Egon Mayer
Egon Mayer (19 August 1917 – 2 March 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace 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 P-47 Thunderbolts. Mayer was the first fighter pilot to score 100 victories entirely on the Western Front.
Born in Konstanz, Mayer, who was a glider pilot in his youth, volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe of the Third Reich 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 Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 2 "Richthofen" 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 Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 2 "Richthofen".
Egon Mayer (sociologist)
Egon Mayer (December 1944 – January 30, 2004) was an American sociologist and professor at Brooklyn College. He wrote a number of books on Jewish culture and history, including From Suburb to Shtetl (1979), The Court Jew: A Contribution to the History of Absolutism in Europe (1984), and Love and Tradition: Marriage Between Jews and Christians (1985).
Mayer was born in Switzerland to Eugene and Hedy Mayer, Hungarian-Jewish parents who were passengers on the Kastner train during the Holocaust. Mayer's mother was pregnant with him at the time. The train left Budapest in June 1944 after Rudolf Kastner, a Hungarian lawyer, negotiated with Adolf Eichmann to allow 1,684 Jews safe passage to Switzerland. The passengers arrived in Switzerland in two stages – one in August 1944, the second in December – the month in which Mayer was born – after a stop at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Mayer created and maintained a website in Kastner's memory. Mayer's family returned to Budapest when the war ended, then emigrated to the United States in 1956. Mayer studied at Brooklyn College (City University of New York) and the New School for Social Research, obtaining his Ph.D in sociology in 1975 from Rutgers University.
Podcasts:
