Eyewitness statement, page 6 · 22 March 1945
State of California
)
:
County of Los Angeles)
Technical Sergeant Charles C. Brakke, 19124558 being first duly
sworn deposes and says.
That I have been requested by the Judge Advocate of AAF Redistri-
bution Station #3, Santa Monica, Califernia to make a statement as to
the whereabouts of I/Sgi. Reymond E. Cottran.
On 22 March 1945 Sergeant Cottman and myself embarked on a bom-
bardment mission to bomb Puhland, Germany. That we received numerous
fighter strikes on our way back from the aforosaid target which set
the number two engine on fire and also damaged the controls; that the
airplane went down in a slow spiral to the right.
I bailed out at about twenty thousand feet and T/Sgt. Cottman
bailed out just before I did. At the time he bailed out he was not in
any way injured, and although I did not see his parachute open he was
wer.ring a chest type parachute whish he could undoubtedly open himself.
I did not see s/sgt. Cettan after he bailed out, and I have
heard nothing about him since that time, except from s/sgt. Morris M.
Nafus, who was e member of my crew. He informed ne chat ha saw Sgt.
Cottman lying on the field dead when he was being Daken by the Germans
to a hospital.
charles P. Brahk
CHARLES C. BRAKKE
T/Sgt., 191245558
or
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 15th day of September 1945.
Came Materializ
PRANK MISKOVSKY
Captain, Air Corpa
Juize Advocate
A
)
:
County of Los Angeles)
Technical Sergeant Charles C. Brakke, 19124558 being first duly
sworn deposes and says.
That I have been requested by the Judge Advocate of AAF Redistri-
bution Station #3, Santa Monica, Califernia to make a statement as to
the whereabouts of I/Sgi. Reymond E. Cottran.
On 22 March 1945 Sergeant Cottman and myself embarked on a bom-
bardment mission to bomb Puhland, Germany. That we received numerous
fighter strikes on our way back from the aforosaid target which set
the number two engine on fire and also damaged the controls; that the
airplane went down in a slow spiral to the right.
I bailed out at about twenty thousand feet and T/Sgt. Cottman
bailed out just before I did. At the time he bailed out he was not in
any way injured, and although I did not see his parachute open he was
wer.ring a chest type parachute whish he could undoubtedly open himself.
I did not see s/sgt. Cettan after he bailed out, and I have
heard nothing about him since that time, except from s/sgt. Morris M.
Nafus, who was e member of my crew. He informed ne chat ha saw Sgt.
Cottman lying on the field dead when he was being Daken by the Germans
to a hospital.
charles P. Brahk
CHARLES C. BRAKKE
T/Sgt., 191245558
or
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 15th day of September 1945.
Came Materializ
PRANK MISKOVSKY
Captain, Air Corpa
Juize Advocate
A
National Archives, MACR 13253, page 6 · Machine-read from microfilm, uncorrected.