Alfred J. Lyon was born at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on August 23, 1892. He served with the Idaho National Guard from 1910 until 1913. He left the University of Idaho in 1917, his fourth year, to join the Army. He was accepted as a Flying Cadet in the Aviation Reserve on June 7, 1917, at Fort Omaha, Nebraska. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Aviation Reserve on February 12, 1918. He was given an honorary degree of Bachelor of Science in 1920 by the University of Idaho in recognition of his experiments with aircraft during World War I.
SERVICE
From June until August 1917, he attended the School of Military Aeronautics at the University of Illinois. He was assigned in August 1917 to duty at Wright Field, Ohio, for further instruction and in December 1917, was transferred to Ellington Field, Texas. Upon being commissioned, he was placed on duty at Ellington Field and in April 1918, transferred to Gerstner Field, Louisiana, to enter the Pursuit Flying School there, serving also as instructor in the Radio School. He completed his Pursuit School Course in May 1918, and remained on duty at Gerstner Field until August 1918 when he went to Hazelhurst Field, New York, for duty with the 1st Reserve Wing, training for overseas service.
He was transferred to Langley Field, Virginia, in December 1918, as Signal Officer and in March 1919 went to McCook Field, Ohio, for duty with the Aeronautical Engineering Division. In May 1920 he was assigned to Post Field at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to enter the Air Service Observation School. Upon completion of the course there in August 1920, he went to Mather Field, California, for one month, entering Massachusetts Institute of Technology in September 1920. He was graduated with the degree of Master of Engineering in 1921, and in June 1921, went to Dayton, Ohio, for duty with the Aeronautical Engineering Division.
In June 1924 he went to Selfridge Field, Michigan, for duty with the 1st Pursuit Group until March 1926, when he was assigned to McCook and Wright Fields in Ohio, for duty in metallurgical research for the Air Corps. From January 1930 until January 1931, he had additional duties as instructor with the Organized Reserves of the Fifth Corps Area.
He went to Europe in April 1931, for a tour of inspection of airplane construction materials and upon his return several months later was assigned to Wright Field, Ohio, for Air Corps procurement work. In August 1935 he entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and upon graduation in August 1936, entered the Army Industrial College in Washington, D.C. He was graduated there in July 1937, and entered the Army War College in Washington, from which he was graduated in June 1938. He was then assigned to Wright Field, Ohio, again.
In November 1938 he became an instructor at the Army War College in Washington, and in September 1939 was assigned to the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps in Washington. On May 29, 1941, he went to London with Major General James F. Chaney for duty in the Air Section of the Special Observer Group, U.S. Army. With General Chaney he made plans for the maintenance of American aircraft in the British Isles. In May 1942 he became Air Officer, U.S. Army Forces in the British Isles (USAFBI) and in July 1942 he was appointed Chief of the Air Technical Section, Headquarters European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (ETOUSA) and advisor to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commanding general of the ETOUSA, on the development and production of aircraft required for use in the European Theater.
He returned to the United States where he died at the Walter Reed General Hospital on December 1, 1942, of pneumonia resulting from exposure during a bombing mission over Europe.
He was rated as a Command Pilot and Combat Observer.
In 1944, the Liberty Ship Nathaniel Scudder (2938) was converted into an “Ivory Soap” aircraft repair ship and renamed the Brigadier General Alfred J. Lyon. The ship was outfitted as a mobile aircraft repair and maintenance depot and carried two Sikorsky R-4B “Hoverfly” helicopters for observation, spotting downed aircraft and rescue and ferry work. The ship served as home for the 6th Aircraft Repair Unit (Floating).
PERSONAL
General Lyon is the man who drew the specifications for the American-built B-24 bombers that are now being used in air raids on German cities. He also drew the plans, in 1934, for the B-17 “Flying Fortress.”
In 1921, General Lyon made one of the first test flights of the aircraft radio beam. In 1927, he carried on early development work on the use of light alloys in aircraft construction.
General Lyon pilots the plane he uses on trips in the British Isles.
PROMOTIONS
Private 1st Class, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, Enlisted Reserve Corps, June 7, 1917, to February 11, 1918; Second Lieutenant, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, Officers Reserve Corps, February 12, 1918, to September 14, 1920; First Lieutenant, Air Service, July 1, 1920; First Lieutenant, July 1, 1920; Captain, February 1, 1931; Major (temporary), June 16, 1936; Major, June 12, 1939; Lieutenant Colonel (temporary), December 3, 1940, to October 15, 1941; Lieutenant Colonel, October 15, 1941; Colonel, A.U.S., November 25, 1940; Brigadier General, A.U.S., May 22, 1942.
DECORATIONS
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1942 with the following citation:
“Alfred J. Lyon, Brigadier General, Army of the United States. For exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility as Special Assistant to the Chief of Air Corps and Technical Executive, Material Division, Office Chief of Air Corps from October 1, 1939, to March 8, 1942; and as Chief of Engineering Section, Material Command, Headquarters Army Air Forces, from March 9, 1942 to May 30, 1942, on which date he was assigned overseas. During this period of outstanding service in the Material Command, General Lyon directed the formation plans to furnish the Army Air Forces with an adequate production program. Immediately upon the announcement of the President of the United States would embark on a greatly enlarged production of aircraft production, it became his responsibility to see that the $300,000,000.00 required for aircraft production be made available and to apportion the increased production to the aircraft industry in such a manner that maximum results could be obtained. General Lyon demonstrated exceptional insight, organizing ability and a thorough knowledge of the multitude of factors involved in coordinating research, experimentation and production to the magnitude of war time needs. The exceptional manner in which he met all responsibilities placed upon him made possible greatly increased production of aircraft for combat needs and played a large part in the outstanding results achieved in the Army Air Forces expansion program.”
He also was awarded (posthumously) the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Distinguished Service Medal in April 1943 with the following citation:
“Brigadier General Alfred J. Lyon, United States Army. For exceptionally meritorious service in a position of great responsibility. As Air Officer of the Special Observer Group and later as Air Officer of the European Theater of Operations, United States Army, he was responsible for planning and securing adequate aircraft maintenance supply installations and facilities for the United States Army Air Forces earmarked for operations in the United Kingdom. By thorough planning and broad knowledge of the technical problems in connection with aircraft supply and maintenance he aided the reception of United States Army Air Forces units in Northern Ireland and Great Britain by insuring adequate maintenance facilities for immediate operations through tactful negotiations with high officials of the British Royal Air Force. As head of the Technical Committee, organized within the Headquarters of the Special Observer Group he cooperated closely with the Lend-Lease administration within the British Isles, greatly facilitating aid to our British and Russian allies. During this period he made a hazardous trip to the U.S.S.R. in connection with supplies to the Russian Forces.”
(Current as of May 13, 1943)