Category : German commanders at the Battle of Stalingrad The Field Marshal was lying on an iron bed without a uniform, in just his shirt, recalled Ilchenko. He crossed the Meuse river at Dinant. Arthur Schmidt (general) View source Arthur Schmidt (25 October 1895 - 5 November 1987) was an officer in the German military from 1914 to 1943. Museum Memory. Stalingrad Department Store - Univermag At 9.00 sharp the HQ commander of the 6th Army arrived to take the commander of the vanquished German 6th Army and its staff towards the rear. For us Germans, this is particularly indicative. After a leave of absence due to illness, he joined the Alpenkorps as a staff officer, serving in France, Romania and Serbia. Armee. I recorded Paulus's new rank in his military document, stamped it with the seal then threw the seal into the glowing fire. Description On 26 January 1943, the German forces inside Stalingrad were split into two pockets. German soldiers fighting at Stalingrad, December 1942. German soldiers pushing a Junkers-52 aircraft through snow at the captured Soviet airfield of Pitomnik during the Battle of Stalingrad. "[33], Prior to Paulus's interrogation, Paulus asked Schmidt how he should respond, to which Schmidt replied, "Remember you are a Field Marshal of the German Army," apparently (according to the Soviet interrogator) using the intimate "du" form of address, although Captain Winrich Behr, who was familiar with the relations between the two men, considered this unlikely. With Paulus at Stalingrad - by Martin Cherrett Panzerregiment 36, flew out : Battle of Stalingrad - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There, he would be interrogated by the Army commander Lt-Gen Mikhail Shumilov and the Don Front commander Lt-Gen Konstantin Rokossovsky. But as soon as a tank passed over an entrenchment, our men - soldiers, sergeants and officers - got up again and opened fire on the departing armored vehicles.. fly out of the Stalingrad pocket and he left on report to Hitlers headquarters to personally The general feared that, deprived of their armored strike force, the slow-moving bulk of his troops would simply be ground into dust by the Red Army in the freezing steppe. on New Years Day 1943, In the morning of 19 On December 12, as part of Operation Winter Storm, the German Army Group Hoth (named after its commander, Colonel-General Hermann Hoth) launched a surprise attack and crushed the Red Army's. Its appalling pronounced Paulus somberly. According to Beevor: [Soviet commanders] were increasingly convinced that Paulus was virtually a prisoner in his own headquarters, guarded by his chief of staff [Schmidt]. Gaunt, pale and emaciated, the commander of the Wehrmachts 6th Army looked like a hunted animal to the Soviet military commanders. Operation Winter Storm, a relief effort by Army Group Don under Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, was launched in December. Unwashed, with unkempt beards, they wore comical-looking makeshift snow boots and were wrapped in towels and womens headscarves. 'Meeting The Victors', Sputnik Magazine, 1968, USSR; (English-language article). Stalingrad pocket to, received orders to [19], Shortly before surrendering, Paulus sent his wedding ring back to his wife on the last plane departing his position. So war er von Oktober 1940 bis 25. Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). Soviet soldiers, who seized the headquarters of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus. According to Beevor: [Soviet commanders] were increasingly convinced that Paulus was virtually a prisoner in his own headquarters, guarded by his chief of staff [Schmidt]. His final plan was to have two Stork aircraft towed by larger aircraft to Stalingrad, land and pick him up, then fly out of the pocket back to German lines. My God, what a contrast between the two sides! the confines of the Kessel: he was ordered to [10] He re-emphasised that before Sixth Army could break out to the south: "We must have fuel and ammunition delivered by the Luftwaffe. Vasily Grossman's Stalingrad : A Soviet masterpiece about World War II It has been suggested that much of the reason for Schmidt's ascendancy over Paulus lay in the fact that, unlike Paulus, Schmidt was a committed Nazi, and Paulus, afraid of Hitler and conscious of his responsibility for Sixth Army's catastrophic position, saw Schmidt as a cipher for the Fhrer whom he could placate. At first, Paulus refused to collaborate with the Soviets. That danger is real. Soviet and German soldiers, who just a few hours earlier had been shooting at one another, now stood quietly together in the yard. [14] That evening the Soviet encirclement of Axis forces was confirmed in a signal Paulus sent to Hitler. Paulus remained absolutely firm in obeying the orders he had been given. And anyway, my new uniform will hardly be of any use to me now, the commander added with a wry smile. They were all unwashed and hungry and they smelt to high heaven! The question cannot be answered in military terms. 