Erich von Manstein(1887-1973)
Born Erich von Lewinski of Polish extraction, von Manstein was adopted
by his mother's sister and her husband and took their family name. He
passed out of the Cadet Corps in 1906 and saw some service in France on
the Western front during World War I before going into the War Academy.
From 1920 to 1937, von Manstein held various staff posts where he rose
through the ranks of major, colonel and finally major-general. He first
came into prominence in 1939 where he was promoted to general and
commanded the 38th Infantry Corps where he masterminded the "Manstein
Plan" for the invasion of France the next year. The German invasion of
the USSR in 1941 gave von Manstein what he most craved: the command of
the 56th Panzer Corps from June 22 to September 13 until he was given
command of the 11th Army Corp for the long campaign in the Crimea. Von
Manstein launched the siege and capture of Sevastopol (June 7-July 3,
1942) where he was promoted to field marshal. His first job as field
marshal was the command of Army Group Don in a relief drive to
Stalingrad in December 12-23, 1942 which failed. From February 20-March
18,1943, von Manstein's hour and the highlight of his military career
had come when he skillfully launched a counter-attack against the
Soviet armies in the Third Battle of Kharkov, recapturing the city,
destroying three Soviet armies, and temporarily halting the Soviet
advance. But at the Battle of Kursk in July 4-17, 1943, he was defeated
by superior Soviet numbers and afterwards fought a series of
well-executed withdrawals, always against Hitler's orders never to give
up an inch of ground. In April 1944, Hitler, having apparently grown
tired of this brilliant but troublesome field marshal, relieved von
Manstein of his commands and forced him into retirement for the rest of
the war. Von Manstein is remembered for being one of the very few
German commanders who was prepared to confront Hitler. Unlike other
German officers, he was one who put his views in perspective, spoke
objectively, and refused to be browbeaten. On February 24, 1950, von
Manstein was tried and sentenced to 18 years in prison on two charges
of war crimes on the Eastern Front, which was later commuted to 12
years. But he was released on parole on May 6, 1953. In 1959, he
published his memoirs, 'Lost Victories' detailing all about his
military career. Erich von Manstein from then on lived in obscure
retirement in West Germany until his death in 1973 at age
85.