Davis joined the United States Army on March 17, 1941. He later volunteered for the Army Air Corps in July 1942, and was appointed an aviation cadet. He received his flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Alabama, becoming the first African American from Omaha to graduate and earn his wings. Davis graduated in Class SE-43-C on March 25, 1943, and was assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group. He was later the 332nd’s Assistant Group Operations Officer.[3] The 332d was an all African American unit, known as the "Red Tails" because of their group’s distinctive identification colors.[4] He achieved the rank of captain, flying the P-39, P-47 and P-51 Mustang escort fighters.
Davis’ last assignment was the squadron commander of the 99th Pursuit Squadron. During the war, the 99th destroyed 83 German aircraft. While on a reconnaissance mission to Munich, Germany, on October 29, 1944, flying P-51D-10-NA #44-14465, Davis was last sighted at 1245 hours over the northern Adriatic Sea in overcast weather conditions at approximately 45°22'59"N 13°9'59"E; he never returned to base. A Missing Air Crew Report (#9586) was produced, and the War Department later issued a presumptive finding of death while missing in action on October 30, 1945.[3] Davis is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.[5]
The Alfonza W. Davis Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen was founded in Omaha in 1988 to conduct historical research and document the "pioneering men and women in military aviation, who served our country, fighting two wars—one against enemy military forces and the other against racism at home and abroad."[4] In 2013, Omaha Public Schools named their newest middle school, located at 8050 North 129th Avenue (near 132nd and State Streets), after him.
^The Tuskegee Airmen became known for flying their P-51 aircraft with distinctive markings that included red bands on the nose and propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.[2]
