Legendary Fighter Plane Found: The Untold Story of the Red Paint

[@olsonspeed]

Watching on Memorial Day, my deepest thanks to The Greatest Generation.

[@HistoryX]

Same here!

[@nicholasklangos9704]

HOORAH!!

[@timellis8773]

​

[@gone547]

Yep. Many gave all, and look what they got for their trouble.

[@outfield1988]

Man that is so awesome that people could go through all that to honor Richard and history.

[@HistoryX]

I hope Richard would be thrilled to know he's still making headlines!

[@outfield1988]

@@HistoryX For sure me being 60 years old old I know a ton of WW 2 history to honor all that gave.

[@DGillyy]

Greetings from Wisconsin, home state of Dick Bong of Poplar, WI. I saw the P38 that is currently restored and displayed in Superior WI when it was a pole mount in Poplar. I'm glad it has a nice home now, it was really looking bad.

[@HistoryX]

That's so cool that you got to see the P38 in both its old and restored state!

[@rslover65]

I've driven by that museum a zillion times. Going to stop by this summer

[@HistoryX]

I hope you do decide to visit it. They have a great set-up there and do a really good job.

[@30AndHatingIt]

@@HistoryXGood on you for having 122k subscribers but still taking the time to respond to comments and engage with your viewers. I remember when you didn’t even have 5k. I’m just now finally growing and had a video reach half a million views, but I endeavored to respond to all the comments because it’s important. Don’t even change, and keep up the good work!

[@DGillyy]

@@HistoryX it was outside a school. Inside the school there was a sort of large foyer where they had some memorabilia of Dick, a cross between a memorial and a museum is the best way to describe it. The people of Poplar are of course very proud of their home town boy being America's ace of aces. Gone but never forgotten.

[@bbb462cid]

These relics of our past were thought to be gone forever. Bong's plane, the USS Wahoo...the USS Harder was just found as well. Rest in peace all who gave all.

[@NorthMiPatriot]

I did not know that they found USS Harder as well. I first read that story as told by Edward Beach in his book "Submarine!" One of the very few times during the war when we knew exactly what happened to one of our lost submarines.

[@johnparkman5980]

Some interesting facts about his death. He was only 24 on August 6th, 1945 when he died. As the video says, he was killed test flying a P-80 Shooting Star in California, when the aircraft flamed out at low altitude. But, what they didn't say was, because he didn't have enough altitude to bail out, he jettisoned the canopy, stood up in the cockpit, and pulled the ripcord of his parachute. The deploying canopy got tangled on the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft and dragged him into the ground, killing him instantly. Amazing that after three tours in the Pacific and becoming a test pilot, he was only 24 years old.

[@JR-jw3px]

I used to work for the WWII Tech Sgt that investigated the Bong P80 crash. He gifted me a needle movement from one of the cockpit instruments.

[@peterruiz6117]

Did you mean, his parachute was tangled onto the tail planes ? Not likely that the CANOPY would get stuck there, and how would that 'drag him down' ? Revised: "The canopy broke against the vertical tail plane, and his parachute became tangled around the canopy/ Stabalizer, dragging him down with the plane" ??

[@mfrsr]

​​@@peterruiz6117do you mean canopy of the plane or canopy of the parachute?

[@haroldmclean3755]

What a Historic Discovery, Hopefully Pacific Wrecks and the PNG Government, can work together and figure out an agreement to Rescue Marge 👍

[@kellywright540]

Provided the Don of Dementia, Biden doesn't tell anymore cannibalism stories about the PNG! 🤦‍♀️

[@HistoryX]

The government there in Papua New Guinea look at these wrecks as part of their heritage and don't allow anything to be taken from the country. As I understand it, the leadership in Superior are looking to form a sister relationship with several of the PNG villages near where the wreck was found. The hope is that a few pieces of the wreck might be able to be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@richardcline1337]

@@HistoryX That is a real shame. Such a historic plane needs to be reassembled as much as possible and preserved, hopefully back in the US but if not, at least in the country where it is now. Otherwise it will just continue to decay until there is nothing left of it.

