Happening Now – Treasure Hunt Is On For Wisconsin WWII Hero’s Crashed Plane

Richard Bong was a true war hero. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his flying skills in World War II. He piloted his P-38 Lightning named 'Marge' and became a fighter ace shooting down 40 Japanese planes in the Pacific Theater. Now, an organization is trying to locate the plane that he flew.

The Richard I. Bong Veteran's Historical Center will be hosting a press event on March 22nd to explain the project. Pacific Wrecks is a non-profit organization that works to document war wreckage across the Pacific.

What Happened To Richard Bong's P-38?

Richard Bong left the Pacific theater and traveled across the United States as a decorated war hero and the government used his publicity to sell war bonds. His plane, which he named after his wife Marge, was then in service and used by different pilots.

On March 24, 1944 "Marge" was being flown by 2nd L.t. Tom alone when the plane suffered mechanical issues. Malone bailed out of the plan before it crashed in New Guinea.

Why are they trying to find the wreckage?

Briana Fiandt with the Bong Historical Center says it's an extremely important WWII and aviation artifact. Bong shot down more planes than any other pilot during WWII in his P-38 'Marge.' Bong's nephew Wade Bong who lives in Colorado shares that his family is excited about the project:

Our family is very excited about this project. How amazing would it be to find the original “Marge” airplane! We really appreciate Pacific Wrecks and the Richard Bong Veterans Historical Center for taking on this expedition. We are really hoping the expedition is successful!

It will be a difficult remote expedition.

Justin Taylan is the director of Pacific Wrecks and he says they will have to do some trekking in a very remote area of Papua New Guinea. They hope to find the crash site, document it, and share the results online.

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Here's a photo of a similar P-38 wreckage that was discovered.

What happened to Richard I. Bong?

Sadly, Richard Bong died in 1945. He was a test pilot following the war and his P-80 Jet crashed in Norther Hollywood, California. He had only been married to his wife Marge for 6 months when he died.

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Richard Bong's name lives on with the historical center located in Superior, Wisconsin, not far from where he grew up in Poplar, Wisconsin. The Bong Bridge was named in his honor, and it is used to connect the port communities of Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota.

You can find more information on the project by visiting the P-38 Marge dedicated website.