Lost Eagles: One Man's Mission to Find Missing Airmen in Two World Wars

Cyrus Gatton

CYRUS GATTON We, who knew Cy well, will never forget his good nature, his clear calm, deliberate judgment and above all, that wonderful ‹ghting spirit. His determination was contagious being picked up by the teammates and even the student body. —Friends Write Tributes to College Hero the star athlete Cyrus John Gatton was known as Cy to his friends. To Fred Zinn, his fate was a puzzle that was destined not to be solved while he was heading up the investigation. It was a case in his ‹les that caused him to violate army regulations and continue his involvement after the war. Gatton was born in Iowa, but his family moved to Bozeman, Montana , in 1908. He was a star athlete at Gallatin County High School and held the state high jump record. Cy was a pure athlete, leading his high school football and track teams to championships during his years there. Between 1913 and 1916 Cyrus attended Montana State College (later Montana State University) and was a star baseball, track, football, and basketball player. The head of the mathematics department of the Montana State College, Miss Ida W. Davis, remembered him fondly: “He was considered one of the most brilliant players ever seen on the ‹eld.”1 In one game Gatton (who broke his leg) was carried off the ‹eld in the ‹nal quarter and received a standing ovation from the partisan crowed as a tribute to his courage and ability.2 A few months before he enlisted, Cy transferred to the University of Wisconsin. Despite his departure, the students and faculty of Montana State College considered Cyrus an honored member of their community. It was no surprise when he enlisted on May 18, 1917, and trained at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. His aviation ground schooling took place at the University of Illinois. School of Military Aeronautics. By August he was commis37 sioned and found himself in France as one of the ‹rst two hundred U.S. Army aviators there. He was assigned to French Escadrille Br. 127 for bombardment training at the behest of the personnel of‹cer, Captain Zinn. Gatton ›ew with the same gusto that he displayed on the football ‹eld. He was posted to French Escadrille Br. 7, the ‹rst French escadrille to use the highly regarded Bréguet 14 bomber, as a reward for services rendered. Having been posted during the French summer counteroffensives , he ›ew combat missions during several campaigns. He was detached from his escadrille on August 19 to serve with the U.S. Air Service, which was looking for veteran pilots to provide leadership for their new bombardment squadrons. As a consequence of this, he was posted to the 166th Aero Squadron and by the end of the war had transferred to the 11th Bombardment Squadron, part of the 1st Day Bombardment Group. While ›ying for the French during his training, he had earned the Croix de Guerre. His citation reads, “Excellent pilot, one who braves all hazard. Has never missed a bombing expedition since attached to the escadrille. Has, on July 16 and 18, 1918, particularly distinguished himself at the 38 | lost eagles Cy Gatton was a star athlete at Montana State University and was shot down a week before the end of World War I. (Montana State University Libraries.) time of bombing the several passages of the Marne, also on the 9th, 10th, and 11th of August during bombing expedition at very low altitude.”3 On November 4, 1918, only a week before the Armistice would bring peace to Europe, he and his observer, First Lieutenant George E. Bures, were on a bombing mission against the German rail hub at Montmédy. It was a mission he didn’t have to undertake. Cy was supposed to be going on leave after twenty-‹ve successful missions. When he saw his squadron mates muster for the mission, he opted for one more ›ight before some R&R.4 He was ›ying a large Liberty DH-4 marked with the tail serial number 130952. Cy and George were part of a squadron bombing attack, and theirs was the last plane in the formation, having been delayed on takeoff . They were six kilometers over the German lines, only two kilometers from the village of Sailly-par-Carignan. Depending on the accounts, his aircraft was ›ying at an altitude of three to ‹ve thousand meters.5 The reports of the last minutes of Gatton’s life...