Paul Bernard Wurtsmith | |
|---|---|
 Major General Paul B. Wurtsmith | |
| Nickname(s) | Squeeze |
| Born | 9 August 1906 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | 13 September 1946 (aged 40) Cold Mountain, North Carolina |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1928–1946 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Commands | 17th Pursuit Squadron 41st Pursuit Squadron 49th Pursuit Group V Fighter Command Thirteenth Air Force Eighth Air Force |
| Battles / wars | World War II: |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal (2)[1] Silver Star[2] Distinguished Flying Cross[2] Air Medal[2] Commander of the Order of the British Empire[1] |
Paul Bernard Wurtsmith (9 August 1906 – 13 September 1946) was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II.
Enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps as a flying cadet in 1927, Wurtsmith was commissioned in 1928. Over the next 13 years, he served in instructional and command positions. He took over command of the 49th Pursuit Group in December 1941 and between March 1942 and January 1943, his fighters downed 78 enemy aircraft in the defense of Darwin in northern Australia, against Japanese air attacks. In 1943 he assumed command of the V Fighter Command, part of Major General George Kenney's Fifth Air Force. In 1945, he commanded the Thirteenth Air Force in the Southern Philippines and Borneo campaigns. After the war Wurtsmith served with the Strategic Air Command.
Wurtsmith was killed when his North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber crashed near the summit of Cold Mountain near Asheville, North Carolina, on 13 September 1946. In February 1953, the United States Air Force named Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda Township, Michigan, in his honor.