Wingtip piece from Richard Bong’s WWII Lockheed P-38 Lightning moved to Wisconsin museum

A wingtip recovered from a World War II fighter plane flown by aviation ace Richard Bong has been moved to Wisconsin after being in Papua New Guinea since the aircraft crash more than 80 years ago, according to The Guardian. The aircraft was a Lockheed P-38 Lightning known by the name “Marge,” a nickname tied to Bong’s personal life. The wing piece, which is associated with the aircraft’s fuselage markings naming it for Bong’s girlfriend, Marge Vattendahl, was transported from the crash region to be displayed in his home state.

The Guardian reports that the damaged Lockheed P-38 Lightning wingtip arrived in Wisconsin after the recovery and international transfer from Papua New Guinea, where the plane went down in 1944. Bong is widely noted as one of the leading American fighter pilots of the Second World War, and the piece being moved is being treated as a museum artifact linked to his service and the circumstances of the crash.

The publication says the wing section is identified as part of the aircraft that had been nicknamed “Marge.” That designation reflected that the plane’s identity was not only tied to its military mission, but also to the person Bong called out as part of his life at the time, Marge Vattendahl. The wingtip’s long separation from the mainland United States meant it had remained outside the U.S. for decades, with conservation and documentation carried out after its recovery.

In Wisconsin, the arrival of the wingtip sets up a new public-facing chapter for the artifact, with museum officials preparing to present the piece to visitors. The Guardian describes the transfer as a return of a tangible element of the crash history to the state most associated with Bong. While the wingtip’s public display connects to a broader audience interest in aviation history, the move also underscores the practical work involved in relocating large historical aircraft components from remote locations.

The crash in 1944 occurred in territory that is now Papua New Guinea, and the Guardian report frames the current move as the culmination of decades-long distance between the artifact and the place where Bong is remembered. The reporting focuses on the physical transfer and identification of the wingtip, rather than on any disputed historical interpretations of Bong’s record.

The Guardian did not describe the museum’s timeline for display in detail in its summary, but the logistics of moving an aircraft section from overseas to a U.S. institution typically involve documentation, conservation assessment, and compliance steps tied to the artifact’s origin and recovery. With the wingtip now in Wisconsin, the next phase for the museum will likely center on preservation work and public programming tied to Bong’s history.

The Guardian’s account positions the wingtip as a small but specific portal into the wartime era, combining the technical details of a P-38 Lightning with the personal naming connected to Vattendahl. By bringing the piece home for display, the museum effort aims to make a long-distant piece of history accessible to Wisconsin communities and visitors, while preserving it for future generations of researchers and aviation history audiences.