REMEMBERING
FRED ESTLINBAUM

By Joe C. Fling

Sixty years ago this month World War II entered its last year. The New Year brought news of the death of twenty year old Fred Estlinbaum on January 10, 1945.

Estlinbaum was born December 10, 1924 in Wallis. His parents were William D. and Emma Lambert Estlinbaum. Fred had been named after his grandfather Estlinbaum. They lived for a time in Wharton County. Fred’s father worked at Eagle Lake Lumber Company. Fred attended Eagle Lake schools through grammar and high school, graduating in the class of 1942. He was reported to be an exceptionally popular student, who took part in many school activities.

After graduation, Estlinbaum attended Texas A & I College in Kingsville, but left school after a year to join the Army Air Corps on June 5, 1943. Estlinbaum went through the extensive training required of all air corps members. He took basic training, flight school and was trained as a radio operator, and sent to England in November, 1944 to join the 8th Air Force’s bombing efforts against Nazi Germany.

Estlinbaum served as radio operator on a B-17 bomber and held the rank of Sergeant. He was assigned to the 527th Bomber Squadron, 379th Bomber Group, Heavy (indicating 4 engine B-17’s and B-24’s). He had been in England only six weeks and flown nine bombing missions, when the War Department advised that he was missing in action since January 10, 1945. It seemed that his plane had collided with another bomber. This was not an uncommon occurrence, as formation of hundreds of the huge planes flew tightly bunched together as protection against enemy fighter planes.

By chance, the family received some hope a month later when Fred’s oldest brother, Cpl. Ervin W. Estlinbaum, also serving in England wrote to the family. It happened that Ervin had spent five days with Fred, leaving his base only two days before the fateful mission. When he learned that his brother had gone missing, he rushed back to Fred’s base and located other men who were on the same bombing run. Indications were that eleven parachutes came out of the two planes after they collided, being nine, it was supposed from Fred’s plane and two from the other plane. This raised high hopes that Fred had survived the collision, and might be held as a prisoner of war by the Germans.

Nothing more was known, for five months, until, after the surrender of Germany in May, the hopes of the family were shattered by final word of Estlinbaum’s death. Two members of Estlinbaum’s crew were liberated from German captivity and it became known that the other members of this crew had not survived. Apparently the nine chutes had come out of the other doomed bomber.

The Headlight reported on June 8, 1945, after the war in Europe ended, that Estlinbaum had died in the raid against Cologne and Bonn. Cologne was known to have been a dangerous target, the home of vital strategic German industries. Countless American airmen lost their lives in raids on this city over the three-year bombing campaign against Germany.

Fred left behind three brothers, all in the service, including twenty-seven year old Marine Lt. Raul M. Estlinbaum on Guam; thirty year old Cpl Ervin W. Estlinbaum in England and twenty-three year old Lt. Ray Edward Estlinbaum in Germany. He had one sister, twenty-nine year old Alice who was married to Leroy Forbes. Estlinbaum’s mother and father died in 1967 and 1968 respectively and along with brother Ervin who died in 1978 are buried in the Eagle Lake Masonic Cemetery.

Estlinbaum is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. Margraten is the third largest American Cemetery in Europe and contains the remains of 8,302 American servicemen killed in World War II.

Estlinbaum’s last letter home, written shortly before his death told his mother not to worry, assuring her that he was completely happy doing the one thing that he wanted to do---fly in the Army Air Corps for his country.