Maximilian Mayerl

Maximilian Mayerl (28 May 1917 – 11 February 2010) was a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross During his career Maximilian Mayerl was credited with 76 aerial victories in 600+ missions.

Early life and career Mayerl was born on 28 May 1917 in Aigen im Ennstal, Styria, then in Austria-Hungary. He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1937. Following flight and fighter pilot training, Mayerl was posted to 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 20 (JG 20—20th Fighter Wing) in July 1939. This was a wing in name only, being just a single Gruppe (Fighter Group) that had been set up just prior to the outbreak of war, in July 1939. His commanding officer was the Condor Legion veteran Walter Oesau.

World War II Following the Armistice of 22 June 1940, the Luftwaffe continued to fight the RAF in the Battle of Britain. On 4 July, I. Gruppe of JG 20 was officially integrated into JG 51, becoming its III. Gruppe. In consequence, Mayerl became a member of the 8. Staffel, a Staffel of III. Gruppe of JG 51. During a period of the battle of Britain referred to as Kanalkampf, Mayerl claimed his second aerial victory on 19 July, a Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down south of Dover.

Eastern Front By 15 June, JG 51 had completed its preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union and was based at airfields at Siedlce, Stara Wieś, Halasy where III. Gruppe was based and Krzewica, close to the German–Soviet demarcation line. The attack on the Soviet Union began at 03:45 on 22 June with JG 51 flying fighter patrols along the Bug River.

On 7 August 1942, Mayerl was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel of JG 51. He succeeded Oberleutnant Gottfried Schlitzer who had died the day before from wounds sustained on 3 August.

In September 1943, Mayerl fell ill and was temporarily replaced by Oberleutnant Max-Hermann Lücke. On 23 October, Lücke was severely injured in a mid-air collision, dying on 8 November. In consequence, he was succeeded by Leutnant Heinz Venth. On 8 December, Mayerl was officially replaced by Oberleutnant Günther Schack as commander of 9. Staffel. Following his convalescence, Mayerl was transferred to I. Gruppe of Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 2, a replacement training unit.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Mayerl was credited with 76 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 75 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This number includes 71 claims on the Eastern Front and four on the Western Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 3766". The Luftwaffe grid map 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.

