George Andrew Davis Jr.

George Andrew Davis Jr.
Davis in 1945
Nickname(s)	"Curly"[1] "One Burst Davis"[1]
Born	(1920-12-01)December 1, 1920 Dublin, Texas, U.S.
Died	February 10, 1952(1952-02-10) (aged 31) Yalu River, North Korea
Cenotaph	City of Lubbock Cemetery, Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force
Years of service	1942–1952
Rank	Lieutenant colonel (posthumous)
Service number	13035A[2]
Unit	312th Bombardment Group 342nd Fighter Squadron 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Commands held	334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
Battles/wars	World War II Pacific War 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)

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.^[3]