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Friedrich Obleser
Obleser during his service in the Bundeswehr
Born	(1923-02-21)21 February 1923 Pottenstein, Austria
Died	5 June 2004(2004-06-05) (aged 81) Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe  German Air Force
Years of service	1940–1945, 1956–1983
Rank	Oberleutnant (Wehrmacht) Generalleutnant (Bundeswehr)
Unit	JG 52
Commands	Jagdbombergeschwader 43 Jagdbombergeschwader 31
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Inspector of the Air Force
In office 1978–1983
Preceded by	Gerhard Limberg
Succeeded by	Eberhard Eimler

Friedrich-Erich Obleser (21 February 1923 – 5 June 2004) was a German general in the Bundeswehr. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. A fighter ace, Obleser was credited with 120 aerial victories and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. For his post-war service in the German Air Force, he received the Grand Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Early life and career

Obleser was born on 21 February 1923 in Pottenstein in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria. In 1940, he volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe. Following flight training, Obleser was assigned to 8. Staffel (8th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), a squadron of III. Gruppe of JG 52.

World War II

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. In January 1943, Obleser arrived with 8. Staffel under command of Hauptmann Günther Rall at the Gigant airfield which was located in the vicinity of Salsk. At the time, the Red Army had launched Operation Koltso, the final phase of the Battle of Stalingrad. Rall made Obleser his wingman and also appointed him as technical officer of the Staffel, a position which was responsible for the overall readiness of the equipment and aircraft. Obleser flew his first combat mission on 12 January 1943 on the Eastern Front. There, he claimed his first aerial victory on 28 March over a Bell P-39 Airacobra. On 28 May 1943, Obleser was wounded when his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 (Werknummer 19284—factory number) was hit by anti-aircraft artillery resulting in a forced landing at Varenikovskaya. Following his convalescence, he was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8. Staffel of JG 52 on 6 July 1943, succeeding Rall who took command of III. Gruppe. Obleser received the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 8 November 1943 and the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) six days later.

Obleser was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 23 March 1944 following his 80th aerial victory. At one point he questioned the aerial victory claims made by Erich Hartmann. Hartmann asked Rall to have Obleser transferred to be Hartmann's wingman for a while. Obleser became a witness on some of Hartmann's claims and no longer questioned Hartmann's claims. On 21 July 1944, Obleser was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 87th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.

On 12 December, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Zagórze, located 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Kraków. The Gruppe flew relatively few missions at the time. Obleser toyed around with a Panzerfaust, a recoil-less anti-tank weapon, in an attempt to increase its firing range. On 30 December, Obleser was severely wounded when a Panzerfaust exploded in his hand. He did not see any further action before the end of the war in May 1945. He was temporarily replaced by Leutnant Karl Gratz until Leutnant Viktor Petermann officially succeeded Obleser on 7 January 1945 as commander of 10. Staffel.

Later life

After Obleser was released from US captivity, he worked as a commissioner of a recycling company, which predominantly had to dismantle and dispose of bomber aircraft. He then became head of an industrial application department in the private industry. In 1956, Obleser continued his military career, joining the German Air Force of West Germany as a Hauptmann. Following multiple assignments to various fighter units, Obleser was appointed wing commander of Jagdgeschwader 72 in Leck, later known as Jagdbombergeschwader 43, and then commander of Jagdbombergeschwader 31 "Boelcke". Obleser then held the position of system officer for the multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) within the German Air Staff. He then was appointed general manager of the NATO MRCA Management Agency.

Obleser then served as chief of the Air Force Office (Luftwaffenamt) and commanding general of the Air Force Support Command (Luftwaffenunterstützungskommando). From 1 October 1978 until his retirement on 31 March 1983, he held the position of Inspector of the Air Force in the Bundeswehr, achieving the rank of Generalleutnant.

In June 1981, the Federal Minister of Defence Hans Apel threatened Obleser with early retirement following Obleser's report to the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag (Verteidigungsausschuss des Deutschen Bundestages). Obleser had stated that, due to the latest defense budget cut, the German Air Force could only partially fulfill its obligations. Apel had viewed Obleser's statement as lack of loyalty towards his superiors. Earlier in March 1981, although skeptical of the proposal, Obleser had approved two budget cuts suggested by Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Jürgen Brandt.