Chronicle of aerial victories Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 20 –Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 1 8 June 1940 13:10 Blenheim Allery – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 26 May 1941 2 19 July 1940 13:52 Spitfire south of Dover 4 18 August 1940 14:36 Spitfire south of London 3 8 August 1940 12:55 Spitfire Dover – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941 5 26 July 1941 18:45 Pe-2 south of Dorogobuzh 11 19 September 1941 10:15 Pe-2 east of Konotop 6 26 July 1941 18:45 Pe-2 south of Dorogobuzh 12 20 September 1941 07:50 I-61 (MiG-3) east of Novhorod-Siverskyi 7? 27 July 1941 10:10 SB-2 north of Yelnya 13 22 September 1941 12:15 I-61 (MiG-3) north of Lebedyn 8 29 July 1941 18:10 DB-3 northeast of Yelnya 14 22 September 1941 12:15 I-61 (MiG-3) north of Lebedyn 9 15 September 1941 15:50 DB-3 east of Konotop 15 22 September 1941 12:35 I-61 (MiG-3) northeast of Lebedyn 10 19 September 1941 06:22 SB-2 east of Konotop – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — 5 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 16 4 February 1942 13:20 I-26 (Yak-1) northeast of Rzhev 19 16 February 1942 12:30 I-61 (MiG-3) northwest of Rzhev 17 10 February 1942 11:03 Pe-2 north of Rzhev 20 17 February 1942 08:10 I-61 (MiG-3) northeast of Rzhev 18 10 February 1942 16:10 I-26 (Yak-1) northeast of Rzhev 21 22 March 1942 09:23 I-61 (MiG-3) east of Shatalovka – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 22 19 May 1942 14:10 Pe-2 north of Rzhev 30 11 September 1942 12:47 LaGG-3 east of Rzhev 23 28 May 1942 12:35? Il-2 northwest of Yukhnov 31 14 September 1942 10:10 LaGG-3 northwest of Rzhev 24 2 July 1942 04:00 MiG-3 east of Olenino 32 15 October 1942 15:08 Il-2 southeast of Bely 25 5 July 1942 15:55 Pe-2 northeast of Bely 33 26 October 1942 10:25 MiG-3 west of Bely 26 13 August 1942 19:00 Il-2 north of Zubtsov 34 29 October 1942 12:00 MiG-3 northwest of Bely 27 21 August 1942 09:10 MiG-3 west of Zubtsov 35 15 January 1943 12:08 R-10 (Seversky) PQ 3766, north-northwest of Rzhev 28 5 September 1942 17:27 LaGG-3 northeast of Sychyovka 36 27 January 1943 14:30 LaGG-3 PQ 5677, southeast of Temkino 29 11 September 1942 12:41 LaGG-3 west of Zubtsov – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — 4 February – September 1943 37 23 February 1943 10:30 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 44282, northeast of Zhizdra 57 14 July 1943 17:25 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 54277, north of Ulyanovo 38 23 February 1943 10:37 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 44293, east of Zhizdra 58 14 July 1943 17:35 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 54418, southeast of Ulyanovo 39 23 February 1943 14:25 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 54142, northeast of Zhizdra 59 14 July 1943 18:05 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 54462, east-southeast of Ulyanovo 40 24 February 1943 14:20 MiG-3 PQ 35 Ost 55763, east of Suchinitschi 60 15 July 1943 18:55 MiG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63227, west of Archangelskoje 41 8 March 1943 13:10 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63261, west-southwest of Novosil 61 22 July 1943 17:40 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54733, north-northeast of Chotynez 42 9 March 1943 10:58 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 63274, southwest of Novosil 62 22 July 1943 17:42 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54593, north of Chotynez 43 9 March 1943 11:03 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 63432, south-southwest of Novosil 63 1 August 1943 14:14 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 54653, west-southwest of Bolkhov 44 17 March 1943 11:17 Yak-1 PQ 35 Ost 5365, south of Kromy 64 2 August 1943 15:50 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 53467, southeast of Kromy 45 18 March 1943 08:00 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 5353, southwest of Kromy 65 4 August 1943 06:02 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63146, southeast of Oryol 46 18 March 1943 08:25 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 5347, southwest of Kromy 66 4 August 1943 15:05 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 63142, south of Oryol 47 6 July 1943 08:58 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 53663, southeast of Trosna 67 9 August 1943 14:50 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 45385, northeast of Spas-Demensk 48 6 July 1943 12:35 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63363, south of Simjewka 68 9 August 1943 14:52 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 45385, northeast of Spas-Demensk 49 6 July 1943 17:50 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63531, northwest of Maloarkhangelsk 69 10 August 1943 13:05 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 45388, northeast of Spas-Demensk 50 6 July 1943 19:35 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 63563, southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 70 10 August 1943 15:40 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 35486, northwest of Spas-Demensk 51 8 July 1943 08:25 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 63561, west of Maloarkhangelsk 71 10 August 1943 15:55 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 35495, north-northwest of Spas-Demensk 52 8 July 1943 08:32 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 63532, north of Ponyri 72 12 August 1943 09:40 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 35493, north of Spas-Demensk 53 9 July 1943 17:21 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63551, north of Ponyri 73 12 August 1943 12:20 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 35453, north-northwest of Spas-Demensk 54 12 July 1943 19:40 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 54417, south of Ulyanovo 74 23 August 1943 13:55 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 43219, southwest of Karachev 55 12 July 1943 19:43 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54442, southeast of Ulyanovo 75 27 August 1943 09:10 P-39 PQ 35 Ost 43765, southwest of Sevsk 56 12 July 1943 20:00 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 54418, southeast of Ulyanovo 76 27 August 1943 09:13 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 43812, northeast of Sevsk

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 6 July 1942 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 27 November 1942 as Leutnant in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 51 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 November 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"