[Paul S. Bechtel oral history interview (Part 1 of 2)]

Audio recording of an oral history with fighter ace Paul S. Bechtel, circa 1980s-1990s. Microcassette 1 of 2.

Abstract from transcript: In this two-part oral history, fighter ace Paul S. Bechtel discusses his military service with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. In part one, he describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his training with the 31st Pursuit Group and his time with the 12th Pursuit Group in the Pacific Theater. He focuses in particular on two stories from his service: an emergency landing he made in a Seversky P-35 while training at Camp Steel (Michigan) and a combat mission over Munda Airfield on December 24, 1942.

Bechtel recorded this oral history at the request of historian Eric M. Hammel for his "The American Aces Speak" book series.

Paul S. Bechtel was a fighter ace who served with the U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force. He was born on March 4, 1917 in Goodland, Kansas. He attended the University of Wyoming and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. In 1939, Bechtel enlisted in the Army Air Corps and entered flight training, which he completed the following year. He was initially assigned to the 31st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field (Michigan) and was later transferred to the 12th Pursuit Squadron, 50th Pursuit Group, for deployment to the Pacific Theater in early 1942. Bechtel participated in the Solomon Islands Campaign and flew missions over Guadalcanal, the Russell Islands, Bougainville, and other areas in the Southwest Pacific. He also served as commander of the 12th and as an operations office with XIII Fighter Command.

After World War II, Bechtel remained in military service and went on to command a reconnaissance squadron during the Korean War. Other assignments included serving with the Air Force Research and Development Command (ARDC) and the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). Bechtel retired as a colonel in 1963.