WWII · Battle Death Record
George Davis
Commander, U.S. Navy · Hawaii
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- George Davis
- Entered the Service From
- Hawaii
- Rank
- Commander
- Service
- U.S. Navy
- Unit / Regiment
- USS Walke (DD-723)
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- January 6, 1945
- Awards
- Medal of Honor
- Burial / Memorial
- Commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
- Grave
- Tablets of the Missing
Their story
On 6 January 1945, Commander Davis commanded the destroyer USS Walke covering minesweeping operations ahead of the Lingayen Gulf invasion when the ship was attacked by four Japanese suicide planes; standing exposed on the bridge wing he directed the fire that downed two, and though struck by a third plane, drenched in gasoline and enveloped in flames, he remained on his feet, conned the ship and rallied his crew to destroy the fourth attacker. Only after the Walke's survival was assured did he consent to be carried below, where he died several hours later of his burns. His body was buried at sea and his remains were not recovered.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.