- 5 days ago
Why 2nd Lieutenant George Welch took off without orders during the Pearl Harbor attack — and what happened next cost him the nation's highest honor. This World War 2 story reveals how one pilot's defiance changed everything on December 7, 1941.
December 7, 1941. Second Lieutenant George Welch, a 23-year-old fighter pilot, had just finished an all-night poker game at Wheeler Field officers' club. He was still in his formal tuxedo when 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor. Without waiting for orders, Welch called Haleiwa airfield and raced 11 miles at 100 mph under strafing fire. Every regulation said pilots needed authorization before combat. Senior officers ordered him to disperse aircraft and stay grounded.
They were all wrong.
What Welch discovered that morning wasn't about following procedures. It was about fighting back when your country needed you — in a way that contradicted everything the chain of command demanded. While others waited for orders that never came, Welch climbed into his P-40 Warhawk armed with only .30-caliber guns and flew straight into a sky filled with enemy aircraft.
General "Hap" Arnold nominated Welch for the Medal of Honor for what he did tha
December 7, 1941. Second Lieutenant George Welch, a 23-year-old fighter pilot, had just finished an all-night poker game at Wheeler Field officers' club. He was still in his formal tuxedo when 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor. Without waiting for orders, Welch called Haleiwa airfield and raced 11 miles at 100 mph under strafing fire. Every regulation said pilots needed authorization before combat. Senior officers ordered him to disperse aircraft and stay grounded.
They were all wrong.
What Welch discovered that morning wasn't about following procedures. It was about fighting back when your country needed you — in a way that contradicted everything the chain of command demanded. While others waited for orders that never came, Welch climbed into his P-40 Warhawk armed with only .30-caliber guns and flew straight into a sky filled with enemy aircraft.
General "Hap" Arnold nominated Welch for the Medal of Honor for what he did tha
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00:00at 7 51 on the morning of december 7 1941 second lieutenant george welch stumbled out of a chair
00:06at wheeler field officers club still wearing his tuxedo from the night before watching black smoke
00:11rise over pearl harbor as japanese dive bombers screamed overhead 23 years old fresh out of flight
00:18school zero combat experience 353 japanese aircraft had launched from six aircraft carriers
00:25200 miles north of oahu the first wave was already turning american battleships into burning coffins
00:31welch had spent the entire night playing poker he and his best friend second lieutenant ken taylor
00:36had been at a dinner dance at the officers club then joined an all-night card game neither man had
00:42slept both were still in their formal mess dress when the first bombs hit the timing could not have
00:47been worse american commanders had received warnings radar operators at opana point had detected the
00:54incoming japanese formation at 702 that morning they reported a massive blip approaching from the
01:00north a lieutenant dismissed it as a flight of b-17 bombers expected from california by 7 55 the
01:07japanese were over pearl harbor the attack was methodical and devastating japanese pilots had
01:12trained for months specifically for this mission they knew exactly where to strike torpedo bombers came
01:18in low over the water dropping their weapons into battleship row dive bombers targeted the airfields
01:24fighter planes strafed anything that moved at wheeler field where welch and taylor were stationed
01:29the destruction was catastrophic rows of p-40 fighters sat wingtip to wingtip on the tarmac perfect
01:36targets japanese zeros swept across the field in wave after wave their machine guns and cannons tearing
01:42through aluminum and flesh fuel tanks exploded ammunition cooked off in the flames pilots ran for their
01:49aircraft and died before reaching them within the first 15 minutes the united states lost more military
01:55aircraft than in any single engagement in its history 188 planes destroyed another 159 damaged most never left
02:05the ground the human cost was even more staggering sailors trapped below decks on the uss arizona had no
02:13chance when an armor-piercing bomb ignited the forward magazine 1177 men died on that single ship
02:21across pearl harbor bodies floated in the oil-slicked water men burned alive in compartments they could not
02:28escape the screams mixed with the roar of japanese engines overhead 2 403 americans would die that morning
