In 1973 he was promoted to lieutenant general and sent to command the III Army Corps in Macedonia. During the July 1974 crisis, brought about by the coup against Cypriot president Makarios III sponsored by the then-ruling Greek military regime and the subsequent Turkish invasion, Davos thus found himself in command of the most powerful formation in the Hellenic Army. It was partly the threat of his active intervention that forced the Armed Forces leadership to topple junta strongman Dimitrios Ioannidis and surrender power to a civilian government under Konstantinos Karamanlis. Shortly after, on 19 August 1974, Davos was appointed as Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, from which position he helped ensure the loyalty of the army to the new regime, which was still under threat by hardline officers. He continued in this post until 13 September 1976, when he was promoted to full General and placed as Chief of the Armed Forces High Command. He retired on 10 January 1980, and subsequently served as Deputy Minister for National Defence in January–May 1981.