Max Ritter von Mulzer
Born9 July 1893
Kimratshofen, Allgäu, Kingdom of Bavaria
Died26 September 1916 (aged 23)
Valenciennes, France
AllegianceGermany
Service/branchCavalry; aviation
Years of service1914–1916
RankLeutnant
Unit8th Cavalry Regiment;
Feldflieger Abteilung 4 (FFA 4);
Flieger-Abteilung 62 (FA 62};
Kampfeinsitzerkommando Nord (KEK Nord);
Kampfeinsitzerkommando "B" (KEK B);
Flieger-Abteilung 32 (FA 32)
AwardsPour le Merite;
Military Order of Max Joseph;
Iron Cross

Leutnant Max Ritter von Mulzer was a German World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories.[1] He was the first Bavarian fighter ace, first Bavarian ace recipient of the Pour le Merite, and first Bavarian knighted for his exploits.[2]

Biography

Early life

Max Mulzer was born on 9 July 1893 in the Kingdom of Bavaria in the German Empire.[2]

Military service

Mulzer graduated from cadet training with the Royal Bavarian Cadet Corps on 10 July 1914,[3] and was commissioned in the 8th Cavalry Regiment on 13 December 1914. He transferred to aviation on 20 August 1915. He was posted to FA 4 on 13 December, but soon joined Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann in FFA 62.[2] Indeed, Mulzer and Immelmann often flew together, and were referred to, respectively, as "Bavarian Max" and "Saxon Max" to differentiate them.[4] "Bavarian Max"'s first victory, on 13 March 1916, went unconfirmed, but he had three confirmed victories between 30 March and 31 May.[1] When FA 62 shipped out for service in Russia, Mulzer transferred to KEK Nord in June 1916[2] and tallied three more wins during the month,[1] with the second one occurring during the dogfight during which his friend Immelmann was killed.[5]

Mulzer had the honor of carrying Immelmann's decorations on the black velvet Ordenkissen cushion in the funeral procession.[6] Afterwards, he then had a fleeting assignment to FFA 32, and went on to KEK 'B'. He scored twice for them, on 8 and 22 July; the eight victories were enough at that time to earn him the Blue Max.[7] He also received the Military Order of Max Joseph and thus earned a lifetime pension and became a non-hereditary knight entitled to be addressed by the honorific "Ritter von".[8] He moved on to FA 32, and scored twice more.[2][1]

On 26 September, the day after Kurt Wintgens died, Mulzer had a new airplane to test fly. Apparently prompted by news of his old comrade's death, Mulzer remarked, "Immelmann is dead. Parschau is dead, Wintgens is dead. Now I am next in line." Then he took off from the Valenciennes airfield on a test flight, side-slipped his Albatros D.I into a hard bank, lost control, and crashed to his death.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/mulzer.php Retrieved on 19 April 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914–1918. p. 171.
  3. ↑ Early German Aces of World War I. p. 51.
  4. ↑ Early German Aces of World War I. p. 52.
  5. ↑ Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918. p. 134, 171.
  6. ↑ Early German Aces of World War I. p. 60-61.
  7. ↑ Early German Aces of World War I. p. 64.
  8. ↑ The Aerodrome website page on the Max Joseph Retrieved on 28 September 2020.
  9. ↑ Early German Aces of World War I. pp. 82–83.
General sources
  • Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918 Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
  • Early German Aces of World War I. Greg VanWyngarden, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-84176-997-5, ISBN 978-1-84176-997-4.
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