Searchers have announced the discovery of what they believe to be the wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong’s plane, nicknamed “Marge” after his girlfriend Marge Vattendahl, 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 launched a joint search for the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter in March.
The plane crashed in the jungle of what is now known as Papua New Guinea in March 1944 after another pilot, Thomas Malone, experienced engine failure while flying it. Malone managed to bail out before the crash.
Justin Taylan, the expedition’s leader and Pacific Wrecks Director, announced that the search team discovered the wreckage in the jungles of Papua New Guinea’s Madang Province on May 15.
He released photos showing himself in the jungle with metal fragments on the ground, including a wing tip stamped with “993,” the last three digits of the plane’s serial number, and a piece of metal stamped with “Model P-38 JK.”
Taylan stated during a video news conference that the serial number and model identification prove beyond a doubt that the wreckage is Marge. He had been researching the crash site’s location for years, and historical records suggested it went down on the grounds of a 150-year-old plantation.
Richard Bong, who grew up in Poplar, Wisconsin, is credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II, more than any other American pilot. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1944. Bong and Vattendahl eventually married in 1945, but he was tragically killed on August 6, 1945, while testing a P-80 jet fighter in Burbank, California.
James Bong, Richard Bong’s nephew, expressed the Bong family’s excitement about the discovery, calling it “amazing and incredible that ‘Marge’ has been found and identified.”
The discovery of Marge’s wreckage is a significant find for World War II history enthusiasts and a testament to the bravery and skill of Richard Bong, one of America’s most celebrated fighter pilots.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.