George Andrew Davis

George Andrew Davis Jr. (December 1, 1920 – February 10, 1952) was a highly decorated fighter pilot and flying ace of the United States Army Air Forces in World War II, and later of the United States Air Force during the Korean War. He was killed in action during a combat mission in northwestern Korea, in an area nicknamed "MiG Alley". For his actions during the Korean War, Davis was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted from major to lieutenant colonel.

Born in Dublin, Texas, Davis joined the United States Army Air Corps in early 1942. He was sent to the Pacific Theater after pilot training and flew in the New Guinea and Philippine campaigns, scoring seven victories over Japanese aircraft. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled pilot and accurate gunner whose "daredevil" flying style contrasted with his reserved personality.

Davis did not see action in Korea until late 1951. Despite this, he achieved considerable success flying the F-86 Sabre fighter jet, quickly rising to become the war's ace of aces and downing fourteen North Korean, Chinese, and Soviet aircraft before his death in February 1952. During his final combat mission in northwestern Korea, Davis surprised and attacked twelve Chinese MiG-15 fighter jets, downing two of the MiG-15s before he was shot down and killed. Davis was the only flying ace of the United States to be killed in action in Korea. Controversies remain surrounding the circumstances of his death.

Davis is the fourth-highest US scoring ace of the Korean War, with a total of 14 victories added to the 7 he scored in World War II. He is one of seven US military pilots to become an ace in two wars, and one of 31 US pilots to be credited with more than 20 victories.

Early life Davis was born in Dublin, Texas, on December 1, 1920. He took up farming for a time with his family before eventually deciding to join the military.

Davis's first assignment was to join the 312th Bombardment Group based at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky, where he became qualified to fly the P-40 Warhawk fighter plane. He continued training there until August 1943, when the group was ordered to the Pacific Theater of Operations. Davis served under the command of Colonel Neel E. Kearby, who himself would later receive the Medal of Honor. Many of the other pilots in the unit would quickly become aces as they participated in the conflict.

The next combat mission was on February 3, 1944. Sixteen P-47s were escorting a flight of B-24 Liberators on a bombing mission over Wewak. When they were west of the target area, they were ambushed by a flight of Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars and Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony aircraft at . As the American aircraft rushed to the defense of the bombers, Davis managed to attack and shoot down a Ki-61 that had been attacking another P-47. In all, seven Japanese aircraft were destroyed in the attack. The next day, Davis was promoted to first lieutenant.

Philippines Around December 1944, the unit began supporting missions in the Philippines and was moved to Tacloban Airport on Leyte Island. On December 10, after five uneventful weather-probing missions, Davis and the unit were assigned an escort mission. The aircraft were instructed to cover a flotilla of troop transports that were moving from Baybay to Oromoc Bay. En route, they were attacked by four Ki-61 Tony aircraft at . After a series of quick maneuvers, Davis climbed to and took advantage of the sun's glare to ambush two aircraft below him. He pursued them as far as Cebu Island. He closed to within of the pair before destroying the first with his machine guns, and then the second near Negros Island as it attempted to dive for cover in a cloud.

The unit undertook eight more patrol missions over Mindoro, covering Allied convoys.

On December 20, Davis was in one of twelve Thunderbolts patrolling Mindoro when eight A6M Zeroes were spotted attempting to ambush the flight from behind. Davis managed to rake the cockpit of one Zero and kill the pilot, earning him his fifth victory and the status of flying ace. Immediately after this, however, Davis's P-47 was struck by machine-gun fire from another aircraft, damaging the propeller and left wing components. Davis was awarded a Silver Star for this action.

Between the date of this action and February 19, 1945, Davis flew another 47 missions, most of them entailing the escorting of bombers or ships, and a few of them consisting of ground-attacks, but he saw little or no aerial combat during that time. On February 19, he was withdrawn from the front to begin certification on the P-51 Mustang, logging 45 hours of training time on the aircraft through the end of March. He returned to combat duty only briefly in April, flying in three combat missions as a copilot aboard a B-25 Mitchell bomber. On May 3, 1945, he was reassigned to Goodfellow Field at San Angelo, Texas, helping to train new pilots and serving as an operations officer for the base until the end of the war.

