Richard Bong
Richard Bong | |
---|---|
North Hollywood, California, United States | |
Buried | Poplar, Wisconsin, United States |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army Air Forces |
Years of service | 1941–1945 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | 49th Fighter Group |
Battles/wars | World War II
|
Awards | Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (7) Air Medal (15) |
Richard "Dick" Ira Bong (September 24, 1920 – August 6, 1945) was a
Early life
Bong was born September 24, 1920, in Superior, Wisconsin, the first of nine children born to Carl Bong, an immigrant from Sweden, and Dora Bryce, who was an American of Scotch-English descent.[1] Known by the common nickname "Dick", he grew up on a farm in Poplar, Wisconsin, where he became interested in aircraft at an early age while watching planes fly over the farm carrying mail for President Calvin Coolidge's summer White House in Superior,[2] and was an avid model builder.
Bong entered Poplar High School in 1934, where he played the clarinet in the marching band and participated in baseball, basketball, and hockey. Because Poplar was a three-year school at the time, Bong transferred to Central High School in Superior for his senior year, graduating in 1938.[3]
He began studying at Superior State Teachers College (the current-day
United States Army Air Forces
Bong's ability as a fighter pilot was recognized while he was training in northern California. He was commissioned a
On June 12, 1942, Bong flew very low ("buzzed") over a house in nearby San Anselmo, the home of a pilot who had just been married. He was cited and temporarily grounded for breaking flying rules, along with three other P-38 pilots who had looped around the Golden Gate Bridge on the same day.[4] For looping the Golden Gate Bridge, flying at a low level down Market Street in San Francisco, and blowing the clothes off of an Oakland woman's clothesline, Bong was reprimanded by General George C. Kenney, commanding officer of the Fourth Air Force, who told him, "If you didn't want to fly down Market Street, I wouldn't have you in my Air Force, but you are not to do it any more and I mean what I say." Kenney later wrote, "We needed kids like this lad."[5]
In all subsequent accounts, Bong denied flying under the Golden Gate Bridge.[6] Nevertheless, Bong was still grounded when the rest of his group was sent without him to England in July 1942. Bong then transferred to another Hamilton Field unit, 84th Fighter Squadron of the 78th Fighter Group. From there, Bong was sent to the Southwest Pacific Area.
Bong was then flown overseas as a passenger aboard a B-24 Liberator from Hawaii via Hickam Field to Australia. Upon arrival Bong was assigned to a newly formed P-38 fighter unit, the 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional). By November 1942, Bong was transferred to the 49th Fighter Group (49th FG), 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS). "The Flying Knights" were flying the
In November, while the squadron waited for delivery of the scarce P-38s, Bong and other 9th FS pilots were reassigned temporarily to fly missions and gain combat experience with the 39th Fighter Squadron,
Bong rejoined the 9th FS, by then equipped with P-38s, in January 1943; the 49th FG was based at Schwimmer Field near Port Moresby. In April, he was promoted to first lieutenant.[8] On July 26, Bong claimed four Japanese fighters over Lae, in an action that earned him the Distinguished Service Cross. In August, he was promoted to captain.[8]
While on leave to the United States the following November and December, Bong met Marjorie Vattendahl at a Superior State Teachers College homecoming event and began dating her.
After returning to the southwest Pacific in January 1944, he named his P-38 Marge and adorned the nose with her photo.[9] In March another pilot was flying Bong's aircraft when it suffered engine failure and crashed in New Guinea, after the pilot, who survived, had bailed out. The approximate crash site is known, and the remains of the aircraft were to be searched for by the Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin and the WWII historical preservation group Pacific Wrecks in 2024.[10]
On April 12, Captain Bong shot down his 26th and 27th Japanese aircraft, surpassing Eddie Rickenbacker's American record of 26 credited victories in World War I. Soon afterward, he was promoted to major by General Kenney and dispatched to the United States to see General "Hap" Arnold, who gave him a leave.[11][8] After visiting training bases and going on a 15-state bond promotion tour, Bong returned to New Guinea in September. He was assigned to the
Bong considered his gunnery accuracy to be poor, so he compensated by getting as close to his targets as possible to make sure he hit them. In some cases he flew through the debris of exploding enemy aircraft, and on one occasion collided with his target, which he claimed as a "probable" victory.
