 He went to school at the "Langemarck-Realgymnasium"—a secondary school built on the mid-level "Realschule" to achieve the "Abitur" (university entry qualification)—in Singen.Today, the "Langemarck-Realgymnasium", which had been named after the location of the World War I Battle of Langemarck, is the Hegau-Gymnasium.Following his graduation, Mayer volunteered for military service in the "Luftwaffe" on 1 November 1937.