Missing information?

Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?

Submit

Personal info

Full name
SUTTON, John Charles
Date of birth
8 August 1920
Age
24
Place of birth
Watertown, Jefferson County, New York
Hometown
Watertown, Jefferson County, New York

Military service

Service number
32849311
Rank
Private First Class
Function
unknown
Unit
A Company,
1st Battalion,
194th Glider Infantry Regiment,
17th Airborne Division
Awards
Purple Heart

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
24 March 1945
Place of death
North of Wesel and west of Issel canal, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
L 19 21

Immediate family

Members
Ralph T. Sutton (father)
Lenore M. Sutton (mother)
Mary C. Sutton (sister)
Denise N. Sutton (sister)

Plane data

Serial number
45-6097
Data
unknown

More information

Pfc John C. Sutton graduated from Watertown High School in 1938.

He enlisted in Syracuse, New York on 3 April 1943.

"On 24 March 1945, F/O Warren R. Miller was flying Glider No. 45-6097 (position 99) and I, James W. Bartelse, was flying Glider No. 42-43004 (position 100). The mission was a double tow pulling Warren R. Miller and myself on the same tow. Because of smoke over the LZ, we overshot our cut off point. When Glider no. 45-6097 finally cut off I followed him in on what seemed to be a 180 degree approach. When I last looked ahead I saw flak hit his right elevator. Just after I last saw him I pulled my tail chute and we dropped below him. I assumed he kept the same heading and landed further down. The last time I saw him he was 300 feet in the air and slightly ahead of me. I didn´t see him land and can´t say he crashed."
There were 2 crewmembers and 13 passengers, all from the 17th AB Div on board. Pfc Sutton was one of them.

Source of information: Terry Hirsch, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1938/1946 U.S. Census Records, 1930 New York, WWII Draft Card

Photo source: Tom Verheijden, Watertown Library - Watertown High School Yearbook, 1938