About this web page

My father, Richard Ziebart,  served in the 417th Night Fighter Squadron (N.F.S.) as a Radar Operator Mechanic from January to August of 1946 at Rothwesten and Fritzlar Air Bases near Kassel, Germany.   Although many years have passed since then, my dad remained keenly interested in the 417th N.F.S. history and the stories of those who served.    Since the early 1990’s my father along with his wife, Lorraine, have put in countless hours gathering historical data, contacting members of the squadron and their families and planning reunions so that the memories of the 417 N.F.S.  would be kept alive.  Most of the information my father collected was not in digital format.  The goal of this website is to rectify that by trying to capture much of that information in digital form so that other members, their families and anyone with general interest in the 417 N.F.S would have a place to go in the digital world.

In my father’s words

Below is an excerpt from the Preface of “The Historical Context: 417 Night Fighter Squadron”, a document my father put together in 1993.

“As the new 417 N.F.S. Representative I’ve learned how important the history of this squadron has become to the members who served in it.  From the letters I received it was evident that compiling this history was a worthwhile project.”

I agree.  This website is an extension of my father’s work.

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