Oscar Franklin “Os” Eshleman was born at Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania on August 5, 1917. His family called him 'Os'. He was the youngest of eleven children of Harry Hayse Eshleman (24 Nov 1876 – 1956), who was born at Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; and Jennie Elizabeth (Kurtz) Eshleman (29 Oct 1876 – May 1971), who was born at Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His parents married at Compassville (later called Compass) in West Caln Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania on February 7, 1897. By 1900 they lived in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where they raised their family. Harry Eshleman was a farmer, and later worked for many years as a foreman at the steel works in Coatesville.
Oscar Eshleman completed four years of high school and worked in a machine shop. He married Dorothy E. Stine (26 Nov 1920 – 17 Dec 2005) at Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania on June 30, 1939. Oscar and Dorothy lived on Strasburg Road in Marshallton, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he operated a gasoline service station. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Miami Beach, Florida on February 3, 1943.
He entered Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 44-E about September 1943, and completed the Classification and Preflight phases of training (probably at Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas). He completed the Primary phase of pilot training at Bruce Field in Ballinger, Texas; the Basic phase at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas; and the Advanced twin-engine phase at Lubbock Army Air Field, Texas. He graduated from pilot training at Lubbock and received his wings and commission on May 23, 1944.
He was then assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt William J. Waldron. The Waldron crew completed B-17 operational training at Ardmore, Oklahoma, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. This Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The crew arrived at Station 137 by October 19, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
The Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Eshleman and five of his crewmates were killed in action on December 24, 1944 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38926, was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. Three men were blown clear and survived when the aircraft exploded in the air. The B-17 crashed near the village of Rouvreux, in the municipality of Sprimont, about 15 miles south of Liege, Belgium.
Lt Eshleman is now buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium.
B-17G 43-38926 crew:
• Waldron, William J – 2/Lt – Pilot – Safe
• Eshleman, Oscar F – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Shuster, Joseph S – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Neu, Russell C – 2/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Andrew, Benedict A – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Ferenchak, George J – S/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Baganz, Reuben F – S/Sgt – Ball turret gunner – KIA
• Isley, Eugene S – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – Safe
• Naughton, James P – S/Sgt – Tail gunner – KIA
Source of information: Paul Webber, www.findagrave.com