Pregled posta

Marketing

Vintage Aviator Airplane Wall Hanging Accessories by JoJo Designs

These adorable wall hangings by JoJo Designs have been created to coordinate with the matching children's sets. This will complete the look and feel of this adorable bedroom theme for your child. These plush handcrafted wall art hangings are great to add dimension and a splash of color to any bedroom. These wall hangings also make great gifts. You will receive a set of 3 wall hangings that are made by JoJo Designs and goes with the matching set perfectly. Even if you have not purchased a JoJo bedding set, these wonderful plush wall decorations, can enhance the decor of any child's room.

Captain Richard Ira Bong of Poplar, Wisconsin, who shot down his twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh enemy planes in a battle over Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, setting a new record for aircraft destroyed in the air.

Richard Ira Bong, America's "Ace of Aces" in World War II was born Sept. 24, 1920, the son of Swedish immigrants in Superior, Wis. He had 40 aerial victories, 200 combat missions and more than 500 combat hours. At a time when he was not expected to fly combat missions, he volunteered for missions that resulted in eight enemy aircraft to be downed. For his bravery, he was awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor.When General Kenney went to the Pacific in Sept., 1942, Bong was one of the pilots he tasked to join the 49th Fighter Group. Bong was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron, the "Flying Knights," and was sent to Australia. While waiting for P-38s to be delivered, he flew with the 39th FS of the 35th Fighter Group, operating out of Port Moresby, New Guinea. On Dec. 27, 1942, while flying with the 35th, Bong scored his first aerial victories, a A6M Zero and a Ki-43 Oscar, and earned a Silver Star.

Bong began shooting down Japanese planes at a rapid rate. After his 27th victory, General Kenney took him out of action and promoted him to major. When Eddie Rickenbacker heard about it, he sent a message of congratulations reading, "Just received the good news that you are the first one to break my record in World War I by bringing down 27 planes in combat, as well as your promotion, so justly deserved. I hasten to offer my sincere congratulations with the hope that you will double or triple this number. But in trying, use the same calculating techniques that has brought you results to date, for we will need your kind back home after this war is over."

Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur presented the Medal of Honor to Bong on Dec. 12, 1944. The citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty in the Southwest Pacific area from 10 October to 15 November 1944. Though assigned to duty as gunnery instructor and neither required nor expected to perform combat duty, Major Bong voluntarily and at his own urgent request engaged in repeated combat missions, including unusually hazardous sorties over Balikpapan, Borneo, and in the Leyte area of the Philippines. His aggressiveness and daring resulted in his shooting down eight enemy airplanes during this period."

After Bong scored his 40th victory, he was sent home. He was America's "Ace of Aces," with 40 aerial victories, 200 combat missions and more than 500 combat hours behind him. Among his many medals were the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, 15 Air Medals, American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Silver Service Star for participation in the Leyte, Luzon, New Guinea, Northern Solomons and Papua Campaigns, two Distinguished Unit Citations, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Service Star, Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, and Philippine Independence ribbon. He was also given the Australian air force's Distinguished Flying Cross.

He went to work at Wright Field as a test pilot, helping to develop the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. He studied jet propulsion theory and learned the engineering details of the new plane for two months, before flying one. After being checked out in the P-80, he flew it 11 times that summer.

On Aug. 6, 1945, Bong stepped into an airplane for the last time. His P-80 malfunctioned just after take-off, and while he bailed out, he was too close to the ground for his parachute to open. After surviving two years of combat flying, Bong died on a routine acceptance flight.

Photo Courtesy The Staff Sergeant Gail Allison Collection

A horrible pilot. P rushed me into flying these by myself without any training and they went down in... oh, 30 seconds. Notice the wet grass? Sigh.

The large white one is undecorated, but flys better. We have to buy a replacement wing and propeller. The Mustang looks good, but has no replacement parts and didn't fly very well. It's now just decoration.