Fritz Erich von Manstein Biography

Birth of Fritz Erich von Manstein

Appointed Chief of Operations

Appointed Major General

Chief of Staff to the Army Group South under General Gerd von Rundstedt

Chief of Staff to the Army Group South under General Gerd von Rundstedt

Works with Guenther Blumentritt & Henning von Tresckow to develop the plan to invade France. Manstein serves under General Gunther von Kluge

Manstein & his colleagues suggest the German Army should attack through the wooded Ardennes hills. Hitler approves of the Manstein Plan to invade France

Hitler approves of the Manstein Plan to invade France

Manstein is sacked as Chief of Staff of Army Group A and appointed Commander of an army corps in East Prussia

Manstein is sacked as Chief of Staff of Army Group A and appointed Commander of an army corps in East Prussia

Manstein is sacked as Chief of Staff of Army Group A and appointed Commander of an army corps in East Prussia

Hitler orders Manstein's invasion plans to be carried out

Hitler orders Manstein's invasion plans to be carried out

Appointed Commander of the 56th Panzer Corps

Appointed Commander of the 56th Panzer Corps

Serves under General Erich Hoepner

Manstein captures the bridges at Dvinsk

Manstein captures Demyansk

Manstein captures Torzhok

Appointed Commander of the Eleventh Army

Manstein is given the task of capturing the Crimea

Appointed Field Marshal

Appointed Field Marshal

Manstein captures Sevastopol

Manstein captures Sevastopol

Manstein captures Sevastopol

Has the task of supporting Paulus, given 1 Luftwaffe, 4 panzer & 6 infantry divisions

Has the task of supporting Paulus, given 1 Luftwaffe, 4 panzer & 6 infantry divisions

Has the task of supporting Paulus, given 1 Luftwaffe, 4 panzer & 6 infantry divisions

Has the task of supporting Paulus, given 1 Luftwaffe, 4 panzer & 6 infantry divisions

Sets the Panzers rolling to relieve Paulus trapped 6th Army. Manstein is 30 miles away from Stalingrad

Blocked on the Myshkova by the 2nd Guards Army, the German 6th Army cannot break out

Blocked on the Myshkova by the 2nd Guards Army, the German 6th Army cannot break out

Leads Opeartion Winter Storm to support Field Marshal Paulus

Destroys the 3rd Soviet Tank Army

The Russians capture Belgorod, threatning Kharkov

Authorized by Hitler to withdraw from Kharkov

The Russians capture Kiev

Manstein persuades Hitler to order a retreat behind the River Dnieper

Dismissed by Hitler

Orders an immediate counter-attack to releive the "Korsun pocket". 60,000 Germans are caught in a trap

Georgi Zhukov realized the role of the 1st Panzer Army, and began planning to bring about the Wehrmachts Armys destruction that could, and did, result in the collapse of the entire South-Eastern Front

The 1st Panzer Army included over 200,000 troops, and was the most powerful formation of Field Marshall Erich von Mansteins Army Group South. The 1st Panzer Army found itself defending the line in the north-western Ukraine.

The Army had just completed operations to rescue the two Corps trapped in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky Offensive, which had exhausted the armys III Panzerkorps.

Georgi Zhukov realized the role of the 1st Panzer Army, and began planning to bring about the Wehrmachts Armys destruction that could, and did, result in the collapse of the entire South-Eastern Front

The 1st Panzer Army was now in a salient. Manstein requested that the position be withdrawn to avoid encirclement, but Hitler refused, persisting with his "no retreat" orders

The entire 1st Panzer Army was now encircled in a pocket centred around the city of Kamenets-Podolsky

Manstein was informed by OKH that he had been relieved of command

The quick thinking of Manstein, and the operational planning and skill of Hube had resulted in the 200,000 troops of the Army escaping the fate of Stalingrad

Arrested by the British & held until 1953

Death of Fritz Erich von Manstein