Photo By John Hughel | Members of the Oregon Army National Guard conducted a formal memorial and burial...... read more read more
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With full military honors, as family and military members gathered for attendance, the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant George E. Davies was returned home to Portland, allowing for closure with his burial at Willamette National Cemetery on June 24, 2024.
Sergeant Davies was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Ninth Air Force when he was killed during Operation Tidal Wave on August 1, 1943. The Portland native was a crew member, holding several jobs while flying aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber when it was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire during the daring low altitude raid on Nazi-held oil refineries near Ploiesti, Romania.
In total, 178 planes took part in the mission that was launched from Benghazi, Libya. Davies B-24, nicknamed “Aire Lobo” was one of the 54 Liberators that did not return from the heavily defended target, where nearly 500 air crewmen were lost (310 killed, 186 captured). He had just turned 27 years old two days before the mission. According to a 1999 Air War College report, the Ploiesti bombing campaign was considered “one of the bloodiest and most historic missions of all time.”
“He flew twenty-seven missions as an assistant engineer and gunner,” said Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Scott, State Chaplain for the Oregon National Guard, who officiated the memorial service and recounted the heroic aerial conditions the Airmen faced during the raid. “The sky was filled with flak, smoke, and flames, said several witnesses who survived the mission…recalling that day as the most daunting they had ever experienced.”
The mission was designed to catch the enemy off-guard with a bold low-level attack with heavy bombers, flying as low as 100 feet above the ground. By the summer of 1943, Romania was generating more than half of the crude oil needed for the Nazi war machine. The refineries surrounding Ploiesti near the capital of Bucharest were the most productive with an estimated 25 to 35 percent of its refined or synthetic oil supplies.
Like many Airmen lost on the mission, Davies remained unaccounted for as his remains were initially buried in Bolovan, Romania. Just after the war ended, more than 80 other unidentified American soldiers from Operation Tidal Wave were laid to rest at the Ardennes American and Henri-Chapelle American cemeteries in Belgium. According to a press release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, it was not until September 9, 2022, that his remains could be identified by the agency after being exhumed in 2017.
“It’s wonderful for our family that they did find him and will be resting in the same cemetery with my father as he’s finally home,” said Francee Davies Hillyer, George Davies niece, who accepted the American Flag for the entire remaining family. “He’s getting the credit he deserves.”
She was joined by her younger sister Kathy Davies Leonard who acknowledged the significance of finding her missing uncle.
“It feels like he’s come back home and given the respect that he deserved that we can finally give him and let people know about it so they can find their loved ones,” said Leonard, following the emotional memorial service on a warm summer’s day, now eight decades later.
Their father Alan, who was George’s brother, also served in WWII and survived after losing a leg. Their mother, Betty Davies was also a veteran of the war. Now all three will finally be laid to rest together at Willamette National Cemetery.
George Davies was born on July 29, 1916, in Winnipeg, Canada, to John and Amelia Davies. The family, which also included his sister Dorothy Davies Wirostek, relocated to Portland when he was 14. After graduating from Gresham High School, he worked for a furniture manufacturing company for several years before enlisting in the military.
The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, located at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays an integral role in the process of locating surviving family members of missing service members from wars fought of the last century to include: WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
The lengthy process begins with locating a living family member most closely related to the missing soldier, followed by a request for family reference samples or DNA, which are used as the main source in identifying the service member remains. After a Soldier has been identified, the Past Conflict Repatriations Branch notifies and briefs the family members about the results obtained through DNA, forensic and historical reports. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has now identified more than half of the 80 previously unknown service members that were connected with Operation Tidal Wave.
For many years, Sergeant Davies’ name was listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery in Impruneta, Italy, according to DPAA. Now, a rosette will adorn his name, finally confirming he has been accounted for after being declared missing during action in Operation Tidal Wave.
“It gives hope to people who have family members who are MIA or POWs,” Hillyer said. “It’s wonderful for our family that they did find him.”
For his actions during his service, Staff Sgt. Davies was awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross, The Purple Heart, Air Medal [with Oak Leaf Cluster], Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation [with Oak Leaf Cluster] and the Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII.
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Fonda Bock with the U.S. Army Human Resources Command contribute to this report, as well as archival records with the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the Air War College, and the American Air Museum in Britain.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2024 12:35 |
| Story ID: | 477102 |
| Location: | CLACKAMAS, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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