Pacific Wrecks, a World War II aircraft recovery group, thinks it has found the wreckage of the P-38J flown by Major Richard Bong, America’s top flying ace.
Bong, born in Superior, Wisconsin, shot down 40 Japanese aircraft during WWII.
U.S. WWII Ace Richard Bong’s P-38 Believed Found
The fighter aircraft, which crashed in 1944, has been identified and verified in Papua New Guinea.
Key Takeaways:
- Pacific Wrecks has definitively identified the wreckage of Major Richard Bong's P-38J "Marge" in a Papua New Guinea forest, 80 years after its crash in March 1944.
- Major Bong was America's top WWII flying ace with 40 confirmed kills, and "Marge" was uniquely adorned with the portrait of his girlfriend (later wife); the plane crashed while being flown by another pilot who survived.
- The identification, made by Pacific Wrecks in partnership with the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, was confirmed by finding the aircraft's serial number and model designation on wreckage after a challenging, multi-month expedition into the dense jungle.
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