Edward Harvey Daves

Military
media-52903.jpeg UPL 52903 2nd Lt Edward H. Daves, 401BG.

USAAF Photo

Object Number - UPL 52903 - 2nd Lt Edward H. Daves, 401BG.

Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 11 x missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Kassel in B-17 42-31069 'Little Moe' 28-Sep-44; crashed near Helmstedt Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 9415



"The back end of plane was hit by flak & caught fire. Lt Daves got all of his crew out, then bailed out of the nose hatch, shortly after this the aircraft exploded. He was picked up by the Wehrmacht, and processed over the new several days into his final destination, Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany on the Baltic Sea. On 2-May-45 (ironically the day he died in 2014), he and several other airmen, seeing that all of the Germans camp guards had fled due to the Russians invasion of the area, liberated themselves by walking out of camp.

Walking through the town of Barth, my father often told of the atrocities he witnessed that had been committed by the Russians on the townspeople. Dead civilians everywhere - the Burgermeister's pregnant daughter dead in the snow, a stripped SS officer face down shot in the head (not that he did not probably deserve this). All vengeance for what the Russians had suffered at the hands of the German army."



Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

A pathfinder B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8258) of the 401st Bomb Group. Image by Robert Astrella. Written on slide casing: '48258 14 A, Mount Farm.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33648266
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12175090 / O-715725
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-717893
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 38370918
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 20830255
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Little moe
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
Damaged B-17 Flying Fortresses including (serial number 44-6146) of the 401st Bomb Group, and of the 486th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'IN-R, 401BG.' A veteran has handwritten on reverse: 'Winter of 1944. This plane's bombardier was my best friend in high school. We joined the aviation cadets together in fall of 1942. Plane is from the 486th Bomb Group. It was struck in the rear by another plane in formation and tail gunner fell to his death over Germany. The Germans buried him and sent ph
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Little Cheezer
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron 615th Bomb Squadron

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Kingsburg, CA 10 October 1922 Son of Willis E and Gladys K Daves.

Enlisted

San Francisco, CA 19 September 1942 San Francisco, California

Other

Flight training

Stockton AAF, California 5 December 1943 Completed his pilot training and received his wings at Stockton Air Force Base on 5-Dec-43.

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Barth, Germany 28 September 1944 - 1 May 1945 Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I.

Died

Fresno, CA 2 May 2014

Buried

Fresno Memorial GardensFresno, Fresno County, CA 5 May 2014 Fresno Memorial Gardens Fresno, Fresno County, California Buried in the "Garden of Valor" section.

Based

Deenethorpe 28 September 1944 Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
ContributorLittleMoe
Changes
Sources

Burial information provided by daughter, Jill Daves.

Date
ContributorLittleMoe
Changes
Sources

Bio/POW information added by daughter, Jill Daves.

Date
ContributorLittleMoe
Changes
Sources

Corrected information by daughter, Jill Daves.

Date
ContributorLittleMoe
Changes
Sources

Change made by daughter, Jill Daves.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 9415 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Edward Harvey Daves: Gallery (1 items)