Ninety-year-old Overland Park resident William "Bill" Davis had sat most of the warm July day on an uncomfortable metal folding chair, patiently waiting. At about 4:30 p.m., his name was called.

Davis and a few of his friends in the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) walked toward the sleek World War II P-51 Mustang fighter airplane. It had been 66 years since the fighter ace had been in a P-51. Davis was excited; a P-51 visiting the CAF was taking riders up for a fee, and he was going to fly in one today.

Birth of a fighter pilot
Bill Davis grew up in Topeka, Kan., and graduated from Topeka High School. Shortly after graduation his father died, and because of a shortage of money, Davis entered the workforce instead of going off to college. His father's former boss, a World War I pilot, prompted Davis to enlist in the United States Army Air Forces, the military aviation arm of the United States during and immediately after World War II. The man secured five recommendations for Davis to enter the pilot training program without any college experience.

Davis took his primary training in Blythe, Calif., flying PT-22s, then went to Arizona for basic training, flying BT-13s, and on to Luke Field, near Phoenix, for advanced flying in AT-6s. From Luke Field, Davis was sent to March Field, in California, to check out in the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Shortly afterward, Davis reported to Portland, Ore., to join Colonel Kenneth Martin's 354th Fighter Group flying Bell P-39 Airacobras. Davis enjoyed flying the P-39, even though he almost lost his life in a tumble-spin in one.

After P-39 training, the men of the 354th boarded a ship for Europe. Three or four ships in the convoy ended up on the ocean's floor, victims of German submarines. After arriving in Reading, England, Col. Martin pointed to a sleek P-51 Mustang that had just landed and said, "That's it, that's what it's going to be, fellows."

Davis soon transferred to Boxted Field, near Colechester, England. To accrue his flight time, he flew a British Spitfire.
"It was a good airplane," recalls Davis, "but I didn't like sitting in the cockpit with my legs straight out in front of me—and you had to be careful in landing it."

After 30 days at Boxted Field, Davis flew his first combat mission. That was the very first time he flew a P-51.

Combat flying
Davis' last combat mission, on Aug. 25, 1944, is often referred to as the greatest day in the history of the Ninth Air Force. Davis' 354th Fighter Group encountered a large force of enemy aircraft near Crulai, France, that day, resulting in a colossal dogfight. Three top German aces participated in the melee. Davis was credited with downing an Fw 190 and one half of an Me 109 before his guns jammed. By the end of the day, the 354th destroyed more than 40 enemy aircraft, with a loss of only four P-51s.

Regarding dogfighting, Davis reminisced, "I don't know whether I had the killer instinct in me or not. I wasn't real aggressive. I seemed always to fire before I was within the killing range. Actual combat is a mass of confusion. Sometimes you don't know which enemy airplane to pursue. Airplanes are going everywhere, and sometimes the German Me 109s resembled P-51s. It was a mess. It is an intense five or 10 minutes, and then, suddenly, it's over."

Davis reports three different counts on numbers of aircraft he shot down. The official "kills" recorded by the Army Air Forces are four. The acknowledged count by the AAF of five and a half was not officially credited to him, because when he went back to the states, unlike many pilots he did not return to the squadron to pursue official credit for his claims.

"The third count is my count; it's in my head, and it is six and a half," Davis said. "But it doesn't make any difference now. It's all over."

Davis completed 68 combat missions with more than 250 combat hours. The 354th was awarded two Presidential Citations and Davis earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was released from active duty in 1945 and entered college. Three years later he joined the reserves and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Today
Davis retired from a career in business systems sales. He works out at a gym three days a week, enjoys his 354th Fighter Group's reunion every year, and treasures his membership in the Commemorative Air Force.

Davis lives in Overland Park with Betty Jo, his wife of 63 years. They have three children, Guy, Gale, and Clark, six grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

Of his recent flight, Davis said, "I loved it. I did get a little nauseous after a couple of rolls, though!"