On the recommendation of General Kenney, the Far East Air Force commander, Bong received the Medal of Honor from General Douglas MacArthur in a special ceremony in December 1944. Bong's Medal of Honor citation says that he flew combat missions despite his status as an instructor, which was one of his duties as standardization officer for V Fighter Command. His rank of major qualified him for a squadron command, but he always flew as a flight (four-plane) or element (two-plane) leader.
In January 1945, Kenney sent Bong, America's ace of aces home for good. Bong married Vattendahl on February 10, 1945.[12] He participated in numerous public relations activities, such as promoting the sale of war bonds.
Death
Bong then became a
The plane's primary fuel pump malfunctioned during takeoff. Bong did not switch to the auxiliary fuel pump, either forgetting or unable to do so.
The I-16 auxiliary fuel pump had been added to P-80s after an earlier fatal crash. Captain Ray Crawford, a fellow P-80 test/acceptance flight pilot who flew on August 6, later said Bong had told him that he had forgotten to turn on the I-16 pump on an earlier flight.[15]
In his autobiography, Chuck Yeager writes that part of the culture of test flying at the time, due to its fearsome mortality rates, was anger toward pilots who died in test flights, to avoid being overcome by sorrow for lost comrades. Bong's brother Carl, who wrote his biography, questions whether Bong repeated the mistake so soon after mentioning it to another pilot. Carl's book – Dear Mom, So We Have a War (1991) – contains numerous reports and findings from the crash investigations.
Legacy
In the mid-1950s, construction on a new USAF installation commenced south of Milwaukee that was to be named
It was planned that Spokane Air Force Base, Washington, was to be renamed Bong Air Force Base, until General
Bong is buried at Poplar Cemetery in Poplar, Wisconsin.
Aerial victory credits
Chronicle of aerial victories[18] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date[19] | # [19] | Location/Comment | Aircraft flown |
December 27, 1942 | 2 | over Buna, 1 Val Dive Bomber & 1 Zero | P-38F Lightning, Lockheed |
January 7, 1943 | 2 | Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscars" over Lae
|
P-38F |
January 8, 1943 | 1 | over Lae Harbor, ace status | P-38F |
March 3, 1943 | 1 | Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" during Battle of the Bismarck Sea
|
P-38G-5 |
March 11, 1943 | 2 | "Zeroes" | P-38G-5 |
March 29, 1943 | 1 | Bismark Sea
|
P-38G-5 |
April 14, 1943 | 1 | bomber, Betty G4M, over Milne Bay. Awarded Air Medal. | P-38G-5 |
June 12, 1943 | 1 | "Oscar" Ki-43, Bena Bena
|
P-38G-5 |
July 26, 1943 | 4 | fighters, on escort over Lae; awarded DSC | P-38G-5 |
July 28, 1943 | 1 | "Oscar", on escort over New Britain. | P-38G-5 |
September 6, 1943 | 0 | claimed two bombers, not confirmed; crash-landed at Mailinan airstrip | P-38(?) |
October 2, 1943 | 1 | Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah", over Gasmata | P-38H |
October 29, 1943 | 2 | "Zeros", over Japanese airfield at Rabaul | P-38H |
November 5, 1943 | 2 | "Zeros", over enemy airfield at Rabaul | P-38H |
December 1943 – January 1944: On leave in Wisconsin | |||
February 1944: assigned to Fifth Air Force Fighter Command HQ, but allowed to "free-lance". | |||
February 15, 1944 | 1 | Kawasaki Ki-61 "Tony" off Cape Hoskins, New Britain | P-38(?) |
February 28, 1944 | 0 | destroyed a Japanese transport plane on the runway at Wewak, New Guinea | P-38(?) |
March 3, 1944 | 2 | Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" bombers, over Tadji, New Guinea | P-38(?) |
April 3, 1944 | 1 | fighter over Hollandia, 25th credit | P-38(?) |
