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Erich von Manstein citations

Erich von Lewinski, connu sous son nom d'adoption d’Erich von Manstein, est un militaire allemand, né le 24 novembre 1887 à Berlin et mort le 9 juin 1973 à Irschenhausen en Bavière. Il a atteint le grade de Generalfeldmarschall pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Souvent considéré comme l'un des plus brillants généraux allemands de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Manstein est célèbre pour ses propositions en 1939-1940 concernant le plan d'offensive contre la France et pour ses combats en URSS. Manstein s'est parfois opposé à Hitler, par exemple lors de la retraite suivant la bataille de Koursk ou en suggérant que ce soit un militaire qui dirige la guerre sur le front de l'Est.

Jugé pour crimes de guerre en 1949 à Hambourg, Manstein est condamné à 18 ans de prison, peine réduite par la suite à 12 ans. Finalement libéré en 1953, Manstein devient conseiller militaire auprès du gouvernement de la République fédérale d'Allemagne.

Ses mémoires ont contribué grandement à exonérer la Wehrmacht de toute implication dans le déclenchement de la guerre et des crimes qu'elle y a commis, créant ainsi le mythe d'une Wehrmacht « propre ». Wikipedia  

✵ 24. novembre 1887 – 10. juin 1973
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Erich von Manstein: 8   citations 0   J'aime

Erich von Manstein: Citations en anglais

“But it is a well-known maxim of war that whoever tries to hold on to everything at once, finishes up by holding nothing at all.”

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Erich von Manstein

Lost Victories, The Winter Campaign In South Russia

“He had utter disdain for the Nazis and had no time for their racial purity agenda.”

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Erich von Manstein

Nuremberg Trial transcripts

“The will for victory which gives a commander the strength to see a grave crisis through is something very different from Hitler's will, which in the last analysis stemmed from a belief in his own 'mission'.  Such a belief makes a man impervious to reason and leads him to think that his own will can operate even beyond the limits of hard reality - whether these consist in the presence of far superior enemy forces, in the conditions of space and time, or merely in the fact that the enemy also happens to have a will of his own.”

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Erich von Manstein

Lost Victories, Hitler As Supreme Commander

“If Paulus's army had capitulated before the end, the Russians would have had the advantage of withdrawing forces against Paulus and against the southern front, where I had only two Romanian armies. Therefore, the resistance of the Sixth German Army, even to the death of the last man, was necessary.”

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Erich von Manstein

To Leon Goldensohn (14 June 1946). Quoted in "The Nuremberg Interviews" - by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004

“It has always been the particular forte of German leadership to grant wide scope to the self-dependence of subordinate commanders - to allot them tasks which leave the method of execution to the discretion of the individual.  From time immemorial - certainly since the elder Moltke's day - this principle has distinguished Germany's military leadership from that of other armies.”

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Erich von Manstein

Describing Mission Command, Lost Victories, The Winter Campaign In South Russia

“I tried at that time to relieve the Sixth Army, of which I was supreme commander, above Paulus, by counterattacks - but it was not possible. I gave the order finally for the Sixth Army to break out, but then Paulus said it was too late and not possible. Hitler did not want the Sixth Army to break out at any time, but to fight to the last man. I believe that Hitler said if the Sixth Army tried to break out, it would be their death.”

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Erich von Manstein

To Leon Goldensohn (14 June 1946). Quoted in "The Nuremberg Interviews" - by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004

“He was not only the most brilliant strategist of all our generals, but he had a good political sense. A man of that quality was too difficult for Hitler to swallow for long. At conferences Manstein often differed from Hitler, in front of others, and would go so far as to declare that some of the ideas which Hitler put forward were nonsense.”

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Erich von Manstein

Günther Blumentritt

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