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Erih Manshtein'Field Marshal'
Date of Birth: 24.11.1887
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Biography of Erich Manstein
- Changing Perception of Military Leaders
- Success in Battle
- Conflicts with Hitler
- Manstein's Principles and Actions
- Outcome and Controversy
Biography of Erich Manstein
Erich von Manstein, a German field marshal, was a participant in both the First and Second World Wars. He rose through the ranks of the German military, serving as a lieutenant during the First World War and receiving a severe injury. However, he returned to active duty and fought on the Eastern Front, eventually becoming a captain.
Changing Perception of Military Leaders
In the early 20th century, the leaders of warring nations were not as inspiring or interesting to the general public as the orchestration of military campaigns conducted by these leaders. Names like Kitchener, Joffre, Brusilov, and Hindenburg resonated in people's minds. However, during the Second World War, the names that resounded across countries and continents were not those of generals, but of political leaders of the warring factions. Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Chiang Kai-shek, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Emperor Hirohito became the dominant figures. The perception of military leaders shifted, and they began to be seen as civil servants, managing military affairs for their respective leaders. Only a few military commanders passed this test. Erich von Manstein was one of these few.
Success in Battle
In every operation and battle in which Manstein participated or led during the Second World War, he found successful solutions to military tasks, maximizing the potential of his forces and minimizing the capabilities of the enemy. In the Polish Blitzkrieg in 1939, Manstein, as the chief of staff of Army Group South, planned the encirclement of the main Polish forces defending Warsaw, creating the first "cauldron" of the Second World War. He then orchestrated the defeat of the elite core of the Polish army at the Battle of Bzura and the capture of the Polish capital. In the war against the Soviet Union, Manstein demonstrated his talent in its full glory, showing what modern style, methods, and level of military operations were. His 56th Tank Corps spearheaded the main attack of the Wehrmacht on the northern front, which deceived Stalin, who had prepared the Red Army to fight on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front in case of a German invasion of the USSR. Manstein's corps advanced 200 kilometers behind Soviet lines in just five days, securing a crossing over the Western Dvina and penetrating into Central Russia, shocking Stalin and causing him to enter a state of panic and paralysis. The main forces following Manstein captured hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers in the Minsk Pocket and took up to 2.5 million prisoners of war during 1941.
Conflicts with Hitler
Manstein's clashes with Hitler began immediately after the end of the Battle of Stalingrad. According to prominent Western military historians, Manstein displayed the most talent of any commander in the entire German army, and many generals interrogated in 1945 expressed their desire to see him as the supreme commander. Respected figures such as Gerd von Rundstedt, Heinz Guderian, and even Keitel voiced their admiration for Manstein. Hitler himself once said, "Perhaps Manstein possesses the finest intellect that the General Staff Corps has produced." Hitler respected and feared Manstein's abilities. Witnesses to their debates describe Hitler flying into a rage and throwing himself on the floor in frustration during discussions with Manstein.
Manstein's Principles and Actions
Manstein did not rise to the top of the German military or become a leader in Germany himself. He did not fully sympathize with the ideology of National Socialism. In the first year of Hitler's chancellorship, Manstein even tried to protect Jewish members of the military from Nazi repression. Hitler chose deceived the German people, and the Wehrmacht, as stated in their oath of military service, served Hitler, the German people, and the state. Going against Hitler would have meant breaking this oath, something that Manstein, a loyal German soldier, could not do. Furthermore, Manstein understood Hitler's aim to wage war against the Western democracies, as the Treaty of Versailles had crushed his beloved homeland. The desire to crush the Soviet Union did not surprise or repel Manstein, as he did not consider the USSR a legitimate state. Additionally, as a high-ranking professional, Manstein was aware of the Soviet Union's preparations for an attack on Germany and Europe.
Outcome and Controversy
Manstein's military career took a paradoxical turn. Despite being a natural "author of offensives" (a trait recognized and exploited by Hitler), he often found himself in the role of providing "rapid assistance." He led the capture of Crimea and the successful occupation of the fortress city of Sevastopol. However, during the attempt to relieve the encircled German forces in Stalingrad in December 1942, Manstein was unable to break through the Soviet defenses and lift the siege.
On March 30, 1944, Hitler relieved Manstein of his command of the Army Group South, mockingly promising to return him to the army if he planned a large and successful attack. Some believe that Hitler never forgave Manstein for his insistence on allowing the 1st Panzer Army, led by General Hans Hube, to retreat from the encirclement in Ukraine. Saving the 1st Panzer Army was considered a worthy conclusion to Manstein's military career, even if it meant his resignation.
Another view on the cause of his dismissal is related to an incident in Rastenburg. The leaders of Nazism decided to conduct political indoctrination among the highest ranks of the army. On January 27, 1944, Goebbels and Rosenberg brainwashed the gathered generals in Poznan, and then transported them by special train to Hitler's residence. During this meeting, Hitler declared that if he were to be left alone as the supreme commander one day, the primary duty of the officer corps should be to rally around him with drawn swords. Unexpectedly, Manstein interrupted Hitler, exclaiming, "That will happen, my Führer!" The ambiguity of Manstein's outburst caused different interpretations. Hitler's adjutants and his deputy, Martin Bormann, interpreted Manstein's words as a clear endorsement of the hypothetical scenario outlined by the Führer in his speech.
Manstein was not accused of complicity or organizing the extermination of Jews on occupied territories. However, he was charged with not preventing civilian casualties during his military operations. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison but was released after three years due to poor health.
