Von Manstein Quotes

No Senior military commander can for years on end expect his soldiers to lay down their lives for victory and then precipitate defeat by his own hand.

There are only four types of officers. First, there are the lazy, stupid ones. Leave them alone, they do no harm. Second, there are the hard-working intelligent ones. They make excellent staff officers, ensuring that every detail is properly considered. Third, there are the hard-working, stupid ones. These people are a menace, and must be fired at once. They create irrelevant work for everybody. Finally, there are the intelligent lazy ones. They are suited for the highest office.

But in a situation like Sixth Army’s, the German military code demands that when lives are at stake, the officers must take second place to the men. It

Even now certain of its formations were being moved off to the west, where the French and British, much to our surprise, had looked idly on as their Polish ally was being annihilated.

Field Marshal, and soon-to-be-relieved commander of Army Group South, Erich von Manstein summed up how isolated his Führer had become: “Hitler… thought he could see things much better from behind his desk than the commanders at the front. He ignored the fact that much of what was marked on his far-too-detailed situation maps was obviously out of date. From that distance, moreover, he could not possibly judge what would be the proper and necessary action to take on the spot.”6 An

The sketched invasion plan was seen as simply insane, and in order to thwart the risk-taking von Manstein, the General Staff moved him to the Baltic port of Stettin, far from the potential battle zone.

Il ne connaissait que le combat brutal, au paroxysme de la violence. Sa conception répondait beaucoup plus à celle des masses qui venaient se faire tuer devant nos lignes qu’à celle d’un escrimeur élégant qui sait rompre pour pouvoir mieux porter le coup décisif. A l’art de la guerre il substituait finalement la force brutale, dont l’efficacité était garantie par la puissance de la volonté qui l’employait.

Si Hitler s’en tint de plus en plus au principe de la défense à tout prix ce fut parce que cette méthode répondait à sa nature profonde. Il ne connaissait que le combat brutal, au paroxysme de la violence. Sa conception répondait beaucoup plus à celle des masses qui venaient se faire tuer devant nos lignes qu’à celle d’un escrimeur élégant qui sait rompre pour pouvoir mieux porter le coup décisif. A l’art de la guerre il substituait finalement la force brutale, dont l’efficacité était garantie par la puissance de la volonté qui l’employait.