Heinrich Hochsticher born in Ringingen (Baden-Württemberg) on 30.12.1914 was already enlisted in the
Heer when the war Started and He was with 12./Infanterie Regiment 215 of the of the 78.Infanterie
Division (Created in august 1939 in Stuttgart) in France for occupation duties.
Hochsticher's III.Bataillon went to form the new I./Infanterie Regiment 578 of the 305.Infanterie
Division remaining in Brittany/France where on 7.7.1941 he is promoted to Unteroffizier before the
Division is sent on 22.May 1942 to the southern Russian sector just west of Charchow where they
partecipated in the Advance towards Stalingrad.Earning the Infanteriesturmabzeichen in June 1942.
After fighting on the northern side of the Stalingrad front, Hochsticher's 305.I.D. will reach the City
of Stalingrad only on the 14.10.1942 Fighting in the southside of the Traktor Factory first and then
pushing the last remaming forces of the Russian 308 Rifle Division towards the volga in the famous Gun
Factory "Barricady" with the 3 Infantry regiments I.R.576,I.R.577 and his I.R.578.
On 17.October.1942 the I.R.578 Commander Oberst Willy Winzer is Killed in action and will posthumously receive the Ritterkreuz.
On 08.11.1942 Hitler declares Stalingrad is conquered at the Munich Löwenbräu Keller
and the next day on 09.11.1942 the 305.I.D. starts Operation Hubertus to clear the rest of Barrikady
Factory
The Infanterie Regiment 578 had lost a big part of its man power during those week and During one of the
last main assaults to the Factory or what remained of the factory, on the 11.November 1942 Hochsticher
was wounded by grenade splinters on the right side of his head and chest.
He was taken out of the Factory and hospitalised in the Feldlazarett 1/542 based Nizhne Alekseyevskiy, a
small village north of Karpovka and managed by Oberarzt Hans Werner Bötticher.
on the 19.11.1942 the russian launched their "Operation Uranus" offensive and the Feldlazarett 1/542
remained inside the pocket with the rest of the 6.Armee.
He will remain inside the pocket until the 1.december 1942 where he is flown out(Likely in a Ju-52) and
sent to the Kriegslazarett 1/603 Based in Rostov am Don.
He was found fit for combat again and probably thinking of his comrades being slaughtered in the pocket
around 1.1.1943 he joined the Panzergrenadier Regiment 4 of the 6.Panzer Division that was rushed to the
front with the 4.Panzerarmee to help the encirlcled 6.Armee without succeding.
At the beginning of February, only a few days after the 6.Armee ceased to exist on the maps and the 6.Pz.Div was fighting just south east of Woroschilowgrad he was
wounded by a Bullet that Left arm and Shoulder Paralised and he was Hospitalised on 10.02.1943 in
Hospital Res.Krp.Laz 3/III.
He will spend the rest of the war in different Hospitals in Germany receiving the Wound Badge in Blackin
1943, until 12.02.1945 when he will be declared Unfit for duty and Discharged from the Wehrmacht on
18.4.1945 as he kept suffering from paralysis and nervous system problems.
In the postwar Years he Will Marry his Wife Anna Maria Rach on 1.April 1948 and they will have 2 Kids
Sandra and Iris.
From 1946 until 1974 He Will become the Mayor of his Hometown in Ringingen and he will die there aged 75
on 24.10.1990.
Heer when the war Started and He was with 12./Infanterie Regiment 215 of the of the 78.Infanterie
Division (Created in august 1939 in Stuttgart) in France for occupation duties.
Hochsticher's III.Bataillon went to form the new I./Infanterie Regiment 578 of the 305.Infanterie
Division remaining in Brittany/France where on 7.7.1941 he is promoted to Unteroffizier before the
Division is sent on 22.May 1942 to the southern Russian sector just west of Charchow where they
partecipated in the Advance towards Stalingrad.Earning the Infanteriesturmabzeichen in June 1942.
After fighting on the northern side of the Stalingrad front, Hochsticher's 305.I.D. will reach the City
of Stalingrad only on the 14.10.1942 Fighting in the southside of the Traktor Factory first and then
pushing the last remaming forces of the Russian 308 Rifle Division towards the volga in the famous Gun
Factory "Barricady" with the 3 Infantry regiments I.R.576,I.R.577 and his I.R.578.
On 17.October.1942 the I.R.578 Commander Oberst Willy Winzer is Killed in action and will posthumously receive the Ritterkreuz.
On 08.11.1942 Hitler declares Stalingrad is conquered at the Munich Löwenbräu Keller
and the next day on 09.11.1942 the 305.I.D. starts Operation Hubertus to clear the rest of Barrikady
Factory
The Infanterie Regiment 578 had lost a big part of its man power during those week and During one of the
last main assaults to the Factory or what remained of the factory, on the 11.November 1942 Hochsticher
was wounded by grenade splinters on the right side of his head and chest.
He was taken out of the Factory and hospitalised in the Feldlazarett 1/542 based Nizhne Alekseyevskiy, a
small village north of Karpovka and managed by Oberarzt Hans Werner Bötticher.
on the 19.11.1942 the russian launched their "Operation Uranus" offensive and the Feldlazarett 1/542
remained inside the pocket with the rest of the 6.Armee.
He will remain inside the pocket until the 1.december 1942 where he is flown out(Likely in a Ju-52) and
sent to the Kriegslazarett 1/603 Based in Rostov am Don.
He was found fit for combat again and probably thinking of his comrades being slaughtered in the pocket
around 1.1.1943 he joined the Panzergrenadier Regiment 4 of the 6.Panzer Division that was rushed to the
front with the 4.Panzerarmee to help the encirlcled 6.Armee without succeding.
At the beginning of February, only a few days after the 6.Armee ceased to exist on the maps and the 6.Pz.Div was fighting just south east of Woroschilowgrad he was
wounded by a Bullet that Left arm and Shoulder Paralised and he was Hospitalised on 10.02.1943 in
Hospital Res.Krp.Laz 3/III.
He will spend the rest of the war in different Hospitals in Germany receiving the Wound Badge in Blackin
1943, until 12.02.1945 when he will be declared Unfit for duty and Discharged from the Wehrmacht on
18.4.1945 as he kept suffering from paralysis and nervous system problems.
In the postwar Years he Will Marry his Wife Anna Maria Rach on 1.April 1948 and they will have 2 Kids
Sandra and Iris.
From 1946 until 1974 He Will become the Mayor of his Hometown in Ringingen and he will die there aged 75
on 24.10.1990.
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