02:36the japanese lost 29 aircraft welch and taylor faced an impossible situation their home base at wheeler
02:44was being destroyed around them the p-40 warhawks assigned to their squadron were either burning or
02:50damaged beyond repair standard procedure called for dispersing aircraft during an attack to prevent
02:56exactly this kind of massacre but there was nothing left to disperse then welch remembered something
03:02their squadron the 47th pursuit had recently moved a handful of p-40s to a small auxiliary airstrip
03:09called haleiwa on the north shore of oahu the planes had been sent there for gunnery practice it was 10
03:16miles away if the japanese had not found it yet those aircraft might still be intact welch ran for a
03:23telephone he called haleiwa and shouted at whoever answered to get two p-40s fueled armed and ready for
03:31takeoff immediately this was not a drill the japanese were attacking taylor sprinted for his car
03:38a new buick he had recently purchased both men were still in their tuxedo trousers neither had slept
03:45neither had orders no commanding officer had told them to fight in fact senior officers at wheeler were
03:52ordering pilots to stay on the ground and disperse the remaining aircraft welch and taylor ignored them
03:58if you want to see whether two sleep deprived pilots in tuxedos could actually fight back
04:03against 300 japanese planes please hit that like button it helps us bring more forgotten stories
04:09like this one to light subscribe if you have not already back to welch taylor floored the buick
04:15the two pilots raced down the kamehameha highway at over 100 miles per hour japanese fighters strafing
04:22the roads around them somewhere ahead two p-40 war hawks were waiting the planes had only their 30
04:29caliber wing guns loaded the 50 caliber nose guns had no ammunition welch did not care he was going up
04:37anyway taylor's buick slid to a stop on the grass at haleiwa fields at approximately 8 15. the auxiliary
04:46airstrip was little more than a dirt runway on oahu's north shore used primarily for target practice no
04:51hangars no control tower just a few wooden buildings and a handful of aircraft parked in the open the
04:58japanese had not found it two p-40b war hawks sat on the flight line engines already running the ground
05:05crew had received welch's frantic telephone call and worked fast they had managed to fuel both aircraft
05:11and load ammunition into the wing mounted 30 caliber machine guns but there had been no time to arm the
05:16primary weapons the 50 caliber guns mounted in the nose cowling remained empty the curtis p-40b war hawk
05:23was not the best fighter in the american arsenal it was slower than the japanese zero less maneuverable
05:29and could not climb as fast the zero could reach 20 000 feet in seven minutes the p-40 needed
05:36more than
05:36ten in a turning fight the zero would win almost every time japanese pilots have been trained to exploit
05:43these advantages ruthlessly but the p-40 had strengths the zero lacked it was heavier with a
05:49more powerful allison v 1710 engine producing over 1 000 horsepower it could die faster than any japanese
05:56fighter and survive punishment that would tear a zero apart the zero had no armor plating and no
06:02self-sealing fuel tanks a single well-placed burst could turn it into a fireball the p-40 could absorb
06:09dozens of hits and keep flying the key was never to fight the zero on its terms never turn with
06:15it
06:15never try to out climb it dive through the formation shoot and keep going use speed and weight as weapons
06:23welch and taylor knew none of this no american pilot had ever fought a zero in combat everything they were
06:30about to learn they would learn in the next few minutes or die the ground crew chief ran toward taylor's
06:36aircraft as the young lieutenant climbed onto the wing the chief shouted that they should disperse the
06:40planes spread them out to avoid destruction it was standard procedure during an air raid protect the
06:46equipment taylor ignored him and dropped into the cockpit welch was already strapping in his p-40 sat at
06:54the end of the grass strip propeller spinning engine rumbling he had not slept in over 24 hours he was
07:01still
07:01wearing his tuxedo trousers from the dance he had no orders no intelligence briefing no idea how many
07:07enemy aircraft were in the sky or where they were he did not even know if the 50 caliber guns
07:13had been
07:13loaded until a crew member shouted that they had not four 30 caliber machine guns that was all he had
07:20against an enemy force that numbered in the hundreds welch pushed the throttle forward the p-40
