Richard Ira Bong holds a record that has never been beaten: 40 confirmed aerial victories, making him the top-scoring American fighter ace of all time. A farm boy from Wisconsin, he rose to become a legend of the Pacific air war — and a symbol of everything that American aviation could achieve.

The Boy from Poplar

Born on 24 September 1920 in Superior, Wisconsin, Bong grew up on a farm in Poplar and developed a passion for flying as a teenager. He earned his pilot’s licence through the Civilian Pilot Training Program and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941. His natural talent was immediately apparent — he flew with a smooth precision that instructors rarely saw.

Mastery of the P-38 Lightning

Bong was assigned to the Pacific Theatre in late 1942 and flew the Lockheed P-38 Lightning — the twin-boomed, twin-engine fighter that became the signature aircraft of American aces in the Pacific. His technique was deceptively simple: get close, aim carefully, and fire. While other pilots favoured elaborate deflection shots, Bong preferred to position himself directly behind a target before squeezing the trigger, making every burst count.

His tally grew steadily through 1943 and 1944, flying over New Guinea, the Philippines, and across the vast distances of the Pacific. He surpassed Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I record of 26 victories on 27 October 1944, becoming America’s all-time ace-of-aces. General Douglas MacArthur personally pinned the Medal of Honor on his chest.

The Medal of Honor and a Final Farewell

After reaching 40 victories, Bong was ordered home in December 1944. The US Army Air Forces had decided their greatest living ace was worth more as a symbol and test pilot than as a combat flyer. He returned to the United States, married his sweetheart Marge Vattendahl, and took up test flying at Lockheed’s facility in Burbank, California.

Tragedy struck on 6 August 1945 — the same day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Bong was killed when his P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter suffered an engine failure on takeoff from Lockheed Air Terminal. He was twenty-four years old. His country’s greatest ace had survived 146 combat missions and 40 dogfights, only to be lost on a routine test flight.

An Enduring Legacy

Richard Bong’s 40 victories remain the highest score ever achieved by an American pilot. A P-38 Lightning on permanent display in Poplar, Wisconsin — his hometown — bears his name, as does the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior. He was modest, precise, and utterly lethal in the air — a quiet hero who earned the greatest record in American military aviation history.

Watch: Richard Bong Documentary