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Egon Mayer (19 August 1917 – 2 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe wing commander and fighter ace of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was credited with 102 enemy aircraft shot down in over 353 combat missions. His victories were all claimed over the Western Front and included 26 four-engine bombers, 51 Supermarine Spitfires and 12 Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Mayer was the first fighter pilot to score 100 victories entirely on the Western Front.
Born in Konstanz, Mayer, volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1937. Following flight training he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) in 1939. He fought in the Battle of France and claimed his first aerial victory in that campaign on 13 June 1940. Mayer was appointed squadron leader of the 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 2 in June 1941. Two months later, following his 21st aerial victory, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 August 1941. He claimed 16 further victories and was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 16 July 1942. In November 1942, Mayer was appointed commander of the III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 2.
Mayer claimed his first victories over United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) four-engine bombers when he shot down two B-17 Flying Fortresses and a B-24 Liberator on 23 November 1942. Together with fellow fighter ace Georg-Peter Eder, Mayer developed the head-on attack as the most effective tactic against the Allied daylight heavy combat box bomber formations. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 16 April 1943 after 63 victories. On 1 July 1943, he replaced Walter Oesau as commander of JG 2. He claimed his 90th victory on 31 December 1943 and on 5 February 1944 became the first pilot on the Channel Front to reach 100 victories. Mayer was killed in action on 2 March 1944 while leading an attack on a USAAF bomber formation; he was shot down by P-47 Thunderbolt near Montmédy, France. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
Following his graduation, Mayer volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1937. His military training began at the 2nd Air Warfare School ( RAF Gatow) at Gatow, on the southwestern outskirts of Berlin. He was then trained as a fighter pilot and promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 1 August 1939. His classmates at Gatow included Gerhard Barkhorn and Julius Meimberg. Mayer was selected for specialized fighter pilot training and was posted to the Jagdfliegerschule Schleißheim, the fighter pilot school at Schleißheim.
In the Battle of Britain, Mayer often flew over the English Channel as the wingman of Helmut Wick. He claimed three further victories in this campaign, all over Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfires, but was himself shot down or forced landing at the French coast. Once he had to swim in the Channel for an hour before he was rescued. At the end of 1940 Mayer had four victories to his credit and JG 2 "Richthofen" was withdrawn from combat to replenish the heavy losses it had sustained. Following a short tour as fighter pilot instructor at the Jagdfliegerschule (fighter pilot school) in Werneuchen, Mayer was sent back to the Channel Front.
On 10 June 1941, Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Mayer was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 2 "Richthofen", based at Saint-Pol-Brias. He claimed his 19th and 20th victory on 23 July 1941 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 1 August 1941 after his 21st aerial victory. He received the award with fellow JG 2 "Richthofen" pilots Oberleutnant Erich Leie and Oberleutnant Rudolf Pflanz on that day. The triple award presentation was recorded by the Deutsche Wochenschau (German Weekly Review), a newsreel series released in the cinemas. His score had increased to 28 aerial victories by the end of 1941.
On 12 February 1942 Mayer claimed a Westland Whirlwind during Operation Donnerkeil, the air cover plan for the Channel Dash of German warships from port in western France to Germany. Four of these uncommon aircraft were lost from No. 137 Squadron with their pilots. On 25 April 1942, Mayer claimed four RAF fighters. Fighter Command suffered high losses on this date; 15 of them have been attributed to JG 2 and Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing). No. 118 Squadron lost two pilot killed in action with JG 2, and another five from No. 501 Squadron were shot down in the Cherbourg area leading to the death of four members. In May, III. Gruppe of JG 2 converted from the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F to the radial engine powered Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A.
Mayer received the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 16 July 1942. Mayer claimed a Spitfire off Selsey Bill on 31 July. Flying Officer T Kratka, No. 317 Squadron, was wounded in the legs and parachuted to safety south of the land mark. On 19 August, his 25th birthday, Mayer shot down two Spitfires over Dieppe during Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee), his 49th and 50th victory. 50 of RAF Fighter Command's losses were attributed to action with German fighters along with another 12 damaged. The Luftwaffe's losses were much smaller, but JG 2 and JG 26 had been worn down through losses and damaged aircraft and could not make much of an impression during the afternoon. Mayer was among the German pilots to file their claims in the later afternoon.
On 14 February 1943, Mayer claimed three RAF , claiming his 60th to 62nd victories. Following his 63rd victory he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 16 April 1943, the 232nd officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored. The presentation was made by Adolf Hitler in his office at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin on 11 May 1943. Mayer was then promoted to Major (major) on 1 June 1943. Fighter Command lost no aircraft on 14 February 1943. The previous day, it did report two Typhoons lost in combat with Fw 190s from JG 2—both pilots from No. 609 Squadron were killed.
