The Search
for Lt. Estill

This website documents the excavation and recovery of the World War II crash site of my father’s P-38 Lightning. 1Lt Shannon E. Estill was shot down in the former East Germany only weeks before the end of the war on Friday April 13, 1945. He was the last man killed from the 428th Fighter Squadron, the 474th Fighter Group of the 9th Air Force. This is the true measure of my devotion.

Phantom Father:
A Daughter's Quest for Elegy,
Second Edition (2021)

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In her second book, Dr. Sharon Estill Taylor weaves the story of her decades long-search for and recovery of her fighter pilot father’s lost WWII crash site.

In Phantom Father: A Daughter’s Quest for Elegy, Dr. Sharon Estill Taylor courageously shares her quest to find and recover her fighter pilot father’s crash site left behind at the end of WWII. Dr. Taylor transits the search with the help of her father’s squadron mates, a brilliant German air historian, the US government, and Spiegel TV. She calls upon every known and unknown resource to discover her father’s fate when he was the last man killed from his squadron on Friday April 13, 1945. With honesty, suspense, and candor, Taylor writes about her journey from the impossible to the possible, from the unknown to discovery and resolution, in this highly readable story.

Phantom Father: A Daughter’s Quest for Elegy, Second Edition (2021) is available from:

Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and nationalww2museum.org.

Spiegel TV Documentary Film

The Last Flight of Lieutenant Estill

To watch the entire documentary, email Dr. Taylor via the contact page.

Film Trailer

Read about the documentary's US premiere

Read Sharon Taylor's intro to the film

CSpan link to Dr. Taylor’s talk at the WWII Museum, November 2016

Media

Videos, photographs, documents, essays, & more…

WWII Museum

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Learn more about the WWII Museum.

Author Sharon Taylor

Sharon Taylor

(Painting by James B. Hartel)

Dr. Sharon Estill Taylor is the author of two books: Phantom Father: A Daughter’s Quest for Elegy, Second Edition (2021) and Phantom Son: A Mother’s Story of Surrender. As a member of The National WWII Museum Board of Trustees she continues her mission to  memorialize WWII and those who served. Inspired by her father, 1Lt Shannon Estill, her quest for discovery and illumination continues.