Paul-Werner Hozzel
Encyclopedia
Paul-Werner Hozzel was a German
World War II
Luftwaffe
Stuka
pilot and the first pilot of that type of plane to be awarded with the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
.
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 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-Geschwaders 1, 2 and 77 participating in the battles around Dnipropetrovsk
. Hozzel was awarded the Knight's 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.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Stuka
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
pilot and the first pilot of that type of plane to be awarded with the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
.
Military career
Paul-Werner Hozzel joined the Artillerie-Regiment 2 in 1931 and transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1935. He took command of the 2nd Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 20Jagdgeschwader 20
Jagdgeschwader 20 was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the early phase of World War II in Europe. JG 20 was founded on 15 July 1939 in Jesau comprissed of just one Gruppe and two Staffeln. A third Staffel was added on 5 November 1939 in Brandenburg-Briest. The sole Gruppe was redesignated as 3rd...
on 1 September 1938 and shortly afterwards was promoted to Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
.
At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and in the invasion of Norway. Hozzel, as the first Stuka
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
pilot, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
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
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
and Oscarsborg Fortress
Oscarsborg Fortress
Oscarsborg Fortress is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small town of Drøbak. The fortress is situated on two small islets, and on the mainland to the west and east, in the fjord and was military territory until 2003 when it was made a publicly available resort island...
.
Further success followed with the destruction of the French destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Bison
Guépard class destroyer
The Guépard-class destroyers of the French navy were laid down in 1927 and commissioned in 1930. They were similar to the previous Chacal class, with a larger hull and with a slightly improved speed and gun armament with 138mm guns of a new design...
(2,435 tons) und the British destroyer Afridi
HMS Afridi (F07)
HMS Afridi was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served in the Second World War and was an early casualty, being sunk in an air attack off Norway in May 1940.- Construction :...
(1,850 tons). The British battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Warspite and the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
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
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
and made Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2
Sturzkampfgeschwader 2
Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 Immelmann was a Luftwaffe Dive bomber-wing of World War II. It was named after Max Immelmann in 1939.The unit was originally formed as Fliegergruppe Schwerin in 1934; the first Stuka wing of its type, attaining the sobriquet 'Immelmann' in 1935...
"Immelmann" on 16 October 1941. With SG 2, he fought in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, the Geschwader flew 12,000 combat missions in this engagement.
In was then tasked to form "Gefechtsverband Hozzel" from parts of the Stuka-Geschwaders 1, 2 and 77 participating in the battles around Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
. Hozzel was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 14 April 1943.
He finished the war in a staff position of Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed February 1, 1939 from Luftwaffengruppenkommando 1 in Berlin...
and went into Soviet captivity as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. He returned from captivity on 16 January 1956.
Still in 1956 he joined the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
and retired as Brigadegeneral on 30 September 1969.
Awards
- Front Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeFront Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeThe Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft...
in Gold - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
2nd and 1st Class - Knight's Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 8 May 1940 as Hauptmann and GruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of the I./StG 1 - 230th Oak Leaves on 14 April 1943 Oberstleutnant and GeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of StG 2 "Immelmann"
- Knight's Cross on 8 May 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur