On 70th Anniversary of World War II's End

By C. MacDonald

The Costa Mesa Historical Society recently saluted the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II by having a 91-year-old speak about his service as a B-24 radioman/gunner over Germany and being shot down. Robert "Bob" Davis now of Costa Mesa was a Technical Sergeant with the United States' 8th Air Force Bomber Group, which flew out of East Anglia, England.

● Taken to Stalag Luft IV, a Prisoner of War Camp.
● Davis, and over 6,000 others, began a more than 550-mile march.
● Faced the area's coldest Winter in 100 years.
● Guards forced the prisoners to march some 20 miles a day
● Lived on 3 small boiled potatoes a day
● Water consisted of eating snow.
● Weight dropped to 85-pounds.

"The first time we were shot at in the air made an impression on me but I was too young to be scared," said the dapper recipient of numerous medals, including the French Legion of Honor. On his 23rd bombing mission, his plane was hit by the enemy over Germany and he had to jump out at 21,000 feet. Although he had never parachuted before, Bob managed to maneuver his chute and break his fall by landing in the mud. "I buried my chute and pistol and crawled along the edge of the water for 50 yards and made it to some woods, where I finally stood up," he recounted. "Unfortunately, standing nearby were two farmers with rifles aimed at my head."

He ended up being taken to Stalag Luft IV, a Prisoner of War Camp about 20 miles from the Baltic Sea in what became Eastern Poland. The makeshift camp was carved in a hollow in the forest. On Feb. 6, 1945, the Russians were on the move, coming from the East, which forced the Germans to evacuate the camp. Davis, and over 6,000 others, began a more than 550-mile, almost 3 month march during the area's coldest Winter in 100 years. "It was minus 17-degrees in February and the roads were frozen mud and ice," said the last living member of his flight crew. "Our only diet was 3 small boiled potatoes a day and one slice of bread every 3 days."

The guards would force the prisoners to march up to 20 miles a day or longer. Trying to avoid the advancing Soviet Red Army, the hungry, poor-conditioned prisoners were ordered to zigzag, going this way then that. One POW called it "a living river of men that flowed slowly to the west."

"Often, the only water we got was scooping up snow and eating it," said Davis, whose weight dropped to 85-pounds. "We heard the Nazis had ordered us to be executed but other German soldiers thought we Americans would be good bargaining chips when the war was over," he said. "We were constantly kept on the move, marching across Northern Germany, heading toward Norway, when finally on May 5, 1945, Davis and his fellow "prisoners" were freed by advancing forces. "One morning our regular guards disappeared and a farmer comes running up and says, ‘Tanks are coming!' The next thing we saw was an Army sergeant in a Jeep, carrying a 45."

Eventually, they were taken to an Army field hospital, where they showered for the first time in three months. They were examined by medical personnel but when they went to get shots, the medics broke down in tears. The survivors were such skeletons there was no place to stick the needle in the arm. After one day at the hospital, they were shipped to Lucky Strike, a huge tent city in France, where they were fed starch and eggnog to fatten them up. They then traveled by boat for three days before boarding a Liberty Ship to be shipped home. When Davis finally arrived at his home in Springfield, Ohio, he was too weak to carry his barracks bag up the steps and sat down outside. His family found the 21-year-old there.

Davis went on to graduate from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He worked for the Air Force in a missile program and in several successful research and sales positions. He has written books, been featured in a movie, "Before I Forget—The Robert Davis Story," and speaks for the Freedom Committee of Orange County to high school students and civic groups to bring "living history" into the classrooms and instill a sense of patriotism in future generations. For more information on his book, "Before I Forget," visit amazon.com. (Thank You US. Army Air Corps Technical Sergeant Bob Davis for sharing your story. You're an inspiration to us all. My own father also served in the Army Air Corps in World War II—C.M.)

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