World War II flying ace Richard Bong loved his girlfriend. So much so that he had her face painted on his fighter plane, and named the vessel "Marge." Searchers say they may have found the wreckage in the South Pacific.
The plane of ace fighter pilot Richard Bong, who shot down more aircraft than any American during World War II, may have been found in the South Pacific.
Searchers announced last week that they discovered moldering hunks of what they believe is Bong's P-38 in a dense jungle in Papua New Guinea. Bong's beloved vessel bore the image of his beloved girlfriend, Marge Vattendahl. Soon, the plane was dubbed "Marge" as well.
Recently, the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center and the nonprofit, historical preservation group Pacific Wrecks announced the hiring of a crew to find Marge, which crashed 80 years ago.
"This has been a long, long saga, shall we say, for many of us growing up," said Terry Lundberg, president of the historical center.
Pacific Wrecks Director Justin Taylan said via a video conference call that the wreckage's serial number matched that of Bong's plane, which was piloted by another service member when it crashed during fighting in the South Pacific.
“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 searching that area for years for any sign of Marge.
Bong was from Poplar, Wisconsin, and was credited with shooting down 40 Japanese war planes. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1944 by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. It is the military's highest decoration.
Bong married Marge in 1945, but died months later in California when he crashed while testing a fighter aircraft. She became a magazine publisher and a model, and died in 2003 at age 79.
“The Bong family is very excited about this discovery,” said James Bong, Richard Bong’s nephew. “It is amazing and incredible that ‘Marge’ has been found and identified.”
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