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Bong -- Maj Richard Ira Bong. After schooling in his hometown, Dick Bong enlisted as a flying cadet at nearby Wausau, Wisc., May 29, 1941. He took flying training at Tulare and Gardner Fields, Calif., and Luke Field Ariz., receiving his wings and commission on Jan. 9, 1942. He instructed other pilots at Luke until May when he went to Hamilton ...
Dec 27, 2021 · Major Richard I. Bong U.S. Army Air Force, 5th Air Force, 49th Fighter Group, 9th Fighter Squadron and 5th Fighter Command (V Fighter Command) P-38 Lightning Pilot and Highest Scoring American Ace Background Richard Ira Bong was born September 24, 1920 to parents Carl T. Bong and Dora May Bryce Bong as the first of nine children in Poplar ...
Once designated to be a jet fighter base, Richard Bong State Recreation Area is named after Major Richard I. Bong, a Poplar, WI native who was America's leading air ace during World War II. The air base was abandoned three days before concrete was to be poured for a 12,500-foot runway. Local citizens had the foresight to protect this open space ...
Dec 10, 2016 · Major Richard Bong in his P-38. Within two years, Bong knew it was time to change his future: instead of becoming a teacher, he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program on May 29, 1941. He began his training under Captain Barry Goldwater, a flight instructor who would later become a senator from Arizona.
Join Chris Henry from the EAA Aviation Museum as he discusses the life of America’s highest-scoring WWII ace, Richard Bong.Ace of Aces: The Story of Richard ...
Jan 29, 2023 · Maj. Richard “Dick” Bong boasts a combat record unmatched by any other American fighter pilots in World War II. The “Ace of Aces” shot down 40 confirmed enem...
May 11, 2017 · Richard Bong (1920-1945) Major Richard Bong was America’s Ace of Aces. Without dispute, the P-38 was the airplane of the aces. While other fighter types had their share of aces, the P-38 was flown by most of the top scorers, of whom Major Richard Ira Bong was at the top of the heap. A Wisconsin farm boy and one of nine children, Bong received ...
