1st Lt. Richard I. Bong Aerial Victory Claims, July 26, 1943
First Tour of Duty

Mission History
On July 26, 1943 at 12:30pm 1st Lt. Richard I. Bong took off from Horanda Drome (Dobodura 4) piloting a P-38G-5 Lightning serial number unknown as one of twelve P-38s from 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS) leding leading "Blue Flight" on a scramble mission to the Salamaua area. Also airborne were P-38s from 39th Fighter Squadron (39th FS). The formation at 16,000' the formation made a circle over Lae then down to Salamaua then flew over the Markham Valley at 16,000'.

At 1:50pm over the Markham Valley, Bong spotted enemy planes at 12 o'clock and the P-38s were intercepted by twenty Japanese fighters including ten Ki-61 Tonys and ten Ki-43 Oscars. During the dog fight, Bong released his drop tanks and engaged in air combat. The first plane he fired at was a Tony and missed. Next, he dove and shot at a Zero [sic Oscar] head on claimed it burst into flames. He then shot at an inline job [Ki-61 Tony] 45 degrees [deflection shot] from behind and above, and claimed to knock pieces off his fuselage. Bong next shot at another Zero [sic Oscar] head-on and knocked pieces out of his canopy and engine cowling or engine. Finally, he shot at one more inline [Tony] and missed. Afterwards, he returned to Horanda Drome (Dobodura 4) landing at 2:10pm.

Japanese Side
On July 26, 1943 at morning, the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) at Wewak launched an air raid by seven Ki-48 Lily from 208th Sentai (208th Flying Regiment) with close escort by fourteen Type 1 fighters / Ki-43 Oscars from 1st Hiko Sentai (1st Flying Regiment) plus indirect support from twenty Type 3 Hein / Ki-61 Tony from 68th Hiko Sentai (68th Flying Regiment) and 78th Hiko Sentai (78th Flying Regiment) plus a handful of Ki-43 Oscars from 24th Sentai (24th Flying Regiment) under Capt. Shoji Miura on a mission to support Japanese Army in the Salamaua area.

Over the Markham Valley the indirect support fighters spotted twenty-five P-38 Lightnings from 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS) and 39th Fighter Squadron (39th FS) and climbed to gain an altitude advantage before their first pass. During the dog fight, no P-38s were shot down but one P-38 sustained damage and after landing was written off. Another P-38 force landed wheels up without hydraulics, Several Japanese fighters were damaged and a couple pilots wounded with several landing away from their bases and later returned to Wewak.

Claims
Bong claimed four aerial victories (two Zeros and two Tonys "inline"). He was officially credited with four aerial victories, his twelve, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth victories.

In total, the P-38 pilots from 9th Fighter Squadron (9th FS) and 39th Fighter Squadron (39th FS) claimed eleven victories (including seven Ki-61 Tonys) plus additional claims for probables and damaged enemy fighters.

39th Fighter Squadron (39th FS) claims were made for an Oscar and Oscar damaged by Captain Charles P. Sullivan, Oscar probable by Major Thomas J. Lynch, Zeke [sic Oscar] damaged by 1st Lt John H. Lane, Oscar dmaged by 2nd Lt. Wayne Rothgeb, fighter damaged by 2nd Lt. Richard M. Tansing and a Zeke [sic Oscar] probable shared by 1st Lt. Gordon B. Prentice and 1st Lt. John C. Dunbar.

Analysis
Since none of the Japanese planes engaged were shot down, none of the U.S. claims on July 26, 1943 are valid. Even counting the several damaged and couple pilots wounded does not equal the day's claims nor Bong's claims for four shot down.

Awards
For his actions, Bong earned the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) awarded October 20, 1943.

References
Major Richard I. Bong Aerial Victory Claims
USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: Bong, Richard I. pages 25 (PDF page 30)
Individual Flight Record (Logbook) - Richard I. Bong, July 26, 1943
"7-26 / P-38 / Shot down inline in flames, shot down Zero in flames, shot down Zero out of control, shot down inline out of control. All over Markham Valley about 10 miles back of Lai [sic Lae] saw about 20 Nips but there were about 50 of them."
1st Lt. Richard I. Bong Individual Flight Record (Form 5) July 1943
Combat Report Mission No. 430, 26 July 1943 via Dear Mom: So We Have A War page 257
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation Advertisement - DSC Citation Captain Richard R. [sic I.] Bong
USAF Historical Study No. 113 "The Fifth Air Force in the Huon Peninsula Campaign January to October 1943" (1946) pages 182-183 (July 26, 1943), 275 (Chapter 7, Footnote 27)
(Page 182) "I was leader of Blue Flight when we were scrambled to the Salamaua Dropping Area at 1230/K. We went up there and made a circle over Lae, came down to Salamaua, and then went down to the Markham Valley just back of Lae at 16,000 feet. On the way there I called in airplanes at 12 o’clock and we were intercepted at 1350/K over the Markham Valley. There were about twenty fighters: ten inline-engine fighters [Ki-61 Tony] and ten Zeros [sic Ki-43 Oscars]. I dropped my tanks and shot an an inline job [Ki-61 Tony] and missed. I dove out and shot at a Zeke head-on, and he burst into flames. I shot at an inline job [Ki-61 Tony] 45 degrees [deflection shot] from behind and above, and knocked pieces off his fuselage. I shot at another Zero head-on and knocked pieces out of his canopy and engine cowling or engine. I shot at one more inline job and missed. I left the area at 1410/K and returned to based and landed."
USAAF (Pacific Theater) Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft in Air-To-Air Combat World War 2 (1985) by Frank Olynyk pages 31-32 (July 26, 1943)
Dear Mom: So We Have A War (1991) by Carl Bong pages 257-259
Stars & Bars: A Tribute To The American Fighter Ace 1920–1973 (1995) page 155 (Bong victories 12-15: July 26, 1943)
RLDunn "Getting the Type 3 Fighter into Action" (2026) by Richard Dunn
Thanks to Richard Dunn for additional research and analysis

Return to First Tour of Duty | Richard I. Bong

Contribute Information
Do you have photos or additional information to add?