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George Andrew Davis, Jr.
George Andrew Davis, Jr.
Nickname	"Curly"; "One Burst Davis"
Born	December 1, 1920; Dublin, Texas USA
Died	February 10, 1952 (aged 31); Sinuiju, North Korea
Place of burial	Unknown
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army; United States Air Force
Years of service	1942 – 1952
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel (posthumous)
Service number	13035A
Unit	342nd Fighter Squadron; 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron; 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Commands held	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Battles/wars	World War II; New Guinea Campaign; Philippines Campaign; Korean War; "MiG Alley"
Awards	Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Cross; Silver Star (3); Distinguished Flying Cross (4); Purple Heart; Air Medal (10); Presidential Unit Citation (3)

George Andrew Davis, Jr. (December 1, 1920 – February 10, 1952) was a highly decorated flying ace of the United States (US) Army in World War II. He was later part of the US Air Force during the Korean War. Davis rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in "MiG Alley" during the war. He was the only flying ace of the United States to be killed in action in Korea.^{[n 1]}

With a total of 21 victories he is one of only seven US military pilots to become an ace in two wars. He is also one of only 31 to be credited more than 20 victories. He was the fourth highest scoring ace of the Korean War.

Biography

George Andrew Davis Jr. was born in Dublin, Texas on December 1, 1920.^[4] He was the seventh of nine children born to George Davis Sr. and Pearl Love Davis. In his childhood, Davis briefly lived in Maple, Texas.^[1] Davis attended Morton High School in Morton, Texas. Davis then attended Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. After completing a degree he returned to Texas.^[5] He took up farming for a time with his family before eventually deciding to join the military.^[1]

Aerial victory credits

Throughout his career, Davis was credited with 21 confirmed victories, 1 probable victory and 2 aircraft damaged. This made him one of only 30 US pilots to gain more than 20 confirmed victories over their careers.^[6] He had been known to be an extremely talented pilot and was especially accurate at deflection shooting, even from long distances against moving targets.^[7] Davis was one of 1,297 World War II aces from the United States, with seven confirmed kills during that war. He later became one of 41 Korean War aces from the United States, with 14 confirmed victories during that war. At the time of his death he was the top-scoring ace from the US, making him the ace of aces. By the end of the war, he was the fourth-highest scoring ace.^[8]

Date	#	Type	Location	Aircraft flown	Unit
December 31, 1943	1	Aichi D3A	Arawe, New Guinea	P-47 Thunderbolt	342 FS, 348 FG
February 3, 1944	1	Ki-61 Hien	Wewak, New Guinea	P-47 Thunderbolt	342 FS, 348 FG
December 10, 1944	2	Ki-61 Hien	Cebu Island, The Philippines	P-47 Thunderbolt	342 FS, 348 FG
December 20, 1944	1	A6M Zero	Mindoro, The Philippines	P-47 Thunderbolt	342 FS, 348 FG
December 23, 1944	2	A6M Zero	Clark Field, The Philippines	P-47 Thunderbolt	342 FS, 348 FG
November 27, 1951	2	MiG-15	Won-Ok, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
November 30, 1951	3	Tupolev Tu-2	Sahol, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
November 30, 1951	1	MiG-15	Sahol, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
December 5, 1951	1	MiG-15	Rinko-do, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
December 5, 1951	1	MiG-15	Haechang, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
December 12, 1951	2	MiG-15	Yongwon, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
December 12, 1951	2	MiG-15	Changa-Ri, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
February 12, 1952^{[n 2]}	2	MiG-15	Sinuiju, North Korea	F-86 Sabre	334 FIS, 8 FIG
Source:^[5]

Military awards

Medal of Honor citation

Davis was the third of four members of the US Air Force to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the war, after Louis J. Sebille, John S. Walmsley Jr. and before Charles J. Loring Jr. All four Air Force recipients were pilots and all were awarded the medal posthumously.^[9]

Maj. Davis distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While leading a flight of 4 F-86 Saberjets on a combat aerial patrol mission near the Manchurian border, Maj. Davis' element leader ran out of oxygen and was forced to retire from the flight with his wingman accompanying him. Maj. Davis and the remaining F-86's continued the mission and sighted a formation of approximately 12 enemy MIG-15 aircraft speeding southward toward an area where friendly fighter-bombers were conducting low level operations against the Communist lines of communications. With selfless disregard for the numerical superiority of the enemy, Maj. Davis positioned his 2 aircraft, then dove at the MIG formation. While speeding through the formation from the rear he singled out a MIG-15 and destroyed it with a concentrated burst of fire. Although he was now under continuous fire from the enemy fighters to his rear, Maj. Davis sustained his attack. He fired at another MIG-15 which, bursting into smoke and flames, went into a vertical dive. Rather than maintain his superior speed and evade the enemy fire being concentrated on him, he elected to reduce his speed and sought out still a third MIG-15. During this latest attack his aircraft sustained a direct hit, went out of control, then crashed into a mountain 30 miles south of the Yalu River. Maj. Davis' bold attack completely disrupted the enemy formation, permitting the friendly fighter-bombers to successfully complete their interdiction mission. Maj. Davis, by his indomitable fighting spirit, heroic aggressiveness, and superb courage in engaging the enemy against formidable odds exemplified valor at its highest.^[10]

