Early life
Bong, the son of Swedish immigrant parents, grew up on a farm in Poplar, Wisconsin, as one of nine children. He became interested in aircraft at an early age and was a avid model builder.
He began studying at Superior State Teachers College in 1938. While there, Bong enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program and also took private flying lessons. In 1941 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. One of his flight instructors was Capt. Barry Goldwater (later Senator from Arizona). Bong’s ability as a fighter pilot was recognized at training in northern California. He received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant on January 19, 1942, and became a gunnery instructor.
Wiki – Richard Bong
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| Aircraft | Acft Nickname | Modex | Bureau No | Date | Remarks | Branch of Service | NAF | Group | Squadron | Unit | Place | Rank | Position | Kits | Decals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Thumper | White 15 | 42-12644 | 27-Dec-42 | Claimed a Zero and a Val shot down. Acft assigned to John Lane who used it to shoot down a Zeke on 18 Jul 1943 over Salamaua-Lae. | USAAF | 5 AF | 49 FG | 9 FS | Dobodura | 2Lt | ||||
| P-38F-5-LO | 42-12624 | 7-Jan-43 | 2 confirmed Oscars, 1 damaged, and 1 probable. | USAAF | 5 AF | 49 FG | 9 FS | 80m NNE of Cape Ward Hunt and Huon Gulf | 2Lt | ||||||
| P-38F-5-LO | 42-12653 | 8-Jan-43 | 5th victory, an Oscar. | USAAF | 5 AF | 49 FG | 9 FS | Huon Gulf | 2Lt | ||||||
| P-38G-5-LO | White 73 | 28-Jul-43 | Shot down an Oscar for his 16th victory. | USAAF | 5 AF | 49 FG | 9 FS | NW of Rein Bay | Captain | ||||||
| P-38H-5-LO | 79 | 42-66847 | 5-Nov-43 | Shot down 2 Zekes. | USAAF | 5 AF | 49 FG | 9 FS | Rabaul | Captain | Hasegawa Jt-3 | ||||
| P-38J-15-LO | Marge | Black 933/597 | 42-103993 | Feb – Mar, 1944 | Shot down 2 Sallys, 1 Tony, damaged an Oscar, and probably shot down another Oscar with this acft. | USAAF | 5 AF | 5th Ftr Comm | Captain | Hasegawa 09604 & Monogram 5479 | Hasegawa 09604 & Monogram 5479 | ||||
| P-38J-15-LO | 42-104380 | Assigned this acft but unknown whether he used it to shoot down any acft. | USAAF | ||||||||||||
| P-38J-15-LO | Down Beat | Black T | 42-104012 | 12-Apr-44 | Shot down 3 Oscars to surpass Eddie Rickenbacker. | USAAF | 5 AF | 5th Ftr Comm | Tanamerah Bay, New Guinea | Major | Hasegawa 09604 | Hasegawa 09604 | |||
| P-38L-1-LO | Yellow 42 | 42-23964 | Oct – Nov, 1944 | Shot down at least 5 with this acft. | USAAF | 5 AF | 5th Ftr Comm | Major | Hasegawa 09358 | ||||||
| P-51D | USAAF | ||||||||||||||
| P-80A-1 | 44-85048 | 6-Aug-45 | Killed in crash just after takeoff. | USAAF | Lockheed | Burbank, CA, USA | Chief of Flight Operations |