Harrison Thyng

Harrison R. Thyng
Harrison R. Thyng
	Brigadier General
Unit	31st Fighter Group; 413th Fighter Group; 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing
Battles/wars	World War II; Korean War
Awards	Silver Star (3); Legion of Merit (2); Distinguished Flying Cross (5); Air Medal (33); Purple Heart
Other work	US Senate candidate from New Hampshire

Brigadier General Harrison Reed Thyng (April 12, 1918 – September 24, 1983) was a fighter pilot and a general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He is notable as one of only six USAF fighter pilots to be recognized as an ace in two wars. On retiring from the military, Thyng became a New Hampshire candidate to the United States Senate.

Early life

Born in Laconia, New Hampshire, the second of two sons of Herbert and Elizabeth Thyng, "Harry" Thyng was raised in Barnstead. He was educated in a rural school system, attending a "one-room" school through the 8th Grade, then attending Pittsfield High School. He was an avid athlete, participating in football, baseball and track, in all of which he lettered, and graduated in 1935.

Thyng obtained a

Selfridge Field, Michigan

.

The personnel of the 1st Pursuit Group provided cadre and instructors for new pursuit groups being mobilized by the

Bell P-39 Airacobra. On October 10 he was transferred to the 41st Pursuit Squadron of the newly activated 31st Pursuit Group

, then promoted to 1st lieutenant on November 1, 1941.

World War II

Operations in Europe

After the United States entered the war, several squadrons of the 35th Pursuit Group in the Philippines became total losses in combat and the newly trained squadrons of the 31st PG, including the 41st PS, were detached on January 15, 1942, to form the core of a new 35th Group and moved to the West Coast for immediate deployment to the Pacific. The U.S. Army Air Forces then created three new squadrons to become the flying units of the 31st fighting Group On January 30, 1942,

drop tanks

, for which the P-39 was found to be unsuitable.

The headquarters and ground echelon of the 309th FS shipped out to England on June 4, 1942, aboard

RAF Biggin Hill, a fighter sweep near Saint-Omer

, France, that resulted in the loss of one 31st FG Spitfire.

Thyng's 309th FS was relocated twice, first to RAF Warmwell, Dorset, in late July, and then to RAF Westhampnett, Sussex, on August 4, where it became operational, flying its first operational mission the next day. Its scheduled missions were "Rodeos", feints to decoy German fighter opposition, and convoy escorts, but on August 9 Major Thyng and a wingman flew a defensive patrol over the English Channel in which Thyng claimed a Junkers Ju 88 damaged, the first claim by a U.S. fighter during the war. His personal aircraft was a Spitfire V he nicknamed Mary & James after his wife and son, bearing the squadron identification codes WZ—A.

On August 19, 1942, the 31st Fighter Group flew eleven missions and 123

Dieppe, France. There it encountered its first opposition from Luftwaffe fighters and recorded its first kills. Thyng was granted a "probable" kill of an Fw 190 and was awarded the Silver Star

for flying top cover for a rescue mission of a downed 31st FG pilot.

On August 20 the 309th FS conducted the first American escort mission for U.S.

Douglas A-20 light bombers at the beginning of September, and then stood down from operations except for defensive reactions until a final escort mission on October 2, its last before transferring to the Twelfth Air Force

.

On October 26, 1942, the 31st shipped its Spitfires by sea to Gibraltar, to provide air support for Operation Torch as part of the Twelfth Air Force.

North African combat

The advanced command post of the Twelfth Air Force ordered two squadrons of the 31st Fighter Group to fly into Tafaraoui Airfield near

Vichy French Dewoitine D.520

fighters. A 309th Spitfire was shot down and its pilot killed. Major Thyng and two other 31st FG pilots counter-attacked and shot down three of the four D.520's. (USAF Historical Study No. 105, Air Phase of the North African Invasion, November 1942, Thomas J. Mayock)

The 31st deployed to a forward base at

armored forces during the battle and was shot down twice, once by British anti-aircraft fire

. Suffering a broken ankle during his recovery from the shoot down by the latter, Thyng continued flying with the aid of a sling rigged by his crew chief to enable him to operate the Spitfire's rudder.

