January 7, 1944

I have been working on my grandfather's childhood photo album and pictures often lead to questions. Who are those people and who are their children, and their wives and their grandchildren. It lead to questions about what happened on January 7, 1944. Let's start at the beginning. William Sutor lived from 1847 to 1917. He was the brother of my great grandfather John J. Sutor, Sr. He had a son named William R. Sutor who lived from 1874 to 1954. His son Warren Keith Sutor was born in 1922 and lived to 2008. This story is about Warren or Keith depending on when you look at the historic record.

Warren Keith Sutor was born on January 12, 1922 to William and Myrtle Sutor in Zurich, Kansas. When you look at the record there are several things you want to see. One of the important ones is where people are. At the time there were plenty of Sutors in that area so he is in the right place. Census records keep him in Kansas during the 1930 census. In 1943 Keith W. Sutor marries Betty Louise Campbell in Pima County Arizona on June 19th. A family history indicates he went by Keith and married a Betty Campbell. This does help the 1944 story. Pima County Arizona is the location of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base located in Tucson. I don't know when Keith joined the Army Air Force. There was no Air Force in those days, the air forces were a branch of the Army. Military records indicate the 389th Bomb Group trained at Davis-Monthan Army Air Base and were moved to RAF Hethel England in June and July 1943. It would appear that Keith and Betty married just before he was deployed overseas to fight in World War 2. The group almost immediately sent a detachment to Lybia where it began operations on July 9, 1943. They conducted bombing raids to Crete, Sicily, Italy, Austria and Romania. The 389th was known as the Sky Scorpions. This was their symbol.

The 389th resumed operations from England in October 1943 striking targets in France, the Low Countries and Germany. On January 7, 1944 the primary target was the industrial areas of Ludwigshaven, Germany. The first element was 172 B-17's from the 3rd Bomb Division. Two aircraft failed to return. The result was 11 killed in action, 7 taken POW and 2 evaded capture. The second element was a combined force of 210 B-17's from the 1st Bomb Division. Three aircraft failed to return with 10 killed in action and 18 POW. The third element is a combined force of 120 B-24's. There were 28 killed in action, 16 POW and 17 evaded capture. As a point of interest the 445th Bomb Group was commanded by Major James Stewart the Hollywood actor on this mission.

January 7, 1944 Staff Sgt. Keith W. Sutor was the tail gunner on B-24 42-40747 known by her crew as "Heavy Date". He was the last man to jump from the aircraft after it was struck by enemy fire. The aircraft was attacked by fighters, lost it position in the formation. Its cockpit was on fire and the aircraft went into a corkscrew spin. After some of the crew bailed out the aircraft exploded. He landed near Sully-la-Chapelle at Nibelle. He walked for 5 days before being picked up near la rue du Pont aux Moines, Donnery and sheltered by a family there. He was moved around France over the next several weeks. I do not know when or how he was returned to Allied forces. Keep in mind a couple of things. First this happens almost 5 months to the day prior to the invasion at Normandy. There are no Allied troops in France. Second, think about Betty. Does she know his aircraft has been shot down? If so, she has no idea if he is dead or alive. There were five on the aircraft who were killed in action. They were Irvine Balsam (waist gunner), Francis Krueger (top turret gunner), Carl Mattson (pilot), David Neilson (radio operator), and I am unable to identify the fifth person killed.

While I have from time to time questioned the bravery and ability of French troops I now know I owe them and the French people an apology. I am truly sorry for those thoughtless remarks. This memorial stands in France in the memory of those lost on January 7, 1944.

In addition this memorial to the 389th stands at the location of their former base in England. As you read the memorial you realize how dangerous these air attacks were.

The notation on Warren Keith Sutor's page on Findagrave.com notes he died in September 2008 following a trip to France for a reunion with others at his aircraft's crash site.

So, my thanks to my second cousin 1x removed for his bravery and service to our country. There are more questions than answers at this time. What happened between January 7, 1944 and the date he was returned to Allied Forces? What did Betty hear? Did she think he was dead? When did he leave the military?

A final note. Betty and Keith remained married until her passing in 1989. There is no record indicating Keith ever remarried. I would like to think it was a love story for the ages.