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| USAAF 5th AF 5th Fighter Command   5th AF March 1944 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Thomas E. Malone, 421st NFS (survived) Marshall County, KY Crashed March 24, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Purchased under contract number A-35374. Constructors Number 2827. At the factory, completed with an unpainted aluminum finish with olive drab on the upper nose and inner booms of the engine nacelles for anti-glare. Project Number 96597-H. On December 29, 1943 accepted by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and was available the next day. On December 31, 1943 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38J-15-LO Lightning serial number 42-103993. The same day, flown to Long Beach Airport. On January 4, 1944 flown to Dallas Modification Center at Dallas Love Field and underwent modification. On January 9, 1944 flown to Palm Springs Army Airfield. On January 12, 1944 flown to Oakland Airport and disassembled for shipment overseas. On January 15, 1944 loaded as cargo aboard a ship at Oakland that departs across the Pacific bound for New Guinea and is unloaded and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 5th Fighter Command (V Fighter Command), Headquarters Squadron. Assigned to pilot Captain Richard I. Bong. Painted with red propeller spinners, wingtips and the top and bottom tips of the tail. On the left side of the nose was stenciled "993" (the last three digits of the serial number) in large black digits. Below was a smaller stencil with "2827" the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) Constructors Number, but only the last "7" was visible, covered by the 993. Below in a medium stencil with "597" the last three digits of Project Number 96597-H. On the left side of the nose, below forward cockpit canopy was rectangle with three stenciled lines: Capt. R. I. Bong Pilot T/Sgt C. Fincner S/Sgt H. Lander. Below was a scoreboard with Japanese rising sun flags in five rows representing Bong's 25 aerial victory claims (as of April 3, 1944) in five rows (4+5+5+5+6) forming a rectangle on the left side of the nose. Below was the U.S. Army serial number stencil and PR 96597-H. This P-38 had red propeller spinners, wingtips, tail and and stub wingtips. During early 1944, assigned to Captain Richard I. Bong during his second tour of duty and flew from Gusap Airfield and Nadzab Airfield. Flying this plane, Bong claimed several aerial victories, a probable and damaged plane. On February 15, 1944 took off from Nadzab Airfield piloted by Captain Richard I. Bong a mission over Cape Hoskins and claimed a Ki-61 Tony, his twenty-second aerial victory. This was his first victory claim during his second tour of duty. On March 3, 1944 took off from Nadzab Airfield piloted by Captain Richard I. Bong a mission and claimed two aerial victories over Tadji Airfield for Ki-21 Sally bombers, his twenty-third and twenty-fourth aerial victories. On March 5, 1944 took off from Nadzab Airfield piloted by Captain Richard I. Bong a mission over Dagua Airfield and claimed a Ki-43 Oscar probable and Ki-43 Oscar damaged. In the middle of March 1944, around March 14, 1944 nicknamed "Marge" after Bong's girlfriend, Marjorie "Marge" Ann Vattendahl. On the left gun cover panel was the nickname "Marge" in a cursive font with outline with the nose art of Marjorie "Marge" Ann Vattendahl yearbook portrait realistically painted in black and white. On March 23, 1944 in the morning, took off from Nadzab Airfield piloted by 2nd Lt. Thomas E. Malone on a weather reconnaissance mission. Mission History On March 24, 1944 at 7:00am took off from Nadzab Airfield piloted by 2nd Lt. Thomas E. Malone with P-38 pilot Lt. Rolland Forrester on a weather reconnaissance mission bound for Wewak. After take off, the pair encountered bad weather with a heavy overcast and turbulence beyond 30,000'. Roughly 50 minutes into the flight, Malone experienced problems with the left engine cooler shutters and radio reception was poor. Due to the bad weather, the P-38s lost contact with each other but heard a radio message from base stating the mission was canceled. Shortly afterwards, Malone's radio failed, one engine stopped and the propeller failed to feather followed by an electrical failure. This P-38 went