Honoring the Fallen: 1/Lt. Donald J. Davis

1st Lt. Donald J. Davis receives his Republic of China Air Force wings at Liangshan, date unverified but between mid-March and mid-May 1945

As veterans of the China Theater returned by the thousands following Japan’s capitulation on September 2, 1945, an intensive search began for those who would not be going home with their comrades. At the conclusion of hostilities, about 700 US airmen were still listed as missing in action. A newspaper clipping from that period stated, "The end of the trail may be a lonely grave on a bare hill, or a memorial erected by humble villagers. Sometimes the Chinese build elaborate arches or tombs in honor of the brave men who came from far off to help drive the Japanese away,” it stated. “Such an arch is at Ichang [now Yichang], at the mouth of the Yangtze gorges, which honors 'six brave soldiers.’ The bodies are usually removed to Shanghai but in this case Ichang hopes the six Americans will be allowed to rest in the soil of China."

A new pilot, 1/Lt. Donald J. Davis, had transferred in to the 3rd Bomb Squadron in mid-March 1945. Born in Iowa, he moved from place to place with his nomadic family, living in Nebraska, California, Oklahoma, and Colorado. He registered for the draft in October 1940 in Enid, Oklahoma, specifying his mother in Palisade, Colorado, as his contact person. From the Air Reserve, he enlisted in the Air Corps as an aviation cadet at Los Angeles in March 1942 and went on to graduate from advanced training with Class 43-C from AAF West Coast Training Center in March 1943 at Stockton Field, California. Davis completed forty-four missions while assigned to an AAF unit in New Guinea. After completing his tour of duty, he requested service in the CBI and left for China in mid-December 1944. His mother died a week later, on Christmas Eve. Davis served as a pilot on bombing and strafing missions against significant Japanese targets in China for two months.

Modified to carry eighteen .50-caliber machine guns, a B-25J-2, serial #44-30656, A/C #722, took off from Liangshan on May 16 with seventeen frags to bomb and strafe the Japanese-held airfield at Ichang. Red letters spelled out "BIG DAVE" on the aircraft's nose. The pilot on this mission was 1/Lt. Davis, with FO Barton L. Wherritt as copilot, 1/Lt. Robert J. Koss as navigator-bombardier, Cpl. James J. Ryan Jr. as radio-gunner, recently-promoted Sgt. James A. Wadlow as engineer-gunner, and Sgt. Loyal L. Fox as armorer-gunner in the tail compartment. After taking off in good weather, the bomber made no further radio contact with the tower. Visibility en route and at the target was poor, and A/C #722 became separated from its wing plane soon after takeoff. At the target, Davis made several bombing and strafing passes. A Chinese observer estimated that between two and three hundred enemy soldiers were killed and that large quantities of stores were destroyed. Chinese authorities at Enshih reported that the aircraft was hit by ground fire and crashed almost immediately on the field, burning as it went down. One unidentified man was said to have bailed out, although other observers believed that all of them had parachuted from the plane. Conflicting reports came in regarding the fate of these six men until the end of the war, but none suggested that they had been recovered safely.

In early June 1945, those listed as next of kin all received official notification that the aircraft had failed to return from the May 16 mission and neither it nor any of its crew had been located. In a letter dated July 5 to Jeanette Davis, whose husband was the pilot of the missing plane, Maj. Wm. D. Sanders of the Air Corps' Office of Personnel wrote, “Please be assured that a continuing search by land, sea, and air is being made to discover the whereabouts of our missing personnel. As our armies advance over enemy occupied territory, special troops are assigned to this task, and agencies of our government and allies frequently send in details which aid us in bringing additional information to you." Further details were provided to the families as they became available. It wasn’t until after the war ended that the full story was revealed. Next of kin all received official notifications in February 1946 of the deaths of the six men previously listed as missing in action.

 By late 1948, the story of that doomed mission could be considered complete. For the families of the six missing men, the months of agonizing suspense finally came to an end. A letter from Maj. James F. Smith of the Memorial Division to Mrs. Davis confirmed:

“Our records reveal that your husband was one of the six crew members manifested aboard Aircraft Number 44-30656 which departed from Liangshan on 16 May on a bombing mission to Ichang, China. The plane crashed at Ichang, resulting in the death of five of the crew. Through investigation, it was learned that their remains were buried by the enemy in a common grave at Ichang, China. The sixth crew member died later as a result of wounds and his remains were also buried in the grave with those of his comrades. The remains of these honored dead were recovered by our American Graves Registration Personnel and buried in the American Military Section, Hungjao Road Cemetery, Shanghai, China.” 

There they were reinterred with full military honors on January 24, 1946. Chaplain Otis W. Garland offered his condolences to Davis’s widow and informed her that he and two other chaplains had conducted the funeral services at Hungjao Cemetery, "a beautiful cemetery under perpetual care.” He wrote, "You can feel proud of the fact that he gave his life in helping to save his Country and the rest of the world from the horrors of Japanese domination."

The letter from Maj. Smith contained further details, "Later these remains were taken to Hawaii, where qualified technicians conducted a detailed examination and, based upon their findings, individual identification was established.” The remains of the six were identified using the best investigative methods available at the time by age and physical characteristics, including height and dental records. They were casketed and held at United States Army Mausoleum #2 at Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii, under protection of the American Graves Registration Service pending disposition instructions from the next of kin, either for return by ship to the United States or for permanent burial in an overseas cemetery.

Remains of four crew members were returned by ship and then by train to their hometowns in the summer of 1949. Graveside services for Lt. Don Davis were held at Sunnyside Memorial Park in Long Beach, California, on July 13, 1949. VFW Golden State Post 279 conducted the services, which were attended by friends and family that included his parents and two-year-old son. It was seventy-five years ago today that this hero was finally laid to rest.

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