[@timellis8773]

​@@HistoryX😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😮

[@timellis8773]

​@@HistoryX😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@kellywright540]

I have read about Richard Bong since I was a kid back in the seventies. Hell of a fighter pilot and probably had many, many more kills than just the 40 he was credited with. Some he gave to other pilots and maybe a few weren't reported because he was, at times, a training officer who wasn't supposed to be mixing it up with the Japanese. Born and raised in Wisconsin so there are a few things named after him such as the Richard Bong State Recreational Area where I have hunted pheasants and deer. I also have visited the EAA Museum in Oshkosh many times and had the rare pleasure of being able to see a P38 Lighting up close. I was there with my daughter and we had like an hour and half until closing. Because it was a rainy early December Saturday, we were the only visitors there so the guy in charge let us go behind the ropes and even let my daughter sit in the cockpits of several of the aircraft - again, with supervision from the staff. I got to see the P38 from every angle including looking into the cockpit. I was amazed by the beauty of it, touching the smooth curves of the metal and thinking that the P38 was more of a work of art than a war machine. I'm willing to bet that Dick Bong probably thought the same thing when he first saw one!!

[@HistoryX]

Sounds like you and your daughter had a VIP tour of aviation history! Who knows, she might be the next aviation enthusiast after that close encounter with the P38.

[@Wilett614]

I read about Dick Bong in the 1950s : )) Incredible Pilot and Officer . Too bad He didnt See The Future of Aviation

[@pontiacfan76]

I still have a plastic model of his aircraft. Gonna have to take some time off work to visit the air museum it not far from my main terminal near Green Bay.

[@mpetersen6]

The image of Marge on the P-38 was not painted. It was actually photographic print. The surface of the aircraft's aluminum was prepped and a photosensitive wash was applied. The wash was then exposed to a light source shone thru an enlarger. Then developer and fixative was used to finish the image. The work was done outside at night by the units attached photographic section. Bong was not flying Marge when the aircraft was lost.

[@soupsandwich8940]

After returning to the southwest Pacific in January 1944, he named his P-38 Marge and adorned the nose with her photo. In March another pilot was flying Bong's aircraft when it suffered engine failure and crashed in New Guinea, after the pilot, who survived, had bailed out

[@Grayman58]

Watching from Canada a wonderful story .

[@HistoryX]

Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@Wilett614]

I Met Marge at an airshow in Elmira NY in 1991 . She was Still as Beautiful at that time too . Sponsored by the National Warplane Museum "Wings of Eagles " Airshow

[@gtv6chuck]

Very interesting story. when I was a kid at Clark AB in the Philippines one of the main roads on base was named Bong Highway. It wasn't until many years later that I learned who Richard Bong was.

[@HistoryX]

Wow. I never knew about that. You hear about things being named after Bong in Wisconsin, but in the Philippines? Cool

[@SHOdown13]

I was stationed there in the 80s. Always wondered about that. With a word like Bong, it seemed more Asian Pacific than American.

[@greghodgkinson101]

The movie theater at Misawa AFB (a joint base with JSDF) was name for him too. My guess is that a lot of bases around the world had honored him in some way.

[@larryfromwisconsin9970]

I too am from Superior, Wisconsin and in the 1960s frequently drove past the P-38 on a post in Poplar while we were driving to Lake Nebagamon. We didn't know then that plane was fully intact except they cut off the landing gear to mount it on the pole. I read that they restored it to fully flying condition but put it on static display. It deserves to be flown at air shows across the Nation.

[@e.foster1284]

I watched this sitting under a model of his P-38 hanging from the ceiling that I built when I was a kid. Remember when America had heroes who were household names?

[@richardnixon4345]

You forgot to add that you were pulling yourself stupid as well

[@2vintage68]

We live in a very different, dystopian world today.

[@gusloader123]

Good report but a sad ending. Richard Bong was a great Fighter (multiple) Ace, but as so many other men, he died in experimental aircraft at a training Base / Field. Salute to Ace Richard Bong!

[@HistoryX]

He was an amazing guy, for sure. I'm glad this discovery was announced so that people could hear his name again

[@triggerpointtechnology]

That data plate, the small piece of metal with the serial number of the P-38 is all they need to reconstruct this aircraft and register it as the original. Crazy as it seems, the data plate and $10,000,000 would allow someone to own Richard Bong’s famous aircraft.