On 22 June 1943, a flight led by Mayer encountered an RAF Spitfire unit. During the course of the engagement, he claimed one Spitfire shot down and damage to another. Fighter Command lost five fighters on 22 June. Four were lost in action with Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing). The only unattributed loss came when Flying Officer J Watlington, No. 400 Squadron was shot down and captured. He was later repatriated in 1944.
Whoever it was gave a riveting display of aerobatics out in front of our entire 102nd Combat Wing before slashing in to fatally damage the leading ship of the 422nd Bombardment Squadron in the low slot. The attack took place at 08:18 near Etampes, southwest of Paris. After fires broke out between the #2 and the fuselage, and between the #3 and #4 engines, the ship nosed down in a spin - somehow seven men managed to hit the silk. I had never seen such a tremendous volume of tracer go after that one plane with a wingman in tow. Downright discouraging to hit nothing but air.
Mayer was not known for showboating, and his actions were probably a result of radio failure - an attempt to attract the attention of his pilots after finding the unescorted bombers. The claim matches exactly the time and place of the 305th Bomb Group's loss. The bomber was B-17F-1-35-DL, 42-3190, of the 322nd Bombardment Squadron.
Mayer claimed two Spitfires on 22 August. JG 2 claimed six between 19:50 and 20:15. No. 66 Squadron lost one pilot killed while another evaded. No. 485 Squadron lost four; one pilot was killed, two captured and one evaded capture to return to Britain. He claimed three B-17s shot down within 19 minutes on 6 September. The Eighth Air Force was targeting Stuttgart that day and lost 45 aircraft. Mayer accounted for two Spitfires on 22 September near Evreux. Two No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron pilots were shot down in the area; one was killed the other escaped capture. On 1 December 1943, Mayer shot down three Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. His claimed aerial victories increased to 90 on 30 December 1943. Mayer was credited with four victories on 7 January 1944, three B-24s and one B-17 shot down in the vicinity of Orléans. On 4 February 1944 he claimed a P-47 from the US 56th Fighter Group, the only American fighter lost by the 8th Fighter Command on this date. It was Mayer's 100th victory, and he became the first fighter pilot on the Channel Front to achieve this mark.
Mayer's final score stood at 102 when he was shot down and killed in action by a P-47 Thunderbolt near Montmédy on 2 March 1944. Flying Fw 190 A-6 ( Werknummer 470468—factory number), Mayer had led his Stabsschwarm (headquarters unit) and elements of III. Gruppe, 14 Fw 190s in total, in an attack on B-17s in the area of Sedan, but failed to detect the fighter escort of 29 P-47s above. His aircraft was seen taking hits at a range of in the nose and cockpit. It made a violent snap roll and went into a vertical dive, crashing within of Montmédy. He was posthumously decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) that day. On 10 March, command of JG 2 was passed to Major Kurt Ubben.
Recent research by historian Norman Fortier suggests that Mayer was shot down by Lieutenant Walter Gresham of the 358th Fighter Squadron of the 355th Fighter Wing. The claim is based on gun camera footage and recollections of Mayer's wingman, who was forced to bail out during the action. Mayer was buried at the cemetery of Beaumont-le-Roger, France, and in 1955 re-interred at Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux German war cemetery near Lisieux, Normandy, France.
Gerald W. Johnson, also from the 56th Fighter Group, recounted in his memoir seeing two Fw 190s chasing Robert Johnson's aircraft. He said he shot down the attacking plane, but was not able to locate the second aircraft. After landing, he says he kept quiet to avoid "spoiling Robert's glory". Some sources believe Mayer was the German pilot chasing Robert Johnson's aircraft, and may have shot down as many as three Thunderbolt aircraft in the battle. In The Mighty Eighth, Freeman's account states that Mayer made a propaganda radio broadcast that night in which he identified one of his victims bearing the markings HV:P, those of Johnson. However, other authors have expressed doubt about Mayer's involvement. There is no direct evidence Mayer was involved in this battle, and neither Mayer nor any other III./JG 2 pilot is present in the day's victory or loss records according to the most complete German sources. Mayer's III. Gruppe was based in Brittany, France, at the time. Mayer had surrendered command of III. Gruppe of JG 2 to Hauptmann Bruno Stolle on 25 June and officially took command of JG 2 as Geschwaderkommodore on 1 July. However, unofficially he already led the Geschwader on 26 June. Mayer did not file claim for any aerial victories on 26 June, not with the Geschwaderstab nor with III. Gruppe.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 14 West 3853". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.
