I have received an inquiry from France regarding information on 1st Lt. J. W. Berryhill (pilot) and 2nd Lt. R. L. Rodgers (Radar Operator).  Both were members of the 417th and tragically died in November of 1944 when their Beaufighter, BT287 Sad Sack II” crashed into Mt.  Arpette in France.

The inquirer is looking for any photos of these two men to (in his words) honour “…heroes who died for his liberty”.

The town of La Ferrière has a monument with plague recognising the death of these 2 men.

Both Rodgers and Berry were stationed in Dijon at the time.  I have a limited number of photographs from the 417th’s time in Dijon and most have no names associated with the individuals.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jackie

I was recently contacted by the son of Charles Lwellyn Thomas, a member of the 65th Signal Battalion and  served in Europe during WWII.  Amongst his father’s collection were these two photos of the 416th’s P-61 called “The Great Specked Bird”.  These are a welcomed addition to the collection.

The Great Specked Bird photos have also been added to the Planes collection.

Earlier this month I was contacted by Julie, an American living in France.  She was looking to locate relatives and any additional information on two members of the 417th NFS: Edward Graybill and Harvey Klein.  The reason for her inquiry is that later this month  the French community in Vauvenargues and Draguignan will celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Operation Dragoon (1944-2024).   Operation Dragoon  was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion and the liberation of Provence (Southern France).  Julie was seeking contact for a relative of Graybill or Klein and any other 417th member who might be interested in attending this celebration.

Edward Graybill and Harvey Klein were members of the 417th NFS and died when their plane hit a power line in Vaunenargues on 9 Dec 1944.  Their remains  are interred at the Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignan, France.

Julie’s friend, Jean Pierre Briole (pictured above at graves of Graybill and Klein) is a “parrain”, or someone who sees after the graves of these two men.  Additionally, Jean Pierre also organises the reenactments of the U.S. soldiers in Provence with authentic uniforms, jeeps, etc…all to commemorate the liberation of the numerous communities in the region.  His latest endeavour is the 80th anniversary celebration of the liberation.

Past remembrances

A wreath is placed on a bronze plaque marking the liberation place

Invitation to the 80th Anniversary of the liberation.

While I was able to located a relative of Harvey Klein, I was unable to locate a relative of Edward Graybill.    If anyone reading this has any information of living family members of Edward Graybill, please get in contact.

Julie’s inquiry prompted me to look for any additional details on the lives of Graybill or Klein and their time with the 417th.  Here is what I can tell you:

Edward Curtis Graybill

Edward Curtis Graybill was born on Aug 28, 1924 to his parents Henry and Florence.  He had a younger brother, James.

In December of 1942, he enlisted for service as an Aviation Cadet.  He received his call to duty in late February 1943 and attended Basic Training at Pecos Army Airfield in Texas.  He completed Basic Training in January of 1944 and was sent to Luke Field in Arizona for pilot training.  After that training completed, he was sent to Mather field in California for B25 Bomber training and then eventually to Salina Air Base for Night Fighter Pilot training and Hammer Field for Night Fighter Operational training.

On October 11, 1944 Edward Graybill left the Hampton Road Debarkation point and was sent overseas to the Mediterranean Theatre of operations.  He was assigned to the 417th NFS and is pictured here along with Klein as part of the “Replacement Crews” on November 19th.

Harvey L. Klein

My search for information on Harvey Klein was less successful. I was able to located a relative, Gail, the daughter of Harvey Klein’s sister, Phyllis.  Gail had contacted me some years ago with an inquiry into Harvey.  I was lucky to have saved her contact info.  Gail was able confirm that Harvey was born in Chicago, the son to Ruth and Charlie Klein in the Chicago area in November of 1923 and was one of 3 children.  His brother, died young and his sister, Phyllis, died of breast cancer at the tender age of 38. Harvey’s father is said to have died of a broken heart having outlived his wife and 3 children. The deaths in Harvey’s immediate family meant that there was little information passed on to Gail about Harvey’s  life leading up to his time in the service.  She continues her search….

Graybill and Klein’s time with the 417th NFS

Edward Graybill and Harvey Klein were assigned to the 417th  NFS at LeVallon Airfield in France,  on 19 November, 1944.  They were part of a larger replacement crew of 22 arriving from the 19th Replacement Depot.  On December 9th,  1944, Graybill and Klein  took off on a training flight in their Beaufighter (V8875).   Both perished when their  plane hit a power line in Vauvenargues, France.  Their remains are interred at the cemetery in Draguignan, France.  Edward Graybill and Harvey Klein were just 20 years old when they perished.

In closing, I want to thank Julie, Jean Pierre and Gail for helping me to tell this story.

Peace,

Jackie

As many of you are aware, there is a P-61  being rebuilt at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM).  In July of this year, the plane was dubbed “MoonBeam Dream” and received some spectacular nose art from a local artist named HotRod Jen.

Here is a video of the painting in progress:

If the video does not play for you, you can go to Facebook and search for Mid-Atlantic Air Museum and the video should be located near the top of their feed.

Enjoy!

