Lt. George E. Coutts
This is an article previousl published via Nat. WW2 Glider Pilot Association titled:
BROTHERS
During WW2 it was common that brothers served in the armed forces. Like Maj. George Preddy, 8th Air Force ace, and Lt. William Preddy, both buried at Lorraine American Cemetery. This article is about the Coutts brothers who met each other again in Germany in 1945. During the research for the A Breathtaking Spectacle (Volume 2) book, this story came into view.
Missing in Action
2nd Lt. Harold K. Coutts was from Paupack, PA. He had entered the service on 27 February 1943. After training and a furlough he went overseas. He was with the 614th Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 401st Bomb Group (Heavy) where he was flying B-17 bombers.
On April 18 he and his crew departed Station 128 Deenethorpe for a mission, his 26th, to Traunstein in Germany. They were flying B-17G number 43-38646. Besides Harold, flying as co-pilot, there were nine other crewmembers.
1st Lt. Eugene A Vielman (pilot)
2nd Lt. James J, Stalzer (navigator)
S/Sgt. Peter Orlando (Chin turret operator)
S/Sgt. James A. Retzlaff (radio operator)
S/Sgt. Edwin D. Schwarz (top turret)
Sgt. Kenneth E. Hobson (ball turret)
Sgt. Joseph E. Rutkowski (tail turret)
S/Sgt. David M. Hay (waist gunner)
S/Sgt. Joseph S. Allaire (RCM operator)
Observers from other aircraft reported that #4 engine was feathered at 13.10 hours (at coordinates 4920-0850E) and #3 engine feathered at 14.16 hours at approximately 4 minutes before reaching the Initial Point. The aircraft swerved out of formation, losing about 3.000 feet. At that point the bombs were salvoed (at 4727-1115E).
The home base received a message that one of the escorting fighter pilots had seen 9 men bail out near Crailsheim.
Resupplying
On April 25, 2nd Lt. George E. Coutts landed his C-47 at an airstrip in Germany. Lt. George Coutts was a pilot with the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron, 438th Troop Carrier Group. He was born November 1921 in Wisconsin. Two years after he was born the family returned to Paupack, PA. There he went to Paupack Grade school and then to Hawley High School where he graduated in 1939. He then studied agronomy at Penn State University where he was also a proud cadet of Army R.O.T.C. and a member of Scabbard and Blade, an honorary military society. He graduated in December 1942. After graduation he entered active duty, on 5 October 1942. His army career took him to Fort Benning where he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. At that point he was part of the 188th Glider Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division. After he received his new rank, he was transferred to the Army Air Corps.
In December 1944 Lt. Coutts moved to England and was assigned to the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron, 438th Troop Carrier Group. His first flight overseas was on January 4, 1945, which was also his first flight since November 6 of the previous year.
He flew the resupply drop for Patton’s troops at Prüm on February 14. On March 24 he flew the Rhine mission as co-pilot on C-47 42-93003. The other crewmembers were 1st Lt. Andrew Chambers, T/Sgt. Dennis Holliday (crew chief) and S/Sgt. John Salisbury (radio operator). They were flying chalk # 90, the last aircraft of the serial A-2, dropping 18 paratroopers.
This was followed by resupply missions to airfields in Germany, to bring the much needed gasoline and other supplies that kept the American Army rolling east. For a period these missions were regarded as combat missions.
On that 25th of April 1945, Lt. George Coutts flew two supply mission to R-44 at Goppingem in Germany. It was on the second trip that he met his brother Harold. And the story of what had happened became known. George had not yet heard that his brother was missing in action. But word of that had reached the home front, the parents of the two brothers.
That news traveled slow in those days is clear by a letter sent to Lt. George Coutts by his father, dated May 5. In his letter he mentioned that they had received a telegram from the government, saying that Harold was missing in action. The letter is one of hope, and seeking information and not wanting to upset George. The name given to the B-17, Be Coming Back, was one of hope and mentioned in the letter. As ever, with some details in mind, such letters are touching to read.
At the time that the letter was received by George, he had already met his brother and been to Paris with him.
Top: Entrée of the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron diary. Note that not all seven ex-POW’s were flown back.
Bottom: Entrée of Lt. George Coutts’ logbook. Two flights to Goppingen in a C-47B.
Harold’s experience in Germany
Bailing out of the B-17 Lt. Harold Coutts landed in a pine tree. When he got out of it he changed his flying boots for GI shoes and moved off to a thicket to take stock of the situation. In about 30 minutes he was approached by a youth who trained a machine pistol on him. He was captured, unarmed and turned over to SS men at Ellwangen.
At Ellwangen he was interrogated for 2 hours. He remained at that place for the night and was taken to Ulm by bus the next day. There he was turned over the Wehrmacht.
One night Harold and six other Americans were driven to Biberach. For unknown reasons the returned to Ulm. There they were liberated by the 10th Armored Division and 44th Infantry on April 24.
The six Americans were two medics from Ellwangen, a Captain Jones, a P-47 fighter pilot and members of Harold’s crew. The names of the three men of the B-17 crew were not given, but their functions were, and according to that the following three men from the B-17 were with this group: 2nd Lt. James J. Stalzer (navigator), Sgt. Kenneth E. Hobson (ball turret) and Sgt. Joseph E. Rutkowski (tail turret).
Meeting at Goppingen
On the 25th the liberated men rode to Goppingen on GI trucks, guarding German POWs. “It was the day after we were freed that I spotted some Troop Carrier planes”, said Harold.