| 1 | 13 June 1940 | 18:00 | M.S.406 | ||||||
| 2? | 7 October 1940 | 17:00 | Hawker Hurricane | northwest of Portland | |||||
| 3? | 15 November 1940 | 17:10 | Hurricane | Chichester | |||||
| 4 | 17 June 1941 | 17:50 | Spitfire | north of Cherbourg | |||||
| 23 June 1941 | Spitfire | 16 | 21 July 1941 | 08:52 | Spitfire | ||||
| 23 June 1941 | Spitfire | 17 | 23 July 1941 | 13:14 | Spitfire | Forest of Éperlecques | |||
| 5 | 24 June 1941 | 20:42 | Spitfire | Gravelines/Ramsgate | 18 | 23 July 1941 | 13:20 | Spitfire | Forest of Éperlecques |
| 6 | 25 June 1941 | 16:33 | Spitfire | Saint-Omer/Boulogne-sur-Mer | 19 | 21 August 1941 | 10:20 | Spitfire | |
| 7 | 2 July 1941 | 12:38 | Bristol Blenheim | 20 | 21 August 1941 | 14:50? | Spitfire | ||
| 8 | 2 July 1941 | 13:55? | Spitfire | 21 | 27 August 1941 | 09:30 | Hurricane | northwest of Le Touquet | |
| 9 | 3 July 1941 | 11:46 | Spitfire | 22 | 16 September 1941 | 19:32 | Spitfire | vicinity of Boulogne | |
| 10 | 3 July 1941 | 15:36 | Spitfire | 23 | 16 September 1941 | 19:40 | Spitfire | ||
| 11 | 5 July 1941 | 12:36? | Spitfire | 24 | 20 September 1941 | 16:32 | Spitfire | ||
| 12 | 9 July 1941 | 14:05 | Spitfire | 25 | 2 October 1941 | 15:14 | Spitfire | Pas-de-Calais | |
| 13 | 10 July 1941 | 12:08 | Spitfire | 26 | 13 October 1941 | 15:34 | Spitfire | over sea, vicinity of Boulogne | |
| 14 | 12 July 1941 | 19:26 | Spitfire | 27 | 21 October 1941 | 13:00 | Spitfire | ||
| 15 | 12 July 1941 | 19:28 | Spitfire | 28 | 21 October 1941 | 16:10 | Spitfire | ||
| 29 | 12 February 1942 | 14:38 | Whirlwind | north of Ostend | 40 | 4 May 1942 | 10:39 | Spitfire | |
| 30 | 15 April 1942 | 16:20? | Spitfire | 41 | 4 May 1942 | 15:48 | Spitfire | ||
| 15 April 1942 | Spitfire | 42 | 6 May 1942 | 12:29 | Spitfire | ||||
| 31 | 16 April 1942 | 15:30 | Spitfire | 43 | 3 June 1942 | 15:35 | Spitfire | vicinity of Cherbourg | |
| 32 | 16 April 1942 | 15:33 | Spitfire | 44 | 3 June 1942 | 15:40 | Spitfire | vicinity of Cherbourg | |
| 33 | 17 April 1942 | 09:35 | Spitfire | 45 | 6 June 1942 | 17:22 | Spitfire | Cherbourg/Cap Lévi | |
| 17 April 1942 | Spitfire | 46 | 6 June 1942 | 17:22 | Spitfire | Cherbourg/Cap Lévi | |||
| 17 April 1942 | Spitfire | 47 | 23 June 1942 | 19:30 | Spitfire | off Start Point | |||
| 34 | 17 April 1942 | 16:05 | Boston | vicinity of Cherbourg | 48 | 23 June 1942 | 19:32 | Spitfire | off Start Point |
| 35 | 25 April 1942 | 09:45 | Spitfire | 49 | 31 July 1942 | 18:09 | Spitfire | south of Selsey Bill | |
| 36 | 25 April 1942 | 16:17 | Spitfire | 50 | 18 August 1942 | 11:28 | Spitfire | northeast of Cherbourg | |
| 37 | 25 April 1942 | 16:25 | Spitfire | 51 | 19 August 1942 | 16:03 | Hurricane | north of Dieppe | |
| 38 | 25 April 1942 | 16:29 | Spitfire | 52 | 19 August 1942 | 16:05 | Spitfire | north of Dieppe | |
| 39 | 30 April 1942 | 11:43 | Spitfire | ||||||
| 53 | 23 November 1942 | 13:25 | B-17 | PQ 14 West 3853 | 55 | 23 November 1942 | 14:00 | B-24 | PQ 14 West 4855 |
| 54 | 23 November 1942 | 13:34 | B-17 | west of Loire estuary | 56 | 30 December 1942 | 11:42 | B-17 | Groix |
