Wisconsin’s Warriors in the Pacific: the 32nd Infantry Division and Richard Bong During the Second World War

Abstract

This research paper is about Wisconsin Servicemen in the Pacific theater of World War Two from 1941-45, and how they contributed to various aspects of the war effort. The soldiers of the 32nd Infantry Division, which originated in Wisconsin, played a crucial role in halting the Japanese push towards Australia. Major Richard Bong, also from Wisconsin, shot down forty Japanese planes in his P-38 Lightning fighter and was awarded the medal of honor. Bong became a legendary war hero back home, and this paper will also examine how his fame was used to promote the war effort. As is often the case when discussing any aspect of the Second World War, dozens of books have already been published about the American war in the Pacific theater. However, most of these books are about famous battles like those at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, or Midway. This paper will be divided into two main sections. The first section will focus on the operations conducted by the US Army’s 32nd Infantry Division on New Guinea, where they played a crucial role in stopping the Japanese advance towards Australia. To enhance the reader’s understanding of what the soldiers’ experiences were like, letters written home to Wisconsin by 32nd infantryman Archie “Red” Van Gorden will be included. The second section is about Major Richard Bong’s career in the Army Air Corps (also known as army air force at the time), and will cover his progression from cadet all the way to major. Letters that he wrote home and newspaper articles about his exploits will be found here. Wisconsin servicemen, particularly in the early years of the war, were instrumental in various important allied victories. The significance of this research is that it ties two very different aspects of the war- air and land combat- together through a shared connection to Wisconsin.