Felix D. Cosenza

Felix D. Cosenza was a World War II veteran born in Brooklyn, New York in March 1923 into a family that included four sisters, three brothers, and their mother and father. Prior to his military service, he worked in a factory that made components used in manufacturing military parachutes.

Cosenza was drafted in 1943 at the same time as several of his friends were. The only person in his family who would also serve in the military during World War II was one of his brothers, and they shared a bond for life. His sisters worked in factories that produced war materials, doing their part as well. When Cosenza was drafted, he was assigned to the Army Air Forces. After being formally inducted at Fort Dix, he was sent to Atlantic City for basic training. For years after the war, he would visit Atlantic City, and memories of his training there would invariably resurface. 

After basic training, Cosenza was transferred to Colorado for more specific advanced training in military clerical skills. Before shipping out for overseas, he was performing office duties at the base. After arriving in Great Britain, where he was assigned to a base between London and Cambridge, Cosenza became part of a ground crew that worked maintaining B-17 bombers and repairing planes damaged in combat. Although he never flew on a combat mission, he had a great relationship with the B-17 pilots, who knew the ground crew would do everything to keep them safe and their planes flying.

Cosenza’s time in England was challenging. The main part of his job was securing parts to repair the B-17s, but he was also involved with removing the bodies of airmen killed in action from damaged planes. Cosenza vividly remembered watching all the planes take off one by one each day, and then watching them come back the same way. Some never came back, and others limped in with varying degrees of damage. Some had only two of their four engines working, but most returned. Every day presented a new situation that challenged the ground crew.

Cosenza remembered German “buzz bombs” or V-1 flying bombs, today called missiles. The bomb earned its nickname from the loud rasping noise it made in flight. The air base dispersed its antiaircraft artillery as a defensive tactic to avoid a loss of all their artillery in one attack. On one occasion, Cosenza witnessed a buzz bomb take down a four-story building. The damage displayed how dangerous these weapons were, and what such a hit could do if it hit a concentration of antiaircraft artillery.

It was clear to Cosenza that the conduct and outcome of the war was in the hands of the allies, but it did not stop the German attacks. One of his most memorable days overseas was June 6, 1944, commonly referred to as D-Day. On that day, he and fellow soldiers watched the plane-filled sky with a sense of pride and a certainty that that they would win the battle and the war.

After the war ended, Cosenza described feeling a sense of comfort and pride for America. He was very patriotic, and believed that as Americans we came out on top and survived the war because the nation came together with one goal – to win. Like most soldiers, Cosenza did not want his future children dealing with this war. With the war over, he was tasked with taking apart B-17s that could not be flown back to the United States, and burying them in the ground. After several months of that, Cosenza was honorably discharged with a Good Conduct Medal. Returning from overseas, he was released from service at a base in Tampa Florida.

Cosenza came home to Brooklyn from Tampa, with some hearing loss sustained from the noise of aircraft. Once he came home, he met his future wife, married and began a family. Unfortunately, Cosenza had lost both his mother and father, who died during his overseas duty.

Although Cosenza saw many disturbing things during his service, he stated that he would do it all over again to protect his country. He added that he was not a hero, but rather the ones who never made it home were. After his service, Felix Cosenza became involved with organizations like the VFW, and he participated in veteran parades in his local community.

Additional Resource:

• Audio Recording – Interview with Felix Cosenza