Figure 1.--Given the family status, Manstein served as a page in the Imperial Court. He was impressed with what he saw and enjoyed the pomp and pagenry, all the glitter and prestige of court. He was affected latter with the collapse of the Imoerial system at the end of World War I. He had served honorably in the War and rose in status in the Reichwhr during the inter-warr years. Hitler was not impressed with him, seeing him as uncopperative and not committed to National Socialism. It was Nanstein, however that dekivered him the plan that would lead to the fall of France (1940)--Hitler's one great victory. His military competence olayed an important role on the Eastern Froint, but was no tiddy and locked horns with Hitler on many occasions. Hitler finally dismissed him. He ws tried and found guilty of war crimes after the War. He claimed to be unaware of attrocities on the Eastern Front and was the leading proponent of a 'clean Wehrmacht' uninvolved in NAZI atrocities. We now know that he demanded the wrist wtches of murdered Jews from the Eisatzgruppen because of the work of his men in assisting the killing operations.

Erich von Manstein while having a German a German name came from the Polish-German aristocracy. His birth name was Lewinski. The family was legendary in the Prussian military/ Erich was even rekated to Hindenburg. With his family background he was afforded the honor of serving as an Imperial page in Wilhelm II's court, He was impressed with the agentry and pomp and was impacted with the demose of the Imperial system after World War I. He had served honorably in the War and rose in status in the Reichwehr during the inter-warr years. Hitler was not impressed with him, seeing him as uncopperative and not committed to National Socialism. He would prove to be, however, was one of Germany's most competent, often described as brilliant, military commanders. It was Manstein, however that delivered him the plan that would lead to the great victory in the West -- the fall of France (1940). It would prove to be Hitler's one great victory. Manstein's military competence played an important role on the Eastern Froint, but was no toddy and locked horns with Hitler on many occasions. Manstein delivered some victories after Stalingrad (1943), but none on the level that would reverse the steady growth in the strategic balance. The failure of the Kursk offensive meant that Germany had no chance of winning the War. Mansteain wanted to cintinue the Kursk campaign, but because of the losses, Hitler ordered a withdraw. Hitler finally dismissed him. He was tried and convicted of war crimes after the War. He claimed to be unaware of attrocities on the Eastern Front and was the leading proponent of a 'clean Wehrmacht' uninvolved in NAZI atrocities. We now know that he demanded the wristwatches of murdered Jews from the Eisatzgruppen because of the work of his men in assisting the killing operations.

Family

Erich came from a family with strong militry traditions. Both his biological and adoptive fathers were Prussian generals, as were his mother's brother and both his grandfathers. Albrecht Gustav von Manstein was a corps in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). An amazing relatives on each side of his family were military officers, many of who became generals. None other than Paul von Hindenburg, the future World War I Generalfeldmarschall and President of Germany was his uncle. Hindenburg's wife, Gertrud, was the sister of Hedwig and Helene von Sperling, Erich's biologica and adoptivev mothers. [Lemay, p. 212.] Erich was born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski in Berlin. A name familiar to Anericam for very different reasons. His father was Prussian aristocrat and artillery general, Eduard von Lewinski (1829–1906). His mother was Helene von Sperling (1847–1910). He was their tenth son. His father's family had Kashubian ancestry. The family was entitled to use the Brochwicz coat of arms (Brochwicz III). [Kosk] Kashubian ancestry was not a problem in Imperial Germany. It was an issue in NAZI Germany. Kashubia was centered in Pomernia which was a substantual portion of post-World War I Polish Corridor. After the NAZI invasian of Poland (1939). Many Poles including Kashubians were deported to the General Governent. While Poles in Poland were subjected to terrible atroicities ad were to be killed along with other Slavs as part of Generalplan Ost, German citizens of Polish ancestry were not targeted. Which is not to say they would not have been if the NAZIs had won World War II. How aware of this the throughly German Manstein was we do not know. His lack of concern with the murder of Jews suggest he did not consider this a real possibility. He also must have know of NAZI atrocities in Poland. We suspect his vision was more cultural than biological. But the NAZI emphasis on German blood may explasin that Manstein was not a political officer.

Adoption

Erich did not grow up in the family of his biological parents. Erich's mother had a younger sister, Hedwig von Sperling (1852–1925) was also married to an army officer -- Lieutenant General Georg von Manstein (1844–1913). The Manstein's were unable to have children of their own. And as the Lewinskis were so proligic, they allowed Mansteins to adopt Erich. They had earlier adopted Erich's cousin Martha who was the daughter of Helene's and Hedwig's deceased brother. [Melvin, p. 10.]