| 57 | 3 January 1943 | 11:32 | B-17* | southwest of Saint-Nazaire | 62 | 14 February 1943 | 12:12 | Hawker Typhoon | northwest of Calais PQ 05 Ost 1288 |
| 58 | 3 January 1943 | 11:35 | B-17 | south of Saint-Nazaire west of Loire estuary | 63 | 16 April 1943 | 14:05 | B-17 | PQ 14 West 48346 PQ 14 West 4829 |
| 59 | 11 February 1943 | 12:10 | Spitfire | northwest of Boulogne | 64? | 16 April 1943 | 14:22 | B-17 | PQ 14 West 4834 |
| 60 | 14 February 1943 | 11:36 | Typhoon | northwest of Calais PQ 05 Ost 1287 | 65 | 29 May 1943 | 16:35 | B-17 | PQ 14 West 2938 PQ 14 West 2928 |
| 61 | 14 February 1943 | 11:40 | Typhoon | east of Dover PQ 05 Ost 1284 | 66 | 29 May 1943 | 17:35 | B-17 | PQ 14 West 3072 PQ 14 West 3871 |
| 67 | 4 July 1943 | 12:36 | B-17 | PQ 04 Ost 1965 | 80 | 6 September 1943 | 12:29 | B-17 | Lens |
| 68 | 4 July 1943 | 12:58 | B-17 | PQ 15 West 1065 | 81 | 22 September 1943 | 17:17 | Spitfire | east of Lisieux east of Évreux |
| 69 | 14 July 1943 | 07:43 | B-17 | north of Évreux | 82 | 22 September 1943 | 17:20 | Spitfire | east of Lisieux north of Évreux |
| 70 | 14 July 1943 | 08:24 | B-17 | Les Essarts-le-Roi, southwest of Paris | 25 October 1943 | B-25 | northwest of Brest | ||
| 71 | 30 July 1943 | 10:30 | B-17 | PQ 05 Ost 0422 | 25 October 1943 | B-25 | northwest of Brest | ||
| 72 | 16 August 1943 | 10:37 | P-47 | Senneville-sur-Fécamp | 83 | 5 November 1943 | 13:39 | P-47 | Rheydt |
| 73 | 22 August 1943 | 19:56 | Spitfire | PQ 05 Ost 0028, Cany-Barville | 84 | 5 November 1943 | 13:51 | P-47 | PQ 05 Ost NL-5 Alken south of Hasselt |
| 74 | 22 August 1943 | 20:10 | Spitfire | Pont-Authou, southeast of Pont-Audemer | 85♠ | 1 December 1943 | 12:50 | P-47 | PQ 05 Ost NL/ML Gembloux-Huy |
| 75 | 27 August 1943 | 09:45 | Spitfire | Tancarville | 86♠ | 1 December 1943 | 12:51? | P-47 | PQ 05 Ost NL/ML vicinity of Liège |
| 76 | 3 September 1943 | 10:40 | B-17 | La Gaillarde Bailleul | 87♠ | 1 December 1943 | 12:53 | P-47 | PQ 05 Ost NL/MK vicinity of Gembloux |
| 77 | 3 September 1943 | 11:25 | B-17 | PQ 14 West 2935 Bailleul | 88♠ | 1 December 1943 | 12:53 | P-47 | vicinity of Leuven |
| 78 | 6 September 1943 | 12:10 | B-17 | west of Mailly-le-Camp | 89♠ | 1 December 1943 | 13:10 | B-17 | PQ 05 Ost KH Scheldt, Zierikzee |
| 79 | 6 September 1943 | 12:17 | B-17 | west of Troyes | 90 | 31 December 1943 | 12:18 | B-24 | PQ 14 West AE-9 south of Albi |
| 91 | 4 January 1944 | 16:02 | B-26 | PQ 05 Ost S/QB-2, off Dieppe | 97 | 7 January 1944 | 13:15 | B-24 | Bouville |
| 92 | 4 January 1944 | 16:05 | Spitfire | PQ 05 Ost S/QB-5, off Dieppe | 98 | 7 January 1944 | 13:18 | B-17 | Les Plessys Les Buissons, Dreux |
| 93 | 5 January 1944 | 10:55 | P-47 | northwest of Laval | 99 | 14 January 1944 | 15:32 | P-38 | La Haye-le-Comte |
| 94 | 5 January 1944 | 10:55 | P-47 | PQ 14 West DS-3 Marennes | 100 | 5 February 1944 | 12:49 | P-47 | PQ 05 Ost SD-7 Argueil, south of Forges-les-Eaux |
| 95 | 7 January 1944 | 13:05 | B-24 | PQ 04 Ost N/DE-7 northeast of Orléans | 101 | 6 February 1944 | 11:12 | P-47 | PQ 04 Ost N/CG-9 |
| 96 | 7 January 1944 | 13:06 | B-24 | northeast of Orléans | 102 | 6 February 1944 | 11:14 | P-47 | PQ 04 Ost N/CG-9 |
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