SUPERIOR, WI (KDAL) – This week, the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior has put a wingtip from the recovered P-38 “Marge” plane on display.
The artifact is a part of the wreckage of the plane, flown during World War II by Bong, that was discovered in a New Guinea jungle.
Richard Bong, “America’s Ace of Aces”, named the P-38 Lightning “Marge” after his girl friend and future wife.
The plane was being flown by another pilot on a reconnaissance mission when it crashed in 1944.
The crash site was discovered two years ago during an expedition led by Justin Taylor, the founder of a group called “Pacific Wrecks”.
The wingtip was recovered and flown to Wisconsin as part of a project called “Mission Marge.”
The current display of the artifact is temporary as the Bong Center is developing a permanent exhibit that will provide additional context about the aircraft and the mission that brought that piece of history home to Superior.
More information can be found online at bongcenter.org
