Saturday, October 5, 2024

Explorers Discover Possible Wreckage of World War II Ace Richard Bong’s Plane in South Pacific

Published:

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 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 Guinea when engine failure sent it into a spin. Malone bailed out before the plane crashed in the jungle.

The expedition’s leader, Pacific Wrecks Director Justin Taylan, said in a news release that the search team discovered the wreckage in the jungles of Papua New Guinea’s Madang Province. He released of himself in the jungle with chunks of metal on the ground taken May 15.

In one 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.”

“The plane’s association with Richard Bong makes it one of the most significant World War II aircraft in the world,”…

Continue Reading This Article At Military.com

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