Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Explorers Find What They Believe Is World War II Ace Richard Bong's Downed Plane in South Pacific
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 months ago on
May 23, 2024

The wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong's plane, nicknamed "Marge", has been discovered in the South Pacific, marking a significant find for historical preservation. (AP File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

MADISON, Wis. — Searchers announced Thursday they’ve discovered what they believe is the wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong’s plane in the South Pacific.

The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin, and the nonprofit World War II historical preservation group Pacific Wrecks announced in March they were launching a joint search for Bong’s Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. Bong nicknamed the plane “Marge” after his girlfriend, Marge Vattendahl.

Another pilot, Thomas Malone, was flying the plane in March 1944 over what is now known as Papua New Guinea when engine failure sent it into a spin. Malone bailed out before the plane crashed in the jungle.

Discovery of the Wreckage

The expedition’s leader, Pacific Wrecks Director Justin Taylan, said that the search team discovered the wreckage in the jungles of Papua New Guinea’s Madang Province on May 15.

He released photos of himself in the jungle with chunks of metal on the ground. In one photo he points to what the caption calls a wing tip from the plane stamped with “993,” the last three numbers of the plane’s serial number. Enlarging the photo shows markings that could be two “9s” but they’re obscured by what might be dirt or rust and difficult to make out. Another photo shows a piece of metal stamped with “Model P-38 JK.”

Taylan said during a video news conference from Papua New Guinea on Thursday afternoon that the serial number and model identification prove the plane is Marge “definitely, beyond a doubt.”

“I think it’s safe to say mission accomplished,” Taylan said. “Marge has been identified. It’s a great day for the center, a great day for Pacific Wrecks, a great day for history.”

Taylan has been researching the location of the crash site for years. He said that historical records suggested it went down on the grounds of a 150-year old plantation. Local residents initially showed the expedition the wreck of a Japanese fighter plane before telling the searchers about wreckage deeper in the jungle.

The explorers hiked through the jungle until they discovered wreckage in a ravine, Taylan said. At the top of the ravine they found two aircraft engines sticking out of the ground, indicating the plane went in nose-first and buried itself in the ground. Taylan said Bong painted the wing tips red and the paint was still on them.

Bong, who grew up in Poplar, Wisconsin, is credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He plastered a blow-up of Vattendahl’s portrait on the nose of his plane, according to a Pacific Wrecks summary of the plane’s service.

Bong shot down more planes than any other American pilot. Gen. Douglas MacArthur awarded him the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military’s highest decoration, in 1944. Taylan said that Bong shot down three planes while flying Marge.

Bong and Vattendahl eventually married in 1945. Bong was assigned to duty as a test pilot in Burbank, California, after three combat tours in the South Pacific. He was killed on Aug. 6, 1945, when a P-80 jet fighter he was testing crashed. He died on the same day the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Vattendahl was 21 at the time of Bong’s death. She went on to become a model and a magazine publisher in Los Angeles. She died in September 2003 in Superior.

A bridge connecting Superior and Duluth, Minnesota, is named for Bong. A state recreation area in southeastern Wisconsin also is named for him.

“The Bong family is very excited about this discovery,” James Bong, Richard Bong’s nephew, said in the news release. “It is amazing and incredible that ‘Marge’ has been found and identified.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Chargers Defense Ready for Challenge of Facing High-Powered Bengals Offense

DON'T MISS

Bills QB Allen Dismisses Comparisons to Mahomes, 0-3 in Playoffs Against Chiefs Star

DON'T MISS

New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions

DON'T MISS

LeBron James Has Third Straight Triple-Double as Lakers Rally for Victory Over Grizzlies

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Falls to UC Santa Barbara as Turner Scores 24

DON'T MISS

Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza Strip

DON'T MISS

Legislative Analyst Reports on Highs and Lows of UC Merced’s First 20 Years

DON'T MISS

Climate Change Could Bring Disaster or Solutions to San Joaquin Valley

DON'T MISS

Fresno Symposium to Focus on Water’s Impact on Farmland Values

DON'T MISS

Why Trump’s Deportations Will Drive Up Your Grocery Bill

UP NEXT

Bills QB Allen Dismisses Comparisons to Mahomes, 0-3 in Playoffs Against Chiefs Star

UP NEXT

New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions

UP NEXT

LeBron James Has Third Straight Triple-Double as Lakers Rally for Victory Over Grizzlies

UP NEXT

Fresno State Falls to UC Santa Barbara as Turner Scores 24

UP NEXT

Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza Strip

UP NEXT

Legislative Analyst Reports on Highs and Lows of UC Merced’s First 20 Years

UP NEXT

Climate Change Could Bring Disaster or Solutions to San Joaquin Valley

UP NEXT

Fresno Symposium to Focus on Water’s Impact on Farmland Values

UP NEXT

Why Trump’s Deportations Will Drive Up Your Grocery Bill

UP NEXT

Republicans Win 218 US House Seats, Giving Donald Trump and the Party Control of Government

LeBron James Has Third Straight Triple-Double as Lakers Rally for Victory Over Grizzlies

56 minutes ago

Fresno State Falls to UC Santa Barbara as Turner Scores 24

56 minutes ago

Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza Strip

1 hour ago

Legislative Analyst Reports on Highs and Lows of UC Merced’s First 20 Years

1 hour ago

Climate Change Could Bring Disaster or Solutions to San Joaquin Valley

1 hour ago

Fresno Symposium to Focus on Water’s Impact on Farmland Values

5 hours ago

Why Trump’s Deportations Will Drive Up Your Grocery Bill

5 hours ago

Republicans Win 218 US House Seats, Giving Donald Trump and the Party Control of Government

14 hours ago

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

18 hours ago

Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman Donald Trump Picked to Serve as AG?

18 hours ago

Chargers Defense Ready for Challenge of Facing High-Powered Bengals Offense

EL SEGUNDO — Bud Dupree knows the challenge awaiting the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. With ...

12 minutes ago

12 minutes ago

Chargers Defense Ready for Challenge of Facing High-Powered Bengals Offense

13 minutes ago

Bills QB Allen Dismisses Comparisons to Mahomes, 0-3 in Playoffs Against Chiefs Star

39 minutes ago

New FDA Rules for TV Drug Ads: Simpler Language and No Distractions

56 minutes ago

LeBron James Has Third Straight Triple-Double as Lakers Rally for Victory Over Grizzlies

56 minutes ago

Fresno State Falls to UC Santa Barbara as Turner Scores 24

Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of Maghazi in the Gaza Strip, during their funeral at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
1 hour ago

Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza Strip

1 hour ago

Legislative Analyst Reports on Highs and Lows of UC Merced’s First 20 Years

1 hour ago

Climate Change Could Bring Disaster or Solutions to San Joaquin Valley

Search

Send this to a friend