Thomas George Lanphier, Jr.
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Thomas George Lanphier, Jr. (November 27, 1915 – November 26, 1987) was a Colonel and WWII fighter pilot who was credited with shooting down the plane carrying Admiral Yamamoto, the commander in chief of the Japanese Imperial Navy.
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[edit] Early years
He was born on November 27, 1915 in Panama City, Panama to Thomas George Lanphier, Sr., a West Point graduate and World War One veteran. He married Phyllis of San Diego, California and had the following children: Patricia Mix of San Diego, Judith Strada of San Diego, Janet Lanphier of New York, Kathleen Lanphier of San Francisco, and Phyllis Lanphier of San Diego. He studied journalism at Stanford University and graduated in January of 1941.
[edit] World War II
He received his pilot training at Stockton Army Air Field, California on October 30, 1941, and was assigned to the 70th Pursuit Squadron, 35th Pursuit Group at Hamilton Field, Novato, California. Until December of 1942 he served in Fiji when the squadron moved to Guadalcanal and joined the 347th Fighter Group. flew 97 combat missions out of Guadalcanal in P-39s and P-38s. He scored his first aerial victory on Christmas Eve 1942 when he shot down a A6M Zero over the island. He was promoted to captain in March of 1943, he destroyed three A6M Zeros over Cape Esperance on April 7, 1942. He flew 97 combat missions out of Guadalcanal in P-39s and P-38s. He was selected for the top-secret long range low altitude mission to intercept Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto while on an inspection tour. Allied codebreakers determined the route and time schedule of the Betty bomber carrying Yamamoto and the P-38 was selected for the interception mission to due to the extreme range from Guadalcanal. On April 18, 1942, he led the four P-38s that made up the attack wing of the 16 plane formation. Intercepting the Betty bomber carrying the Japanese admiral over the southwest coast of Bougainville, Lanphier broke into three attacking A6M Zero as Lt. Rex Barber pressed the attack on the bomber. In the combat, Lanphier claimed both a A6M Zero and the Yamamoto Betty. Barber also claimed the Betty, and each was subsequently given a half-credit for the bomber. However, many historians now believe that Barber was the solely responsible for the kill after analyzing the crash site and determining the direction of impact of the cannon and machine gun fire.
After the war he worked as an editor of the Idaho Daily Statesman and the Boise Capital News. He was then appointed special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, and then Special Assistant to the Chairman of the National Security Resource Board. From 1951 to 1960, he was vice president of the Convair Division of General Dynamics in San Diego.
[edit] Death
He died Thursday, November 26, 1987, in San Diego, California, of cancer. He was 71. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
[edit] Legacy
During World War II, Colonel Lanphier was credited with downing nine Japanese planes, damaging eight on the ground, and sinking a destroyer. He received the Navy Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross.
[edit] References
- New York Times; September 14, 1945; Yamamoto Died In Flaming Crash; Lanphier Got Admiral's Plane With One Long Burst After Almost Overshooting Mark Set Motor And Wing Afire Foe Was Too Close To Ground To Jump. Zeros Failed To Score In Bitter Chase. By Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr., Lieutenant Colonel, USAAF. I was afraid we'd never get to the bomber that Admiral Yamamoto rode before the Zeros got us. I horsed back on my wheel to get my guns to bear on the lead Zero diving toward me.
- New York Times; November 28, 1987; Thomas G. Lanphier Jr., 71, Dies; U.S. Ace Shot Down Yamamoto. Thomas G. Lanphier Jr., the World War II fighter pilot who shot down the Japanese airplane carrying the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, died Thursday at the San Diego Veterans Administration Hospital at La Jolla, Calif. He was 71 years old.
