Edwin D Davidson
Military
Standing, left to right: Ken Wehrhan, Ken Kroggel, Robert Drumhiller, Thomas Michan, Jack Barrett and James Radcliff.
Kneeling, left to right: Ed Davidson, John Johnston, Maurice Lynch and Clarence Trubey. Ed Davidson Collection
Shared with the museum by B-17 pilot Ed Davidson.
Object Number - UPL 27873 - Crew of the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group, October 1943. Standing, left to right: Ken Wehrhan, Ken Kroggel, Robert Drumhiller, Thomas...
Ed Davidson served as a pilot with the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Snetterton Heath, England. He was shot down on 5 January 1944 flying B-17 #42-3541 'Little Girls'. The aircraft ditched in the Bay of Biscay. Davidson was taken as a Prisoner of War (POW) and held at Stalag Luft I.
From 1955, Ed worked for American Airlines. In 1966 AAL obtained a Military contract for flying military supplies to Viet Nam. Ed volunteered for the project and flew into Danang, Cameron Bay and Saigon during late 1966 and early 1967. In May 1973 he moved to San Diego where he retired from line flying July 31, 1983.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Little Girls
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Station 138
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Bovina Center, New York, USA | 31 July 1923 | |
|
Enlisted |
4 April 1942 | New York City, New York | |
|
Other Taken as a Prisoner of War (POW) |
France | 5 January 1944 | |
|
Died |
20 October 2019 |
Revisions
NARA files verified ASN upon entry and Air Medal (listed as MIA when awarded). He earned at least one bronze service star on the EAME Campaign Medal and was eligible for the Prisoner of War Medal upon application.
Added a "-" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2011 / MACR 2011; Snetterton Heath pg 90 and 97 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
