Newton Baker DAVIS Jr

Source : Joy Riggers

P-47 Thunderbolt - type D-28-RE - s/n 42-28465

Macr : 8487
Mission :

Shot by the around 4:00 p.m.

Plane evacuated at 800 feet, but pilot hangs on - captured and lynched by soldiers.

Shot by the around 4:00 p.m.

Plane evacuated at 800 feet, but pilot hangs on - captured and lynched by soldiers.

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  St James N°3578

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of St James American Cemetery

 Newton Baker Davis Jr. grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia the son of Newton Baker Davis Sr. and Lenna M. Thompson Davis.

On the 13th August 1944 he took off from and Advanced Landing Ground at Bruchelle in Normandy to carry out an Armed Reconnaissance of the Argentan area.

His wingman, 2/Lt. Harry J. Vibbert Jr., described what happened in his report;
"About 15:30, I was flying in tail of Lt. Newton B. Davis, Jr. in the general vicinity of Argentan.

We were strafing at about 50 ft., and then pulled up.As I pulled up, I saw smoke coming from Davis's engine. I saw no enemy fire and have no idea what caused the fire in Davis's plane.

When he had attained an altitude of less than 800 feet, I saw him get out onto the wing of his plane. Then my own wing obstructed my view and I did not see him jump. I circled and descended to the ‘deck' where I saw a parachute hanging in a tree of a hedgerow. I could not see the pilot at all, and have no idea whether he made the landing safely or not."

In fact, Davis had been captured by German soldiers who wasted no time in murdering the young American. Newton Davis is buried in Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France.

In July 2009 his P-47 Thunderbolt engine was recovered by the Normandy Association for Air Remembrance who established a memorial monument at Le Grais in his honour...