All posts by 417admin

Earl “Sleepy” Hissett

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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.

Update and New Photos posted

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Hello Readers,

Yes, it has been awhile since I last posted an update on this site.  On this, the 1 year anniversary of my father’s passing, I decided that the best thing I could do to honor him is to go thru the many 417th items I brought home with me and build a few new updates on the website.

I chose to start with the Reunion photos.  Keeping the 417th NFS alive in people’s memories was more than a hobby for my dad.  It was a passion.  He and my mother put in countless hours organizing the reunions.  It was hard work but they loved every minute of it.  The photos and other memorabilia from the reunions are a testament to this.  I hope you will find a grandparent, parent, or fond friend somewhere in these photos and I hope it brings you joy even if they are no longer with us.  It certainly did this for me.

Follow this link to see the photo gallery.

Cheers,

Jackie

NFS Reunion 1998 Booklet Cover

Richard Ziebart has passed away.

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Night Fighter Family,

My father, Richard Ziebart (417th NFS),  passed away peacefully on Wednesday afternoon, Jan 10th, and his wife, Lorraine, joined him today.    As sad as their passing is, I am happy that they were able to join each other in the last chapter of their journey.

I’m sure there’s a 417th NFS reunion being planned in heaven as I write this.

Peace.

Jackie (417th website admin)

P-61B-6 at Fritzlar Air Base, Germany.
Rich Ziebart with the “Dragon” in May, 1946

 

 

Richard Ziebart

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It is with a heavy heart that I writing to notify the followers of this website, particularly members of the 417th NFS family, that my father, to whom I dedicated this site, is in ill health and will likely be going into his Lord’s arms very soon.  Your thoughts and prayers for a peaceful journey on this, his last flight are welcome.

Kind Regards,

Jackie  (417th NFS Website admin)

P-61’s 75th Anniversary

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Hi Everyone,

Sorry to have been out of touch for so long.  I was prompted to write a new post by a friend who forwarded an interesting note about the P-61.    Here is a quote from the Smithsonian Article on the 75th Anniversary of the P-61’s first test flight.

“75 Years Ago Today: The prototype Northrop P-61 Black Widow (XP-61) made its first flight with test pilot Vance Breese at the controls. The P-61 Black Widow was the first U.S. aircraft designed to locate and destroy enemy aircraft at night and in bad weather, which was made possible by the use of onboard radar. See our Black Widow, a P-61C-1-NO, on display at our Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA”

You can see photos of the P-61 on display at this link.

Another noteworthy event this past May is my Father’s 91st birthday.  Richard Ziebart  is a member of the 417th NFS and still loves and wears his Night Fighter t-shirts & caps.  He continues to share his love for the P-61 and all things Night Fighter related to this day.  He’s a wonderful spokesperson for the group.  Here’s a photo of him working on one of the squadron’s planes:

P-61 'Dragon' and R Ziebart

And here is a photo of him celebrating his 91st with his wife Lorraine  Dad at 91

 

On a closing note, I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  And please feel free to drop me a note if you have any ideas about additional topics related to the Night Fighters or the 417th that you would like to see posted here.

Cheers,

Jackie