into a spin and descended to an altitude of 11,000' before Malone bailed out to the south of Madang. Officially, written off October 10, 1946 as Condemned Accident Non-Combat. Fate of the Pilot After releasing the cockpit canopy, Malone bailed out safely but when his parachute opened, he was nearly knocked unconscious and lost his pistol. Descending in the overcast, he experienced snow inside the clouds before landing unhurt on the eastern side of a river. Using his life raft, Malone attempted to float downriver but the current was too strong and the bottom was rocky. Instead, he walked along the bank for roughly nine hours before encountering a U.S. Army solider from the 32nd Infantry Division (32nd ID) who nearly shot him. Realizing he was an American pilot, he was given food and cigarettes and a radio message was sent reporting him as safe. Overnight, he spent with the soldiers in a foxhole. On March 25, 1944 in the morning Malone was embarked aboard a barge that transported him downriver bound for Saidor where he spent the rest of the day and night waiting at their regimental headquarters. On March 26, 1944 in the morning he boarded another barge and was taken to Saidor Airfield then flown to Nadzab Airfield and returned to duty. Afterwards, Captain Richard I. Bong was upset about the loss of his P-38 but acknowledged it had some mechanical issues and was next assigned P-38J 42-104380 that was also nicknamed "Marge". Wreckage This P-38 and crashed in a shallow glide inalnd from the north coast of New Guinea. Several days later, the wreckage was found by a patrol from the U.S. Army 32nd Infantry Division (32nd ID). Reportedly, the crash site remains in situ. Memorials At least four different P-38 Lightnings have been painted in the markings of P-38 "Marge". During 1945, a P-38 Lightning was painted in the markings of "Marge". The Richard I. Bong Heritage Center (Bong P-38 Fund) displays P-38L Lightning 44-53236 painted in the markings of P-38J "Marge" 42-103993. The EAA AirVenture Museum (EAA Museum) has P-38L Lightning 44-53087 painted in the markings of P-38J "Marge" 42-103993. The P-38L Lightning 44-27231 was painted as P-38J "Marge" until 2007 when repainted. Reference Note, some sources list the date of the crash as March 22, 1944 or March 23, 1944, both dates are incorrect. Individual Aircraft Record Card (IARC) - P-38J Lightning 42-103993 via AFHRA microfilm reel ACR-75 USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-38J-15-LO Lightning 42-103993 Dick Bong (1960, 1980) pages 51, 122 (note 7) (Page 51) "...so I [General Kenney] ordered him to Brisbane to ferry a new airplane [this plane] back to his squadron..." (Page 122) "[note] 7. The aircraft Bong was assigned after Lynch's death [March 8, 1944] became 'Marge'–his most famous aircraft. Decorated with a large picture of his fiancee, Marjorie Vattendahl, P-38J-15-LO #42-103993 scored only one victory before being lost in early April 1944 [sic March 24, 1944] by another pilot [2nd Lt. Tom Malone] who had borrowed it." Dear Mom: So We Have A War (1991) by Carl Bong (brother) pages 337 (photos) Forty of the Fifth (1999) by Michael Claringbould Profile 39 Where is Bong’s Lightning? pages 129-130 Forty of the Fifth (2009) by Michael Claringbould History 39. Where is Bong’s Lightning? pages 129-130 The 421st Night Fighter Squadron in World War II (2001) by Jeff Kolln pages 5 (acknowledgment), 6 (squadron photo), 28 (Bong P-38 "Marge" photos), 29 (Malone photo) 28 (photos), 29 (Bong missions with 421st NFS), 30-31 (March 24, 1944 mission - date listed as March 23, 1944 [sic]), 200 (Appendix E: Chronology lists loss as March 24, 1944), 179 (Appendix A: personnel) Los Angeles Times "Marjorie Drucker, 79; Wife of World War II Ace Richard Bong" October 10, 2003 "When Bong returned to the battlefront [in early 1944], he glued a blow-up of Drucker’s college graduation photo to his plane. She soon found herself being pursued by newsreel cameras. The pilot explained at the time that his girlfriend, a tall, dark-haired beauty, “looks swell, and a hell of a lot better than these naked women painted on most of the airplanes.” Bong & Lynch Tadji Fighter Sweep by Jack Fellows Thanks to John Douglas and Jeff Kolln for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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