Richard Delno “Dick” Oberlin was born on June 20, 1924, in West Unity, Williams County, Ohio. He was the son of Jacob E. Oberlin and Luella M. Knapp Oberlin. He was married to Elizabeth Jean "Betty" Harker Oberlin. He served in the 534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of the B-17 #42-97084 nicknamed ''Spare Charlie'' during World War II.

On June 22, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress "Spare Charlie" was shot down while on a bombing mission between Tingry (Pas-de-Calais) and Abbeville (Somme), France. The aircraft took off from Station 167 in Ridgewell, Essex, UK, and was hit by German anti-aircraft fire over the target area. The flak strike damaged two engines and set the wing ablaze. At 19:08, just moments before the aircraft broke apart and crashed, the waist gunner was the only crew member able to bail out. The B-17 disintegrated in mid-air and went down near Épagnette, France. The rest of the crew perished in the crash.

SSgt Oberlin was captured by the German forces and held as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 4 in Gross-Tychow. He ended his military service as a Technical Sergeant. After the war, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service and retired as Postmaster of the West Unity Post Office after 30 years. TSgt Oberlin passed away on December 31, 2012, and is now buried in the Floral Grove Cemetery, West Unity, Williams County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net/, www.findagrave.com