Gordon E. Davis was born on October 2, 1923. He served in the 418th Bomber Squadron, 100th Bomb Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the B-17 #42-6087 "Royal Flush/Harper's Ferr" during World War II.

On August 11, 1944, his crew took off at Station 139 in Thorpe Abbotts at 08:30H. Their mission was to bomb the Villacoublay air base in France. Shot down by flak at 12.15 pm (direct hit between engine no. 3 and fuselage), the aircraft was partially evacuated before the in-flight explosion and crashed. Four crew members were killed, including 2Lt Davis, in this incident. The others had survived.

2Lt Davis is now buried in the Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park, Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net