Manstein's War Memories

Author: Manstein
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The author of this book is Erich von Manstein (1887—1973), a war criminal of World War II and a Field Marshal of Nazi Germany. Manstein came from a family of military officers. He began his service in 1906 and graduated from the military academy in 1914. During the World War, Manstein participated in battles in Belgium, East Prussia, and southern Poland. After the war, he held various staff positions. From 1935 to 1936, he served as the head of the operations department and the chief quartermaster, i.e., deputy chief of staff, in the General Staff. In 1938, due to significant personnel changes at the top, he was demoted to the commander of the 18th Division. During World War II, Manstein actively participated in formulating and implementing Hitler's war of aggression plans, serving as the chief of staff of an army group, the commander of an army, and the commander of an army group. In March 1944, he was dismissed due to disagreements with Hitler over operational guidance. In May 1945, he was captured by the British army. In December 1949, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the victorious nations but was released in 1953 due to illness. After the war, he was hired by the Adenauer government as an advisor to the formation of the Federal Defense Force. He passed away in June 1973 at the age of 86. The original title of this book is "Lost Victory," published in 1955. Manstein, based on his personal experiences during World War II, introduces the course of the fascist Germany's war of aggression according to his private diaries and other materials. He particularly describes in detail several major operations he personally commanded and explains his views on various events and key figures during the war. This book is of great reference value for understanding some of the decision-making behind the German army during World War II, especially the planning and execution of many major battles, such as the great encirclement battle in the invasion of Poland; the pursuit operations in the invasion of France; the Kerch Operation, the siege of Sevastopol, the Stalingrad counteroffensive, the Kursk battle, the defense operations in the Don Bend area, and the Kharkov battle, etc. The author, from a fascist standpoint, does everything possible to glorify and cover up the war crimes of the fascist German army in the war of aggression, yet he fiercely condemns and denounces the cruelty and inhumanity of the anti-aggression war. Readers are advised to discern and critique the harmful and poisonous elements in the book.