SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Harrison R. Thyng was born April 12, 1918, in Laconia, New Hampshire. The nickname
“Harry” was bestowed on the young man when he started school. An avid athlete, Harry lettered
in baseball, track and football at Pittsfield High School. At the University of New Hampshire, he
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1939. Having completed four years of Army ROTC he was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry.
Thyng wanted to be a pilot and on March 23, 1940, he completed flight training and earned his
wings. In April 1942, 1st Lt. Thyng, commander of the 309th Fighter Squadron, took his troops
to England to join the fight against the Nazis. As their P-39s were left in the states, the squadron
was given Spitfires to fly. Promoted to the rank of captain in April and major in June, Thyng led
his squadron against the Luftwaffe. His first aerial victory took place when he shot down a
Ju-88.
Thyng led the 309th Fighter Squadron in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.
His first credited kill was the downing of a Vichy French aircraft. In a later mission Thyng
crash-landed behind enemy lines. After numerous encounters with hostile forces, he was able to
safely return to American lines. Wounded with eight kills and 162 missions, Thyng returned to
the states and finished the campaign as a lieutenant colonel in command of the 31st Fighter
Group.
Thyng was given command of an air base in Florida then volunteered for overseas service in
1944 where he was directed to organize, train and command the 413th Long Range Fighter
Group. Thyng, now a twenty-six-year-old group commander, took his P-47N Thunderbolts to
war in the Pacific. He led missions escorting B-29 Stratofortresses over Japan, Korea and China.
Between World War II and the Korean War, Thyng organized the Maine, New Hampshire and
Vermont Air National Guards. In 1951, he became the commanding officer of the 4th Fighter
Interceptor Wing, stationed at Kimpo Air Base in South Korea. While leading the 4th FIW,
Thyng flew his F-86 Sabre on 113 combat missions, shooting down seven enemy aircraft. He
was one of only seven Americans who were aces in both World War II and the Korean War.
Despite the courage necessary to shoot down German, French, Italian, Japanese and Russian
aircraft in two wars, Thyng exhibited a different kind of courage as commander of the 4th FIW.
When he took command, the Aircraft Out Of Commission for Parts was unacceptably high, at
times over 50 percent. This meant that the 4th FIW, which was bearing the brunt of the air war in
Korea, often went into battle with half of their aircraft grounded due to lack of parts. Thyng
exhausted every possible means of solving this problem.
Knowing that jumping the chain of command could end his career, Thyng took the only course
of action left necessary to get their parts. He sent a message directly to Gen. Hoyt Vandenburg,
then Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Thyng detailed the situation and his concerns about his wing
going to combat against MiGs that held a 10:1 advantage. Vandenburg responded to the
message. He was unaware of the AOCP situation and he acted immediately to solve the parts
shortage problems. The 4th FIW went back into MiG Alley in strength and regained control of
the skies.
Thyng risked his career for his Airmen, and went on to become a brigadier general. During his
career he displayed the physical courage required to be an ace in two wars. As commander of the
4th FIW, Thyng displayed the moral courage necessary to risk his career in order to accomplish
the mission and take care of the people in his command. Known to those in his command as,
“The Bloody Great Wheel,” Brig. Gen. Harry Thyng was one of the greatest heroes of the 4th
Fighter Wing.