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Max Müller (pilot)
Encyclopedia
Max Ritter von Müller Orden Pour le Mérite, Iron Cross
, Military Order of Max Joseph
was a German
World War I
fighter ace
credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war.
, Germany
, to Max Müller and his wife Margarethe Wiesmüller.
The senior Max Müller was a merchant.
The younger Max Müller completed primary school and was apprenticed to a locksmith. When he finished his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman locksmith. He moved several times to pursue his trade. For recreation, he was a gymnast. Physically Müller was small in stature, being only 5 foot one inch tall.
. He used this opportunity to repeatedly importune the Minister for transfer to the Luftstreitkräfte
. In the meantime, he had been promoted to Feldwebel on 18 April 1913.
He was posted to the army flying school at Schleißheim
on 1 December 1913, and after four months of training he became a fully qualified pilot on 20 April 1914. He started flying missions immediately.
He returned to FA 1b and flying on 9 October. On 31 March 1915, flying a Otto CI 'pusher' biplane, he barely survived a hard dogfight against a French-flown Farman. Despite badly damaged elevators and a dozen bullets in his plane, he returned safely to his base.
On 13 December 1915, Müller flew a dangerous and daring mission behind enemy lines, photographing enemy positions. Upon his return, he was the first officer (and one of only seventeen soldiers) to be awarded the Silver Award of his native Bavaria's Medal for Bravery.
Müller underwent single seat fighter training and then served with Feldflieger Abteilung 32, beginning on 17 May 1916. As a two-seater pilot, Müller had flown over 160 missions, and had also earned the Iron Cross
First Class and the Iron Cross
Second Class. Already noted as an aggressive and skilled airman, Müller was one of the first pilots to fly the Fokker Eindecker
in action.
Müller was posted to Kampfeinsitzer Kommando B, which in May 1916 becvame Abwehrkommando Nord of FAA 32. He then was posted to the newly mobilized Prussian Jasta 2
on 1 September 1916, to serve under Oswald Boelcke
.
On 10 October of that same year, he scored his first victory: a DH.2 of No. 24 Squadron, RFC
, the pilot being captured. On 27 November, he became an ace.
A transfer to the Kingdom of Württemberg
's newly formed Jasta 28 followed, in January 1917. On 7 April 1917 he opened their victory roll when he shot down an F.E.2d of 20 Squadron. On the 30th, he shot down the 45 Squadron Sopwith Strutter of 8-kill ace Captain William Wright
, who survived; it was Müller's seventh win.
Müller's tally quickly rose throughout 1917, with six in May. He was also promoted to Leutnant on 26 May, in the regular army, rather than the Reserve, the first time such a commission had been awarded.
He scored five more times in June 1917. He was quickly rising among the recognized German flying aces, and his skill formed the cutting edge of Jasta
28. His native Bavaria recognized him with the Bavarian Golden Medal for Bravery. He also was awarded the Württembergian Order of Military Merit
and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
On 28 July, he shot up a Sopwith 1½ Strutter
containing 10-kill 'ace' Captain Matthew Brown Frew and 7-kill 'ace' gunner Lieutenant George Al Brooke. With a damaged undercarriage and two bullets through the propeller, Frew managed to get the Sopwith back to its home aerodrome, but was written off and credited as Müller's 19th victory.
August 1917 was Müller's highest scoring month, with seven victories, and he added another in September, and two in October. Exactly a year after Müller had joined Jasta 2
, he had gotten an impressive score of 27 victories and had already earned the Pour le Merite
. The Blue Max, as it was nicknamed, was awarded on 3 September 1917. With the several other distinguished medals that had been awarded to him, he was one of the most highly decorated aces in the entire German air service, second only to Manfred von Richthofen
.
After a transfer back to Jasta 2
on 29 October, he shot down number 30 on 6 November. On 11 November 1917, Müller shot down future 7-kill ace Captain Arthur Claydon
of No 32 Squadron as his 31st claim. Müller also shot down an unidentified aircraft down on the 29th. With the death of Heinrich Gontermann
in late October, Müller (with 29 claims) was second only to Manfred von Richthofen as the highest scoring ace still at the front.
On 29 October 1917, Müller was then posted to Jasta 2, opening his account with his new unit on 6 November, when he claimed a SPAD, possibly of 19 Squadron. On 11 November he downed a DH-5 of No.32 Squadron, piloted by future 7-kill ace Lt. Arthur Claydon, who force landed.
Müller shot down four aircraft in December 1917. The last of these, on 16 December 1917, was his fifth over a fellow or future ace, 70 Squadron's Lieutenant Kenneth A. Seth-Smith (7 kills), who survived.
When Jasta 2
's leader, Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp
, was killed on 6 January, Müller became the commander of the Jasta.
