Leith J Oglesby
Military
Co-Pilot - Crew #615
Pilot - Crew #626
466th BG - 786th BS 466th Bomb Group collection
466th BG Historian
Object Number - UPL 13455 - LT Leith J. Oglesby Co-Pilot - Crew #615 Pilot - Crew #626 466th BG - 786th BS
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 786th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-440550
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot; Crew Commander
Missions
- Date: 28 May 1944
- Date: 23 March 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Training Mission Crash |
22 June 1943 | The Inyokern B-24E “Three Engines Out” #41-24059, June 22, 1943 (this is the incorrect Serial #. The correct serial is #42-7059. #41-24059 was a B-24D that flew combat with the 12th AF.Copyright 2005 By: Don R. Jordan Not all aircraft accidents were fatal! This is the story of one such B-24E that experienced mechanical troubles at high altitude north of Lancaster, California, and to his credit, the pilot did everything by the book. The result was that all nine crewmembers, including the pilot, were able to parachute to safety seconds before the big bomber plunged headlong into the desert floor near Inyokern, California. The young 2nd Lieutenant pilot, Marvin E. Schlossberg, had only been rated as an Army Pilot since February 16th of that same year. He had approximately 76 hours of experience in this model of aircraft. But in hindsight this crew was very lucky indeed to have him in command at the controls and on that fateful early morning flight. The others on board that morning were: 2nd Lt. Leith J. Oglesby, copilot 2nd Lt. George R. Chernowski, navigator 2nd Lt. John E. Bush, bombardier Sgt. Wilber G. Wingate, Engineer S/Sgt. William M. Hutchinson, radar operator Sgt. Frank J. Rice, Asst. Engineer S/Sgt. Augustine Kornas, Gunner S/Sgt. Verne Hepker, Gunner Their mission that day was navigation and high altitude bombing training. The route of flight was from Salinas to Lancaster, then to Tonopah, Nevada and return. Trouble in the engines started while climbing for altitude after leaving Lancaster. At 17,500 feet the number 3 engine began to overheat and smoke. Power settings for the climb was set at 45 inch of manifold pressure, and 2,550 rpm on all four engines. At those settings the engines were indeed working hard. The official report states that excessive power settings and rate of climb may have contributed to overheating the engines. As soon as the smoke and flame was observed coming from inside the nacelle of the number three, Schlossberg shut down and secured the engine. First he feathered the propeller. Then he moved the mixture control to idle cut-off, shut off the fuel valve, and switched the magnetos to the off position. It was a textbook shutdown! At that point Schlossberg decided to abort the mission and head directly for the Bakersfield, California airfield. At that point he was somewhere north of the small desert airstrip at Inyokern. After setting a course for Bakersfield, and alerting the crew to his decision Schlossberg set up the aircraft for an easy cruise at 17,000 feet. But soon trouble in the number two engine became evident. The engine began to smoke and throw oil on the wing aft of the nacelle. He decided to shut that engine down as well. The aircraft could still remain aloft on only two engine, but he would have most likely had to jettison his load of bombs to do so. However he was not able to feather the number two propeller. The increase drag of the windmilling propeller would surely doom the craft. Now his plans would have to change. *********************************************************************************************** The remainder of this story will appear in a new book by Don R. Jordan and Pat Macha. This new book is due for release in late 2006. http://www.donrjordan.com/inyokern_B24.htmlThe listed website is now defunct and I can find no record of this book being published. | |
|
Other Mission |
28 May 1944 | Only mission recorded as lead pilot of Crew #626 | |
|
Born |
659 East 45th Street |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit roster in the book ATTLEBRIDGE DIARY by Wassom & Brassfield, page 349
