Friedrich-Erich Obleser (21 February 1923 – 5 June 2004) was a German general in the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served as a fighter pilot in the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. A

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

, Obleser was credited with 120 aerial victories and was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during World War II. For his post-war service in the

German Air Force The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...

, he received the Grand Cross with Star of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

Early life and career

Obleser was born on 21 February 1923 in Pottenstein in the district of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

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. In 1940, he volunteered for military service in the

. 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 The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet ...

. In January 1943, Obleser arrived with 8. ''Staffel'' under command of ''

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

Günther Rall Günther Rall (10 March 1918 – 4 October 2009) was a highly decorated German Military aviation, military aviator, officer and General, whose military career spanned nearly forty years. Rall was the third most successful fighter pilot in ...

at the Gigant airfield which was located in the vicinity of

Salsk Salsk () is a town and the administrative center of Salsky District in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the Sredny Yegorlyk River ( Don's basin), southeast of Rostov-on-Don, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 56,832 (2020), ...

. At the time, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

had launched Operation Koltso, the final phase of the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

. Rall made Obleser his

wingman A wingman (or wingmate) is the pilot of a secondary aircraft providing support or protection to a primary aircraft in a potentially dangerous situation, traditionally flying in formation to the side and slightly behind the primary craft. The t ...

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 The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by th ...

. On 28 May 1943, Obleser was wounded when his

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

G-4 (''Werknummer'' 19284—factory number) was hit by

anti-aircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

resulting in a

forced landing A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. However, the term also means a landing that has ...

at Varenikovskaya. Following his

convalescence Convalescence is the gradual recovery of health and strength after illness or injury. Details It refers to the later stage of an infectious disease or illness when the patient recovers and returns to previous health, but may continue to be a sou ...

, he was appointed ''

Staffelkapitän ''Staffelkapitän'' is a command appointment, rather than a military rank, in the air force units of German-speaking countries. The rank normally held by a ''Staffelkapitän'' has changed over time. In the present-day German ''Luftwaffe'' – p ...

'' (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 The ''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'' (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) was a Luftwaffe award established on 27 February 1940 by ''Reichsmarschall'' Hermann Göring, the ''Reich'' Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was ...

() on 8 November 1943 and the

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold () six days later. Obleser was awarded the

() on 23 March 1944 following his 80th aerial victory. At one point he questioned the aerial victory claims made by

Erich Hartmann Erich Alfred Hartmann (19 April 1922 – 20 September 1993) was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial comb ...

. Hartmann asked Rall to have Obleser transferred to be Hartmann's

for a while. Obleser became a witness on some of Hartmann's claims and no longer questioned Hartmann's claims.interview by Colin Heaton
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 west of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. The ''Gruppe'' flew relatively few missions at the time. Obleser toyed around with a ''

Panzerfaust The (, or , plural: ) was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light anti-tank weapons based on a pre-loaded disposable laun ...

'', 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 Karl Gratz (24 January 1919 – 14 March 2002) was an Austrian-born Luftwaffe fighter pilot during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 138 aerial victories claimed in more than 900 missions. Gratz claimed the majority of his vi ...

until ''Leutnant''

Viktor Petermann Viktor Petermann (26 May 1916 – 19 May 2001) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or suc ...

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

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as a ''

''. 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 A multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) is a combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air to air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air def ...

(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 The Air Force Office () was a high command authority of the German Air Force of the Bundeswehr, responsible for the conceptual planning as well as the training, supply, and equipment of the Air Force. In 2013, it was disbanded after its functions ...

() and commanding general of the Air Force Support Command (). From 1 October 1978 until his retirement on 31 March 1983, he held the position of

Inspector of the Air Force The Inspector of the Air Force () is the commander of the Air Force of the modern-day German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr. The Inspector is responsible for the readiness of personnel and materiel in the German Air Force, in that function reports ...

in the

, achieving the rank of ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

''. In June 1981, the

Federal Minister of Defence Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

Hans Apel Hans Eberhard Apel (25 February 1932 – 6 September 2011) was a German politician and a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). From 1972 to 1974 he was Parliamentary State Secretary to the Foreign Minister. From 1974 to 1978 he was the M ...

threatened Obleser with early retirement following Obleser's report to the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag (). 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 The Inspector General of the (), is the highest-ranking military position held by a commissioned officer on active duty in the , the present-day armed forces of Germany. All Inspectors General have been of the rank of a ( four-star) general o ...

Jürgen Brandt Jürgen Brandt (19 October 1922 – 26 July 2003) was a German general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. ...

. Obleser died of natural causes on 5 June 2004 in

Neunkirchen-Seelscheid Neunkirchen-Seelscheid () is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district in the southern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Beside the two principal places Neunkirchen and Seelscheid there are numerous smaller localities among the municipality ...

, 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 The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (, lit. "Federal Archive") are the national archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture ...

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 The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

aircraft, two

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...

s and seven fighter aircraft. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 34 Ost 86724". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15

minutes Minutes, also known as minutes of meeting, protocols or, informally, notes, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a statement of the activit ...

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

by 30 minutes of

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

on 8 November 1943 as ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' in the 8./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 *

in Gold on 14 November 1943 as ''Leutnant'' in the III./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 *

on 23 March 1944 as ''Leutnant'' and ''

Staffelführer ''Staffelführer'' (, " Formation leader") was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in the early years of that group's existence. The later SS rank of ''Staffelführer'' traces its origins to the First ...

'' of the 8./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 *

** Officer's Cross (April 1973) ** Commanders Cross (26 September 1979) ** Grand Cross with Star (4 March 1983)

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Obleser, Friedrich 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