Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A piece of a World War II fighter plane that crashed 80 years ago has been found and returned to Wisconsin, and the story is just incredible. The plane, a P-38 Lockheed Lighting, was flown by Maj. Richard Bong, the country’s top ace with 40 confirmed combat victories in the air. I mean, this guy was a real-life superhero. The plane was named after his future wife, Marjorie “Marge” Vattendahl, and Bong used it for dozens of missions before another pilot crashed it into a rainforest in March 1944.
The search for the plane, dubbed “Mission Marge,” began 80 years later, and it’s a testament to the power of perseverance and dedication. The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center worked with the organization Pacific Wrecks to find what was left of the plane scattered on a remote hill. According to Briana Fiandt, curator of collections and exhibits at the Historical Center, “It is such an important piece of World War II history, and Richard Bong is such a notable figure that we thought it was important to preserve at least a piece of the airplane.”
As I read through the article, I couldn’t help but think about the kind of person Maj. Richard Bong must have been. He was a “typical farm kid” from Poplar, Wisconsin, with an interest in flying, and he joined the Army Air Forces before the war. He learned how to fly and was eventually sent to the Pacific Theater with the Fifth Air Force. Bong shot down 40 planes during World War II, setting the record for the most confirmed victories in the air, not just for the conflict, but in all of US history.
The story of how the plane was recovered is just as fascinating. A team from Pacific Wrecks located the crash site and conducted a non-invasive site survey and investigation. The Historical Center worked with the government of Papua New Guinea to secure all the permissions to legally recover parts of the plane, and Bong’s nephews went with the search team to bring the wreckage home. The Wisconsin Air National Guard even helped fly the wingtip to the US, loading it into a KC-135 Stratotanker that happened to be in the area on an unrelated mission.
The wingtip is now part of the collection at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin, and it’s a reminder of the importance of preserving our history. As Fiandt said, “Everybody knows who he is, and they didn’t forget him, and they wanted to honor him.” It’s a great story, and I’m glad I got to share it with you over my morning coffee.
In the end, it’s a story about the power of memory and the importance of honoring our heroes. Maj. Richard Bong’s legacy lives on, and his story is a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who served in World War II. So the next time you’re sipping your coffee, take a moment to think about the amazing stories that are out there, just waiting to be discovered. And who knows, you might just learn something new and incredible, just like I did.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
