This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Davis, Clayton Eugene, Lt Col USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Montpelier, Vermont
Last Address Shalimar, Florida
Date of Passing Mar 09, 1991
Location of Interment Barrancas National Cemetery (VA) - Pensacola, Florida
During WWII, he destroyed 5 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, as well as 4 more on the ground before he had to bail out over enemy territory Aug 17, 1944; but he was able to evade the enemy and get back to Allied lines.
He also served in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
His DSC citation: Awarded for actions during World War II
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) Clayton E. Davis (ASN: 0-666887), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 8 May 1944. On this date Captain Davis led a flight of fighter airplanes in an attack against fifteen enemy fighters and in the ensuing engagement destroyed one enemy airplane and assisted in the destruction of another. Captain Davis then joined two friendly fighters and was almost immediately attacked from above by twenty or more enemy fighters, one of which he destroyed. Alone at a very lone altitude and with only one gun firing, Captain Davis courageously attacked an destroyed an enemy fighter over an airdrome in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire. The heroic and fearless behavior of Captain Davis in the face of odds and grave danger reflect highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.
General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Strategic Forces in Europe, General Orders No. 44 (July 22, 1944)
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Air Offensive, Europe Campaign (1942-44)
From Month/Year
July / 1942
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description Air Offensive, Europe Campaign 4 July 1942 to 5 June 1944) Pre-war doctrine had held that waves of bombers hitting enemy cities would cause mass panic and the rapid collapse of the enemy. As a result, the Royal Air Force had built up a large strategic bomber force. By way of contrast, Nazi German air force doctrine was almost totally dedicated to supporting the army. Therefore, German bombers were smaller than their British equivalents, and Germany never developed a fully successful four engined heavy bomber equivalent to the Lancaster or B-17, with only the similarly sized Heinkel He 177 placed into production and made operational for such duties with the Luftwaffe in the later war years.
The main concentration of German raids on British cities was from September 7, 1940 until May 10, 1941 in the most famous air battle of all time, known as the Battle of Britain. Facing odds of four against one the RAF held off the mighty Luftwaffe forcing Hermann Wilhelm Göring to withdraw his forces and more importantly indefinitely postpone invasion plans. This proved the first major turning point of the War. After that most of the strength of the Luftwaffe was diverted to the war against the Soviet Union leaving German cities vulnerable to British and later American air bombings. As a result of the victory, Great Britain was used by U.S and other Allied forces as a base from which to begin the D-Day landings in June 1944 and the liberation of Nazi-occupied Western Europe.
From 1942 onwards, the efforts of Bomber Command were supplemented by the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Air Forces units being deployed to England to join the assault on mainland Europe on July 4, 1942. Bomber Command raided by night and the US forces by day.
