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| USAAF 5th AF 35th FG 40th FS |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Garth B. Cottam, O-428912 (MIA / KIA) Washington County, UT MIA July 23, 1942 at 7:00am MACR none Aircraft History Built by Bell in Buffalo, New York. Assigned Royal Air Force (RAF) serial number unknown and painted in a three-color camouflage scheme. Instead, delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and retained the RAF serial number. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 35th Fighter Group (35th FG), 40th Fighter Squadron (40th FS). No known nose art or nickname. Mission History On July 23, 1942 took off from Port Moresby piloted by 2nd Lt. Garth B. Cottam on a mission over Buna. Over the north coast of New Guinea, Cottam disappeared into an overcast and was never seen again, it is believed he crashed into Buna Bay. When this aircraft failed to return it was declared Missing In Action (MIA). Search Afterwards, searches revealed no trace of the pilot or plane. Memorials Cottam was officially declared dead January 7, 1946. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart, posthumously. Cottam is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. He also has a memorial marker at Veyo Cemetery in Veyo, UT. He has another memorial marker at Memory Grove Memorial in Salt Lake City, UT. References A signal to Townsville from Port Moresby sent 0856/Z/23 states that aircraft disappeared 0648/K/22, which denotes that the loss took place on July 22. Another source states this Airacobra was last seen in bad weather near Salamaua. PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - P-39 Airacobra pilot Cottam Joe Baugher "Airacobra I for RAF, P-400" American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Garth B. Cottam FindAGrave - 1Lt Garth Bunker Cottam (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - Lieut Garth Bunker Cottam (memorial marker Veyo Cemetery photo) FindAGrave - 1LT Garth B Cottam (memorial marker Memory Grove Memorial photo) Thanks to Edward Rogers for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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 P-39 "  MIA 1 Missing |
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