For more than a decade now, I have wanted to write about my father’s journey to the 417th Night Fighter Squadron.  Over the years, I had attended reunions with my father,  met some of his mates and work side by side with him to get this website up and running.  But,  I never knew the full story or timeline of his journey to the squadron – at least not first hand.   After his passing in 2018, I found and saved numerous bits and pieces that he had kept from this period of his life and after several false starts, I believe I have finally pieced together his journey.

In 1943, Richard Ziebart was 17 and a Senior High School. WWII was in full swing.  In October of that year, a recruiter arrived at school with a message to boys in his class.  They had 2 options: Be called to active duty when they reached 18 (potentially missing graduation) OR enlist now and remain home for 6 months after their 18th birthday.  My father and his cousin “Bud” enlisted that day.

In looking back on this decision, he recalled that 17 of his classmates  entered service in January 1944 and that he felt relief that he signed up and would be able to finish school.  

He turned 18 in May of 1944 and in November of that year, he travelled to Fort Sheridan in Illinois for Basics training.   While there, he sent this postcard to his mother with a photo of his group at Basic Training.  He wrote his name and drew an arrow, so his mother would know which of the sharp looking young men was her son.

Exactly how long he was at Fort Sheridan is unclear and the trail gets a bit murky.   Tucked amongst the items he saved is a photo of himself as a Cadet at Keesler Technical Training Center, located in Biloxi, Mississippi.  He also saved a 4 page document with a map of  the Training Center.   My best estimate is that  he went to Biloxi  around December of 1944.

Sometime after  the New Year in 1945, he was moved again  to the Technical School at Sioux Falls Army Air Field.  He was assigned to Squadron Q, barracks 442.  At Sioux Falls, he was reunited with his cousin Bud, who bunked in Barracks 440 with Squadron O. 

There were several items that my dad saved that tell me a bit about life here: A booklet and map of Sioux Falls Army Air Field, a purchase certificate for his army issued shoes, a code test demonstrating that he could decode 19 words per minute,  a schematic of the radio receiver he designed as part of his training and an Honor Roll certificate of accomplishment from the school. 

One of the more interesting items that my father kept from this time period was a letter from the minister at the local Church where he attended Sunday service.    He had been given “extra duty” for several weeks after he and his cousin Bud were caught being “out of uniform”.  When the minister of the church found out, he wrote a letter explaining why my father was out of uniform and pleaded his case.   Hand written on the back of the letter is my father’s explanation of events.

The last nugget I have from his time in Sioux Fall is this postcard.  On the back he wrote “Bud Kasischke and Richard Ziebart, Sioux Falls, SD, April 1st, 1945)

After 22 weeks in Sioux Fall,  he was transferred to Scott Field in Illinois.  It appears that his stay there lasted 18 weeks.  I have very little from this period, short of a story he told me about getting a weekend pass so that he could hitchhike home to be present for his newest sister Sharon’s baptism.  While home, he took a series of photos with his family.

On the 1st of January, 1946, Richard  boarded the SS Rollins Victory along with 800 other men and headed for Europe.  It was a stormy trip with many seasick soldiers.  He volunteered to work in the medical group.  His duties were to pick up the seasick soldiers and take care of them in sick bay for 2 days, then return them back to their bunks.  He commented that on the morning following the return of those soldiers to their bunks, the same group would be back in sick bay again.  For his work, he was given a pass which entitled him to eat in the mess at any time during regular hours.  On the back the photo, he wrote “Volunteered to work in sick bay on the entire trip – received best accomodations and eating privileges.  Weather was calm this day.”

Richard disembarked the SS Rollins in Le Havre, France and headed to Camp Lucky Strike.  From there, he would be transported by train to Fuerstenfeldbruk, Germany via Paris.  In Fuerstenfeldbruk, he was assigned to the 417th Night Fighter Squadron as a radar mechanic operator.   Things get a bit murky again, but from the photos he kept I believe my father headed Rothwestern airfield around February of 1946.  He describes himself as a “new recruit” along with a group of other men.

I believe my father stayed at Rothwestern until April of 1946 at which point the 417th NFS was transferred to Fritzlar Air Base in Kassel, Germany.  At Fritzlar he was assigned a roommate, George Marks, from Temple, Texas.  George was also a radar mechanic operator.    When he wasn’t working on P-61 radar, baseball seemed to have filled his time.

Aside from photos, my father kept a number of momentos from this time:  A class B Pass,  his motor vehicle operations permit and his European Theatre Ration card.

In August of 1946, he boarded the SS George Washington in Bremerhaven, Germany and headed home.  While on board ship, he took several snapshots with the friends he made onboard.

While my father’s time in the service and with the 417th NFS was brief, it clearly impacted and influenced his life.  When he returned to the US he leveraged his training into a 36 year career with Michigan Bell Telephone.  As he neared retirement, he became increasingly interested in keeping in touch with fellow squadron members and worked to keep the 417th story alive.  He, along with my mother, Lorraine, spent countless hours working others to organise NFS reunions, collecting and cataloging photos and stories.  This website is a dedication to their commitment to keep the story of the 417th NFS alive.

Happy Father’s Day, dad.  Love you.

Jackie