Thyng officially was credited with shooting down 4 Bf 109 fighters while commanding the 309th to be recognized as an ace on May 6, 1943. Thyng, promoted to lieutenant colonel in February, moved up to second-in-command of the 31st Fighter Group on May 12, 1943, and continued operations until wounded in action. Lt. Col. Thyng officially was credited with 162 combat sorties and 5 planes destroyed. Although many unofficial accounts credit him with as many as eight kills, including an Italian fighter, only five are recognized officially by the Air Force (USAF Historical Study No. 85, USAF Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II, Wesley P. Newton et al.).

Duty in the Central Pacific

Thyng was promoted to full colonel at the age of 26 and returned to the United States, where on November 1, 1944, he was made commander of the

B-29 bombers of the Twentieth Air Force

.

On May 19, 1945, the group deployed to the Pacific. It conducted several

Ie Shima in June. The group engaged in dive-bombing and strafing attacks on factories, radar stations, airfields, small ships, and other targets in Japan, and made several attacks on shipping and airfields in China during July. Thyng's group flew its sole B-29 escort mission on August 8, 1945, to Yawata

, Japan.

Col. Thyng is credited with 22 sorties but despite some accounts asserting that he shot down one of the 16 Japanese aircraft credited to his group, he was not awarded any kills in this theater and the credit is likely based on submission of a "probable". Col. Thyng remained in command of the 413th FG until October 14, 1945.

USAF career

Col. Thyng was granted a commission in the

Regular Army in 1946 and in the United States Air Force on September 18, 1947, when that service became an independent arm. From September 1947 through May 1950, he served as an instructor for the Air National Guard and was instrumental in the founding of the Air Guard in the states of Maine, Vermont, and his home state of New Hampshire

.

On June 15, 1950, Col. Thyng was named commander of the 33rd Fighter-Interceptor Group, flying

Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts

, and moved up to command its parent 33rd Fighter-Interceptor Wing in April 1951.

Korean War duty

Thyng deployed to

communist

forces.

His first severe test as commander came in January 1952 when the activation of a second F-86 wing resulted in a serious shortage of fuel wing tanks and replacement parts, dropping in-commission rates to 55%. Thyng, going over the heads of the

chain of command, warned USAF Chief of Staff General Hoyt Vandenberg

that "I can no longer be responsible for air superiority in northwest Korea" because of an inability to field sufficient numbers of F-86s to conduct combat operations. The situation was rapidly addressed by the Air Force as a result and in-commission rates rose to greater than 75%.

The spring of 1952 saw a surge in the destruction of MiGs by both F-86 wings in Korea, but particularly in the 4th FIW. Flying with the 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Col. Thyng recorded four additional MiG kills to become a jet ace on May 20, 1952, and was awarded his third Silver Star. Kenneth P. Werrell, in his study Sabres over MiG Alley, states that Thyng's kills in March and April likely took place over China. He cites RAF Air Marshal Sir John M. Nicholls KCB CBE DFC AFC, then a flight lieutenant exchange pilot with the 4th FIW, as stating Thyng sent him low over the primary MiG base at Antung "to stir them up" and then shot down a reacting MiG-15 after it had taken off. He next quotes USAF Lt. Gen. Charles G. Cleveland, then a 1st lieutenant in the 335th FIS, as being in a flight led by Thyng that resulted in a shoot down north of Mukden, although the claim submission placed the location at the mouth of the Yalu River.

Col. Thyng commanded the 4th FIW through October 2, 1952, and flew 114 missions. Although credited with the destruction of five MiGs, many accounts assert that after his 5th jet credit he began giving claims for his shoot-downs to his wingmen. Thyng flew a number of aircraft during his Korean tour, but his personal aircraft was F-86E 50-0623 which carried the nickname Pretty Mary and the J's, after his family, on the lower portion of the nose.^[2]

After his return to the United States, Col. Thyng had a succession of assignments with the

Federal Aviation Agency

.

