Paul Wurtsmith Military person

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 B-25 Mitchell crashed into a 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.

Personal facts

Birth date	August 09, 1906
Birth place	Detroit
Date of death	September 13, 1946
Place of death	Asheville North Carolina
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery

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Military person

award	Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army) Silver Star Air Medal Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
military operations	World War II Borneo campaign (1945) Philippines Campaign (1944–45) Air raids on Australia 1942–43 New Guinea campaign
military command	Thirteenth Air Force Eighth Air Force 41st Pursuit Squadron 17th Pursuit Squadron 49th Pursuit Group V Fighter Command
service start	1928
service end	1946