, Müller's flight came across an RE.8 of No. 21 Squadron
flown by Capt.G.F.W. Zimmer and Lt.H.A. Somerville, and two SE5a fighters of No 60 Squadron, flown by Captain
Frank O. Soden and Captain R. L. Childlaw-Roberts. Müller engaged the fighters and after a lengthy battle, he was taken down, although there is some speculation as to who was responsible. Somerville also claimed the Albatros.
What is known is that bullets struck his fuel tank, and his Albatros D.Va had begun to go into a spiral several thousand feet up. With fire quickly burning through the interior panel of the cockpit
, Müller, who wasn't wearing a parachute, jumped to his death.
Müller's final victory toll included 22 enemy fighter planes among his 36 victims. He was also an ace over aces, having downed five aces himself.
Müller's body and some personal effects were returned to his home town on 11 January 1918. His belongings are in the keeping of the mayor; his diary has been translated into modern German for the benefit of researchers.
After the war, Müller was awarded the Knight's Cross
of the Military Order of Max Joseph
which conferred a knighthood on him, backdated to 11 November 1917. Thus in death, he became Max, Ritter von Müller.
Iron Cross
The 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....
, Military Order of Max Joseph
Military Order of Max Joseph
The Military Order of Max Joseph was the highest purely military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria...
was a German
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 I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
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...
credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war.
Early life
Max Müller was one of eight children born in Rottenburg an de Laar, BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
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...
, to Max Müller and his wife Margarethe Wiesmüller.
The senior Max Müller was a merchant.
The younger Max Müller completed primary school and was apprenticed to a locksmith. When he finished his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman locksmith. He moved several times to pursue his trade. For recreation, he was a gymnast. Physically Müller was small in stature, being only 5 foot one inch tall.
Military service
He joined the army on 18 October 1907. He originally served with 6 Kompanie, 1 Königlich Bayrisches Infanterieregiment (Company 6, First Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment). On 1 October 1911, he transferred to the motorized company of the regiment as a driver. It was soon discovered that he had a natural mechanical aptitude, and coming to the notice of his superiors, he was then assigned as chauffeur to the Bavarian War MinisterMinistry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria)
The Ministry of War was a ministry for military affairs of the Kingdom of Bavaria, founded as Ministerium des Kriegswesens on October 1, 1808 by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. It was located at Ludwigstraße in Munich...
. He used this opportunity to repeatedly importune the Minister for transfer to the Luftstreitkräfte
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....
. In the meantime, he had been promoted to Feldwebel on 18 April 1913.
He was posted to the army flying school at Schleißheim
Schleißheim
Schleißheim is a municipality in the district Wels-Land in the Austrian state of Oberösterreich. Its population is 940....
on 1 December 1913, and after four months of training he became a fully qualified pilot on 20 April 1914. He started flying missions immediately.
World War I
Müller was assigned to Feldflieger Abteilung 1b on 2 August 1914. When the war broke out, Müller was flying with FA 1b as a reconnaissance pilot and carried out several missions. On 18 August 1914 however, he crashed taking off when his engine failed; both Müller's legs were broken. However, he overcame his injuries to pull his unconscious observer from the wreckage.He returned to FA 1b and flying on 9 October. On 31 March 1915, flying a Otto CI 'pusher' biplane, he barely survived a hard dogfight against a French-flown Farman. Despite badly damaged elevators and a dozen bullets in his plane, he returned safely to his base.
On 13 December 1915, Müller flew a dangerous and daring mission behind enemy lines, photographing enemy positions. Upon his return, he was the first officer (and one of only seventeen soldiers) to be awarded the Silver Award of his native Bavaria's Medal for Bravery.
Müller underwent single seat fighter training and then served with Feldflieger Abteilung 32, beginning on 17 May 1916. As a two-seater pilot, Müller had flown over 160 missions, and had also earned the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The 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....
First Class and the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The 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....
Second Class. Already noted as an aggressive and skilled airman, Müller was one of the first pilots to fly the Fokker Eindecker
Fokker Eindecker
The Fokker Eindecker was a German World War I monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. Developed in April 1915, the Eindecker was the first purpose-built German fighter aircraft and the first aircraft to be fitted with synchronizer gear, enabling the pilot...
in action.
Müller was posted to Kampfeinsitzer Kommando B, which in May 1916 becvame Abwehrkommando Nord of FAA 32. He then was posted to the newly mobilized Prussian Jasta 2
Jasta 2
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:...
on 1 September 1916, to serve under Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to...
.
On 10 October of that same year, he scored his first victory: a DH.2 of No. 24 Squadron, RFC
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
, the pilot being captured. On 27 November, he became an ace.
A transfer to the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
's newly formed Jasta 28 followed, in January 1917. On 7 April 1917 he opened their victory roll when he shot down an F.E.2d of 20 Squadron. On the 30th, he shot down the 45 Squadron Sopwith Strutter of 8-kill ace Captain William Wright
William Wright (aviator)
Captain William Alan Wright was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-References:...
