World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseBenjamin Oliver Davis, Sr. was born in Washington, DC, United States. On 13 Jul 1898, while being a student at Howard University, he enlisted in the US Army as a temporary first lieutenant of the 8th United States Volunteer Infantry. On 18 Jun 1899m he became a private in the US Army 9th Cavalry Regiment, which was one of the original Buffalo Soldier regiments. 2 Feb 1901, he became a second lieutenant in the cavalry. On 30 Mar 1905, he reached the rank of first lieutenant, followed by captain on 24 Dec 1915. On 5 Aug 1917 and 1 May 1918, he was promoted to the war time ranks of captain and lieutenant colonel, respectively, during WW1; after the war, he reached those ranks on 14 Oct 1919 and 1 Jul 1920, respectively. On 18 Feb 1930, he was promoted the rank of colonel. On 25 Oct 1940, he was given the temporary rank of brigadier general, becoming the first African-American general in the United States Army. Although he retired on 31 Jul 1941, he was recalled to active duty on the following day as the threat of war loomed on the horizon for the United States. He contributed greatly to the use of African-American units during the European War, which was a small, but critical, step in the eventual desegregation of African-American troops in the US Army. For WW2 service, he received the award of Croix de Guerre from France and a Bronze Star and Distinguished Service Medal from the US Army. The citation to his Distinguished Service Medal, dated 11 Feb 1945, reads as follows:

ww2dbaseDavis made his final retirement from the US Army on 14 Jul 1948. He passed away in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 93. His son, Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., was a combat pilot of the famed Tuskegee group in the US Army and fought in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.

Photographs

Benjamin Davis, Sr. Timeline

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