Childhood

Eric was born in Berlin (1887) and raised there in a military family. As a boy, given the family connections, Erich became an Imperial court page. He acted first as a Hofpage which meant a handsome boy selected to create a decorative becakgrojund on the staterooms of the court. He was then selected as an even more prestigious Leibpage, meaning a personal escort. His duties for example involved varrying the train of a lady's gown. He would be present at court weddings, grand balls, state dinners and investutures in chrldic orders. He was impressed if not captivasted with the pagentry of the royal court, including the imprssive uniforms, music, dance, arcane orders of chivalry, enforced rules of sttus, and actually in the presence of genrals, men ofand ladies of status, and even roylty. He was thus impacted when at the emd of World war I the whole imperial order came crashing down. [Melvin]

Education

Manstein attended the Imperial Lyzeum, a Catholic Gymnasium in Strasbourg (1894-99). [Melvin, p. 13.] He then began a 6-year cadet program in Plön and Groß-Lichterfelde (1900). After completing the cadet program he joined the Imperial German Army (1906). He was commissioned into the Third Foot Guards Regiment (Garde zu Fuß) as an ensign. He was promoted to lieutenant (1907). He began the prestigious 3-year officer training programme at the Prussian War Academy (1913). Manstein and the other young officers only completed the first year of the program. With the out break of World War I (1914), the students of the Academy were ordered to report for active service. [Melvin, pp. 20-23.] Manstein never completed the remainder of his general staff officer training. [Lemay, p. 14.]

World War I (1914-18)

With the outbreak of World War I he was part of the German invasion of Belgium (August 1914). Once the Western Front settled into static trench warfare, he was transferred to the Eastern Front and wounded in Polsnd (November 1914). When he recovered, he continued fighting in theEastern Front. He was transferred to the Western Front as Germany was preparing its war-winning offensivevin the West (1917).

Inter-War Era (1918-39)

After the War, Manstein was able to remain in the much-reduced German Army--the Reichwehr. This suggests that he already had a fine reputation. He was was appointed chief of operations (1936). He won Promotion to major general and served under General Ludwig Beck as Oberquartermeiser. (Beck would as the War went against Germany would become one of the plotters against Hitler.) Hitler was not impressed with Mnstein because he showed no political commitment to National Socialism and was viewed as uncoopertive. He was thus side lined, assigned to Silesia as commander of the 18th Division. It is unclear if Hitler knew of Mansteun's anti-Semitism or to what extent he expressed it.

World War II (1939-45)

At the onset of the War, Manstein served as chief of staff to the Army Group South commander, General Gerd von Rundstedt, in Poland. Manstein then served a key role with Guenther Blumentritt and Henning von Tresckow in developing an innovative plan to invade France. Hitler had rejected the conservatibe plan offered by OKH and was searching for a bolder plan. Manstein and his colleagues suggested decoying the British and French to the north and then launching the major attack through the wooded Ardennes which the French had concluded was impassible for tanks. Hitler initially rejected the proposal, perhaps because Manstein was involved, but he eventually approved it with some changes. It became known as the Manstein Plan. Manstein was then sent back to Silesia and did not play an important part in the resulting Western offensive until the very end. He served under General Gunther von Kluge. Manstein finally got a command he coveted. He was appointed commander of the 56th Panzer Corps (Februry 1941) as preparations werevadvamcing for Barbarossa--the invasion of the oviet Union. He was was only briefed on Brbarossa at this time. His 56th Panzer Corps served under General Erich Hoepner in Army Group North. At the onset of the invasion, he accomplished notable feats (June 1941). Manstein's 56th Panzer Corps advanced an incredible 100 miles in only 2 days. They seizes the importance bridges at Dvinsk. The following month they captured Demyansk and Torzhok. Based on his performance in the north, he was appointed commander of 11th Army and ordered to conquer the Crimean Peninsula (September 1941). This he achieved except for Sevastopol which held out for months. Manstein helped defeat a Red Army offensive and then finally took Sevastopol (July 1942). This left Manstein as one of the leading German generals. Hitler promoted to field marshal. Manstein was dispatched him to capture Leningrad along with forces withdrawn from Operation Blue (Stalingrad.Caucauses) in the south. He oversaw several important battles, but the hardened defeses of Lenningrad held and the Germans suffered substantial casualties. The major German effort in 1942 was Operation Blue. When the Soviets launched their Stalingrad offensive (Operation Uranus), Hitler ordered Manstein to lead the relief effort to rescue Fredrich von Paulus and the 6th Army at Stalingrad. In bitter winter weather, Manstein with three panzer divisions drove to within 35 miles of Stalingrad. Paulis following Hitler's orders made no effort to breakout. A powerful Red Army counter-attack forced threaten to cut off Manstein's relief collumn. He was forced to withdraw west into the Ukraine. Manstein oversaw an overhaul of the battered German forces (Spring 1943). He gained a victory at Krasnograd. The Soviets suffered about 23,000 men killed and 9,000 captured. But this was a mere pittance compared to the great victories of 1941 and nomwherevnear the scale of victory needed to reverse the course of the War in the East. The Soviets quickly replaced the losses. Manstein then recaptured Kharkov (March 14) and Belgorod (March 18). Manstein wanted to then push south to the Sea of Azoz. Hitler overuled him and ordered him to overssee the Kursk offensive. After thge Kursk offensive failed, Manstein continued to argue with Hitler about tactics and strategy. By this time, the War was irrevocably lost and the Red Army surperority in men and materiual unsurmountable. Manstein was no toddy and as Hitler had preceived at an early stage was not a committed National Socialist. Hitler finally dismissed him (March 1944). Manstein took the considerable honorarium awarded along with much of the family savings and purchased an estate in East Prussia. [Murry and Millet, p. 401.] This has to be the worst real estate deal in histoy. The Native Americans got a better deal when they sold Manhattan. It speaks to the fact that even the finest mind in the Wehrmacht was unaware as to just how badly Germany's military situation had deteriorated. Many believe he was complicit in the Wehrmacht plot against Hitler.

