SUPERIOR, WI (KDAL) – The wreckage of the P-38 Lightning fighter plane assigned to America’s Ace of Aces, Richard I. Bong, has been found in New Guinea.
Bong is credited with shooting down 40 Japanese planes in the Pacific Theater of World War Two and named his plane “Marge” after his girlfriend and future wife.
The plane experienced mechanical issues while being flown by another pilot in March of 1944. The pilot bailed out and the plane crashed inland from the north coast of New Guinea.
A team from Pacific Wrecks recently found the plane in the jungle and verified that it was Bong’s P-38.
Justin Taylan, Director of Pacific Wrecks, says the plane’s association with Richard Bong makes it one of the most significant World War Two aircraft in the world.
A replica of the “Marge” plane can be seen in the Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior. An exhibit on the crash site will be featured at the Center in the future.
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