Carl Davis

ASN:35135917

Carl Lester Davis registered for the draft on October 16, 1940. Born June 15, 1912 he was from Mansfield, Ohio. His place of employment was Henry A. Davis Sheet Metal Works in Mansfield, Ohio, as a tinsmith, coppersmith and sheet metal worker. This twenty-eight-old was 5-10, 185 pounds with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair.

Enlisted in the Army on March 24, 1942 at Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky, PVT Davis received his training at Camp Claiborne, LA and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While stationed at Camp Claiborne then Corporal Davis was vocal about Richland County establishing a USO Club in Mansfield, Ohio. He felt the clubs made a nice meeting place for enlisted men particularly on a Saturday night, complete with a library and letter writing room. A campaign for $22,000 for the USO club was recommended. 

In September 1942, he was assigned to the A-Battery, 319th Field Artillery Group, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as part of the signal section. With Captain Kinard as his Battery Commander, PVT Davis was responsible for establishing telephone and radio contact between A-Battery and the Battalion Fire Direction Center.

Later, Davis would be promoted to a Staff Sergeant where he worked closely with the technical element of the Army’s Communications Section. Additional responsibilities would involve surveying equipment, aiming circles, compasses and map reading. 

Along with fellow Glidermen, Sgt. Carl Davis traveled to north Africa in May 1943. He fought in six (6) battles and campaigns; Sicilian, Naples-Foggia, Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.  

SGT Davis distinguished himself many times in combat. At daylight on September 13, 1943, in position on the mountainous “Chiunzi Pass” overlooking Naples, Italy, A-Battery delivered 214 rounds against enemy targets then came under attack with mortar and 88mm fire at 1900 hours wounding Captain Loughmiller, PFC Arno Mundt and killing PFC Ray Lampley. Several stacks of (A-Battery) 75mm ammunition were set afire in the attack and SGT Davis put out the flames avoiding further loss to the battery. 

In Operation Holland, (September 1944) SGT Davis was seriously injured in the glider landing then was later strafed by German aircraft while retrieving air-dropped supplies in an open field. Despite his serious injuries he returned to duty from the hospital on November 4, 1944.

While moving to a new position near Goronne, Belgium on December 27, 1944, SGT Davis described driving past some panzer-grenadiers. He was quoted as saying, “On our way out of that town I looked up and I could see three black helmeted guys looking over the bank, they were German regulars, they weren’t Americans, and they could have shot us right there. If they would have hollered Merry Christmas, I would have hollered back. That’s how close they were, but they let us go. Oh yeah, they were right on top looking down on us.” (Quote courtesy of Joseph Covais, author of BATTERY)

“Company Morning Reports” were produced every morning by the individual Army units to record personnel matters. The following events (see below) were reported for SGT Carl Davis: February 1, 1944 from furlough to duty at 2300 hours. February 28, 1944 from duty to hospital and back to duty on March 3, 1944.  

Although not part of the Morning Reports SGT Davis refused a battlefield commission during the fighting in Normandy, knowing that to accept such would necessarily cause him to be transferred outside the A-Battery. Quiet and unassuming by nature, for him to leave the battery would be too high of a price to pay to become an officer.  

Company Morning Reports

On July 18, 1944 from duty to furlough 5 days in Swindon, England at 0600 hours and back to duty on July 23, 1944 at 2200 hours. September 6, 1944, SGT Davis was promoted to Staff Sergeant Davis.

That same month SGT Davis was reported seriously wounded in action on September 18, 1944, from duty to the hospital. It wasn’t until November 6, 1944, the reports indicate SGT Davis is released from the hospital and returned to duty. The final Morning Report dated April 21, 1945, records his reassignment from duty to temporary duty at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, effective April 3, 1945.

The Adjusted Service Rating Score (ASR) was a system the U.S. Army used at the end of the war to determine when soldiers were eligible for early discharge. SGT Davis was one of many “High Point” soldiers with a score over 85 points. Davis was reassigned on April 3, 1945, to temporary duty at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. A number of other senior NCO’s were reassigned stateside as well. Meanwhile, A-Battery departed Camp Suippes, France, for a combat mission in Germany. SGT Davis received an honorable discharge June 27, 1945, and returned to civilian life.

SGT Davis was often photographed with fellow A-Battery TEC 4 David Stelow. (see below)

SGT Carl Lester Davis was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon, 6 Bronze Battle Stars, Bronze Arrowhead, Good Conduct Medal, the Belgian Fourragere, Presidential Unit Citation Badge, Purple Heart, Victory Ribbon and Glider Badge.

After his honorable discharge from the service Carl Davis dedicated his efforts by working towards the organization of a Mansfield, Ohio unit of the 82nd Airborne Division Association. He was elected chairman serving with fellow A-Battery soldier, Milton Weidner, as treasurer of the group.

In his capacity Carl Davis traveled to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and attended conferences with then Major General Higgins, Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and Major General Thomas F. Hickey, Commander of the post and the 18th Airborne Corps.

He was elected chairman to head the 82nd Airborne Association and flew to Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual meeting of the association of the US Army. Davis was invited by Lieutenant General James Gavin, who was acting as the Director of the Army Research and Development Group, to participate in a program which included discussions of new and future missiles, weapons, vehicles, and other equipment. This also involved meeting with a group of prominent civilian military leaders to examine the role of the army national security and the relationships of the army with various segments of the civilian community. 

