World War II pilot remembered in France

Frrom Gaston Gazette, NC: World War II pilot remembered in France

After her brother was killed while piloting a plane in World War II, 6-year-old Patricia Ross held onto what little memory she had of him through the decades.

She relied heavily on old photographs and accounts that her parents and older relatives passed along, though even they were told little about the circumstances of his death.

Only this year did Ross come to realize how well regarded Lt. Ferris Suttle’s name is among an entire city in northern France, where residents there have established a memorial in his honor. And during a recent trip overseas to attend the monument’s dedication, she was finally able to meet many of the people who — like her — have refused to let her brother’s legacy die.

“It was the most awesome thing in the world,” said Ross, a resident of Gastonia, her voice welling with emotion Thursday. “It was as if my brother’s presence was right there with us.”

Suttle was born and raised in Lancaster, S.C. But several of his kin now live in Gaston County, including his sister, and her sons, Tom Ross, 49, a Gastonia insurance agent, and Jamie Ross of Dallas.

The cenotaph that honors Suttle features a stone base, mounted with a propeller from his plane that French historians uncovered last year from the field where he crashed in 1944. The blade has given residents there a tangible artifact to place with the name they have revered for so many years. It is now the focal point of a newly named square that commemorates Suttle for saving their city from German destruction before his death.

A hero’s sacrifice

Ferris Suttle, one of five children, was an adventurous teenager who joined the Army Air Corps to fulfill his dream of piloting a P-51 Mustang. He was paired with the 359th Fighter Group Association, 369th Squadron.

On Aug. 28, 1944, his team was charged with taking out a convoy of German trucks and trains that were carrying munitions and field guns toward the city of Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, France, near the borders of Germany and Switzerland. Suttle flew low, strafed the convoy and destroyed it. But after he failed to return to formation with his squadron, his superiors learned his plane had crashed, killing him.

In 1965, Ross and her mother received a letter from a French villager who had witnessed the crash and wanted to share what he knew of it. He traveled here to meet them in 1972 and shared an eyewitness account of Suttle’s heroism.

After destroying most of the convoy, Suttle had attempted a second pass. But when the tail of his plane clipped a tall cypress tree, he was ejected and killed instantly. Suttle’s mother gained comfort from learning her son had not suffered, and that a priest and grateful villagers had conducted a burial service. His gravesite was adorned with flowers afterward.

Last year, Char Baldridge, a group historian for the 359th Fighter Group Association, was contacted by Gerard Louis, a World War II historian and resident of Dombasle-sur-Meurthe. Louis’ friend Jacky Guillaume had found a P-51 propeller in a meadow near the town of Luneville years ago, and working with Baldridge, they soon realized it belonged to Suttle’s plane.

The Frenchmen began making plans to incorporate the propeller into a memorial. With Baldridge’s help, they made contact with Pat Ross and her brother, Phillip Suttle of Ecuador, and invited them to attend the recent dedication.

“These gentleman are very thankful to this day of what America did for them and their freedom,” said Baldridge.

Undying appreciation

Ross traveled to the dedication ceremony last month with her brother, a cousin, a niece and several other relatives. Guillaume first escorted them to the field where Suttle’s plane had crashed, and explained what he had witnessed of the convoy attack as a wide-eyed, 13-year-old boy.

While they were there, another 83-year-old villager approached them. He told Ross he has a daughter who lives in Sanford, N.C. And he described running with others to recover Suttle that day in 1944, helping to wrap his bloodied body in his parachute and carrying it to the local morgue on a cart.

The man produced a rusted hose clamp he had recovered from the battered aircraft.

“He said, ‘I’ve had this for 67 years, since I was 16 years old. And I want you to have it,’” said Ross. “I thought that was the most wonderful gesture.”

Another villager who was 9 years old in 1944 pulled a folded, dog-eared piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Ross. The copy of her brother’s death certificate was further proof of how much the townspeople there appreciated what he had done.

Ross visited the cemetery where Suttle was first buried, before the Army later relocated his remains to the nearby Lorraine American Cemetery. Guillaume told them that German soldiers in the area had told nearby townspeople they were not allowed to come to his initial funeral. But they turned out in full force anyway.

“There was nothing the Germans could do to stop them,” said Ross. “I just thought that was so remarkable.”

The dedication of the new memorial took place in a section of the town now known as Ferris Square. It was held as part of several annual liberation ceremonies, which included attendants in period military uniforms, and authentic World War II vehicles. Ross and her family members were honored guests throughout their time there.

Ross said she is proud and grateful that her brother’s sacrifice continues to mean so much to townspeople in northern France.

“It was the trip of a lifetime,” she said. “It was a huge event. You could not have asked for people to be nicer or more appreciative.”