Memorial

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S/Sgt Oscar B. Peterson attended Central High School in South Bend, Indiana.

When his mother died in 1931, his father married the widowed mother of William Edward Bergman.

He enlisted in Toledo, Ohio on 2 January 1943. He was sent overseas on 11 February 1944.

Statement from T/Sgt Joseph J. Degnan, Tail Gunner:
"I certify that I personally observed Lt. Follender's plane as the plane that went down on the Steyr mission on April 2, 1944. Lt. Follender was directly behind my tail. Two Me 109 has just finished strafing our plane and went directly over his plane. The plane went into a flat spin. After dropping approximately 5000 feet, it looked as if he might pull out. He went back into the spin and stayed that way untill he hit the ground. The plane did not catch fire. I did not see anyone escape".

T/Sgt William A. Burch:
“I observed Lt Follender’s plane (42-64374) get hit from the rear by two ME-109’s and go down but not in a blaze. I did not see anyone escape from the plane. All four engines were still running and not smoking when it left my sight between a crevice in the mountains.”

Flt/O Angelo F. Malerba:
“S/Sgt Peterson was taken prisoner and died of internal injuries two days later in a hospital in Linz, Austria. Personally I believe this was due to lack of medical treatment.”

S/Sgt Peterson was shot up badly in the plane. Crewmembers saw him laying on a stretcher in the train which took them to a hospital. He died two days later in the Branch Hospital at Linz of internal injuries. He was initially buried at the cemetery at Linz/Danube on 4 April 1944.

He was initially buried at the cemetery of Linz.

His stepbrother, William E. Bergman, is buried at the American War Cemetery of Margraten, the Netherlands.