Paul-Werner Hozzel, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetPaul-Werner Hozzel
Recipient of the Knight's Cross
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Hamburg, Germany
About Paul-Werner Hozzel
- 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 Reichswehr 1931 and transfered to the Luftwaffe als Leutnant in 1935.
- At the outbreak of World War II he participated in the Poland campaign in 1939 with the Sturzkampfgeschwaders 1 (StG 1—1st Dive Bomber Wing).
- This unit also participated in the Battle of France and in the Operation Weserübung.
- 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.
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