Paul-Werner Hozzel
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Paul-Werner Hozzel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 October 1910 |
| Died | 7 January 1997 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany  West Germany |
| Service/ | Luftwaffe German Air Force |
| Years of service | 1931–45 1956–69 |
| Rank | Oberstleutnant Brigadegeneral (Bundeswehr) |
| Commands held | StG 2 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Paul-Werner Hozzel (16 October 1910 – 7 January 1997) was a ground attack pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Following the war, Hozzel joined the Bundeswehr of West Germany and retired as Brigadegeneral.
Hozzel joined the Luftwaffe in 1935. At the outbreak of World War II he participated in the Invasion of Poland in 1939 with the Sturzkampfgeschwaders 1 (StG 1—1st Dive Bomber Wing). This unit also participated in the Battle of France and in the invasion of Norway. Hozzel was the first Stuka pilot to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 May 1940. Hozzel was appointed commander of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 on 16 October 1941. With SG 2, he fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Geschwader flew 12,000 combat missions in this engagement.
It was then tasked to form "Gefechtsverband Hozzel" from parts of the Stuka-Geschwaders 1, 2 and 77 participating in the battles around Dnipropetrovsk. Hozzel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 14 April 1943. He finished the war in a staff position of Luftflotte 1. He had been tasked with its leadership in the Courland Pocket and went into Soviet captivity as a prisoner of war. He was repatriated on 16 January 1956.
Still in 1956 he joined the Bundeswehr and retired as Brigadegeneral on 30 September 1969.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (14 September 1939) 1st Class (5 May 1940)[1]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 8 May 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./StG 1[2]
- 230th Oak Leaves on 14 April 1943 Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore of StG 2 "Immelmann"[2]
References
- 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.
- Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
External links
- Conference transcript of Paul Werner Hozzel, discussing his war experiences and ground attack tactics, at the National War College USA, November, 1978 transcript
- "Bei mir stehen 600 Papp-Soldaten stramm". Bild (in German). Retrieved 18 January 2015.