At the field Harold recognized the 88th Squadron code, M2, and tracked down his brother.
Harold yelled “Hey lieutenant, how about a ride to France?” Lt. George Coutts, without turning around, replied with a question: “Any orders?”
The answer was short and negative of character. Lt Coutts asked “What’s your name?” “Lt. Coutts”, the answer came. Lt. George E. Coutts and Lt. Harold Coutts met and took the advice of the airplane’s name: “Stand up and Cheer”.
It seems that Lt. George Coutts flew that mission with C-47 43-49030, a C-47B. [1] His logbook was signed by Lt. Chambers.
Capt. Jones and the three B-17 crewmembers were dropped off at the fighter strip of Capt. Jones’ outfit at Worms. Harold flew along to the 438th Troop Carrier Group base at Prosnes. During the flight he even piloted the C-47 with his brother.
[1] In his memoirs George Coutts mentioned he flew ship ‘030, a new C-47B, named ‘Stand up and Cheer’. ‘Stand up and Cheer’ seems to be C-47 42-100760 which was flown earlier in the war by Capt. Earl Jackson. C-47 43-49030 was another aircraft within the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron. It is possible that the photo opportunity with the nose art ‘Stand up and Cheer’ caused this mix up of the two aircraft.
Lts. George Coutts (left) and Harold Coutts posing in front of ‘Stand up and Cheer’.
Probably taken at the Operations Room of the 438th TCG, the two brother point out on a map the area where it all happened. It looks like Harold’s finger is on the town of Ulm.
Aftermath
Two days later, April 27, George and Harold flew to Paris for a two hour interview with American radio broadcaster Ted Malone. This turned into a 15 minute broadcast about how the two brothers met. After touring Paris and spending the night at the 53rd TCW HQ at A-55, George went back to his unit while Harold went to Le Bourget for his return trip to England.
And during these events, the communication with the homefront was pacing up behind the facts. Letters sent from Europe to the States crossed those that were coming to Europe. Both brothers did send a letter to their parents on 27 April, even before their father did send his first letter to George to tell him that his brother was MIA.
In the letter to his parents, Lt. Harold Coutts wrote:
Right now we are about ready to go to Paris. As far as we know we are to make a radio broadcast, a meeting like ours doesn’t happen every day.
When I get back to England I’ll let you know more about my experiences, unless I have the good fortune of being returned to the States right away.
There is no need to worry about what had happened to me. I wasn’t in a concentration camp or even a regular POW camp. I also received good treatment and enough to eat. In fact I think it was really a valuable experience. I’ll be even more sure of that if I get home in the near future.
Lt. George Coutts goes into more detail in his 27 April letter:
Day before yesterday I flew a released POW by the name of Harold Coutts from an advanced German airfield to my home base in France. Yes, that’s the way it is, and it is a screwy war, isn’t it?
He came to the small field we were operating from and happened to recognize our squadron insignia from our ‘get together’ in England. So it was he suddenly appeared in the companionway of my C-47 cockpit. He was a rough looking character with a week’s growth of beard, blood-shot eyes, and carrying a huge Nazi flag. On either side he carried a pistol for war trophies, which he seemed to be prouder of than any other single thing. He was a cocky, scrappy little cuss, and I’m just now able to handle him in the old way. Nevertheless, he had received good treatment at the hands of the Germans and is in a good shape. We flew together out of Germany, and I landed him in France. The whole affair has been quite a novelty and several photos of us have been taken. Keep your eyes on all of the hometown papers because our intelligence officer plans to send a story through.
Harold has been spending a couple of days with me, but probably tomorrow he will leave through channels for a return to England.
Six days later, Mr. Coutts, Sr. wrote another letter to his son George. The joy (with a clearer eye) comes through in the letter:
It is perhaps with a clearer eye that I can pen these few lines to you, but probably not as clear a head, for the events the past 14 hours have made me giddy. First your letter about the rescue of Harold, it is even impossible for me to even begin to tell you the joy of thankfulness the welcome words from you and Harold brought to us here at home…
The news that Harold was safe, and to think that his Bro was the one who brought him out of Germany is more like a dream than a reality, and has been the cause of the shedding of buckets of tears of joy and expressions of thankfulness to the Almighty for his protection and deliverance. May he guide and protect you always.
Mother, upon receiving the great and glorious news first called the Milford office to let me know then she called the high school to let Donald and Dick know, then she got most of the folks down the road on the phone together, and read them the letter (from George) From then on wires were hot. The news spread like wildfire…
The second event of the past 24 hours was a letter from the cocky tree rooster himself, written May 4, the day we received word of his missing (I hope the letter I wrote you at the time and which you must have received by now has not caused you too much concern especially about us, in as much as you are so familiar with the events of the occasion). … My, my, Bud I am overwhelmed with so much good news…
The war was ending. George’s flights during those last days, and the first of peace, included flying Bob Hope's entourage during a USO tour.
After the war in Europe ended and troops had been sent back to the USA, George was in Paupack on a 30-day furlough anticipating deployment to the Pacific when Japan surrendered. He continued on reserve status for several years, attaining the rank of Captain, but resigned due to an expanding list of job responsibilities and a growing family.
Sources:
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Flight log book
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Flying diary
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The Scranton Republican – April 19 1945, Scranton, PA
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The Wayne Independent – 12 May 1945, Honesdale, PA
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All photos from the collection of George Coutts
A very special thanks to the daughter of George Coutts who provided me the core information for this special story.