Dick Bong and America's Ace of Aces who never wanted to be famous

Major Richard Ira Bong remains the highest-scoring American fighter pilot in history, with 40 confirmed aerial victories in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The shy farm boy from Poplar, Wisconsin, flew the Lockheed P-38 Lightning with a discipline and lethality that no American pilot has matched before or since. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by General Douglas MacArthur himself — and died in a jet test-flight accident on August 6, 1945, the same day the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima.

Where Did Dick Bong Come From?

Dick Bong was born on September 24, 1920, in Poplar, Wisconsin, the oldest of nine children. His father was a Swedish immigrant farmer. The family had little beyond land and hard work, but a barnstormer flying over the farm planted an obsession with aviation that everyone who knew him confirmed.

He enrolled at Superior State Teachers College in 1938, initially planning to become a schoolteacher. But when he joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPT), the classroom lost him for good. His instructors described a natural — smooth hands, perfect coordination, and an instinct for the airplane that couldn’t be taught.

By 1941 he was in the Army Air Corps. By 1942 he had his wings, a commission, and an assignment to the aircraft that would define his legacy: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Why the P-38 Lightning Was the Perfect Weapon for Bong

The P-38 was not universally loved. It was a big, heavy, twin-engine, twin-boom fighter with counter-rotating propellers. Many Pacific Theater pilots wanted something more maneuverable — a Mustang or a Corsair — something that could turn with the nimble Japanese fighters.

Bong didn’t care about turning. He understood energy fighting. The P-38’s nose housed four .50-caliber machine guns and a 20mm cannon, all firing straight ahead with no convergence issues. You pointed the nose and everything hit the same spot.

Bong flew the Lightning exactly as it was designed to be flown: high and fast. Dive down, hit hard, zoom back up, repeat. Veterans called it “boom and zoom.” It wasn’t cinematic dogfighting. It was disciplined, clinical, and devastatingly effective.

How Dick Bong Became America’s Ace of Aces

Bong arrived in the Southwest Pacific in September 1942, assigned to the 49th Fighter Group under Fifth Air Force. His first aerial victory came on December 27, 1942 — a Mitsubishi Zero shot down over Buna on the coast of New Guinea.

The victories accumulated rapidly. By mid-1943 he was an ace. By the end of that year he had 21 confirmed kills. His commanding officer, General George Kenney, recognized Bong’s value early — not just as a pilot but as a symbol. A quiet, baby-faced kid from Wisconsin who looked like he belonged on a hay farm was becoming the deadliest fighter pilot in American service.

When Bong’s score passed Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I record of 26 victories, Kenney made sure the entire country knew about it. By April 1944, Bong had reached 27 kills and was the new American Ace of Aces. Kenney pulled him out of combat and sent him home for a war bond tour.

The Pilot Who Didn’t Want Fame

What separated Dick Bong from nearly every other celebrated ace was his total disinterest in attention. Press interviews drew one-word answers. When asked what it felt like to shoot down an enemy aircraft, he’d shrug and say something like, “Well, you just do it.”

He didn’t name his P-38 anything fierce. He painted a portrait of his girlfriend, Marge Vattendahl, on the nose. The airplane was simply called “Marge.” His letters home dwelled on weather, food, and how much he missed Wisconsin — not combat, not kill counts.

Return to Combat and the Medal of Honor

Bong returned to the Pacific in September 1944, officially as an advanced gunnery instructor. He was not supposed to fly combat. He lasted about two weeks before he was back in a P-38 over the Philippines.

The score climbed — 30, 35, 38. Kenney repeatedly ordered him to stay on the ground. Bong repeatedly found his way back into the air. It wasn’t recklessness. He believed he was most useful in the cockpit, keeping the sky clear for the men fighting below.

On December 17, 1944, over Mindoro in the Philippines, Bong shot down his 40th enemy aircraft. No American pilot before or since has equaled that number. General Douglas MacArthur personally awarded him the Medal of Honor in the field. Bong accepted it, thanked the general, and went back to his tent.

This time, when Kenney grounded him permanently, Bong didn’t argue. He went home and married Marge Vattendahl on February 10, 1945.

The Tragic Death of Dick Bong

With the war winding down, Bong was assigned to Lockheed’s facility in Burbank, California, as a test pilot for the P-80 Shooting Star — America’s first operational jet fighter. He adapted to jet flight the way he adapted to everything with wings: quickly and completely.

On August 6, 1945 — the same day the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima — Bong climbed into a P-80 for an acceptance test flight. Shortly after takeoff, at roughly 100 feet, the engine quit. Accounts point to either a fuel pump malfunction or a stuck fuel shutoff valve. At low altitude and low airspeed, there was no energy to trade for time.

Bong jettisoned the canopy and attempted to bail out, but he was too low. His parachute never fully deployed. He struck the ground in a vacant lot on Oxnard Street in North Hollywood. He was 24 years old. Marge had been his wife for less than six months.

His death barely registered in the press. Hiroshima consumed every headline.

How Dick Bong Is Remembered Today

An airfield bears his name — Richard I. Bong Airport in Superior, Wisconsin. The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, also in Superior, houses a restored P-38 Lightning among its exhibits. Carl Bong’s book Dear Mom, So We Have a War, drawn from Dick’s own letters home, remains the definitive account of his life.

Key Takeaways

Dick Bong scored 40 confirmed aerial victories in the Pacific Theater, a record no American pilot has broken.
He mastered the P-38 Lightning’s energy-fighting strengths — boom-and-zoom tactics rather than close-in dogfighting.
Despite being America’s most celebrated ace, Bong actively avoided publicity, painted his girlfriend’s portrait on his plane, and wrote home about the weather instead of combat.
He received the Medal of Honor from General MacArthur after his 40th victory in December 1944.
Bong died at age 24 in a P-80 Shooting Star test-flight accident on August 6, 1945 — the same day as the Hiroshima bombing — surviving hundreds of combat missions only to be lost to a mechanical failure over Los Angeles.