07:26accelerated down the grass runway tail coming up wheels bouncing over the uneven ground at approximately
07:3360 miles per hour the aircraft lifted off and began climbing toward the smoke rising from pearl harbor
07:39taylor followed seconds later neither pilot had authorization to fly no commanding officer had
07:45approved the mission in the chaos of the attack the chain of command had effectively collapsed senior
07:51officers at wheeler field were still trying to organize a response some were ordering pilots to
07:56stay grounded others were dead welch and taylor made their own decision they would fight the two p-40s
08:03climbed southwest toward the marine corps airfield at eva where thick columns of smoke marked another
08:09japanese target from the cockpit welch could see the scale of the devastation unfolding across oahu
08:16fires burned at hickam field oil slicks spread across pearl harbor some of them aflame battleships
08:22listed and sank and above it all japanese aircraft circled like vultures methodically destroying
08:28everything the united states had built in hawaii welch spotted them first a formation of japanese dive
08:34bombers aichi d3a type 99 aircraft that american pilots would come to call vals was attacking eva the
08:42bombers had already dropped their ordinance and were strafing the field with their forward firing guns
08:46welch counted at least 12 enemy aircraft below him he pushed the stick forward and dove
08:54the p-40 dropped like a stone through the hawaiian sky welch kept the throttle wide open
08:59letting gravity and engine power accelerate him toward the japanese formation below his airspeed
09:05indicator climbed past 300 miles per hour the aircraft began to shake as it approached its structural limits
09:11the japanese pilots never saw him coming welch lined up on the trailing aircraft in the formation
09:17a val dive bomber that had just completed a strafing run on ava field the rear gunner was facing backward
09:23scanning for threats but welch was diving out of the sun by the time the gunner spotted the american
09:29fighter it was too late welch squeezed the trigger four 30 caliber machine guns erupted from the wings
09:35sending streams of tracer fire into the valve's fuselage the japanese bomber staggered smoke pouring
09:41from its engine cowling welch held the trigger down for another two seconds watching his rounds tear
09:47through the aircraft's thin aluminum skin the valve pitched forward and fell toward the ocean welch did
09:52not have time to confirm the kill he was already pulling back on the stick using his diving speed to
09:58climb away from the remaining japanese aircraft his p-40 rocketed upward trading velocity for altitude
10:04putting distance between himself and any zero fighters that might be escorting the bomber formation
10:09taylor had followed welch into the dive he picked out his own target another val that was circling
10:15back for a second strafing pass on ava taylor's burst caught the bomber in the wing root igniting the
10:21fuel tank the aircraft exploded in midair scattering burning debris across the marine airfield below
10:26two down in the first 30 seconds but the japanese recovered quickly a pair of zero fighters spotted the
10:33american p-40s and turned to engage the zeros had been flying top cover for the bomber formation waiting
10:40for exactly this situation their pilots were veterans many with combat experience from the war in china
10:46welch saw them coming two aircraft low and fast climbing toward his position he had maybe 15 seconds
10:53before they reached firing range he remembered the p-40s one advantage it could dive faster than anything the
10:59japanese had in a straight vertical plunge no zero could follow without ripping its wings off welch rolled
11:06inverted and pulled the nose down the horizon spun crazily as his p-40 entered a near vertical dive the
11:13zeros tried to follow but their lighter airframes could not handle the stress they pulled out circling
11:19waiting for the american to level off welch kept diving until he was barely a thousand feet above
11:25the water then he pulled out hard the g-forces pressing him into his seat and leveled off just
11:31above the waves the zeros were still high above him repositioning for another attack he spotted another
11:37formation of valves ahead heading back toward their carriers they had expended their bombs and were
11:42withdrawing easy targets welch pushed the throttle forward and closed the distance he came up behind the
11:49trailing bomber steadied his aim and fired the 30 caliber rounds punched through the valve's tail section
