KITS 04/2021

8244/17, Gefr. Erich Mix, Jasta 54, Ennemain, France, June 1917

Former infantryman Erich Mix started flying with Luftstreitkräfte on May 1917, but only with non-combat units. On April 12th, 1918, he was

transferred to the Schlastastaffel 21 and a month later his dreams went true on May 15th, as he became an fighter pilot with Jagdstaffel 54.

He claimed his first victory on June 11th, shooting down Salmson 2A2. Just two days later he destroyed this Pfalz on landing. Erich Mix scored

three confirmed victories and one probable (baloon) during WWI. Mix joined Luftwaffe in 1935, became technical officer of I./JG 53 in 1939

and scored three victories at the outbreak of WWII at the age of 41. In March 1940 he became first commander of III./JG 2 and finished the

war as Oberst (Colonel) with 5 victories (8 together with WWI). The marking of his Pfalz D.IIIa is a reconstruction based on the description in

the flight log, revealed in the Jasta Colors book (Aeronaut Books, 2020). The fuselage had red-brown nose, rear and one horizontal plus one

vertical band. The wings were covered with five-colour Flugzeugstoff (Lozenge).

34 eduard

INFO Eduard - April 2021