414 Night Fighter Squadron

Dear Sir, happen to be reading the New Jersey Sta...

2009-08-05T09:44:22.537-05:00

Dear Sir, happen to be reading the New Jersey Star Ledger today8/5/09that another member of the 414th squadron has passed,sorry to say. His name is Cosmo Nicholas Bocchini he lived in Nutley NJ and was 94 yrs old. I am from Nutley also,never new this man butI thought you would like to know this info for future archives. My name is John Minichini I can be reached at LORI11528@AOL.COM if you feel you want to contact me. thanks

My Great Uncle Anselm G. Foy was a member of the 4...

2009-04-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

My Great Uncle Anselm G. Foy was a member of the 414. He was known by his nickname, Eddie Foy (after a popular vaudeville act of the day, Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys, although he was not related).

Eddie was a lifetime baseball enthusiast. He was born in October 1903 in Brooklyn and was the manager of a team called the Brooklyn Edison Club, part of the Industrial Twilight League. He used to write to military base commanders and challenge their teams to a game.

He joined the US Army Air Force in October 1942 as a private in the 414 Night Fighters. He was promoted to Corporal in May/June 1943.

On March 2, 1944 he was promoted to Sergeant, and marked the occasion by mailing money orders to his sisters (including my grandmother) and at least one of the girlfriends he corresponded with back home (he wrote to at least 4 women he referred to as sweetheart!). He thanked them all for the candy and magazines they were all sending him, and ended every letter by asking for more.

In a letter dated 4/29/44, he mentions organizing and managing a baseball team of servicemen on Sardinia. He also mentions that his plane was named /nicknamed "Stuka", although he does not say why.

In a letter dated 5/6/44, he mentions visiting the Sardinian town of Iglesias for recreation.

In a letter dated 5/7/44, he mentions seeing the film "A Guy Named Joe", which was screened for the service men.

The last letter I have from him in Sardinia is dated 5/8/44. By 12/10/44, he was writing from Herington, Kansas. He may have been transferred out of the 414 around the time the unit moved to Pisa, but I cannot be sure.

In any case, by 12/10/44 he was in Section A-2, 274th AAF Base Unit in Herington, Kansas, which he hated. He apparently drunk dialed a Lt. Colonel Robert J. Mason in the middle of the night requesting a transfer and was denied (politely!) in writing on 1/3/45.

On 7/19/45, he was honorably discharged from the service and returned home. He continued to be a hit with the ladies until he finally married for the first time at the age of 60. He died of natural causes in January 1977.

I may be able to provide more information on request. Contact me at redhighlander@yahoo.com

Hello Mr. Patterson,I'm writing a history of Germa...

2009-03-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hello Mr. Patterson,

I'm writing a history of German radio-controlled glide bombs in WWII. It turns out that the He 177 shot down by the 414th NFS on 23 January 1944 (F8+AM) carried two Hs 293 glide bombs. Its wreckage provided vital clues -- including nearly intact receivers -- used to develop advanced jamming devices against these radio-contolled weapons.

I'm hoping to learn more about the crew that show down this arcraft. Can anyone help?

Marty Bollinger
mjbollinger@cox.net

dub was for Dubby, my aunt's nick name, for Doroth...

2008-11-30T16:02:00.000-06:00

dub was for Dubby, my aunt's nick name, for Dorothy as her son Larry was a rear gunner, CBI, during the war.

Hi Randy,My name is John Cowgill, my father, Arden...

2008-07-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

Hi Randy,

My name is John Cowgill, my father, Arden W. Cowgill, was the first commander of the 414th, when it left Orlando, FL for England and North Africa. I still have his flight jacket with the patch on it. He left the service after the war, but returned a few years later and stayed until being medically retired in December 1958. He passed away Feb 1, 1987, at The Presidio, while on a day trip to San Francisco with my son and I. I have a few pictures from that era, unfortunately they are not easy to get to right now. I, too, was in the Air Force for 21 years and the airline industry for the last 19, so all of that is packed away in a couple of different places across the country. Thank you for your interest in the 414th and your time to do something about it.