11:55killing the rear gunner and severing the control cables the bomber spiraled down and crashed into the
12:01sea three kills all before nine in the morning but welch's ammunition was running low each 30 caliber gun
12:08carried only 280 rounds at a cyclic rate of over 1 000 rounds per minute he had perhaps 20 seconds
12:16of
12:16total trigger time remaining he needed to re-arm taylor was in the same situation both pilots turned north
12:23and headed back toward haleiwa the auxiliary field was still untouched the ground crews still working
12:28they could reload refuel and get back into the fight the flight back took less than 10 minutes welch
12:35landed first his p-40 bouncing hard on the grass strip taylor followed close behind ground crews swarmed
12:42both aircraft checking for damage refilling ammunition belts topping off fuel tanks welch climbed out of the
12:49cockpit to inspect his plane he found three bullet holes in the fuselage a japanese rear gunner had scored
12:55hits during one of his attack runs the rounds had passed through the aluminum skin without striking anything
13:01critical he had not even noticed a crew chief approached with news wheeler field had been hit again the second
13:09wave of
13:10japanese aircraft was arriving more bombers more fighters more destruction welch looked at taylor neither
13:18man hesitated they climbed back into their cockpits the second wave of japanese aircraft arrived over oahu at
13:268 50 in the morning 171 planes from the same six carriers that had launched the first attack more zeros
13:34more
13:34vals more nakajima b5n torpedo bombers that americans would call kates the assault was far from over welch and
13:44taylor took off from haleiwa for the second time just as the new wave appeared on the horizon their p
13:49-40s
13:50climbed toward wheeler field where the japanese were concentrating their follow-up strikes smoke from the
13:55first attack still hung over the base like a funeral shroud they were not entirely alone anymore across oahu a
14:03handful of other american pilots had managed to get airborne second lieutenants harry brown and robert
14:09rogers found operational p-36 hawks at haleiwa and joined the fight lieutenant philip rasmussen took
14:16off from wheeler in a p-36 still wearing his pajamas lieutenant gordon sterling launched in another p-36
14:23and was shot down almost immediately crashing near haleiwa he survived in total fewer than a dozen american
14:31fighters would get into the air during the entire two-hour attack most were obsolete p-36 hawks armed
14:38with only rifle caliber machine guns welch and taylor in their p-40b war hawks had the most capable aircraft
14:45of the group the two pilots climbed toward wheeler and found chaos japanese aircraft filled the sky above
14:52the burning base zeros strafed the hangars while vals dove on the remaining parked aircraft american
14:59anti-aircraft gunners fired wildly at anything overhead unable to distinguish friend from foe in
15:05the smoke and confusion welch spotted a formation of enemy fighters circling above the field he counted
15:12at least 15 aircraft odds of roughly eight to one he attacked anyway the p-40 dove through the japanese
15:19formation with guns blazing welch picked out a zero that had separated from the group and closed to within
15:25a hundred yards before firing his 30 caliber rounds walked across the japanese fighter's fuselage and
15:31into the cockpit the zero rolled slowly onto its back and fell away trailing smoke four confirmed kills
15:39now all in a single morning but the japanese pilots had spotted him multiple zeros turned to pursue the
15:45lone american fighter welch jinked hard left then right trying to throw off their aim tracers flashed past
15:52his canopy he could hear rounds striking his aircraft punching through metal taylor dove in to help
15:58his friend he came in behind one of the pursuing zeros and fired a long burst the japanese fighter
16:05erupted in flames its unprotected fuel tanks igniting instantly taylor pulled up and looked for another
16:11target he found one directly behind him a zero had latched onto taylor's tail during his attack run
16:17the japanese pilot opened fire at close range his 20 millimeter cannons and twin machine guns hammering
16:24the american p-40 rounds tore through taylor's fuselage his wings his cockpit shrapnel sliced into his left
16:31arm and leg taylor was wounded bleeding into his flight suit but still flying he threw his aircraft into a
16:38violent series of maneuvers trying to shake the zero the japanese pilot stayed with him firing in short bursts
16:45methodically destroying the american fighter piece by piece welch saw what was happening he abandoned
