In culmination of shared historical curiosity and respect, the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center of Superior, Wisconsin, is joining forces with Pacific Wrecks, a nonprofit World War II preservation group. Their unifying mission is to retrace the final flight of World War II airman, Richard Bong, and the prized Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane he christened “Marge.”
Richard Bong was a local lad from Poplar, Wisconsin, and is etched in history as a rare combat pilot who downed 40 Japanese aircraft during the violence of World War II. Named “Marge” as a tribute to his beloved girlfriend, Marjorie Vattendahl, the P-38 Lightning fighter plane bore her portrait on its nose. The extraordinary airman proudly stated once that Vattendahl “looks swell, and a hell of a lot better than these naked women painted on most of the airplanes.”
However, “Marge” eventually succumbed to the adversities of war. In a flight over what is today known as Papua New Guinea, under the command of fellow pilot Thomas Malone, the plane went into a fatal tailspin due to engine failure. As Malone parachuted out narrowly escaping the impending doom, “Marge” met her end, plunging deep into the jungles of the South Pacific.
In this commendable endeavor of historical restoration, Justin Taylan, founder of Pacific Wrecks, will spearhead the search for the lost aircraft. His expedition to Papua New Guinea is scheduled for May and he anticipates the search to last almost a month. Funds for the expedition, amounting to approximately $63,000, have been generously raised through donations.
Confident in the reliability of historical records and their approximate coordinate of the crash, Taylan expects to unearth the remnants of “Marge”. However, he recognizes the potential for difficulty in conclusively identifying the wreckage. “Hopefully we’ll be able to find the ultimate proof, which will be a serial number from the airplane that says this airplane is Marge,” Taylan affirmed.
Bong’s ace flying and astonishing record of downing enemy aircraft have permanently established him as an American war hero, earning multiple awards and accolades, including the Medal of Honor granted by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1944.
Bong’s life was tragically cut short in 1945, following his marriage to Vattendahl earlier that year. Reassigned to duty as a test pilot in Burbank, California, he lost his life due to an unfortunate crash during a test flight in August 1945. Coincidentally on the same day, an atomic bomb was dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima, marking a poignant moment in world history.
After Bong’s death at the tender age of 21, Vattendahl then carved her own path in life as a model and a magazine publisher in Los Angeles. She herself passed away in September 2003 in Superior, the city that now houses the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center. The center continues to celebrate her husband’s legacy and now embarks on this voyage to seek what remains of “Marge”, his trusted wartime companion.