George Welch (pilot)

George Schwartz Welch was born George Lewis Schwartz, Jr. to George Lewis Schwartz, Sr. (November 15, 1887 – May 30, 1972) and Julia Ann Welch (April 29, 1891 – May 21, 1974), but his parents changed his name to avoid the anti-German sentiment that stemmed from World War I.

His father was a senior research chemist for Dupont Experimental Test Station at Wilmington, Delaware.

George Schwartz Welch (May 10, 1918 – October 12, 1954) was a World War II flying ace, a Medal of Honor nominee, and an experimental aircraft pilot after the war.

Welch is best known for having been one of the few United States Army Air Corps fighter pilots able to get airborne to engage Japanese forces in the attack on Pearl Harbor and for his work as a test pilot.

He had a younger brother named Dehn Schwartz Welch (March 31, 1920 – November 1, 1999) who served with the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945.

He attended St. Andrew's School (1936).

After Pearl Harbor, Welch returned to the continental United States to give war bond speeches until being assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron of the 8th Fighter Group in New Guinea.

When Welch inquired as to when his squadron (the 36th FS) would receive Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, he was told, "When we run out of P-39s."

He completed three years of a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue University, before joining the Army Air Corps in 1939.

While attending Purdue, he was initiated as a brother of Delta Upsilon.

USAAC flight training schools that he attended included: Brooks Field, Kelly Field and Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, as well as Hamilton Field in Novato, California.

After receiving his wings and commission in January 1941, Welch was posted to the 47th Pursuit Squadron, 15th Pursuit Group, at Wheeler Field, Oahu, Hawaii in February 1941.

At dawn on December 7, 1941, 2nd Lieutenant Welch and another pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Kenneth M. Taylor, were coming back from a Christmas dinner and dance party at a rooftop hotel in Waikiki, that ended in an all-night poker game.

They were still wearing mess dress when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Welch telephoned the auxiliary Haleiwa Fighter Strip on Oahu's North Shore to have two Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk fighters prepared for takeoff.

Taylor immediately drove his Buick at high speed to Haleiwa to join the air battle.

While climbing into their P-40s, the crew chiefs informed them that they should disperse their planes.

"To hell with that", Welch said.

Taking off with only .30-cal ammunition in the wing guns, Welch claimed two kills of Aichi D3A Val dive bombers over Ewa Mooring Mast Field.

The first Japanese aircraft was only damaged and made it back to its carrier, while the second was finished off by Ken Taylor, shortly before he landed at Wheeler Field to get .50-cal ammo for his two cowl guns.

On his second sortie, Welch shot down a Val (which was behind Ken Taylor, and crashed in the community of Wahiawa) then one Mitsubishi Zero fighter about 5 miles west of Barbers Point.

Both Welch and Taylor were nominated for the Medal of Honor by General Henry H. Arnold, but were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest US Army medal for valor, for their actions.

Despite his aerial victories on December 7, 1941, Welch was dissatisfied with flying the poorly performing Bell P-39 Airacobra.

Welch shot down a Zero and two Aichi D3A “Val” dive bombers on December 7, 1942, the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

When asked by a journalist what aspect of the P-39 he liked, then seven-victory ace George Welch said, "Well, it's got 1200 pounds of Allison armor plate."

This was a reference to the center-mounted engine (i.e.: behind the cockpit) rather than to actual armor plating.

Between June 21 and September 2, 1943, flying a P-38H, Welch shot down nine more Japanese aircraft: two Zeros, three Ki-61 Tonys, three Ki-43 Oscars, and one Ki-46 Dinah.

Welch flew three combat tours (a total of 348 combat missions with 16 confirmed victories, all achieved in multiples) before malaria brought an end to his time in combat.

Welch resigned from the United States Army Air Forces as a major in 1944, and became a test pilot for North American Aviation.

In the spring of 1944, Welch was approached by North American Aviation to become a company test pilot.

With the recommendation of General Arnold, Welch resigned his commission in the United States Army Air Forces and accepted the job; his rank was as a major in the Air Reserve 13 November 1944 to 1 April 1953.

He went on to fly the prototypes of the Navy's North American FJ-1 and later the Army Air Forces' XP-86.

North American originally proposed a straight-wing version of the XP-86 and the Army Air Forces accepted this on May 1, 1945.

On November 1, North American, with the aid of captured German technology, proposed and was given permission for a major redesign of the XP-86 to a 35-degree, swept-wing configuration.

This was new technology and the USA's first high-speed, swept-wing airplane and a significant advance over Republic Aviation's XP-84.

Welch was chosen as chief test pilot for the project.

In September 1947, the first of three XP-86 prototypes (AAF Ser. No. 45-59597) was moved from North American's Mines Field (later Los Angeles International Airport) to the Muroc North Base test facility (now Edwards AFB), the same base at which the Bell X-1 was being tested.

The maiden flight of the XP-86 was on October 1, 1947, flown by Welch.

After about a 30-minute flight, Welch lowered the flaps and gear to land.

He repeatedly appealed to be assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron (which flew P-38s) until he was granted a transfer.