16:52his own engagement and dove toward taylor's pursuer the zero pilot was so focused on his target that he
16:59never saw welch approaching from above welch lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger the zero
17:05disintegrated under the concentrated fire from four machine guns burning wreckage scattered across the sky
17:12taylor was saved but his aircraft was badly damaged and he was losing blood he turned toward wheeler field
17:19hoping to land before his wounds or his aircraft failed completely welch followed covering his friend's retreat
17:26on the ground at wheeler senior officers watched the 2p-40s descend through the smoke most american commanders
17:32still had no clear picture of what was happening in the sky above them communications were down radar stations had
17:38been destroyed
17:39the chain of command existed only on paper but someone had noticed that two pilots were fighting back
17:45and someone had noticed they had done so without orders
17:50the japanese pilots had not expected resistance their intelligence briefings before the attack indicated
17:57that american forces in hawaii would be caught completely off guard the raids on the airfields were
18:02supposed to destroy american aircraft on the ground before they could launch the skies over pearl harbor
18:08were supposed to belong exclusively to japan instead they were taking losses japanese flight leaders
18:15reported the presence of american fighters over their radio circuits the reports were fragmented and
18:21confused some pilots claimed to have seen p-40s diving through their formations others reported p-36 hawks
18:28attacking from unexpected angles the numbers were small perhaps 10 or 12 american aircraft in total
18:35but they were causing problems lieutenant commander shigeru itaya leading the first wave's fighter escort
18:42had trained his zero pilots for exactly this scenario they had rehearsed dog fighting techniques against
18:48simulated american fighters for months the standard japanese tactic was simple draw the enemy into a turning
18:55fight use the zero's superior maneuverability to get on his tail and shoot him down but the american
19:01pilots over oahu refused to cooperate they dove through formations fired quick bursts and escaped before the
19:08zeros could respond they used their heavier aircraft as weapons trading altitude for speed in slashing
19:15attacks that japanese fighters could not follow itaya ordered his pilots to adapt stop chasing the americans in
19:22vertical dives set traps instead let some zeros act as bait while others waited above to pounce when
19:29the americans pulled up from their attacks the new tactics worked against some of the american pilots
19:35second lieutenant john danes took off from wheeler in a p-40 and was shot down almost immediately killed
19:41before he could score a single victory lieutenant malcolm cummings launched from bellows field and lasted less
19:48than three minutes against the zeros that found him but welch and taylor kept surviving at wheeler field
19:54the two pilots landed their damaged aircraft amid scenes of total destruction hangars burned wrecked p-40s
20:01littered the tarmac bodies lay where they had fallen medical personnel ran between casualties trying to
20:07save men with catastrophic injuries ground crews rushed to welch's aircraft it had taken multiple hits
20:14during the second engagement hydraulic fluid leaked from a severed line the tail section showed damage
20:20from a 20 millimeter cannon round that had passed completely through without exploding another few
20:26inches and it would have killed him taylor's condition was worse his p-40 looked like it had been through
20:32a shredder the ground crew counted over a dozen holes in the fuselage alone taylor himself was bleeding
20:38badly from his arm and leg wounds a flight surgeon told him to go to the hospital immediately taylor refused
20:45he sat on the wing of his shattered aircraft while medics bandaged his wounds someone brought ammunition
20:52someone else found fuel the crew worked frantically to make the p-40 flyable again ignoring the fires
20:59burning around them ignoring the japanese aircraft still circling overhead senior officers at wheeler were
21:05trying to establish some kind of command structure most of the base's communications equipment had been
21:11destroyed in the initial attack contact with pearl harbor was intermittent at best nobody knew the full
21:18scope of the japanese assault or whether more ways were coming one officer approached welch and taylor as
21:24they prepared for a third sortie he demanded to know who had authorized their flights where were their orders
