475th's Friends
Richard I. Bong
America's "Ace of Aces," Richard Ira Bong, was born on a farm near Poplar, Wisconson on 24 September 1920. Following graduation from Superior Central High School in 1938, he entered State Teachers College, but left on 29 May 1941 and enlisted as an aviation cadet in the Army Air Forces.
After he received his wings at Luke Field, Arizona on 9 January 1942, Lieutenant Bong spent three months as an instructor at Luke, followed by four months at Hamilton Field checking out in the P-38 Lightning. Assigned to the 9th Fighter Group, in Brisbane, Australia, he was sent shortly afterward to Port Moresby, New Guinea, where he was temporarily attached to the 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group. There, two days after Christmas, he scored hes first victories, downing a Val and a Zeke over Dobodura. By January 1943 he was an ace, his fifth victory an Oscar over the Anon Gulf.
Returning to the 9th Fighter Squadron on 11 January, Bong continued to run up his score throughout 1943, and by 5 November he was credited with 20 Japanese aircraft destroyed.
Following leave in the States, Bong returned to New Guinea and was assigned to Headquarters, Fifth Fighter Command. "Freelancing," he downed seven more Japanese aircraft between 15 February and 12 April 1944, breaking Rickenbacker's record of 26 in World War I. Sent back to the States for a rest a second time, he returned to combat in October. In the next 60 days he ran his score to 40, shooting down his last, an Oscar, on 17 December.
Bong returned to the States for good on 29 December 1944 to test the new Lockheed P-80. Flying from the Lockheed plane at Burbank, on 6 August, Bong's P-80 flamed out on takeoff and he was killed when he bailed out at low altitude.
TALLY RECORD: 40 Confirmed, 8 Probables and 7 Damaged
DECORATIONS: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with six OLCs, Air Medal with 14 OLCs, and the Australian Distinguished Flying Cross
