They were not alone as 70,000 American soldiers had married British women. The American congress passed the War Brides Act, opening the door for them to become Americans — the option chosen by Jack and Eileen. After months of waiting, Jack sailed home on a troop ship leaving Eileen and Jackie to wait another five months for transport.

Some lucky War Brides were assigned passage on cruise liners pressed into service, but the majority had to make do with uncomfortable cargo ships. Such was Eileen and Jackie’s fate when finally boarding in early summer. Worse, they had the misfortune to be placed on a decrepit ship operated by an incompetent crew. Conditions were much as one would have encountered on Atlantic sailing ships two centuries earlier. Disease broke out. Several infants died and were buried at sea. But Eileen and Jackie managed to stay healthy. Jackie had her second birthday, and Eileen was pregnant with their second daughter, Susan.

Arriving in New York, Eileen and daughters boarded a train for Asheville, watching as the landscapes of their new country rolled by behind the train window. Jack had committed to stay in the Air Force and picked up his family at the train station while on leave from his first assignment to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Before reporting for duty, they had several days to meet Jack’s family and share their home, and endure a bit of culture shock no doubt as England met America.

Eileen and Jack and their three daughters

Jack served an additional 15 years in the Air Force. He and his family moving regularly as assignments took him from base to base. Jack and Eileen had a third daughter, Sarah. The Korean War caused a long separation of 28 months, such that Sarah was two when she first met her father. In 1958, Jack served in England accompanied by Eileen and their daughters, Eileen’s first trip back since the war.

L-R: John Luzena, Susan Breedlove, Chris Whitmire, and Janis Allen with the newly released book: “They Answered the Call.”

We’ll Never Be Enemies Again

“We are now friends. We’ll never be enemies again.” These are the words of WWII fighter pilot Ed Cottrell after his recent visit to Germany to meet German fighter pilot Karl-Heinz Bosse. On Saturday, April 13, The 51������ held a well-attended event at Grace Brevard Church to celebrate this meeting. The story begins with Ed’s several trips over recent years to revisit the scenes and memories of his wartime service in Europe during which he flew 65 combat missions. While visiting Bastogne he met historian Paul Oechsner, who later put the two one-time fighter pilots in touch. Both pilots had flown in the . On December 17th, 1944, the second day of that prolonged battle, both flyers had taken off on missions.

Ed’s Mission

Ed’s squadron of P-47s was attacking German Tiger tanks. Pulling out of a bombing run, Ed’s squadron encountered a large group of German Messerschmitt 109 fighters and Ed’s plane was hit by 20mm cannon fire destroying 8 cylinders of its Pratt & Whitney engine, covering the cockpit with oil, and leaving the plane barely chugging along at 120 miles per hour, scarcely enough to prevent it from stalling and falling out of the sky. Two Messerschmitts roared past, turned, and came around behind him, leaving Ed waiting for the bullets, thinking of his wife Millie, whose photo he always carried, and saying his goodbye. But the two German planes pulled alongside and proceeded to escort him back to the Allied front lines, giving him the OK hand signal as they then peeled off. Why? Ed guesses they felt it unfair to attack a defenseless foe. Ed found his way back to the airfield with the engine finally quitting on approach to the runway, requiring him to make a dead stick landing.

Karl’s Mission

Meanwhile, Karl, who was in fact flying a Messerschmitt 109, was on a mission to attack allied planes. Karl, who is 3 years younger than Ed, was just 19 and this was only his fifth mission. Like Ed’s, his plane was hit by enemy fire, but unlike Ed’s, could no longer fly. Karl was unable to bail out normally and had to turn his plane sideways, literally dumping him out successfully but badly damaging his leg in the process. On the ground he was taken prisoner by Allied forces and had a long healing. Today at 99 the leg has given out and he can no longer walk.

Meeting as Friends

Once Paul had connected the two pilots they visited over a Zoom call, talking about their lives and families. Then last December, 79 years after the shared day of their fateful missions, Ed made the trip to Germany so they could meet in person. While sharing their stories of that day, they visited the field where Karl’s plane had crashed. As Karl had not been away from his nursing home in five years, it was an extra special outing. And so days of war and enmity did yield to peace and a new friendship for two wise and long-lived warriors.

