Paul-Werner Hozzel

Infobox Military Person
name= Paul-Werner Hozzel
born=birth date|1910|10|16|df=y
died=death date and age|1997|1|7|1910|10|16|df=y


placeofbirth=Hamburg
placeofdeath=Karlsruhe
allegiance=flagicon|Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933)
flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (to 1945)
flagicon|West Germany West Germany
branch=Heer (1931-1935)
Luftwaffe (1935-1945)
serviceyears=1931-1945
rank=Generalmajor
commands=StG 2
unit=
battles=World War II
awards=Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
laterwork=

Paul-Werner Hozzel (16 October 1910 – 7 January 1997) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka pilot and first Stuka pilot to be awarded the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Military career

Paul-Werner Hozzel joined the Artillerie-Regiment 2 in 1931 and transeferred to the Luftwaffe in 1935. He took command of the 2nd Staffel of Jagdgeschwaders 20 on 1 September 1938 and shortly afterwards was promoted to Hauptmann.

At the outbreak of World War II he participated in the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Hozzel was then put in command of I.Gruppe Stuka-Geschwaders 1. This Gruppe also participated in the Battle of France and in the invasion of Norway. Hozzel, as the first Stuka pilot, was awarded the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 May 1940 in representation of his Gruppe’s success. This includes the sinking of military vessels, 60,000 tons of merchant shipping and the attacks against the fortresses Akershus and Oscarsborg Fortress.

Further success followed with the destruction of the French destroyer "Bison" (2,435 tons) und the British destroyer "Afridi" (1,850 tons). The British battleship Warspite and the aircraft carrier "Illustrious" were attacked on 10 January 1941. "Illustrious" was hit 8 times putting her out of service for several weeks.

Hozzel was promoted to Oberstleutnant and made Geschwaderkommodore of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" on 16 October 1941. With SG 2 he fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Geschwader flew 12,000 combat missions in this engagement.

In was then tasked to form "Gefechtsverband Hozzel" from parts of the Stuka-Geschwader 1,2 und 77 participating in the battles around Dnipropetrovsk. Hozzel was awarded 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 and went into Soviet captivity as a prisoner of war. He returned from captivity on 16 January 1956.

Still in 1956 he joined the Bundeswehr and retired as Brigadegeneral on 30 September 1969.

Awards

* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
* Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
* Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross (8 May 1940)
** 230. Oak Leaves (14 April 1943)

References

* Brütting, Georg. "Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 - 1945". Motorbuch, Stuttgart, 1995. ISBN 3-87943-433-6.
* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.