Giuseppe Oblach

Codeneghe (PD) 02-02-1916 - 01-12-1942 Marsa El Brega

http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_oblach.htm

Nasce a Codeneghe (PD) il 2 febbraio 1916, a 17 anni consegue il brevetto di pilota civile presso la scuola di Vicenza. Arruolato nella Regia Aeronautica per adempiere al servizio di leva, consegue il brevetto di pilota militare. Sin dall 'inizio della guerra si distingue in numerose operazioni in Marmarica, in missioni di protezione ai bombardieri e in missioni di mitragliamento. Nel dicembre 1940 gli viene conferita la Medaglia d' Argento al V.M. Il 1° dicembre 1942 cade in combattimento contro una numerosa formazione di Curtiss. Durante lo scontro, prima di essere colpito, abbatte un Curtiss sul promontorio di Marsa El Brega e per tale azione gli viene conferita la Medaglia d'Oro al V.M.

Pisa 1938

Africa Settentrionale Italiana 1940

Bari marzo 1941

Alture di Pola 1941

Macchi M.C. 200

L'epoca d'oro delle formazioni acrobatiche su M.C. 200

Macchi M.C. 202

1941 in zona operazioni con il MC 202

Udine

Sciacca

Varie

tratto da "Biplane fighter aces":
Sottotenente Giuseppe Oblach was assigned to the 73^a Squadriglia, IX Gruppo, 4^o Stormo in July 1939.
He didn’t come from an Officers’ Academy Course, but was enrolled at the beginning of the war as an Ufficiale di Complemento (Reserve Officer).
On 12 July 1940, the 9^o Gruppo C.T. arrived at Tripoli from Comiso with 33 Fiat CR.42s under the command of Maggiore Ernesto Botto. The Gruppo consisted of 73^a, 96^a and 97^a Squadriglie.
The 73^a Squadriglia included Tenente Vittorio Pezzè (CO), Tenente Valerio De Campo, Tenente Giulio Reiner, Tenente Pietro Bonfatti (assigned in the end of July), Sottotenente Oblach, Sottotenente Carlo Battaglia, Sottotenente Alvaro Querci, Maresciallo Mario Ruffilli, Maresciallo Alberto Montanari, Maresciallo Norino Renzi, Maresciallo Corrado Ranieri, Sergente Maggiore Guglielmo Biffani, Sergente Maggiore Enrico Dallari, Sergente Maggiore Sergio Stauble, Sergente Maggiore Antonio Valle, Sergente Santo Gino, Sergente Lido Poli, Sergente Pasquale Rossi, Sergente Mario Guerci (still in training) and Sergente Armando Matacena (still in training).

On 29 November Oblach flew a photoreconnaissance sortie at 400 meters height on the road Sidi el Barrani - Marsa Matruh together with Tenente Pietro Bonfatti (73^a Squadriglia). On their way back to base they strafed some enemy AAA sites.
During the sortie Oblach flew CR.42 MM4383/96-11, which was field-modified with an additional fuel tank behind the pilot's seat. The tank was installed through a door in the right side of the fuselage (45 cm wide). Later the tank was removed and an AC 81 vertical camera was installed.
At 09:00 on 11 December, a formation of eight CR.42s from the 73^a Squadriglia carried out a strafing mission. It is reported that during the day, Giulio Reiner, Antonio Valle and Tenente Oblach, escorted three SM 79s to bomb enemy troops near Bir Enba. On the return flight, with the bombers safely on their way home, the fighters returned to Sidi Omar and strafed a group of armoured cars, burning four and stopping three of them. Reiner’s and Valle’s aircraft returned to base damaged by return fire. It is possible that they were involved in this morning mission.
At 14:10 on 12 December, a formation of fighters from the 9^o Gruppo (14 CR.42s) led by Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni took off to escort SM 79s and during the return journey ground strafed British vehicles on the Sollum-Buq-Buq road claiming four destroyed and four damaged.
Six CR.42s from the 73^a Squadriglia (Tenente Valerio De Campo, Tenente Giulio Reiner, Tenente Pietro Bonfatti, Sottotenente Oblach, Sergente Maggiore Sergio Stauble and Sergente Pasquale Rossi) took part. It seems one aircraft from the 96^a

...................

Squadriglia was lost after the action when Sergente Maggiore Giovanni Gallerani nosed over on landing and his fighters was written off during a clumsy recovery.
In his last North Africa duty tour, Oblach had performed 67 missions, with ten combats, and was credited with four P-40s destroyed.
He was awarded a posthumously Medaglia d’oro al valor militare.
During his career he was also decorated with two Medaglie d’argento al valor militare.
Oblach ended the war with 1 biplane victory and a total of 7.