During his World War II service, Davis flew 266 missions, accruing a total of 705 combat hours and destroying seven Japanese aircraft.

Korean War alt=A man standing in the cockpit of an aircraft that is on the ground. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, Davis continued to serve in the 71st Squadron and did not see combat in the initial phase of the war. As it progressed, however, Davis began training on the F-86 Sabre (Sabrejet), the latest jet engine-powered fighter. On February 15, 1951, he was promoted to major and in October 1951 he was assigned to the headquarters of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, which was based in Japan and operating aircraft throughout Korea. Davis was thus sent to the conflict as a fighter pilot. The force was en route to a bombing mission on Taehwado Island in the Pansong archipelago. Davis maneuvered the patrol into position for a firing pass on the bombers. He completed four attack runs on the formation, being continuously attacked by the La-11 fighters, which were unable to hit his aircraft. In spite of being separated from his wingmen, he managed to destroy two of the bombers and cause the crew of a third to bail out. By this time, another group of F-86s arrived to continue the fight, as Davis's aircraft were low on ammunition and fuel. As two MiG-15s prepared a final attack on Barton, Davis swooped through their pass and scored direct hits on one, killing the Chinese flight leader who commanded the MiG pack. At this point, Davis wrote to his family that he expected to be home by Christmas, but then the Air Force extended his tour of duty. He surprised and destroyed one MiG, and then turned on another in an aggressive attack that forced the MiG pilot to bail out. After 30 combat missions in Korea, Davis had 12 victories.

In late January 1952, the Air Force told Davis it wanted to rotate him back to the United States. By this point, Davis held every record for a jet pilot, including most victories in all types of aircraft, most MiGs destroyed and most victories over propeller-driven aircraft. However, the Air Force determined it had no capable replacement who could command Davis's squadron, Littlefield reported that he had not seen Davis bail out of his aircraft. Davis was declared missing in action and presumed killed.

In his four months in Korea, Davis had scored 14 confirmed victories, one probable victory and two aircraft damaged, bringing his career-total victory count to 21. By the end of the war, he was ranked fourth among pilots, surpassed by Joseph C. McConnell, James Jabara, and Manuel J. Fernandez, after his death. Immediately after receiving a report of Davis’ mission, his fellow ace Colonel Harrison Thyng, commander of the 4th Wing, recommended Davis for the Medal of Honor. On April 15, 1953, Davis was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Also buried at this cemetery is musician Buddy Holly and Medal of Honor recipient Herman C. Wallace. In April 1953, Davis's wife and family received his Medal of Honor from Air Force Chief of Staff, General Nathan F. Twining, at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock. Although Zhang had been credited by the Chinese with having shooting down Davis's F-86, after Russia declassified its involvement in the war Russian sources claimed that the pilot responsible had actually been Mikhail A. Averin . Davis's death at the hands of a Chinese pilot would also have been seen as avenging the losses inflicted by him over Taehwado Island on November 30, 1951. About 36 MiG-15s from the Chinese 4th Fighter Division were involved in the February 10 engagement in which Davis was killed, and Zhang was among the group. According to Zhang's own report after the battle, while the MiGs were en route to intercept Davis's group, he and his wingman became separated from the main element.

The publicity surrounding Davis's death soon caught Chinese attention. |group=Note The search team also discovered that the crash site was within of where Zhang had ejected from his own aircraft, and that Zhang's 12th Regiment was the only unit that had operated near the area at the time. Lieutenant General Georgy Lobov , commander of the 64th Aviation Corps, also states in his memoirs that Davis was killed by a Soviet pilot.

Both China and Russia took credit for Davis's death, and there has been no conclusive evidence either way.

Aerial victories

Throughout his career, Davis was credited with 21 confirmed victories, one probable victory and two aircraft damaged. This made him one of only 30 US pilots to gain more than 20 confirmed victories over their careers. Davis also took the shortest time to become a double ace; just 17 days in Korea. The next best pilot achieved the feat in 51 days.

Source: and the only USAF members to be awarded the Army version of the medal.

Medal of Honor Citation

Distinguished Service Cross citation

Awards and Decorations Davis's military decorations and awards include: