Jerald A Davis
Military
398th Bomb Group Collection via Nuthampstead Airfield Museum.
Object Number - UPL 23583 - Jerry "Deacon" Davis' Crew. Back row: (L-R) Leo Welder-Bombardier, Larry Tacker-Navigator, Leo Steen-Co-pilot, Jerry Davis-Pilot. Front row: (L-R)...
Davis was to fly 33 missions with the 601st Sqdn between April and September 1944. He clearly remembers one flight shortly after D-Day when the bomb bay doors in the lead plane failed to open. As the bombadier tried to release them with a screwdriver he lost his footing and - from a height of 25,000ft and wearing his oxygen mask but no parachute - fell to earth. On another occasion over France he witnessed a crewman fall out of his harness during the drop.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Stinker Jr
- Unit: 398th Bomb Group 601st Bomb Squadron
Revisions
Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from newsletters of the 398th Bomb Group related to the service of Jerald Davis.
I am his son. He returned after serving 25 missions and married my mother on Dec. 15, 1944. His aircraft was named "Blondie" after my mother. He was an instructor in multi engine aircraft until the war ended. He joined the CAA (now FAA) and became an air route flight controller. He remained in the Air Force Reserved and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
398th History Vol II / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