[@leosypher9993]

I've been going to the lake superior visitor center all my life, I grew up a couple hours form it and I still live in the same area, its awesome to see how far this little museum has come and how hard everyone there works to keep it alive

[@drbichat5229]

Marge was my first 1:32 scale model airplane by Revell

[@flyingfortressrc1794]

Wow Ken, that is absolutely incredible that it's so easily identifiable. I'm so glad they found it.

[@aproudamerican2692]

*🙏🏻Rest In Peace🕊* *Richard and Marge* *Gone but you will never be forgotten.* This was not a happy ending but that's war and life. I lost my Grandfather *Lt Thomas Joseph Cavanaugh* at the Rhine River just three months before my Mother was born and shortly before the end of the War. I'm gonna do a deep dive to learn more about both of these. Thank You for the video.

[@HistoryX]

Unfortunately the government of Papua New Guinea view WWII wreckage as part of their heritage, and therefore it cannot be removed

[@scottmccloud9029]

​@@HistoryX That sucks.

[@HistoryX]

Yes, As I understand it, the leadership in Superior are looking to form a sister relationship with several of the PNG villages near where the wreck was found. The hope is that a few pieces of the wreck might be able to be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@scottmccloud9029]

@@HistoryX That would be really nice.

[@ThomasSmith-hh8fp]

32 dove into a cellar, at the Rhine- 16 died, and 16 were taken prisoner. My Father, Private 1st class William Ernest Smith, was one of the 16 taken Prisoner, and spent the remaining months( 8- i believe) as pow, until liberation day. He was a THUNDERBOLT. 331st regiment , 83rd division 1st infantry.. I hope this bit of information helps you in your quest. Theres an outfit in france, that i found Tons of information from, ,and is run by a man named Antoine Moslier. Sincerely, Son of a Thunderbolt, Thomas Elmer Smith..❤

[@audrybella6405]

What an incredible story about an incredible hero. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@BCB77B]

I was born in Manitowoc and raised in Omaha. However we always took each summer to drive back to Wisconsin to visit grandparents and on those trips my dad would always take us to airshows in Oshkosh hosted by the EAA. As a kid he told me all about Bong and his exploits. Glad to hear his plane was found. Great piece of history. Bring it back to the museum and display the remaining parts!

[@jeffreymcdonald8267]

Great work by the recovery team and good work on this tribute. Thank you. A couple things to add. It is not an established fact that Bong failed to switch on the boost pump. What is accepted as more of a fact is that had Bong bailed out at the first sign of trouble he very likely would have survived. But he was over a highly populated area and chose to fly his stricken craft away from the area and by remaining aboard as long as he did probably cost him his life. Even without his tally of victories Bong's last actions were the stuff that Hero's are made of.

[@littlehummingbird1015]

so very sad....and esp. for his bride.

[@waynemetevia7983]

What a great story! Very well done. 👏

[@vortexgen1]

I would love to see the wreck as is, in the museum at Superior. I hope that a deal can be worked out for all parties.

[@cliffnelson1174]

I have a cousin who is still buried with his Corsair somewhere close to this very island. He was a Marine Aviator.

[@mcm95403]

Incredible! I hope they can bring it back and restore it.

[@bobbys4327]

I saw a P-38 in Colorado Springs. It had been wrecked in the jungles of New Guinea and they got all the pieces brought them back and restored it. A man and his father went to see the planes there and they wheeled Frank Royal, WWII fighter pilot into the hanger. Frank looked at the plane, P-38 number 33 on the nose and couldn't believe his eyes, it was his P-38 he had flown in WWII. They put it in the air and got Frank in another plane and flew in formation with his P-38. He was 101 years young!

[@JayPerry-p2n]

An amazing aircraft. Cutting edge technology for the time. I've heard not an easy plane to master. 🛩️

[@HistoryX]

You are right! I read that the engines were so powerful, that if one went out, the plane would go into an immediate spin.

[@fazole]

The fuel management system was complex and getting it wrong could get you killed. The late Gen. Robin Olds ran out of fuel due to dropping tanks using the wrong procedure and he wound up with dead engines in a dogfight! But still shot down his foe too.

[@fazole]

​@@HistoryX A P-38 pilot recounted that while in cruise, he stretched his legs out BEHIND the rudder pedals in the notoriously cramped P-38 cockpit. One engine quit due to fuel starvation, the plane went into a spin and his foot was trapped under the rudder pedal! Luckily he survived.

