John “Woody” Grange served in WWII as a pilot in the 417th. He passed away in 2003, but prior to that, John was interviewed by his nephew about his experience with the 417th and the war. John’s nephew got in touch with me recently and provided me with access to the video story he created from the interview.
To watch the interview, go to the Video Stories page, or click on the link below which will bring you directly to the interview on You Tube.
“Waste Not 83” A Night Fighter’s Story
Another visitor to this site contacted me with some historical information on one of the 417th members, Thaddeus C. Kulpinski. I got in touch with the reader and he provided me a copy of a Christmas Greeting card that Thaddeus sent to his parents.
Thaddeus, “Ted”, Kulpinski was an RO and an original member of the 417th NFS. Here he is in a group photo of the original members…
…And a shot of him from when he was in prep school prior to the war.
Enjoy, and keep those photos and memories coming!
Jackie
Hello readers – I’ve been away on holiday for a bit and while I was away, I received a request from a reader who is looking to contact any relatives of Clarence K Fuller. Clarence died in action on 1/20/1944 and was part of the 417th Night Fighter group.
If you can help, please drop me an email via the contacts page on this website and I will put you in touch with the person who made the inquiry.
Kind Regards,
Jackie
Found two more gems in my father’s collection of Night Fighter memories. He saved two “memory books”, one each from the 1994 WWII Night Fighters Convention in Norfolk, VA and the 2000 convention in Salt Lake City. Both books contained photos of each attendee, spouses, group squadron photos and general photos of the activities at the convention. I’ve posted both of these memory books in two new galleries under Photo and Videos Gallery Menu or you can click on this link:
I hope you find a nice memory of parent, relative, colleague or friend amongst these new photos.
It is with great sadness that I am announcing the passing of another 417th NFS member, Earl “Sleepy” Hissett. He died on Thursday, January 10th, 2019. His funeral was held on January 12th. He is survived by his lovely wife Jo.
Earl was a member of the original 417th squadron. He was a mechanic and worked on the Beaufighter and P-61 engines. Rumor has it that he lied about his age so that he could join the war at the tender age of 16.
Earl tells a bit of his story on this video from the 2007 417th NFS reunion in Reading PA. Fittingly, he is standing in front of one of the P-61s that he worked on. In this video you will also hear the story behind his nickname “Sleepy”.
As far as I am aware, Earl was the last living member of the 417th and while his passing means the end of an era, I will do my best to continue to honor his service and those of his colleagues thru this website. Rest in Peace Sleepy.
