Davis, Edwin G.

World War II Soldier

Born: August 17, 1924, Ohio
Death: December 25, 1944, Trois Ponts, Belgium
Burial: Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium
Find a Grave memorial

Edwin Davis was the son of Benjamin Davis and Anna Vincent.  He graduated from Vienna High School in 1942.

Military service: Entered into service at AFIS, Akron, Ohio on May 5, 1943, at Fort Hayes. Service No. ASN 35-173-800, Private First Class. Stationed and trained at Fort Benning, Georgia. Assigned to Company D 505th Paratroop Infantry. Killed in Action December 25, 1944, in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

A letter written by Edwin Davis for his sister, while he was at Fort Benning, Georgia, may be found here. [1]

The letter from the U. S. Army notifying the family about his death may be found here. [1]

A poem written for his memorial service may be found here. [1]

Edwin Davis was awarded the Purple Heart.

His grave was "adopted" by Eddy Lamberty of Belgium in 1996 as part of the American War Graves Adoption Program and also by Julien Tanguy of Alençon, Normandy.

Information courtesy of Julien Tanguy: Edwin Davis was killed in action by friendly fire during the Battle of the Bulge on December 25, 1944 at Trois Ponts, Beligum. On Christmas Day, Company D was positioned in an open pasture. While some of the men remained in their foxholes, others left and gathered by a hedge to enjoy a special meal that the Army sent for the holiday. Around noon, fighter planes started to fly over, attacking the Germans' position in front. Later on, other fighter planes flew over, but instead of attacking the German lines, they attacked Company D’s position. The planes continued to attack and drop bombs where the men were eating and near the foxholes. The attack resulted in the death of five soldiers and four wounded. One of the soldiers killed was 20 year-old Edwin Davis. Company D's lieutenant, Lieutenant Myers, was furious at the error of the Air Force. He said "a simple check on a map and the compass would have signaled them that these were U.S. positions."

Contributor: Christine Novicky