Egon Mayer
Encyclopedia
Egon Mayer was a German
World War II
fighter ace
who served in the Luftwaffe
from 1937 until his death in 1944. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Mayer shot down 102 enemy aircraft. All his victories were claimed over the Western Front
in 353 missions and included 26 four-engine bombers, 51 Supermarine Spitfire
s and 12 P-47 Thunderbolt
s. Egon Mayer was the first fighter pilot to score 100 victories entirely on the western front. His final command was Geschwaderkommodore
of the JG 2 fighter wing.
Morane
and claimed his first victory on 13 June 1940.
On 10 June 1941, Oberleutnant
Mayer was appointed Staffelkapitän
of 7./JG 2, based at St Pol-Brias. On 1 August 1941, after 20 victories, Mayer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. On 19 August, his 25th birthday, Mayer shot down two Spitfires over Dieppe during Operation Jubilee.
In November 1942, Hauptmann
Mayer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
of III./JG 2. On 23 November, Mayer claimed his first victories over USAAF four-engine bombers, when he shot down two B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator
. Together with Georg-Peter Eder
, Mayer developed the head-on attack as the most effective tactic against the Allied daylight heavy bomber formations.
It was in June 1943 when Mayer encountered a future ace from the 56th Fighter Group, of the 8th Air Force. His name was Robert S. Johnson
. Johnson's Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
had been badly shot-up by a gaggle of Focke Wulf Fw 190's during a routine mission. As Johnson limped home, with a canopy that wouldn't open, hydraulic fluid and oil covering his windscreen, Mayer pulled along beside him, in his FW-190. Mayer looked the wounded P-47 over, and then circled to come in from Johnson's six-oclock, and give it the "coup de grace." The first gun pass failed to knock the heavy American fighter out of the sky. Mayer made two more runs on Johnson, without success. Finally, after running out of ammunition, Mayer pulled alongside Johnson, saluted him and headed for home. Johnson landed his plane, and counted well-over 200 holes, without even moving around the airplane. He also saw that a 20mm cannon shell had exploded just behind his headrest, making it impossible to open his canopy.
Egon Mayer was honored with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 16 April 1943 after 63 aerial victories. Oberstleutnant
Mayer was appointed Geschwaderkommodore
of JG 2 on 1 July 1943, thus succeeding Oberst
Walter Oesau
.
His final score stood at 102, when he was shot down by a P-47 Thunderbolt
and killed near Montmédy
in Focke-Wulf Fw 190
A-6 Werk # 470468 on 2 March 1944. He was posthumously decorated with the Swords to the Knight's Cross. He was buried at St Desir-de-Lisieux in France.
In An Ace of the Eighth by Norman Fortier, the author states that Mayer was shot down by Lt. Walter Gresham of the 358th Fighter Squadron
, 355th Fighter Group. This claim was made based on gun camera footage and recollections of Mayer's wingman
, who was forced to bail out during the action.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
who served in the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
from 1937 until his death in 1944. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Mayer shot down 102 enemy aircraft. All his victories were claimed over the Western Front
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
in 353 missions and included 26 four-engine bombers, 51 Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s and 12 P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s. Egon Mayer was the first fighter pilot to score 100 victories entirely on the western front. His final command was Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of the JG 2 fighter wing.
World War II
Egon Mayer joined the Luftwaffe in 1937. After regular peacetime training, Fahnenjunker Mayer was transferred to I./JG 2 on 6 December 1939. He was serving with 6./JG 2 when he shot down a FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Morane
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II....
and claimed his first victory on 13 June 1940.
On 10 June 1941, Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Mayer was appointed Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
of 7./JG 2, based at St Pol-Brias. On 1 August 1941, after 20 victories, Mayer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. On 19 August, his 25th birthday, Mayer shot down two Spitfires over Dieppe during Operation Jubilee.
In November 1942, Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
Mayer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of III./JG 2. On 23 November, Mayer claimed his first victories over USAAF four-engine bombers, when he shot down two B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
. Together with Georg-Peter Eder
Georg-Peter Eder
Georg-Peter Schorsch Eder was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1938 until the end of World War II in 1945. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
, Mayer developed the head-on attack as the most effective tactic against the Allied daylight heavy bomber formations.
It was in June 1943 when Mayer encountered a future ace from the 56th Fighter Group, of the 8th Air Force. His name was Robert S. Johnson
Robert S. Johnson
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Samuel Johnson was a USAAF fighter pilot during World War II. He is credited with scoring 27 victories during the conflict flying a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt....
. Johnson's Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
had been badly shot-up by a gaggle of Focke Wulf Fw 190's during a routine mission. As Johnson limped home, with a canopy that wouldn't open, hydraulic fluid and oil covering his windscreen, Mayer pulled along beside him, in his FW-190. Mayer looked the wounded P-47 over, and then circled to come in from Johnson's six-oclock, and give it the "coup de grace." The first gun pass failed to knock the heavy American fighter out of the sky. Mayer made two more runs on Johnson, without success. Finally, after running out of ammunition, Mayer pulled alongside Johnson, saluted him and headed for home. Johnson landed his plane, and counted well-over 200 holes, without even moving around the airplane. He also saw that a 20mm cannon shell had exploded just behind his headrest, making it impossible to open his canopy.
Egon Mayer was honored with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 16 April 1943 after 63 aerial victories. Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
Mayer was appointed Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of JG 2 on 1 July 1943, thus succeeding Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
Walter Oesau
Walter Oesau
Walter "Gulle" Oesau was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1934 until his death in 1944...
.
His final score stood at 102, when he was shot down by a P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
and killed near Montmédy
Montmédy
Montmédy is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-Citadel of Montmédy:In 1221 the first castle of Montmédy was built on top of a hill by the Count of Chiny. Montmédy became soon the capital of his territory - later it belonged to Luxembourg, Burgundy, Austria and...
in Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
A-6 Werk # 470468 on 2 March 1944. He was posthumously decorated with the Swords to the Knight's Cross. He was buried at St Desir-de-Lisieux in France.
In An Ace of the Eighth by Norman Fortier, the author states that Mayer was shot down by Lt. Walter Gresham of the 358th Fighter Squadron
358th Fighter Squadron
The 358th Fighter Squadron is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...
, 355th Fighter Group. This claim was made based on gun camera footage and recollections of Mayer's wingman
Wingman
A wingman is a pilot who supports another in a potentially dangerous flying environment. Wingman was originally a term referring to the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation....
, who was forced to bail out during the action.
Awards
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Silver - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold on 16 July 1942 as OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
in the 7./JG 2 "Richthofen" - Front Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeFront Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeThe Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft...
fro Fighter Pilots in Gold with Pennant "300" - Combined Pilots-Observation BadgeCombined Pilots-Observation BadgeCombined Pilots-Observation Badge was a German military award instituted on 26 March 1936 by the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring to commemorate soldiers or servicemen who had already been awarded the Pilot's badge or Observer badge...
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939) 2nd and 1st class - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and SwordsKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 1 August 1941 as Leutnant and pilot in the III./JG 2 "Richthofen"
- 232nd Oak Leaves on 16 April 1943 as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
and GruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of the III./JG 2 "Richthofen" - 51st Swords on 2 March 1944 as OberstleutnantOberstleutnantOberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
and GeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of JG 2 "Richthofen"