[@HistoryX]

That sounds like something I would do, take a moment to stretch a bit and totally lose control of the plane. Nice!

[@HistoryX]

Theres a book called 'Dead Reckoning', about the story of the P-38's sent to shoot down Yamamoto's plane. The author tells about how hard it was for new pilots to familiarize themselves with that plane.

[@DanBall-bt9ui]

Great video ! Thanks

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for watching, Dan!

[@HistoryX]

Glad you liked it!

[@diddlethepoodle4812]

RIP to both of you. Your sacrifices are not forgotten.

[@benfoot4212]

What a great story. Have never heard it before, I hope they can recover the air craft and put the parts in with the replica

[@HistoryX]

The government there in Papua New Guinea look at these wrecks as part of their heritage and don't allow anything to be taken from the country. As I understand it, the leadership in Superior are looking to form a sister relationship with several of the PNG villages near where the wreck was found. The hope is that a few pieces of the wreck might be able to be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@benfoot4212]

@@HistoryX That is a shame for something like that

[@mattreames3356]

Fantastic stuff! History saved!

[@JUNKERS488]

Thanks for sharing I constantly check the Pacific Wreaks web page. Back when I was building 1/32 static models for Museums I used information many times to make the individual plane they wanted. PW is a great place to find info on Naval Ships now too. Now we have a president who don't care enough about our service men and women to even return their salute. What a slap in all our troops and veterans faces after everything they have done to keep our freedoms.

[@aussie6910]

Has he called them losers & suckers yet?

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Red, of course, was the traditional marking for an 'ace', and he was one, many times over. Knowing he flew a P38, I thought there was something wrong with the picture at the start of this film, which is a radially engined 'bus'; the story explains it. The P38, the 'swalbe-arsche teuffel' was a brilliant machine - well ahead of the field in its design and a beautiful ship to look at. I sincerely hope 'Marge' hasn't been buried in the recent Papua mud slide disaster!

[@cramersclassics]

Well done! Music could be turned down a bit so your excellent narration would be crisper.

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for letting me know about the volume. I'm always trying to work on that.

[@cramersclassics]

Music volume is always a challenge. Always error on the side of less.

[@jeffreymcdonald8267]

Agreed.

[@TalkingGIJoe]

Great find!

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for watching the video!

[@davekreitzer4358]

Just as impressive as any other P- 38 Lightning 😉👍

[@tonyennis1787]

Hopefully they can get some parts out of the jungle and to the museum.

[@HistoryX]

As I understand it, The government there in Papua New Guinea consider these wrecks to be part of their heritage and rarely allow anything to be taken from the country. But I heard the leadership in Superior are hoping to form a sister relationship with some of the PNG villages near the wreck site, hoping a few pieces of the wreck might be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@fritz7th77thanddadjust8]

My dad was a service crew for bong. With the 100th service squadron. He used to paint the nose art on a lot of the planes. And was the one who painted the red on bongs plane.. as a side note he didn't like bong

[@douglasfoster6065]

Did he ever say why?

[@userbosco]

This is amazing! Wish my pops was still here to get this news...but he probably knows somehow :-] Bong's story is highlighted in the fantastic historical novel "Race of Aces". Highly recommend!

[@HistoryX]

Yes!! That's a great book!

[@suasponte8363]

Great work guys

[@jamesmusisca7547]

these planes was so cool they looked fast

[@HistoryX]

They don't make them like that anymore, do they?

[@michaeldavid6284]

This aircraft, as the video states, crashed in March of 1944. Dick Bong flew combat missions until December of 1944, so this obviously is not the only P-38 he piloted in combat.

[@Skymedc]

True, and in fact he wasn't the pilot when Marge went down. There was a different pilot flying it that day.

[@motorv8N]

Fantastic history lesson - thank you!

[@nicholasklangos9704]

HOORAH!! HAND SALUTE AN AMERICAN HERO AND BROTHER VETERAN AVIATOR! He was an inspiration to so many in the USAF who came after, fitting near this Memorial Day his aircraft be found!! I coul tell right away that other plane they found was NOT a P38 Lightning!!

[@TuyenPham-bt6yx]

I'm looking at a plastic Revell 1/48 scale of Bong's P-38 Lightning dangling up from my bedroom ceiling as I'm watching this. Such an ace!