April 12, 1944 | 3 | surpassed Eddie Rickenbacker's U.S. record of 26 kills | P-38(?) |
May–July 1944: on leave in U.S., made publicity tours | |||
October 10, 1944 | 2 | Nakajima J1N "Irving" and "Oscar" | P-38L-1 |
October 27, 1944 | 1 | "Oscar" | P-38J |
October 28, 1944 | 2 | "Oscars" off Leyte | P-38L-1 |
November 10, 1944 | 1 | "Oscar" over Ormoc Bay | P-38L-1 |
November 11, 1944 | 2 | Recommended for Medal of Honor. | P-38L-1 |
December 7, 1944 | 2 | "Sally" and Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo", covering U.S. landings at Ormoc | P-38L-1 |
December 15, 1944 | 1 | "Oscar" | P-38L-1 |
December 17, 1944 | 1 | "Oscar" over Mindoro. | P38L-1 |
Military awards
Bong's military decorations and awards include:
United States Army Air Forces pilot badge | |||
Medal of Honor | Distinguished Service Cross | ||
Oak Leaf Cluster
|
Distinguished Flying Cross w/ one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster |
Air Medal w/ two Silver Oak Leaf Clusters and two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters | |
Air Medal w/ one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster |
American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | |
World War II Victory Medal
|
Philippine Liberation Medal w/ one 3⁄16" bronze star |
Army Presidential Unit Citation w/ one bronze oak leaf cluster | Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
|
Medal of Honor citation
- Rank and organization: Major, United States Army Air Forces
- Place and date: Over Borneo and Leyte, October 10 to November 15, 1944
- Entered service at: Poplar, Wisconsin
- Birth: Poplar, Wisconsin
- G.O. No.: 90, December 8, 1944
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty in the Southwest Pacific area from October 10, to November 15, 1944. Though assigned to duty as gunnery instructor and neither required nor expected to perform combat duty, Maj. Bong voluntarily and at his own urgent request engaged in repeated combat missions, including unusually hazardous sorties over Balikpapan, Borneo, and in the Leyte area of the Philippines. His aggressiveness and daring resulted in his shooting down 8 enemy airplanes during this period.[21]
Commemoration
- Bong Air Force Base in Kenosha County, Wisconsin
- Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin
- Richard I. Bong Airport in Superior, Wisconsin
- Bong Barracks of the Aviation Challengeprogram
- Major Richard I. Bong Bridge on Macarthur Drive, Annandale, Townsville, Australia (19°18′45″S 146°47′10″E / 19.3125°S 146.7862°E)[22][23]
- Major Richard Ira Bong Squadron of the Arnold Air Society at the University of Wisconsin
- Richard Bong Theatre in Misawa, Japan and the 613th Air and Space Operations Center, Thirteenth Air Force, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
- Bong Avenues on the former site of the decommissioned Spokane WAand on Kadena AFB in Okinawa, Japan. Bong Blvd on Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, Louisiana.
- Bong Terrace, Mount Holly Township, New Jersey(Mount View neighborhood, built 1956–1957).
- Bong Street, Dayton, Ohio, leading to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, and on Holloman AFB near Alamogordo, NM.
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (1986)[24]
- Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (1987).[25]
- Bong was named as the class exemplar at the United States Air Force Academyfor the Class of 2003.
- International Air and Space Hall of Fame (2018)[26]
Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center
The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin is housed in a structure intended to resemble an aircraft hangar, and contains a museum, a film screening room, and a P-38 Lightning restored to resemble Bong's plane.
