Eldridge John “Bud” Sautter was born on December 23, 1923, in Lexington, Minnesota. He was the son of Laura Ann Sautter Nelson.

Eldridge served in the 560th Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Private First Class and Ball Turret Gunner on the B-17 #42-5899 'Sioux City Queen' during World War II.

On January 5, 1944, his crew took off from Station 136 airfield in Knettishall, England, for a mission to bomb the Bordeaux-Mérignac airfield in France. Shot down by flak and fighters at around 11:00 AM, they evacuated their plane by parachute at 6,000 feet except for PFC Sautter, who was mortally injured. Their aircraft crashed in St-Laurent-Médoc, France. Of the crew members who were able to bail out, three members were captured by the Germans and taken as prisoners, 5 evaded the capture, and another casualty due to an unopened parachute.

PFC Sautter is now buried in the Calvary Cemetery, Le Center, Le Sueur County, Minnesota, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net