John Ward Cowgill was born on June 6, 1921, in Hickman, Fulton County, Kentucky. He was the son of Henry Newlin Cowgill Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Shaw Cowgill. He served in the 702nd Bomber Squadron, 445th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24 #42-50383 nicknamed 'King Kong' during World War II.

On September 27, 1944, “King Kong” took off from RAF Tibenham, England, as part of the Eighth Air Force mission to bomb the Henschel industrial works at Kassel, Germany. During the operation, the 445th Bomb Group became separated from the main bomber stream and lost fighter escort protection. After the bombing run, German fighters, primarily Fw 190s and Bf 109s, launched heavy, close-range attacks on the isolated formation over central Germany. King Kong was severely hit by enemy gunfire, caught fire, and exploded in mid-air, throwing some crew members clear of the aircraft. The burning bomber crashed at approximately 12:15 PM about 1,000 yards northeast of Archfeld, roughly nine miles northwest of Eisenach, Germany. Several crew members were killed inside the aircraft, while others perished when the wreckage fell. In total, five crew members were killed, and four were captured as prisoners of war.

2Lt Cowgill survived the crash but was captured by German forces on the ground. He was later murdered, along with fellow airman Hector Scala. He is now buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Département de la Moselle, Lorraine, France. He also has a cenotaph in the Hickman City Cemetery, Hickman, Fulton County, Kentucky, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.rafb24.com, weremember.abmc.gov