Raymond Mayer
339th Fighter Group 09/11/1944
ENCOUNTER REPORT
a. Combat
b. 11 September 1944
c. 503rd Fighter Squadron
d. 1215
e. Vicinity of Annaberg (5035-1300)
f. Five tenths at 5,000 feet.
g. FW 190’s and ME 109’s
h. Two (2) ME 109’s destroyed.
i. I was flying Beefsteak Red #4 on an escort mission to Grimma, Germany when we sighted enemy fighters coming toward us, ninety degrees to our right.
We did a 360 to the right to attack them but I had difficulty dropping my tanks and could not keep up with my element leader. I finally got the tanks off and was trying to catch my element leader, Lt Gerard, when I saw him destroy one E/A.
I closed on an ME 109, fired at it, and saw the canopy come off. I overran the E/A, pulled up over it in a tight left turn, and saw it roll over and the pilot bailed out. I CLAIM THIS ME 109 DESTROYED.
I was then alone and spotted two 109’s to the side and heading for the ground. I dived on them and got on the tail of the second one who was lagging behind. He half-rolled and went into a dive with me firing at him. My plane began to buffet badly and I was having difficulty controlling it so I began to pull out; I pulled out at 800 ft and the 109 flew right into the ground. I CLAIM THIS ME 109 DESTROYED.
I used my excess speed to gain some altitude and headed for the single A/C which turned out to be Major Aitken, my flight leader. We then went back down to the deck to help some P-51’s who finally destroyed a 190.
I wish to commend my G-suit highly, without it I would have blacked out and could not have pulled out of my dive.
My total claims are: Two (2) ME 109’s destroyed.
j. PILOT A/C No. A/C Ltr. Ammo Exp
Lt Mayer 42-103600 L 282
RAYMOND D. MAYER
2nd Lt, Air Corps
503rd Fighter Squadron
AMOS L. SCRUGGS
1st Lt, Air Corps
Ass’t S-2
Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by Raymond Mayer of the 339th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of Raymond Mayer's combat experience.
Donations
Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum.
We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment.
We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans.
This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Contact us if you are contemplating a donation of any kind.
Volunteering
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation.
We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks.
(1) Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. (2) Photography and Document Scanning.
Historical Artifacts
We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms and gear of the 8th Air Force in World War II as well as other units and commands. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material.