The hunt is on for a plane flown by a legendary World War II hero who became a national celebrity after his very public declaration of love for his then-girlfriend.
Ace pilot Richard Bong, a farm boy from Wisconsin, is credited with shooting down 40 Japanese planes during World War II – more than any other American pilot – and received the Medal of Honor.
But he is perhaps more famous for sticking a huge photo of his girlfriend Marjorie Vattendahl on the side of his Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane – which he nicknamed ‘Marge’ in her honor.
The plane disappeared in March 1944 when the engine failed over Papua New Guinea. The pilot flying the jet at the time, Thomas Malone, survived, but the plane disappeared into the jungle along with Marge’s photo, never to be seen again.
The famous couple later married, but Bong tragically died before the end of the war, leaving his new wife devastated.
Now a museum and a historic preservation group are teaming up in an effort to salvage the wreckage and bring missing Marge home.
Top pilot Richard Bong flew a plane called ‘Marge’, named after his then girlfriend Marjorie Vattendahl
He attached Vattendahl’s photo to the plane shortly before it suffered an engine failure over Papua New Guinea in March 1944.
Bong married Vattendahl in February 1945 in the presence of 1,200 guests and the international press
Sadly, the pilot died six months later after having to bail out of a P-80 jet at low altitude
Bong was born in 1920 to a Swedish immigrant father and an American-born mother.
The first of nine children, the ace pilot grew up on farmland in Poplar, Wisconsin.
He learned to operate farm equipment at a young age and enjoyed sports, hunting and fishing.
Bong and Vattendahl met at Superior Teachers College in 1943 while he was on leave to crown the school’s new homecoming king.
The two stood together on stage during the coronation and had their first date a few days later.
Like Bong, Vattendahl gained fame because her boyfriend taped her graduation photo to his plane and the pilot described her as a woman who “looks great, and a lot better than these naked women painted on most planes.” the LA Times reported in 2003.
Bong married Vattendahl in February 1945 in the presence of 1,200 guests and the international press.
But the pilot died just six months later after having to bail out of a P-80 jet at low altitude.
“It was such a traumatic experience for her,” said Christabel Grant, director of the historic center.
Vattendahl spent her final years on the Bong family farm, and her ashes were buried next to the World War II hero after her death in 2003.
The trip to Papua New Guinea to find ‘Marge’ will cost approximately $63,000
The hunt for the plane is expected to last a month
The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center and the nonprofit Pacific Wrecks announced the search for Bong’s plane last week.
Pacific Wrecks founder Justin Taylan will lead the expedition and plans to head to Papua New Guinea in May.
According to Public Radio Minnesota (MPR), Taylan thinks the trip could take almost a month and cost about $63,000.
Taylan told MPR he is confident he will find the wreckage, but doesn’t know if there will be enough to identify the plane.
“We will be taking photos, video, flying a drone over the site and doing a full site survey,” Taylan said.
“Hopefully we can find the ultimate proof, which is a serial number of the plane that says this plane is Marge.”
Jerry Fechtelkotter, Richard Bong’s sister, told the story Northern news now their family is excited about the expedition.
“It would be nice to have some of the pieces on display here at the museum if we can find them,” added Bong’s cousin Keith Fechtelkotter.
Bong married Vattendahl in February 1945 in the presence of 1,200 guests and the international press
Marjorie married Murray Drucker in the 1950s and had two children after Bong’s death. She died in 2003 and her ashes are currently buried next to the fallen top pilot
After Bong’s death, Vattendahl married Murray Drucker in the 1950s and became a model and publisher at the Boxer Review.
She later spoke at aviation and veterans conventions and was “delighted” to learn that a P-38 aircraft with a photo that looked like her had become a collector’s item.
She spent her final years on the Bong family farm, and her ashes were then buried next to the World War II hero her death in 2003.
Daily Mail has contacted the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center and Pacific Wrecks for comment.