, who survived; it was Müller's seventh win.
Müller's tally quickly rose throughout 1917, with six in May. He was also promoted to Leutnant on 26 May, in the regular army, rather than the Reserve, the first time such a commission had been awarded.
He scored five more times in June 1917. He was quickly rising among the recognized German flying aces, and his skill formed the cutting edge of Jasta
Jasta
The Jagdstaffeln were specialized fighter squadrons in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.-Background:...
28. His native Bavaria recognized him with the Bavarian Golden Medal for Bravery. He also was awarded the Württembergian Order of Military Merit
Military Merit Order (Württemberg)
The Military Merit Order was a military order of the Kingdom of Württemberg, which joined the German Empire in 1871. The order was one of the older military orders of the states of the German Empire...
and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
On 28 July, he shot up a Sopwith 1½ Strutter
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
containing 10-kill 'ace' Captain Matthew Brown Frew and 7-kill 'ace' gunner Lieutenant George Al Brooke. With a damaged undercarriage and two bullets through the propeller, Frew managed to get the Sopwith back to its home aerodrome, but was written off and credited as Müller's 19th victory.
August 1917 was Müller's highest scoring month, with seven victories, and he added another in September, and two in October. Exactly a year after Müller had joined Jasta 2
Jasta 2
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:...
, he had gotten an impressive score of 27 victories and had already earned the Pour le Merite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
. The Blue Max, as it was nicknamed, was awarded on 3 September 1917. With the several other distinguished medals that had been awarded to him, he was one of the most highly decorated aces in the entire German air service, second only to Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
.
After a transfer back to Jasta 2
Jasta 2
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:...
on 29 October, he shot down number 30 on 6 November. On 11 November 1917, Müller shot down future 7-kill ace Captain Arthur Claydon
Arthur Claydon
Captain Arthur Claydon was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-References:...
of No 32 Squadron as his 31st claim. Müller also shot down an unidentified aircraft down on the 29th. With the death of Heinrich Gontermann
Heinrich Gontermann
Heinrich Gontermann was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 39 victories during the war.- Early life :...
in late October, Müller (with 29 claims) was second only to Manfred von Richthofen as the highest scoring ace still at the front.
On 29 October 1917, Müller was then posted to Jasta 2, opening his account with his new unit on 6 November, when he claimed a SPAD, possibly of 19 Squadron. On 11 November he downed a DH-5 of No.32 Squadron, piloted by future 7-kill ace Lt. Arthur Claydon, who force landed.
Müller shot down four aircraft in December 1917. The last of these, on 16 December 1917, was his fifth over a fellow or future ace, 70 Squadron's Lieutenant Kenneth A. Seth-Smith (7 kills), who survived.
When Jasta 2
Jasta 2
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:...
's leader, Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp
Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp
Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp , Pour le Merite, Military Order of Saint Henry, Iron Cross was a German fighter ace from an aristocratic family who was credited with 28 victories.- Early life :...
, was killed on 6 January, Müller became the commander of the Jasta.
Killed in Action
Just three days later, on 9 January 1918, whilst on a patrol over MoorsledeMoorslede
Moorslede is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Dadizele and Moorslede proper. On 1 January 2006, Moorslede had a total population of 10,618...
, Müller's flight came across an RE.8 of No. 21 Squadron
No. 21 Squadron RAF
No. 21 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1979.The squadron is famous for Operation Jericho: on 18 February 1944, the crews of de Havilland Mosquitoes breached the walls of a Gestapo prison at Amiens, France, allowing members of the French...
flown by Capt.G.F.W. Zimmer and Lt.H.A. Somerville, and two SE5a fighters of No 60 Squadron, flown by Captain
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Frank O. Soden and Captain R. L. Childlaw-Roberts. Müller engaged the fighters and after a lengthy battle, he was taken down, although there is some speculation as to who was responsible. Somerville also claimed the Albatros.
What is known is that bullets struck his fuel tank, and his Albatros D.Va had begun to go into a spiral several thousand feet up. With fire quickly burning through the interior panel of the cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
, Müller, who wasn't wearing a parachute, jumped to his death.
Müller's final victory toll included 22 enemy fighter planes among his 36 victims. He was also an ace over aces, having downed five aces himself.
Müller's body and some personal effects were returned to his home town on 11 January 1918. His belongings are in the keeping of the mayor; his diary has been translated into modern German for the benefit of researchers.
After the war, Müller was awarded the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
of the Military Order of Max Joseph
Military Order of Max Joseph
The Military Order of Max Joseph was the highest purely military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria...
which conferred a knighthood on him, backdated to 11 November 1917. Thus in death, he became Max, Ritter von Müller.