Erika Liljeström
Erika Mikaelsdóttir Liljeström | |
|---|---|
 Liljeström in 1944 | |
| Born | 21 April 1921 Göteborg, Vännasö, Acrea |
| Allegiance |  Acrea |
| Service/ | Royal Acrean Air Force |
| Unit | 1st Fighter Wing (JG-1) |
| Battles/wars | Great Eracuran War |
| Awards | see below |
Erika Mikaelsdóttir Liljeström is a retired, highly decorate Royal Acrean Air Force military aviator. She is best known for being Acrea's most successful female fighter ace. She is credited with shooting down a total of 189 enemy aircraft while serving with the RAAF, flying the EF-59 Slaktare and EF-62 Lansen.
The daughter of an aviation enthusiast, Liljeström was a pre-war glider pilot during her school years. She joined the RAAF in 1939, and was posted to her first wing in 1941 with the highly experienced JG-1, which flew a mixture of EF-59 and EF-51 fighters. Under the guidance of wing commander Eirik Mayskär, Liljeström became extremely skilled in the stalk-and-ambush tactics favoured by Acrean pilots, as it allowed them to use the superior engine power and speed of their fighters to engage and disengage in combat at will.
Today, Liljeström resides in her hometown of Göteborg. She is praised as a pioneer for women in Acrean military aviation, being one of very few female combat pilots to serve with the RAAF during the war. Both of her surviving aircraft from the war, one EF-59A-12 and one EF-62C-2, are on display in a dedicated exhibit at the Royal National Aviation Museum in Kongsberg. There are numerous dedications to her and other aces of JG-1 at JG-1s home airbase at RAAF Strådalen.