The Art of Valor

Following these presentations, Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof and 51������ History Museum president David Morrow unveiled the Valor Studios print commemorating Ed Cottrell’s flight limping home escorted by two German M-109s (top photo). Valor Studios is based in Venice, Florida, and specializes in telling the story of wartime valor in original art. A signed copy of the print donated by O.P. Taylor’s was auctioned off to raise funds for the 51������ History Museum. During the silent auction, the good-sized crowd was treated to a generous and exquisite buffet.

A Very Special Question

During the Q&A after Ed’s talk one question, and his answer, were particularly striking. Ed was asked about how he shared his wartime stories with his wife and children. He responded that he did not. That neither he nor his wartime compatriots were inclined to talk about the war, preferring to forget it and move on. That began changing some 15 years ago at a squadron reunion as the talk turned to how younger folks increasingly did not know this important chapter, had lost sight of the greater purpose that bound the country, bringing forth sacrifice and compassion all those many years ago. Simply put, freedom isn’t free; we must pay the price to keep it. So, like many surviving WWII veterans, Ed has dedicated himself to talking with younger generations whenever asked, because he thinks it is important. And it is. Michelle Taylor attended the museum’s event with her sons Charlie and David and commented: “We are so lucky and honored here to have this resource for our sons. They can hear history from people like Ed Cottrell who made that history. I want my sons to know these things.” And Ed, well, he will soon be off to Europe to participate in celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, and no doubt return with more stories to tell.

2023: Museum Year in Review

Part One
An Outstanding Speaker Series, a Two-Day Conference, Growing Media Presence, Expanding Partnerships, 51������ Outreach, and New Exhibits

51������ Take the Stage

Brothers and Sisters Like These is a program of the North Carolina 51������ Writing Alliance Foundation in which veterans give public readings of their essays, poems, and other writings as part of a combat healing process. In October the museum sponsored such a reading held at Brevard College. Ten men and women from the Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts courageously opened their hearts to an attentive audience of 60 who left with a new understanding of and respect for all who have served in combat zones.

In November, an evening of food, drink, and dance celebrated 51������ Day at Grace Brevard Church, the museum joining the American Legion and the VFW to offer this event to the public. We invited the citizens of Transylvania County to formal observances of Memorial Day, Independence Day, and 51������ Day. On Memorial Day we arranged for interviews by Spartanburg TV station WSPA with three veterans. With 51������ Day approaching, WGGS-TV South Carolina contacted us seeking interviews with two veterans, whose stories were aired on the TV station. In April the museum’s annual Transylvania County Junior ROTC scholarship of $1000 was awarded to high school student Haley Salter.

The 51������ Coffee and Conversation group, which is supported by a Pisgah Forest Rotary grant, met monthly at the Brevard American Legion Post, ending the year with 17 in attendance for the Christmas party. Over the year, 52 veterans have participated, with 7 to 12 typically in attendance monthly including some female veterans.

Joe Cooper, WWII and Korean War Veteran

2023: Museum Year in Review

Part Two
An Outstanding Speaker Series, a Two-Day Conference, Growing Media Presence, Expanding Partnerships, 51������ Outreach, and New Exhibits

Historians and Heroes – D-Day veteran George Sarros was one of three WWII veterans to tell their personal stories.

Historians and Heroes. Eight decades faded away as another time and place touched us all. The 51������ opened a window to the past, taking us on a “Walk Through History” led first by those who know it as history and then others who know it as hours and days they lived and survived.

Three Notable WWII Historians

On the first day of our flawlessly organized journey we were joined by not one, or two, but three notable WWII historians: , , and . They have lectured extensively on WWII and published numerous articles as well as nearly 20 books between them, several best sellers included. And all just happen to be riveting speakers, both knowledgeable and lively. Each took on a big topic for their talk: the first hours of Normandy, the Doolittle raid over Tokyo, and the Battle of the Bulge. Inside those large events all three speakers came to the same core message: it was acts of individual courage that carried the day as young soldiers, many barely out of high school, faced terror and devastating harm.