How ONE German Pilot Became the Allies Worst Nightmare

Egon Mayer is widely regarded as one of Germany’s greatest fighter aces. Credited with more than 50 Spitfire kills and 25 heavy bomber shootdowns, he was among the Luftwaffe’s most formidable and valuable pilots. Mayer also pioneered the tactic that brought down countless B-17 Flying Fortresses during World War II.

Egon Mayer was a German fighter pilot and one of the most accomplished aces of World War II. He was born in Konstanz and volunteered for military service in Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe in 1937. After completing flight training, he was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen” in 1939. He fought in the Battle of France, scoring his first aerial victory on June 13, 1940.

In June 1941, Mayer was appointed squadron leader of 7 Staffel (7th Squadron) of JG 2. Just two months later, after his 21st aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on August 1, 1941. Over the next year, he claimed 16 more victories and received the German Cross in Gold on July 16, 1942. By November 1942, Mayer had risen to commander of III. Gruppe (3rd Group) of JG 2.

On November 23, 1942, Mayer claimed his first victories against U.S. heavy bombers, shooting down two B-17 Flying Fortresses and a B-24 Liberator. Alongside fellow ace Georg-Peter Eder, he developed the head-on attack tactic, which proved highly effective against Allied daylight bomber formations. For his achievements, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves on April 16, 1943, after reaching 63 victories.

Mayer took command of JG 2 on July 1, 1943. By the end of that year, he had scored 90 victories, and on February 5, 1944, he became the first pilot on the Channel Front to reach 100 aerial victories. On July 1, 1943, Egon Mayer was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 2 “Richthofen,” succeeding Colonel Walter Oesau. Soon after, he downed a B-17 on July 14 during an attack by the 305th Bombardment Group near Étampes. According to an American navigator, Mayer executed a stunning head-on attack that fatally damaged a lead bomber, forcing it to spin down in flames.

Over the following months, Mayer’s victories mounted rapidly. He shot down two Spitfires on August 22, three B-17s on September 6 during an Eighth Air Force raid on Stuttgart, and two more Spitfires on September 22. On December 1, he claimed three P-47 Thunderbolts, bringing his total to 90 victories by the end of 1943. In early 1944, he destroyed four more bombers on January 7 and achieved his 100th victory on February 4, becoming the first pilot on the Channel Front to reach this milestone.

Mayer’s final tally stood at 102 victories. On March 2, 1944, he was killed in action near Montmédy when a P-47 shot down his Fw 190 A-6 during a battle with U.S. bomber formations. He was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Historian Norman Fortier later identified his likely killer as Lt. Walter Gresham of the 358th Fighter Squadron. Mayer was first buried in Beaumont-le-Roger and later re-interred in the Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux German war cemetery in Normandy.