War Crimes

After the war Manstein was among the Wehrmacht commanders charged with war crimes. Various charges were level against Manstein for actions in Poland and the Soviet Union. We do not know about actions in Poland. He was charged with complity in killing commisars and Jewish civilians and the ddeathtoll with Soviet POWs. Manstein at his trial argued that he found NAZI racial doctrine 'repugnant'. There may have been some truth in this as applied to Slavs, especially Poles and even indiuvidual Jews--he had two Mischlinge grandnephews in the Reichswehr. Manstein was the only Reichswehr officer who opposed the Aryan paragraph in the statutes of the Reichwehr (1934). He protested to General Beck, complaining that anyone who had volunteered to serve in the armed forces had already proven their worth. [Lemay, pp. 34-35.] He may have not yet understood the force of Hitler's commitment to race or the Reichewehr's commitment to Hitler. It is clear that Manstein did believe that Jews were instrinically linked to Bolshevism and needed to be removed from Europe. An order he issued shortly after assuming command of the 11th Army during Barbarossa read in part, "Jewish Bolshevik system must be wiped out once and for all and should never again be allowed to invade our European living space ... It is the same Jewish class of beings who have done so much damage to our own Fatherland by virtue of their activities against the nation and civilisation, and who promote anti-German tendencies throughout the world, and who will be the harbingers of revenge. Their extermination is a dictate of our own survival." [Manstein, 'Order'] Manstein denied knowing about the horrendous Einssarzgruppen killing of Jewish men, women, and children. While the extent of his involvement is unclear, this was a flagarant lie. He wrote to Otto Ohlendorf, commader of Eibsatzgruppen D and demanded the wristwatches of murdered Jews. Manstein believed that his Wehrmacht men 'deserved' the watches, since they were help Ohlendorf's men with their deadly work. [Smelser and Davies, p. 43.] Throughout the Holocaust, the Wehrmacht provided vital logidstical support. The demand for wristwatches is the only complaint Manstein ever made about Einsatzgruppen operations. He 'requested' that Wehrmacht officers should not be present during the killing of Jews which of course shows that he was well aware of wht was happening. We do not know of actual incidents involving the murder of Soviet POWs. He was in command positions and this responsible for the POWs taken by his men. He was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment (February 24, 1950). He was freed for medical reasons (May 6, 1953).

Later Years

His published his war memoirs, Lost Victories after release from prison (1955). He was one of the major proponents of the idea of a "clean Wehrmacht". This was the myth that the German armed forces were not culpable for or even complicit with the atrocities of the NAZI Third Reich. He had many criticisms of Hitler, but all focused on his meddling in military tctics, no morla condemnation. Manstein died (June 11, 1973).

Sources

Kosk, Henryk P. Generalicja Polska: Popularny Słownik Biograficzny T. 2, M – Ż, suplement (in Polish). (Pruszków: Oficyna Wydawnicza Ajaks: 2001).

Lemay, Benoît. Erich von Manstein: Hitler's Master Strategist Pierce Heyward, Pierce (trans.) ( Havertown, Peebsylvania and Newbury, Berkshire: Casemate, 2010).

Manstein, Erich. Order of 20 November 1941, based on the Severity Order of Reichenau.

Melvin, Mungo. Manstein: Hitler's Greatest General (London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2010).

Smelser, Ronald and Edward Davies. The Myth of the Eastern Front: The Nazi-Soviet War in American Popular Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008).

Created: 6:10 AM 9/2/2017
Last updated: 6:10 AM 9/2/2017