Erich Höcker

Erich Höcker
Birth date	18 June 1881
Place of birth	Hannover, Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	31 August 1948 (aged 67)
Place of death	Halle, State of Saxony-Anhalt, occupation zone of the Soviet Union, Allied-occupied Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Freikorps Police Heer
Years of service	1901–1914 1914–1918 1919 1919–1935 1935–1944
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Iron Cross German Cross in Silver

Erich Philipp Otto Karl Höcker (18 June 1881 – 31 August 1948) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Police and the Wehrmacht, finally Lieutenant General and divisional commander in World War II.

Military career (chronology)

Erich Höcker (left) and Friedrich Christian Christiansen (right); far left: the uniform sleeve of Admiralarzt Dr. med. Karl Eyerich (1886–1971).

• Entered Army Service (1901)
• Officer Candidate, Officer Cadet and Officer in the 4. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 164 (1901-1910)
• Regimental Adjutant of the 164th Infantry-Regiment (1910-1916)
• Divisional Adjutant (1916-1918)
• Freikorps service (1919) with the Eastern Border Guard (Grenzschutz Ost)

Police

• Joined the Police (1919)
• With the Protection-Police (Schutzpolizei) in Münster (1919-01 Feb 1923)
• Advisor (Referent) in the Government-Presidency Düsseldorf, Instructor at the Police-School Münster (01 Feb 1923-1929)
• With the Police-Administration Berlin (1929-1931)
• With the Police-Administration Breslau (1931-1933)
• Commander of the State-Police Breslau (1933-15 Oct 1935)

Wehrmacht

• Transferred to Army Service (15 Oct 1935)
• Training-Director Oppeln (15 Oct 1935-26 Aug 1939)
• Commander of the 444th Infantry-Regiment (26 Aug 1939-03 May 1941)
• Delegated with the Leadership of the 719th Infantry-Division (03 May 1941-01 Jun 1941)
• Commander of the 719th Infantry-Division (01 Jun 1941-10 Jan 1944)
• Führer-Reserve (10 Jan 1944-31 May 1944)
• Retired (31 May 1944)

Promotions

Prussian Army

• 1901 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 27 January 1902 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 18 October 1902 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 18 October 1911 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)

Imperial German Army

• 8 November 1914 Hauptmann (Captain)

Police

• 1919 Polizei-Hauptmann (Police Captain)
• 1920 Polizei-Major (Police Major)
• 10 March 1931 Polizei-Oberstleutnant (Police Lieutenant Colonel)
• 1933 Polizei-Oberst (Police Colonel)

Wehrmacht

• 15 October 1935 Oberst (Colonel)
• 1 June 1941 Generalmajor (Major General)
• 1 November 1942 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General)

Awards and decorations

• Prussian Order of the Crown (Preußischer Kronenorden), 4th Class

WWI

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Oldenburg Friedrich August Cross (Friedrich-August-Kreuz), 2nd Class (OFA2/OK2)
  • another source states, it is rather the Brunswick War Merit Cross, 2nd Class (BrKr2/BrK2).
• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (HH)
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black

Between wars

• Silesian Eagle (Schlesisches Bewährungsabzeichen), 2nd and 1st Class (possibly with swords and oak leaves)
• German Rider's Badge (Deutsches Reitabzeichen) in Bronze (or Silver)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class (25-year Service Cross)

WWII

• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with Swords
  • another source states, also 1st Class with Swords
• Slovak Bravery Medal, 2nd (Silver) or 1st (Gold) Class
• German Cross in Silver on 30 October 1943 as Generalleutnant and Commander of the 719. Infanterie-Division