Thomas J. Lynch

Thomas Joseph Lynch (December 9, 1916 – March 8, 1944) was a United States Army Air Forces lieutenant colonel and a flying ace of World War II. After joining the United States Army Air Corps in 1940, Lynch flew the Bell P-39 Airacobra with the 39th Pursuit Squadron. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron was deployed to Australia and then to Port Moresby in early 1942.

Lynch downed three Japanese planes while flying the P-39, and in June the squadron (now redesignated the 39th Fighter Squadron) was selected to be the first Fifth Air Force squadron to be reequipped with the new Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Lynch claimed two more victories in late December to become an ace. He became commander of the squadron in March 1943. By October Lynch had 16 victories. He went back to his hometown of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, and married. Returning to the Pacific, Lynch claimed four more victories, and was killed while strafing Japanese barges on 8 March 1944.

Early life and education Lynch was born on December 9, 1916, in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the third of seven children to Irish immigrants William and Alice (McGeehan) Lynch, where his father owned a milk business in Hazleton. His family soon moved to Catasauqua. Lynch was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Catasauqua High School in Northampton, Pennsylvania in 1936.

He attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he was undefeated in intramural boxing and joined ROTC and the Scabbard and Blade, a military honor society. He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering in 1940.

Military career Lynch joined the United States Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in June 1940, completed pilot training, and earned his wings at Maxwell Field, Alabama (Class 41-A). He was assigned to the 39th Pursuit Squadron in March 1941 at Selfridge Field, Michigan, flying the Bell P-39 Airacobra. The squadron (redesignated the 39th Fighter Squadron on 15 May) was one of the first units deployed to Port Moresby on New Guinea's frontline, operating under difficult weather conditions and engaging enemy pilots flying the faster and more maneuverable Zero. On 20 May, Lynch claimed his first two victories. A third followed on 26 May, while Lynch and other pilots from the squadron escorted a troop transport flight. On 16 June Lt. Lynch was jumped by 2 Zeros. He managed to break away, only to be attacked by 4 more. He eventually shook off his pursuers but was unable to coax his heavily damaged P-39 back to base. Lynch was forced to bail out at 800 ft off the coast of Port Moresby, breaking his arm in the process of exiting the cockpit. He claimed two more Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes on 31 December during a bomber escort mission to Lae.

On 6 January 1943, P-38s from the squadron bombed a Japanese reinforcement convoy bound for Lae. Lynch claimed a possible bomb hit on one ship. Lynch downed a Ki-43 while escorting Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks on their way to bomb the Lae convoy on the next day. On 3 March, he claimed another Zero during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. On the afternoon of 8 May, he shot down a "Hamp".

Lynch claimed another victory on 12 June. He was promoted to major in July.

Lynch returned to combat in January, assigned to V Fighter Command alongside fellow top-scoring ace Richard Bong. Bong and Lynch were allowed to "free-lance" for the next months. On 10 February 1944, Lynch claimed a victory in the Wewak area. On 15 February Lynch covered Bong while he downed a Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony on a flight back from an escort mission to Kavieng. On 28 February, he also covered Bong while he destroyed a Japanese transport possibly carrying senior officers on the Wewak runway.

After this mission, Lynch was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He claimed two more victories on 3 March. Lynch claimed his twentieth and last victory on 5 March.

Death On 8 March, Lynch and Bong strafed barges in Aitape harbor. After setting one on fire on their first pass, they returned for a second pass when Lynch's P-38 was hit in the engine. Lynch's plane began to burn and he bailed out too close to the ground for his parachute to deploy.

Aerial victory credits The data in the following table is from Newton and Senning (1978). DateCredits20 May 1942226 May 1942127 December 1942231 December 194227 January 194313 March 194318 May 1943112 June 1943120 August 1943221 August 194314 September 1943116 September 1943110 February 194413 March 194425 March 19441

Legacy There is a cenotaph placed for him at Calvary Cemetery in North Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. He is also listed on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.

The Hokendauqua-North Catasauqua Bridge was renamed the Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lynch Memorial Bridge after its December 2015 reopening.