Obleser died of natural causes on 5 June 2004 in Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, at 81 years of age.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Obleser was credited with 120 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that Obleser was credited with 112 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. In addition to these claims, Obleser claimed nine undocumented aerial victories over United States Army Air Forces aircraft, two heavy bombers and seven fighter aircraft.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 34 Ost 86724". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 8 November 1943 as Leutnant in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 52
• German Cross in Gold on 14 November 1943 as Leutnant in the III./Jagdgeschwader 52
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 March 1944 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 52
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Officer's Cross (April 1973)
  • Commanders Cross (26 September 1979)
  • Grand Cross with Star (4 March 1983)

Notes

1. Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.
2. ^ The "m.H." refers to an Ilyushin Il-2 with rear gunner (mit Heckschütze).
3. This claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.
4. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as an Ilyushin Il-2.
5. This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.
6. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.
7. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 07:32.
8. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 05:53.
9. According to Scherzer on 26 March 1944.

References

Citations

1. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 175.
2. ^ 1978–1982 Friedrich Obleser.
3. Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
4. Rall 2007, pp. 142–144.
5. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 478.
6. Prien et al. 2012, p. 496.
7. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 280.
8. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 283.
9. Schreier 1990, p. 177.
10. interview by Colin Heaton Archived 2008-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
11. Obermaier 1989, p. 243.
12. Barbas 2010, pp. 196, 321.
13. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 929.
14. Der Spiegel Volume 24/1981.
15. Zabecki 2019, p. 330.
16. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 929–931.
17. Planquadrat.
18. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 929–930.
19. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 488.
20. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 479.
21. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 489.
22. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 480.
23. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 481.
24. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 490.
25. Prien et al. 2012, p. 482.
26. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 485.
27. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 491.
28. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 486.
29. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 487.
30. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 493.
31. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 494.
32. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 930–931.
33. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 373.
34. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 375.
35. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 378.
36. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 379.
37. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 374.
38. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 931.
39. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 380.
40. Dixon 2023, p. 85.
41. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 335.
42. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 328.
43. Scherzer 2007, p. 574.
44. Ministerialblatt 1980, p. 3.

Bibliography

• Barbas, Bernd (2010). Die Geschichte der III. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 [The History of 3rd Group of Fighter Wing 52] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-94-6.
• Bergström, Christer . "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
• Bergström, Christer ; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2003). Graf & Grislawski – A Pair of Aces. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN 978-0-9721060-4-7.
• Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1943–1945. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-39903-073-1.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) . Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 3 M–R. Walton-on-Thames, UK: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-20-2.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5.
• Rall, Günther (2007). Braatz, Kurt (ed.). Günther Rall: Mein Flugbuch—Erinnerungen 1938–2004 [Günther Rall: My Flight Book—Recollections 1938–2004] (in German). Moosburg, Germany: NeunundzwanzigSechs Verlag. ISBN 978-3-9807935-3-7.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Schreier, Hans (1990). JG 52 Das erfolgreichste Jagdgeschwader des 2. Weltkriegs [JG 52 The Most Successful Fighter Wing of World War II] (in German). Berg am See: K. Vowinckel. ISBN 978-3-921655-66-5.
• Zabecki, David T., ed. (2019). The German War Machine in World War II. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-44-086918-1.
• "Ablösung für Obleser" [Replacement for Obleser]. Der Spiegel (in German). No. 24. 1981. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
• "Generalleutnant Friedrich Obleser" [Lieutenant General Friedrich Obleser]. Bundeswehr (in German). Retrieved 1 February 2017.
• "Ministerialblatt für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen" [Ministerial Newspaper for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia]. recht.nrw.de (in German). 7 January 1980. Retrieved 9 February 2022.

External links

• "Ich denk?, ich steh?". Der Spiegel (in German). No. 46. 1979. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
• "Ein schöner Tod - fürs Vaterland?". Der Spiegel (in German). No. 35. 1982. Retrieved 18 June 2013.

Articles and topics related to Friedrich Obleser

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Knight's Cross with JG 54. Oak Leaves with JG 53. Swords with JG 77.

• Aviation
• Biography

• 1923 births
• 2004 deaths
• Luftwaffe pilots
• German World War II flying aces
• German Air Force pilots
• Bundeswehr generals
• Recipients of the Gold German Cross
• Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
• German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States
• Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Lieutenant generals of the German Air Force
• People from Baden District, Austria