Distinguished Service Cross citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Major George Andrew Davis, Jr. (AFSN: 0-671514/13035A), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Squadron Commander, 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, FIFTH Air Force, on 27 November 1951, during an engagement with enemy aircraft near Sinanju, Korea. While leading a group formation of thirty-two F-86 aircraft on a counter air mission, Major Davis observed six MIG-15 aircraft headed southward above the group. With exemplary leadership and superior airmanship, he maneuvered his forces into position for attack. Leading with great tactical skill and courage, Major Davis closed to 800 feet on a MIG-15 over Namsi. He fired on the enemy aircraft, which immediately began burning. A few seconds later, the enemy pilot bailed out of his aircraft. Continuing the attack on the enemy forces, Major Davis fired on the wingman of the enemy flight, which resulted in numerous strikes on the wing roots and the fuselage. As Major Davis broke off his relentless attack on this MIG-l5, another MIG-15 came down on him. He immediately brought his aircraft into firing position upon the enemy and after a sustained barrage of fire, the enemy pilot bailed out. Although low on fuel, he rejoined his group and reorganized his forces to engage the approximate 80 enemy aircraft making the attack. Against overwhelming odds, Major Davis' group destroyed two other MIG-15 aircraft, probably destroyed one and damaged one other. Major Davis' aggressive leadership, his flying skill and devotion to duty contributed invaluable to the United Nations' cause and reflect great credit on himself, the Far East Air forces and the United States Air Force.^[11]

Related pages

List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients

Notes

↑ Though he was the only ace killed in action, Davis was not the only US ace to die in the war. Ace Donald E. Adams was killed in an airshow crash in August 1952.
↑ US Air Force did not publicly acknowledge Davis' death until two days later. See Zhang 2004, p. 165.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 King 1952, p. 8
↑ Personnel Missing - Korea (PMKOR): (Report for United States Air Force) (PDF), Washington, D.C.: Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, March 11, 2011, p. 5, archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2012, retrieved January 4, 2012
↑ Korean War Honor Roll listing: George Andrew Davis Jr. entry, American Battle Monuments Commission, archived from the original on February 15, 2014, retrieved January 4, 2013
↑ Harvey 2003, p. 173
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Lorenz & Oliver 1999, p. 25
↑ Lorenz & Oliver 1999, p. 30
↑ Werrell 2005, p. 156
↑ Lorenz & Oliver 1999, p. 32
↑ Ecker 2004, p. 11
↑ Ecker 2004, p. 135
↑ "George Andrew Davis Jr". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved January 4, 2013.

Sources

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

Ecker, Richard E. (2004), Battles of the Korean War: A Chronology, with Unit-by-Unit United States Causality Figures & Medal of Honor Citations, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0-7864-1980-7
Harvey, Bill (2003), Texas Cemeteries: The Resting Places of Famous, Infamous, and Just Plain Interesting Texans, Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, ISBN 978-0-292-73466-1
King, O. H. P. (February 12, 1952), "Air Force Probe Is Ordered After Major Davis Shot Down In Korea", Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 30 (90), Lubbock, Texas, ISSN 1394-2131
Lorenz, William E.; Oliver, Dwight L. (1999), The Inner Seven: The History of Seven Unique American Combat 'Aces' of World War II and Korea, Nashville, Tennessee: Turner Publishing Company, ISBN 978-1-56311-504-2
Stanaway, John (1999), Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces of the Pacific and CBI, Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, ISBN 978-1-85532-780-1
Tillman, Barrett (2002), Above and Beyond: The Aviation Medals of Honor, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, ISBN 978-1-58834-056-6
Werrell, Kenneth P. (2005), Sabres Over MiG Alley: The F-86 and the Battle for Air Superiority in Korea, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 978-1-59114-933-0
Wei, C. X. George; Liu, Xiaoyuan (2001), Chinese Nationalism in Perspective: Historical and Recent Cases, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-313-31511-4
Zhang, Xiao Ming (2004), Red Wings Over the Yalu: China, the Soviet Union, and the Air War in Korea, College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, ISBN 978-1-58544-201-0