[@Armchair_Commanders]

Another great video

[@HistoryX]

Thanks, Jon! Really appreciate that! I understand you're going to be doing an episode with Tim N from the Kidd?

[@Armchair_Commanders]

@@HistoryX it’s in the works

[@dutchman7216]

That was wonderful. What are the plans for that P-38?

[@HistoryX]

The government there in Papua New Guinea look at these wrecks as part of their heritage and don't allow anything to be taken from the country. As I understand it, the leadership in Superior are looking to form a sister relationship with several of the PNG villages near where the wreck was found. The hope is that a few pieces of the wreck might be able to be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@dutchman7216]

@@HistoryX That's good.

[@zacd7266]

@@HistoryX The PNG Government is going to be extra strict with any other aircraft due to the allegations that the Swamp Ghost B-17 was illegal salvaged and shipped to the US several years ago.

[@neilfoster814]

Really interesting story, even though I had heard of Richard I Bong. Our British DH Mosquito was also one hell of a plane like the P-38, but with one engine failing on take-off or landing, it killed many pilots due to asymmetric thrust and huge torque. Even the single engined P-51D could torque roll inverted on take off if full throttle was applied in one go.

[@HistoryX]

Great comment. I read a book called 'Dead Reckoning'. They talk about pilots jamming the throttles forward in the event of an engine failure. The problem with that, as you mentioned, is these engines were so powerful that suddenly increasing power on the remaining engine would throw it into a roll / spin. Instant death.

[@moseskelly2886]

I wish that the plane could've gotten fully restored. How awesome would that be? That's also very sad how he passed away and didn't get to spend the rest of his life with his wife. Its also sad how she had to live the rest of her like without him ofc they will see each other again in Heaven.

[@oscargrouch7962]

I hope they restore some of the parts and display them in the museum near the replica.

[@kurtdowney1489]

Great video

[@HistoryX]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fsj197811]

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for watching!

[@MichaelBradley1967]

I live about 5 miles from a recreation area named for Richard Bong. I never knew it was meant to be an AFB, but was abandoned.

[@ericGSXR43]

Phenomenal story! Glad she was found.

[@jamesmusisca7547]

red stands out in the jungle that's cool

[@HistoryX]

Definitely! When I heard the story about the red paint, I thought "what a cool detail"

[@starsiegeplayer]

I built a model of "the Marge." Wonderful to learn they found it.

[@stuartlynn-q8q]

Good find Great pilot Hero

[@ConradHeiz]

Much respect!!

[@jeromebreeding3302]

Bong put that P-38 through it's paces. The enemy called it a"forked-tailed-devil".How tragic that after three tours of duty, and a record number of kills, he died test flying the F-80 shooting star, which likely still had a number of bugs left to sort out.

[@HistoryX]

Yes, Bong definitely pushed the envelope with everything he did. A viewer mentioned that he failed to turn on the fuel boost pump on the F-80. If that's true, it almost seems unjust to go that way.

[@jeromebreeding3302]

@@HistoryX Sometimes it's the smallest details that can do you in but, he was new to, as yet, an unproven airplane not to mention it being a jet, a whole new kettle of fish.

[@RobertEdwards-o4l]

Wow!! What a amazing story.! To bad it was cut to short. God bless both of them!

[@eduardoe.barreto6938]

Incredible story!

[@everydayhero5076]

Awesome find!!!

[@Railride701]

Great story!! 👍

[@arragon5481]

At least they found her and brought her home. Rest easy Richard, Marge is home now.

[@jkorshak]

Fascinating subject but your audio mix is notably poor. Music is distractingly loud plus audio from your intro on location stepping into it is pretty awkward. Thanks for the upload - I knew Bong's story but had not heard his P38 was discovered.

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for watching and I appreciate the comment. Always trying to improve the video structure. Please keep the comments coming!

[@eduardomalveiropereiraleit4705]

Great history, great MAN and girl

[@guaporeturns9472]

What’s up with the cover image?

[@scottboelke4391]

These people only read scripts! This is a channel designed to get clicks, no matter what the subject. But they don't know the subject.

