Douglas Ogilvie

Douglas Ogilvie of Appleton monitored instrument panels onboard B-24 bombers flying over the Himalayas in 1944. He anxiously watched fuel and oxygen levels on the three hour flight over mountain ranges rising as high as 22,000 feet. Ogilvie and his crew passed through severe weather which pushed and pulled their aircraft across the sky.

Map of Ogilvie's route over the Himalayas.

Ogilvie flew ten missions over the Himalayas as part of the 375th bomber squadron in the 14th Air Force. His airplanes carried gasoline, bombs, and airplane parts from Chabua, India, to Chengkung, China. He and his crew then used these supplies to bomb Japanese targets in eastern China. His squadron bombed bridges and railroad yards, and dropped mines in Hong Kong harbor. The Japanese surrendered in China only after the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.

Douglas Ogilvie onboard the "Georgia Peach" on its way to Bangalore, India, 1944
Courtesy of Douglas Ogilvie