George Andrew Davis Jr.

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.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.

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 UnitDecember 31, 19431Aichi D3AArawe, New GuineaP-47 Thunderbolt342 FS, 348 FGFebruary 3, 19441Ki-61 HienWewak, New GuineaP-47 Thunderbolt342 FS, 348 FGDecember 10, 19442Ki-61 HienCebu Island, The PhilippinesP-47 Thunderbolt342 FS, 348 FGDecember 20, 19441A6M ZeroMindoro, The PhilippinesP-47 Thunderbolt342 FS, 348 FGDecember 23, 19442A6M ZeroClark Field, The PhilippinesP-47 Thunderbolt342 FS, 348 FGNovember 27, 19512MiG-15Won-Ok, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGNovember 30, 19513Tupolev Tu-2Sahol, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGNovember 30, 19511MiG-15Sahol, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGDecember 5, 19511MiG-15Rinko-do, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGDecember 5, 19511MiG-15Haechang, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGDecember 12, 19512MiG-15Yongwon, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGDecember 12, 19512MiG-15Changa-Ri, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGFebruary 12, 1952US Air Force did not publicly acknowledge Davis' death until two days later. See Zhang 2004, p. 165.2MiG-15Sinuiju, North KoreaF-86 Sabre334 FIS, 8 FIGSource:

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.
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Distinguished Service Cross citation
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Related pages
List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients

 Notes 

References

Sources

Category:1920 births
Category:1952 deaths
Category:Medal of Honor recipients
Category:Military people from Texas
Category:Purple Heart recipients