[@HistoryX]

@@scottboelke4391 Thanks for the comment. Sorry to hear you feel my attempt to tell Dick Bong's story is simply an attempt to get clicks. I definitely could've used a pic of a P-38 for the thumbnail. The only problem is that as this channel grows, many people are quick to claim copyright infringement, even if the photo is sourced from the National Archives. So many content creators like me are left with little choice but to use AI-generated images for thumbnails. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence doesn't seem to know the difference between an Allison V-12 and a radial engine

[@od1452]

I always wondered how the photo of Marge was attached.?

[@kellyswoodyard]

There's a road bridge named after Richard Bong in Townsville, Australia.

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Great history. Thank you.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

*If they can dig out "Glacier Girl" and raise her from 300 feet of ice then put her mangled parts back together surely somebody can do something with..."Marge."*

[@HistoryX]

The government there in Papua New Guinea look at these wrecks as part of their heritage and don't allow anything to be taken from the country. As I understand it, the leadership in Superior are looking to form a sister relationship with several of the PNG villages near where the wreck was found. The hope is that a few pieces of the wreck might be able to be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

@@HistoryX *Yep. Not saying they're 1 of them but many Nations/Countries gladly use these historical artifacts as a **_"Cash-Cow" "Meal-Ticket"_** and a "Never Go Away" source of income. Sad. But a part of life...Good Video KUTGW*

[@joeds3775]

That aircrafts body still better shape than MTGs BBBBB...

[@timroot4207]

Thank you !

[@paulwee1924dus]

This plane belongs in a WW2 museum!

[@marumiyuhime]

wow what good taste for the livery

[@bivideo7]

Marge was a P-38. Your thumbnail image has radials. Sooooo.....

[@thomaslord7995]

Thumbnail shows the wreckage of the Japanese (Betty) plane in the video that was mistaken to be Bong's plane until they investigated it.

[@bivideo7]

@@thomaslord7995 So you don't see why announcing "Marge Found", with a "Betty" as the image suggests the video is bogus? It's not a Betty anyway. It's nothing real. What is it?? It's likely AI generated. Don't you think the people interested in this topic would have at least half a clue?

[@57hound]

Thumbnail is not a P-38. They are not “nose cones”-they are called spinners.

[@scottboelke4391]

I also wonder what kind of idiots make their thumbnails! Thumbs down for stupidity.

[@dustyak79]

Everyone is getting lazy with AI

[@XRakkgruntX]

And they’re expensive too, I have to adjust the pitch on my prop and put my spinner back on…1600.00 used, 2500.00 new and they are definitely not costing 10% of that to manufacture

[@Andrew-bs1mi]

Bong. The best

[@cheshunt5597]

There’s a song about lost WW2 fighter planes in PNG. It’s called Charlie’s Sky by Icehouse.

[@jamesmusisca7547]

good to bring it back hold on to history

[@madmanmechanic8847]

Oh no its the old we found Bongs plane we are not going to recover it or restore it just let it sit and rot story ! Gotta love the LET ER ROT STORY ON KZbin !

[@HistoryX]

Unfortunately, the government there in Papua New Guinea look at these wrecks as part of their heritage and don't allow anything to be taken from the country. As I understand it, the leadership in Superior are looking to form a sister relationship with several of the PNG villages near where the wreck was found. The hope is that a few pieces of the wreck might be able to be shipped over for display in the museum.

[@obiemichaels9675]

Rest in peace legends

[@rodneyadamson8270]

Our shop overhauls vintage aero accessories for these planes ❤

[@DonaldConnolly-wl2ji]

WHAT A GREAT. MOMENT IN HISTORY......IM BLOWN. AWAY....MY MOM WAS A LOCKHEED. P38. LEED WOMAN....SHES DEAD.. ..BUT TO ME ....THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT.

[@glennevitt5250]

Great News ❤

[@terryboehler5752]

Nice art. The p-38 crashed with radial engines

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for the comment. You're correct, the thumbnail does show radial engines. As this channel grows, one problem content creators face is many people are quick to claim copyright infringement, even if the photo is sourced from the National Archives. So many content creators like me are left with little choice but to use AI-generated images for thumbnails. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence doesn't seem to know the difference between an Allison V-12 and a radial engine

[@wellshutchins6885]

P38 JK Tag @ 1:53, or J15 as show in photo of Bong?