21:30what squadron commander had approved this mission welch told him there had been no orders he and taylor had
21:37acted on their own initiative they had seen the enemy attacking and decided to fight back the officer
21:43was not satisfied regulations required authorization before combat operations flying without orders violated
21:50the chain of command there would be questions afterward investigations possibly disciplinary action
21:56then the air raid sirens started screaming again a formation of 15 val dive bombers had appeared over
22:02wheeler beginning their attack runs on the few remaining operational aircraft behind them zero fighters
22:08swept in low to strafe the flight line welch looked at the officer the officer stepped aside both pilots
22:14sprinted for their cockpits welch's third takeoff of the morning was the most dangerous japanese aircraft
22:22were directly overhead when his wheels left the ground a val dive bomber had just released its payload and
22:29was pulling up less than 500 feet above the wheeler runway welch climbed straight toward it the val pilot
22:35saw the american fighter rising to meet him and tried to turn away too late welch closed the distance in
22:42seconds his p40 superior speed eating up the gap between them he fired a short burst from 50 yards the
22:49rounds
22:50punched through the bomber's engine cowling and into the fuel tank behind the firewall the val exploded
22:55directly above wheeler field burning debris rained down onto the tarmac scattering the ground crews who
23:01had just finished rearming welch's aircraft taylor was airborne moments later his wounds still seeping
23:08through the bandages wrapped around his arm he had lost enough blood to make most men pass out he flew
23:14anyway climbing through the smoke and chaos to rejoin his friend the sky above wheeler had become a
23:20swirling melee of aircraft japanese bombers dove on targets while zero circled above looking for american
23:26fighters anti-aircraft guns fired continuously filling the air with black puffs of exploding shells
23:34some of those shells came dangerously close to welch and taylor the american gunners unable to
23:39distinguish friendly aircraft in the confusion welch spotted a zero making a strafing run on the wheeler
23:44flight line the japanese pilot was focused on the ground targets his aircraft low and slow vulnerable
23:51welch dove from above and behind the classic attack angle he squeezed the trigger and held it down
23:58nothing happened his ammunition was exhausted four machine guns over a thousand rounds total all gone
24:05he had been fighting for nearly two hours straight and he had nothing left to shoot welch pulled up and
24:11away from the zero hoping the japanese pilot had not noticed his failed attack the zero continued its
24:17strafing run oblivious but welch was now defenseless in a sky full of enemy fighters taylor still had ammunition
24:24he spotted a valve that had separated from its formation and was heading back toward the ocean probably
24:31returning to its carrier he gave chase pushing his damaged p40 to its limits the valve's rear gunner
24:38opened fire tracers streaming past taylor's canopy taylor held his course and fired back his rounds found
24:45the target the valve's right wing folded upward torn from the fuselage by the concentrated fire the bomber
24:52spiraled down and hit the water three miles offshore by 9 45 in the morning the japanese attack was
25:00ending flight leaders across the strike force were giving the order to withdraw fuel was running low
25:06ammunition was depleted the element of surprise had long since vanished continuing the assault meant
25:13increasing losses for diminishing returns the last japanese aircraft turned north and headed back toward the
25:19carrier fleet waiting 200 miles away behind them oahu burned welch and taylor landed at
25:26wheeler for the final time that morning their aircraft were barely flyable taylor's p-40 had accumulated
25:33so much damage that mechanics later declared it beyond repair welch's was in slightly better condition
25:39but would need weeks of work before it could fly again both pilots climbed out of their cockpits and
25:45stood on the smoking tarmac surrounded by destruction the base that had been their home for months
25:51was unrecognizable hangars collapsed fuel tanks burned aircraft lay in twisted heaps where japanese
25:58bombs had found them the human cost would take days to fully calculate at wheeler alone 37 men were dead
26:06and 53 wounded across all of oahu the numbers were catastrophic the navy had lost more men in two hours
26:14than in all previous american wars combined but in the midst of the devastation something remarkable