At the sixth annual reunion of the 82nd Airborne Division, Davis was elected National Executive Secretary. The reunion took place July 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 1952, in Chicago with the highlight of the convention being the appearance of General Dwight D. Eisenhower as guest speaker at the memorial luncheon held at Hotel Sherman. 

The next convention was to be held at the Mayflower Hotel in Akron, Ohio. Davis, the only division member from Mansfield to attend the Chicago convention, said an effort would be made to reactivate the 82nd division group there and his new office with headquarters in Chicago.

On the 20th Anniversary of Operation Holland (1964) Carl Davis visited Nijmegen, Holland where his glider crashed as it attempted to land troops and equipment on September 18, 1944. Davis was co-piloting the glider and seriously injured during the crash landing. Davis shared with his nephew that he was injured when a jeep broke loose inside the glider as they landed, it flipped over striking him in the back. Davis, and others who were seriously injured were “spirited away” and hidden in a nearby barn until medical and support units secured the area.

Reportedly, that evening the enemy retook the area and Davis and other soldiers were hidden nearby in a barn covered with straw so they would not be discovered. A Dutch family risked their lives by taking food and milk to Davis and others until they could be rescued.

Over the years Davis had forgotten the farmers name but received a letter from a youth in Holland who had learned that Davis was among those injured in the glider crash. The young man was only seven at the time but was then serving in the Dutch Air Force. This correspondence continued and when Davis learned he was to lead the tour to Europe he was able to locate the farmer and the reunion was completed.

Davis also participated in the memorial program at the Airborne Monument in Nijmegen and was in charge of distributing food parcels to citizens there. He attended a memorial service at the Margraten National Cemetery, conducted by Reverend George Wood of Fort Wayne, Indiana, an 82nd Airborne division chaplain.  

Thought of as the unofficial historian of the 319th Davis took hundreds of photographs during the war, which others inherited copies of.

A natural next step for Carl Davis was to publish and distribute a directory and newsletter for the 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion known as the “319 News.”

The directory was an active member mailing roster but included so-called “lost members,” those deceased and soldiers killed in action. His newsletters reported current member events and stories sent to him by fellow veterans.

In his November, 1970 issue Davis regrettably said that he would no longer be able to continue with the “319 News” due to work and travel. He reminisced about the great attendance at the 1967 reunion in Chicago but a more recent reunion the past summer in New York City was canceled at the last minute because of poor attendance. 

He did note that Ted Covais and Richard Rogers attended with their wives as well as Alva Cole from West Virginia, Myron Lepkowski, and Tom Sewell. “Doc” Hebert and Ben Tansky came unexpected. Irving Gelb stopped by for a few hours one afternoon but that comprised the 319th group.  

319th News and Directory by Carl Davis

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His last newsletter contained well wishes from various veterans such as Wheeler Davis and Tom Sharkey. Billy Cadle said that he just got back from Las Vegas on a convention and that he “still did not like to fly.” 

Calvin Hightower was back with “Uncle Sam” since 1964 as a grain inspector in the New Orleans area. Major Silvey reported in with personal news and was trying to stay in touch. Ken Smith, one of the tallest A-Battery soldiers, said he enjoyed reading the newsletters and just had a visit from Alva Cole. He was hoping others will try to keep in touch. 

With regret it announced the death of Captain Cargile’s son who was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and died as a result of a crash. Chaplin Reid conducted the burial services on June 6, 1970. 

Howard Fitchner reported in with memories: “of other years with the old gang of the 319th. Our Christmases were always such lonely times when we would all wonder when the damn war would be over and how many more Christmases we were going to spend away from our families. Actually, I think we were all closer together in our misery at those times than any other, whether we were spending the season in the comparative safety of our barracks stateside or hip deep in snow in the Bulge. Real friendships were made, or at least fond memories were forged of guys who were all pretty wonderful buddies to be with.”

Fitchner recalled the two funniest things of the old times and still laughs about “the time when officers tramped up to Paps Hall that lovely morning to see all the woolen caps decorating the statuary (I thought Colonel Todd was going to have apoplexy – not because he was mad about it but rather because it was so damn funny and the guy couldn’t show how amused he was by it all.)

The other amusing memory is the time in Naples, Italy, when German planes swooped into the harbor to drop a couple of bombs on the big ammunition freighter sitting there. When the first bomb exploded, we all dove for cover and in the half light of the evening Ole Angle, who was driving a truck at the time, took a swan dive into what he thought was a fox hole but was actually a latrine trench! Brother, to this day I can still hear Angle (Theodas Angle) swearing and Ole spider Webb (Edwin Webb) laughing! We all have our favorites, I guess, as far as memories are concerned. Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that we are still around to have the memories at all. Certainly, none of us would want to go through this mess again just to have a few memories to recall.”

And finally, Ted Covais reminisced of their memorial dinner in New York on May 29, 1968 in an issue of the Paraglide Magazine. There was a story published regarding a “mystery man” who Ted recognized as none other than Carl Davis.

Covais “was hoping to make a trip to Milwaukee to pay a short visit to Roland Gruebling the past summer but never got the chance.  He sure missed this guy as well as his other friend, Tom Ludwick. They were always together during the war and it was a shame that all lived so far apart. He wished everyone best of luck.” 

Carl Lester Davis, 82, died August 22, 1994.

God Bless this hero.