Erich von Manstein

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Erich von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 10 June 1973) was a German military officer who served as a Generalfeldmarschall (Field marshal) in the Heer (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was subsequently convicted of war crimes and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, but served fewer than four years before being released in 1953. Born into an aristocratic Prussian family with a long history of military service, Manstein joined the army at a young age and saw service on both the Western and Eastern Front during the First World War (1914–18). He rose to the rank of captain by the end of the war and was active in the inter-war period helping Germany rebuild its armed forces. In September 1939, during the invasion of Poland at the beginning of the Second World War, he served as Chief of Staff to Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South. Adolf Hitler chose Manstein's strategy for the invasion of France of May 1940. Anticipating a firm Allied...

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