26:21had happened two young pilots without orders without sleep without adequate weapons had fought back
26:28george welch had confirmed four enemy aircraft destroyed ken taylor had matched him with four of his
26:33own together they accounted for more than a quarter of all japanese losses that day word of their actions
26:40spread quickly through what remained of the command structure by afternoon someone was writing up the
26:45paperwork for medals the recommendation for the medal of honor reached general henry arnold's desk within
26:53days of the attack arnold commanding general of the united states army air forces read the reports from
26:59hawaii with growing admiration two second lieutenants barely out of flight training had taken on the entire
27:06japanese strike force with nothing but initiative and courage arnold approved the nomination personally
27:13george welch and kenneth taylor would receive the nation's highest military decoration for their
27:18actions on december 7th the paperwork moved up the chain of command toward the final authorization
27:23that would make it official then someone objected the details of that objection remain partially obscured by
27:30time and bureaucratic secrecy what is known is that an officer in the chain of command
27:36refused to endorse the medal of honor recommendation the reason cited was simple and devastating welch and
27:43taylor had taken off without orders they had violated regulations they had acted outside the established
27:49chain of command it did not matter that their actions had been heroic it did not matter that they
27:54had shot down eight enemy aircraft between them it did not matter that they had fought against odds of more
28:00than thirty to one what mattered to this particular officer was that they had done so without authorization
28:07the medal of honor nomination was downgraded instead welch and taylor would receive the distinguished service
28:13cross the second highest award for valor in the united states army it was an extraordinary honor by any
28:19measure fewer than a hundred had been awarded in all of world war one but it was not the medal
28:25of honor
28:25the announcement came in early 1942 both pilots were flown to washington for a ceremony at the white house
28:32president franklin roosevelt personally presented the distinguished service cross to george welch shaking
28:38his hand and thanking him for his service newspapers across the country ran photographs of the young pilot
28:44meeting the commander-in-chief welch became famous overnight his face appeared on recruiting posters
28:51he gave speeches at war bond rallies general mills put his photograph on boxes of weedy cereal making
28:58him the first military officer to receive that particular honor he was 23 years old a national hero and officially
29:07credited with four aerial victories but the medal of honor question would follow him for the rest of his life
29:15the citation for his distinguished service cross ran three times longer than most medal of honor citations
29:21from pearl harbor military historians who later reviewed the case expressed puzzlement at the decision
29:28how could acting without orders disqualify a man from recognition when those actions had been so
29:34clearly correct the answer lay in the nature of military bureaucracy the chain of command existed for
29:41reasons orders came from above because officers above had access to information that those below did not
29:49act acting without authorization even successfully set a dangerous precedent
29:55if every soldier decided for himself when to fight military discipline would collapse
30:01it was a reasonable argument in principle in the specific case of december 7 1941 it was absurd
30:09the chain of command at pearl harbor had been shattered by the japanese attack
30:13senior officers had no better information than junior ones the correct decision was obvious to anyone with eyes
30:21the enemy was attacking american forces should fight back welch and taylor had done what any warrior should
30:29do they had seen the threat and responded they had not waited for permission to defend their country
30:36taylor recovered from his wounds and continued flying combat missions in the pacific
30:41he eventually rose to the rank of brigadier general serving 27 years on active duty before retiring in 1971
30:49he received the purple heart for his injuries on december 7th along with numerous other decorations
30:54throughout his career welch took a different path after the pearl harbor ceremony he was assigned to the
31:00eighth fighter group in new guinea flying the notoriously unreliable bell p-39 era cobra he hated the aircraft
