Max Ritter von Mulzer

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]

Not to be confused with the Bavarian flying ace Max Ritter von Müller.
Max Ritter von Mulzer
Max Ritter von Mulzer
Born9 July 1893
Kimratshofen, Allgäu, Kingdom of Bavaria
Died26 September 1916
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

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]

Sources of information
  1. The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/mulzer.php Retrieved on 19 April 2010.
  2. 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.

References
  • 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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