[@sjb3460]

I read his biography when I was 15 because I was interested in military history. I also read Saburo Sakai's biography. They never met on the battlefield and it would be anybody's guess as to which pilot would have killed the other one. I suspect, with the superior P-38, Bong would have been the victor.

[@troybullard9631]

That may be so. But look at what happened to Maj. Tom McGuire......

[@AlanRoehrich9651]

​@@troybullard9631 What happened to McGuire was that he pulled into an accelerated stall, saving the life of a fellow pilot, and crashed.

[@TahitiMercury]

​@@AlanRoehrich9651 He also didn't release his drop tanks before going into action. A big no-no!

[@bruceringrose7539]

With respect, both planes had their strengths and weaknesses, both pilots were highly skilled. I think it is a coin flip, with a bit of luck involved. I wish to take nothing away from his accomplishments, but, it is important to realize that by the time Bong was fully engaged, many of Japan’s best pilots were gone, shot done by others in the ferocious battles in late 1942 for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. Richard Bong is still one of my hero’s!

[@troybullard9631]

@@AlanRoehrich9651 For some unknown reason, McGuire took on a Ki-84 "Frank" (misidentified as "Hamp") in a climbing and turning fight with the lighter and more maneuverable fighter; bad decision ! And as if that wasn't bad enough, he did it while still carrying his external fuel tanks. His wingman, Lt. John Rittameyer was also killed in that engagement, by the same pilot that McGuire attempted to pursue. It's still not known why an experienced and skilled pilot like McGuire made such critical errors and bad decisions on that day. But there were more than a few people who knew him and his personality that are convinced his overzealousness and desire to surpass Bong's tally is what got him killed, as well as Lt. Rittameyer.

[@texasflood3165]

Tragic end to a Cinderella story..RIP..beautiful couple..

[@Bellthorian]

Rest easy Major Bong, your tour of duty is complete!

[@AlexSaysHi2013]

Excuse me, what is he painting at 2:33 👀

[@Psittacine-pp5yd]

The red paint must have been ''Dulux'' to last that long a great story thanks.!

[@lav25og83]

I am sure they had red paint New Guinea already. It was used to Identify the planes unit. Bong died because his fuel pump failed after takeoff and the backup pump wasn't turned on. Seems that was a preflight checklist oversight in a new and yet unfamiliar jet aircraft. He bailed but got caught on the tail and was dragged down with the plane. He was gonna play golf with Bing Crosby or somebody after a short flight in what was a prototype / very early production plane still at Lockheed. He missed something and shit happened. Very sad.

[@HistoryX]

I heard about the Bing Crosby story. Thanks for reminding me about that.

[@medix1203]

What is even worse is that it wasnt even Dick Bong that wrecked "marge".

[@ikefrye847]

Interesting story, great history, shame you couldn't get a thumbnail of an actual P 38 😒🤨

[@aussie6910]

Couldn't you find a P-38 pic for the thumbnail?

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for the comment. And you're right, I definitely could use a pic of a P-38 for the thumbnail. The only problem is that as this channel grows, many people are quick to claim copyright infringement, even if the photo is sourced from the National Archives. So many content creators like me are left with little choice but to use AI-generated images for thumbnails. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence doesn't seem to know the difference between an Allison V-12 and a radial engine

[@aussie6910]

@@HistoryX AI can be such a dumb critter at times. Once there was a big 'copyright' court case between some animal rights mob & a wildlife photographer. A monkey got the camera & took a very good selfie. They claimed the photo belonged to the monkey not him so he couldn't use it. Copyright ownership or some such nonsense.

[@susanboylefanable]

COOL!!! 😎😀

[@wadestclair249]

People seem to forget what hell these kids went through back then through out the war. 🇺🇲🇺🇸

[@malcolmsoh5648]

crazy, survived the war but died as a test pilot. RIP Major Bong.

[@Woodcademy]

Too bad the airplane in the thumbnail is not only not "Marge" but not even a P-38 lightning. Pretty sure it's actually Japanese.

[@HistoryX]

Thanks for the comment. The pic for the thumbnail is actually an AI-generated image. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence doesn't seem to know the difference between an Allison V-12 and a radial engine.

[@adandap]

​@@HistoryX or a twin boom layout versus single fuselage!

[@michaelreilly6447]

@@HistoryX then why use it..come on show some respect

[@patricknorton5788]

​@HistoryX then why use it?