Explorers discover possible wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong’s plane in South Pacific

By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Searchers have 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 the discovery Thursday. Bong, who grew up in Wisconsin, flew a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter nicknamed “Marge” in honor of his girlfriend, Marjorie Vattendahl. Another pilot was flying the plane in March 1944 over what is now known as Papua New Guinea when engine failure sent it into a spin and it crashed into the jungle. The Bong center and the preservation group announced a search for the wreckage this past March.