George Welch (pilot)

George Welch
Birth nameGeorge Lewis Schwartz, Jr.
Born(1918-05-10)May 10, 1918
Wawaset Park, Wilmington, Delaware, US
DiedOctober 12, 1954(1954-10-12) (aged 36)
Palmdale, California, US
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Forces
Years of service1939–1944
RankMajor
Unit47th Fighter Squadron
36th Fighter Squadron
80th Fighter Squadron
Battles/wars
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
Air Medal (2)
Other workTest pilot
Senator James H. Hughes (D-del.); Mrs. Hughes; Mrs. Julia Welch Schwartz and Mr. George L. Schwartz, Welch's parents; and Lieutenant Welch shaking hands with President Roosevelt, 1942

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