In 1966, just prior to his retirement, Gen. Thyng observed the testing of air-to-air missiles in

F-106

fighter aircraft.

Politics and retirement

Thyng and his wife, Mary Evans Thyng, whom he married on March 23, 1940 (the day of his commissioning), retired to Pittsfield, New Hampshire.

In

hawk. Because of financial support from H. L. Hunt

and others, and his position on the war, Thyng was successfully painted as a far-right candidate and was defeated 54% to 45.9%.

Thyng founded the New England Aeronautical Institute in 1965, which later merged with Daniel Webster Junior College to become Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire, and served as its first president. He retired to Pittsfield, New Hampshire.

Thyng died of

heart attack on September 24, 1983, at the age of 65. He was buried at Riverview Cemetery in Barnstead, New Hampshire

.

On July 17, 2004, a memorial to General Thyng was dedicated in Pittsfield by the Pittsfield Historical Society, with

United States Senator Judd Gregg; General Ronald Fogleman, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force; Lt Gen Daniel James III, Director of the Air National Guard; and Maj Gen John Blair, New Hampshire National Guard, in attendance.^[3]

Awards and decorations

Thyng's awards and decorations include:

US Air Force Command Pilot Badge

	Silver Star with two bronze oak leaf clusters
	Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster
	Distinguished Flying Cross with three bronze oak leaf clusters
	Purple Heart
	Air Medal with four silver oak leaf clusters
	Air Medal with two silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster (second ribbon required for accouterment spacing)
	Air Force Commendation Medal
	Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
	American Defense Service Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver and three bronze service stars
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four bronze campaign stars
	World War II Victory Medal
	Army of Occupation Medal with 'Japan' clasp
	National Defense Service Medal with service star
	Korean Service Medal with four bronze campaign stars
	Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver oak leaf cluster
	Croix de Guerre with Palm (France)
	Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
	United Nations Service Medal for Korea
	Korean War Service Medal

Aerial victory credits

Gen. Thyng is one of six USAF pilots and seven U.S. pilots overall who achieved ace status as both a piston-engined pilot in World War II and as a jet pilot in a later conflict (the others are Col.

flag-general officer rank

. His credited victories:

Date	Type	Location	Aircraft flown	Unit
November 8, 1942	Dewoitine D.520	Tafaraoui, Algeria	Spitfire Vb	309 FS, 31 FG
February 15, 1943	Bf 109	Thelepte, Tunisia	Spitfire Vb	309 FS, 31 FG
March 29, 1943	Bf 109	Tunisia	Spitfire Vb	309 FS, 31 FG
April 1, 1943	Bf 109	Tunisia	Spitfire Vb	309 FS, 31 FG
May 6, 1943	Bf 109	Tunis, Tunisia	Spitfire Vb	309 FS, 31 FG
October 24, 1951	MiG-15	North Korea	F-86 E	4 FIW
December 14, 1951	MiG-15	North Korea	F-86E	4 FIW
March 10, 1952	MiG-15	Dandong, China?	F-86E	335 FIS, 4 FIW
April 18, 1952	MiG-15	Shenyang, China?	F-86E	335 FIS, 4 FIW
May 20, 1952	MiG-15	North Korea	F-86E	4 FIW
Sources: Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II and Air Force Historical Study 81: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, Korean War

References

^ "Pursuit" designations officially became "fighter" in the USAAF on May 1, 1942.
^ The four "J"s were his children, James, Judy, Joanna, and Jeanie.
^ Thyng, James (2004). "It Was a Day to Remember". Sabre Jet Classics. 12 (3). Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2009.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by Perkins Bass	Class 2) 1966	Succeeded by Wesley Powell

[1] "Pursuit" designations officially became "fighter" in the USAAF on May 1, 1942.

[2] The four "J"s were his children, James, Judy, Joanna, and Jeanie.

[mem-3] Thyng, James (2004). "It Was a Day to Remember". Sabre Jet Classics. 12 (3). Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2009.

[2]

[3]

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF
National	United States