31:08but kept scoring victories anyway exactly one year after pearl harbor on december 7th 1942
31:16welch shot down three more japanese aircraft over new guinea his war was far from over
31:23george welch finished world war ii with 16 confirmed aerial victories making him a triple ace he flew 348 combat
31:33missions across the pacific surviving malaria mechanical failures and countless engagements with japanese
31:39fighters by 1944 he held the rank of major and had earned the silver star the distinguished flying cross
31:46with two oak leaf clusters and the air medal with one oak leaf cluster then he resigned his commission
31:52and became a test pilot north american aviation hired welch in the spring of 1944 recognizing that his combat
32:00experience and natural flying ability made him perfect for pushing experimental aircraft to their
32:05limits he spent the next decade testing some of the most advanced fighters ever built including the
32:11prototype that would become the legendary f-86 saber in october 1947 welch found himself at the center of
32:18another controversy involving unauthorized action he was flying the xp-86 prototype at muroc army airfield the
32:25same base where air force captain chuck yeager was preparing to break the sound barrier in the rocket
32:30powered bell x1 north american had received strict orders from the secretary of the air force under no
32:37circumstances was welch to exceed mach 1 before the x-1 achieved that milestone witnesses on the ground
32:43reported hearing sonic booms over the mojave desert on october 1st 1947 yeager's official supersonic flight did
32:51not occur until october 14th aviation historians have debated for decades whether george welch
32:57actually broke the sound barrier two weeks before yeager once again defying orders to do what he believed
33:02was right the evidence remains inconclusive what is certain is that welch continued testing high
33:09performance aircraft for north american throughout the early 1950s he flew the f-86 saber in combat
33:15demonstrations during the korean war reportedly shooting down several mig-15s while officially
33:21serving only as an instructor those kills were credited to his students because welch had been
33:26ordered not to engage he never followed that order either on october 12 1954 george welch climbed into
33:35the cockpit of an f-100a super saber for a routine test flight over the mojave desert the aircraft was
33:41designed to be the air force's first operational supersonic fighter capable of exceeding mach 1 in
33:47level flight welch had already taken it past mach 1.5 in previous tests at 45 000 feet he pushed
33:55the f-100
33:56into a 7g pullout from a steep dive the aircraft was traveling at mach 1.55 when it disintegrated welch
34:04ejected but sustained fatal injuries he was found still strapped to his ejection seat in the dry lake bed
34:10north of los angeles medical personnel evacuated him by helicopter but he was pronounced dead upon
34:16arrival at the hospital he was 36 years old george welch is buried at arlington national cemetery in
34:23virginia among the heroes of every american war his headstone lists his rank as major and his decorations
34:29as the distinguished service cross and silver star it does not mention the medal of honor he was denied
34:36ken taylor lived until 2006 passing away in tucson arizona at the age of 86 he never stopped believing
34:44that his friend deserved the nation's highest honor in 2024 students at major george s welch elementary
34:51school at dover air force base in delaware petitioned congress to posthumously award welch the medal of
34:56honor the petition remains under consideration the p-40 war hawk that welch flew on december 7 1941 did not
35:04survive the war but examples of the aircraft are preserved at aviation museums around the world
35:10including the pearl harbor aviation museum on ford island where visitors can stand on the same ground
35:16where the attack occurred and remember the men who fought back if this story moved you the way it
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35:34from dusty archives every single day stories about pilots who fought back with nothing but courage and
35:40initiative real people real heroism drop a comment right now and tell us where you are watching from
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36:00tell us if someone in your family served just let us know you are here thank you for watching and
36:06thank
36:06you for making sure george welch does not disappear into silence he never got his medal of honor but he
36:13never stopped fighting and neither should we
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