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Richard Bong Veterans Historical Center
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Replica of Bong's P-38 Lightning
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Bong's victory marking on P-38
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- Thomas McGuire, American combat pilot with the second-most enemy planes shot down, World War II
Notes
- ^ "The National Aviation Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Veterans Historical Center
- ^ Yenne 2009, pp. 22–25.
- ^ Dear Mom, So We Have a War (1991)
- ISBN 9781428913356.
- ^ Yenne 2009, p. 68.
- ^ Military Ties-Hall of Valor, Richard Bong, Silver Star citation
- ^ a b c "Factsheets : Maj Richard Ira Bong". Air Force Historical Support Division. November 26, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- George C. Kenney.
- ^ "Group to search for celebrated US pilot's fighter plane in South Pacific". The Guardian. Associated Press. 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b Guttman, Jon (November 7, 2016). "Richard Ira Bong: American World War II Ace of Aces". HistoryNet.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ Elaine Woo. "Marjorie Drucker, 79; Wife of World War II Ace Richard Bong". Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2003.
- ISBN 0-553-25674-2.
- Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among other periodicals, all carried prominent front page stories about Bong's death on August 7, 1945, despite the prevalence of the news on the first atomic bombing. "Jet plane explosion kills Major Bong, Top U.S. Ace," New York Times (August 7, 1945), p. 1; "Major Bong, top air ace, killed in crash of Army P-80 jet-fighter," Washington Post (August 6, 1945), p.1; "Jet plane explosion kills Maj. Bong; Ace's 'Shooting Star' blows up in test flight over north Hollywood", Los Angeles Times (August 6, 1945), p.1.
- ^ Dear Mom, So We Have a War (1991)
- ^ "Air Force Deactivates Squadron at Bong Base". Racine Journal Times. December 1, 1959.
- ^ Dan Simmons (January 11, 2007). "Why is that road on base called "Bong" Street?". Air Force Print News Today. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2019-04-01
- ^ a b Bong & O'Connor 1985 p. 210-212
- ^ a b "Aerial Victory Credits". Air Force Historical Research Agency. pp. (search on Name "begins with" "Bong", exclude those of BONGARTZ THEODORE R). Archived from the original on 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ Bong & O'Connor 1985, p. 210-212
- ^ "Richard Bong, Medal of Honor recipient". World War II (A–F). United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Richard Ira Bong - Ace of Aces". Australia@War. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
- ^ "Major Richard Bong | Monument Australia". Monument Australia. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
- ^ "Enshrinee Richard Bong". nationalaviation.org. National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Richard Ira Bong". Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ^ "World's Most Prestigious Air & Space Hall of Fame to Enshrine Distinguished Class of 2018". San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
References
- Bong, Carl (1993). Dear Mom: So We Have a War. Burgess Publishing. ISBN 0-8087-8413-7.
- "Bong, Richard". Medal of Honor recipients: World War II (A–F). United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- Bong, Carl & O'Connor, Mike. 1985. "Ace of Aces, The Dick Bong Story." 2nd Edition; ISBN 0-912173-06-8
- Cony, Christophe (July 2001). ""Dick Bong", roi du Pacifique" ["Dick" Bong, King of the Pacific]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (100): 49–54. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Kenney, George C. (2003) [1960]. Dick Bong: America's Ace of Aces. Superior, Wisconsin: Richard I. Bong WWII Heritage Center. ISBN 0-9722373-0-5.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Yenne, Bill (2009). Aces High: The Heroic Saga of the Two Top-Scoring American Aces of World War II. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-425-21954-6.
External links
- "Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center".
- "Richard "Dick" Bong, American Ace of aces at acesofww2.com".
- "AcePilots.com: USAF Bong". Archived from the original on 2008-04-27.
- "248th Hiko Sentai: A Japanese "Hard Luck" Fighter unit {Copyrighted-for reference only".}
- "USAF History. People: Major Richard Bong". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005.
- Dejanovich, John (December 2012). "Wingman to the Aces, LT Floyd Fulkerson, Ultimate Wingman". Flight Journal.
- Richard Bong at Find a Grave