World War II ace Richard Bong's P‑38 wingpiece returns to Wisconsin

A wing section of the P‑38 Lightning fighter once flown by Major Richard Bong, the United States' top World War II ace, has been recovered and brought back to his home state. The aircraft, nicknamed “Marge” after Bong’s future wife, crashed in March 1944 during a weather‑survey mission over Papua New Guinea. In 2024, nonprofit founder Justin Taylan of Pacific Wrecks located the wreckage on a jungle‑covered hillside in Madang Province and salvaged the wingtip.

The recovered piece was shipped to Wisconsin, where the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior will display it in the coming weeks. Curator Briana Fiandt, who helped coordinate the excavation, said preserving the fragment honors both Bong’s legacy and the broader history of the Pacific war. Bong’s nephew Mitch Erickson expressed amazement at the find. The effort involved reviewing wartime records, interviewing local residents, and a collaborative excavation funded by the museum.