{"id":6120,"date":"2026-08-04T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6120"},"modified":"2026-08-04T11:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:00:05","slug":"wingtip-from-downed-fighter-jet-flown-by-ace-pilot-brought-to-us-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6120","title":{"rendered":"Wingtip from downed fighter jet flown by ace pilot brought to US museum"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"619c0ba2-2a1b-40ca-b99b-bcfea4acbd6f\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man points to a photo of a woman on an airplane\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/af7223301045752aff9e7572b7f2414337ff484f\/44_0_2956_2366\/master\/2956.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.18876860622464\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Richard I Bong with a picture of his girlfriend Marge Vattendahl, from whom the plane took its name, in this 1944 picture.<\/span> Photograph: AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"619c0ba2-2a1b-40ca-b99b-bcfea4acbd6f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Richard I Bong with a picture of his girlfriend Marge Vattendahl, from whom the plane took its name, in this 1944 picture.<\/span> Photograph: AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Wingtip from downed fighter jet flown by ace pilot brought to US museum<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Lockheed P-38 Lightning nicknamed \u2018Marge\u2019 and flown by Richard Bong crashed in 1944 over what is now Papua New Guinea<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A wingtip of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/mar\/23\/richard-bong-fighter-plane-search-papua-new-guinea\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a downed fighter jet<\/a> once flown by second world war ace pilot Richard Bong has been taken to his home state of Wisconsin from Papua New Guinea, where it crashed more than 80 years earlier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The piece of the plane named after the pilot\u2019s girlfriend, Marge Vattendahl, underwent a remarkable journey by air, land and sea before its procurement by the Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/wisconsin\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Wisconsin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Bong is credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/secondworldwar\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">second world war<\/a>, more than any other US military pilot. The native of Poplar, Wisconsin, shot down three of those enemy aircraft while in a Lockheed P-38 Lightning plane that he nicknamed Marge \u2013 and which had a portrait of Vattendahl plastered on its nose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Marge was being flown by fellow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/us-military\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">US military<\/a> pilot Thomas Malone in March 1944 over what is now Papua New Guinea when an engine failure caused the aviator to bale out and the plane to crash, with its wreckage not being recovered for decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Bong, meanwhile, earned the Medal of Honor, the highest American military commendation, in 1944. He later married <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-2003-oct-10-me-drucker10-story.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Vattendahl<\/a>, who became a fashion model and magazine publisher. But in August 1945, on the same day the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima shortly before the end of the war, Bong was killed in a test flight crash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Bong museum announced in March 2024 it was collaborating with the historical preservation group Pacific Wrecks to mount a joint search for Marge. Two months later, the organizations <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/richard-bong-marge-plane-new-guinea-expedition-76381a450191cc56dc96a88c6ad23daf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> explorers hiking in the jungles of Papua New Guinea\u2019s Madang province discovered what remained of Marge, whose wingtips still had the paint Bong applied on them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A 24 July <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalguard.mil\/News\/State-Partnership-Program\/Article\/4555325\/wisconsin-guard-helps-return-wwii-plane-section\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">news release<\/a> from Wisconsin\u2019s national guard said some of its members had gone to Papua New Guinea to collect a recovered section of Marge. They came back with it aboard a military refueling tanker during the week before the publication of the news release, the Wisconsin national guard said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The US defense department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.war.gov\/News\/News-Stories\/Article\/Article\/4555222\/mission-marge-brings-legacy-of-americas-ace-of-aces-to-guam-airmen\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> the artifact was a recovered Margue wingtip. And an article published on Monday by Wisconsin Public Radio (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/wingtip-wreck-fighter-plane-ace-pilot-richard-bong-wisconsin\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">WPR<\/a>) said officials with the Bong Center joined family members of the late ace in flying to Papua New Guinea to retrieve the artifact, too. The group\u2019s travels included a boat ride on the way to the Marge crash site.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">WPR reported that Pacific Wrecks had spent two years negotiating with Madang\u2019s government, local landowners and Papua New Guinea\u2019s national museum \u2013 which owns Marge\u2019s wreckage \u2013 to recover a piece of the downed plane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Papua New Guinea\u2019s defense force flew the 6ft-long, aluminum wingtip to the country\u2019s capital, Port Moresby, according to WPR. From there, Wisconsin national guard members \u2013 who have a partnership with Papua New Guinea for purposes such as disaster response and medical readiness \u2013 flew the artifact to Milwaukee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The wingtip was displayed at an airshow and brought to Poplar, before being taken about 20 miles (32km) away on Sunday to the collection of artifacts at his namesake historical center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Pacific Wrecks founder and director Justin Taylan told WPR that the government of Papua New Guinea needed to issue an export permit for the recovered Marge section because the US government had relinquished ownership of second world war relics. The Marge piece at the Bong center is in effect a permanent loan \u2013 and in return, the recovery mission involving Pacific Wrecks secured another section of the plane for Papua New Guinea\u2019s national museum, which has its own display honoring the ace, Taylan said to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Whatever the case, those at the heart of the effort said it was worth it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Wisconsin national guard Brig Gen Adria Zuccaro said her troops were \u201chonored to bring a piece of Richard Bong\u2019s legacy home\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Bong\u2019s nephew, Jim, told the outlet that it was priceless for visitors of the museum in Superior to be able \u201cto actually have something tangible right in front of you that is a part of what he flew in combat\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">And the Bong Center\u2019s director of collections and exhibits, Briana Fiandt, told Wisconsin news channel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wdio.com\/lift-online\/curator-shares-more-on-marge-wing-expedition-to-papua-new-guinea\/?fbclid=IwY2xjawTdqYtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEepKIVnUulHb7XVAqOq2BLoTKv0u6bN3q2snM9r7Dkj5Y_DYmTMrjRBPcUY3g_aem_QUgkB58xLkFigLt-iRjQHg\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">WDIO<\/a> that she hoped the facility\u2019s Marge wingtip would \u201chelp inspire future generations to be interested in history\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><em>The Associated Press contributed reporting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-military\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US military<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/wisconsin\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Wisconsin<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/secondworldwar\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Second world war<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/culture\/heritage\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Heritage<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Wingtip%20from%20downed%20fighter%20jet%20flown%20by%20ace%20pilot%20brought%20to%20US%20museum&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/04\/wingtip-richard-bong-plane-wisconsin?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F04%2Fwingtip-richard-bong-plane-wisconsin&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/04\/wingtip-richard-bong-plane-wisconsin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Richard I Bong with a picture of his girlfriend Marge Vattendahl, from whom the plane took its name,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6123,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6120\/revisions\/6123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}