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George Andrew Davis, Jr. facts for kids

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George Andrew Davis, Jr.
George Andrew Davis.jpg
Nickname(s) "Curly"
"One Burst Davis"
Born (1920-12-01)December 1, 1920
Dublin, Texas USA
Died February 10, 1952(1952-02-10) (aged 31)
Sinuiju, North Korea
Place of burial
Unknown
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Flag of the United States Air Force United States Air Force
Years of service 1942 – 1952
Rank US-O5 insignia.svg 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.

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. 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. Davis attended Morton High School in Morton, Texas. Davis then attended Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. After completing a degree he returned to Texas. He took up farming for a time with his family before eventually deciding to join the military.

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. He had been known to be an extremely talented pilot and was especially accurate at deflection shooting, even from long distances against moving targets. 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.

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 2 MiG-15 Sinuiju, North Korea F-86 Sabre 334 FIS, 8 FIG
Source:

Military awards

Related pages

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


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