'Prepare yourself for departure. The main reason was the extremely low stocks of fuel, which would have allowed his hundred tanks or so to travel only 30 km, whereas the relief forces were almost 50 km away. [23], From 1953 to 1956, Paulus lived in Dresden, East Germany, where he worked as the civilian chief of the East German Military History Research Institute. that it was the best to fly him out of the Janaury 1943, Stalingrad - Oberst - Mai 1942 Chef des Generalstabes der von Friedrich Paulus befehligten 6. Hitler did not consent to this request. On December 18, the 4th Mechanized Corps which had particularly distinguished itself in the fighting here was awarded the title of Guards Corps. In deciding to promote him, Hitler noted that there was no known record of a Prussian or German field marshal ever having surrendered. Nachrichtenfhrer AOK 6, Private Lt-Gen Konstantin Rokossovsky (L) and Friedrich Paulus. Battle of Stalingrad, (July 17, 1942-February 2, 1943), successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Russia, U.S.S.R., during World War II. "[33], Prior to Paulus's interrogation, Paulus asked Schmidt how he should respond, to which Schmidt replied, "Remember you are a Field Marshal of the German Army," apparently (according to the Soviet interrogator) using the intimate "du" form of address, although Captain Winrich Behr, who was familiar with the relations between the two men, considered this unlikely. And, until now, the 6th Army was regarded as the best field army in the Wehrmacht. Behr had an important task once he was free of [16] However, on 24 November Sixth Army received a further Fhrer order relayed from Army Group B, ordering them to stand firm. Mrz 1942 Chef des Stabes des V. Armeekorps der Wehrmacht. https://books.google.com/books?id=OWOQAv01lYEC, https://books.google.com/books?id=inwd2rDaLm4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:1874622469&cd=1#q=schmidt, https://books.google.com/books?id=xg8QrmsLK-kC, https://books.google.com/books?id=qWuWOFS4o7AC&dq=%22arthur+Schmidt%22+stalingrad, "A Desperate Struggle to Save a Condemned Army: a critical review of the Stalingrad airlift", http://www.stormingmedia.us/44/4497/A449793.html, "Photographs of Schmidt at a Sixth Army reunion, Wiesbaden 1969", http://www.stalingrad.net/german-hq/members-aok-6/members_aok_6_a.htm, Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht), Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union, German commanders at the Battle of Stalingrad, Knights of the House Order of Hohenzollern, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [1] Am 17. [13], The decision not to negotiate with the Soviet envoys who bore an ultimatum to Paulus on 8 and 9 January 1943, was, for example, made by Schmidt, not Paulus, as Colonel Wilhelm Adam told one of the envoys, Captain Nikolay Dyatlenko, during his post-battle interrogation. Am 6. flew out of the Marshal Paulus and his generals after capture at Stalingrad - YouTube Schmidt was appointed chief of staff to General Friedrich Paulus in Sixth Army on 15 May 1942, replacing Colonel Ferdinand Heim after the counter-attack against Marshal Semyon Timoshenko at the Second Battle of Kharkov. Januar 1943 gemeinsam mit dem tags zuvor zum Generalfeldmarschall befrderten Paulus in sowjetische Kriegsgefangenschaft, zunchst im Kriegsgefangenenlager 5110/48 Woikowo, dann im Gefngnis Lubjanka. Friedrich Paulus - Wikipedia It now seemed more impossible than ever to act against an order of the High Command or Army Group.[17]. [13], The decision not to negotiate with the Soviet envoys who bore an ultimatum to Paulus on 8 and 9 January 1943, was, for example, made by Schmidt, not Paulus, as Colonel Wilhelm Adam told one of the envoys, Captain Nikolay Dyatlenko, during his post-battle interrogation. Arthur Schmidt (* 25. Nikolay Dyatlenko - Wikipedia There are still many people today who wonder how Germany, which no doubt possessed a highly trained army, could be defeated in two wars. These two peoples must put aside all conflicts between them, all the more so because German-French relations are the link in the dangerous chain held by the Americans to turn one European people against the other and use them as a vehicle for their own policy.[23]. Friedrich Paulus on the way to the Soviet 64th Army HQ. Armee unterzeichnet hatte, geriet Schmidt am 31. [2] On 25 October 1940 he served as chief of staff in 5th Army Corps, a position he held until 25 March 1942, when he moved to the Fhrerreserve at Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH). Millions were killed, wounded, missing, or captured in what was perhaps the most brutal battle in modern history. [10] He re-emphasised that before Sixth Army could break out to the south: "We must have fuel and ammunition delivered by the Luftwaffe." "[27], Thyssen comments that both Paulus and Schmidt seemed to have forgotten Fiebig's statements on 21 and 22 November that the Luftwaffe would not be able to supply Sixth Army in the Kessel.[28]. [9] However, he only took over his new command on 20 January, six days after the sudden death of Reichenau,[10] leaving him on his own and without the support of his more experienced sponsor. They led the Soviet soldiers to Pauluss room. The German troops sustained significant losses and found it difficult to make headway. This decision to stand firm in a "hedgehog" defence sealed Sixth Army's fate. German troops during the Operation Winter Storm. In der Endphase der Schlacht bernahm er von Paulus weitgehend die Fhrung der Armee. 26. On December 12, as part of Operation Winter Storm, the German Army Group Hoth (named after its commander, Colonel-General Hermann Hoth) launched a surprise attack and crushed the Red Armys outnumbered 302nd Rifle Division, subsequently embarking on a rapid advance in the direction of Stalingrad. Paulus also forbade his soldiers from standing on top of their trenches in order to be shot by the enemy. 3 reasons why the Red Army won the Battle of Stalingrad, The WWII battle that nearly turned into a second Stalingrad, The battle that allowed the Nazis to break through to Stalingrad. How can he surrender himself to the Bolshevists?! In 1920s, as part of the military cooperation between Weimar Republic and Soviet Union to escape Treaty of Versailles, Paulus presented guest lectures in Moscow, Soviet Union.[8]. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! It has been suggested that much of the reason for Schmidt's ascendancy over Paulus lay in the fact that, unlike Paulus, Schmidt was a committed Nazi, and Paulus, afraid of Hitler and conscious of his responsibility for Sixth Army's catastrophic position, saw Schmidt as a cipher for the Fhrer whom he could placate. [32] When their baggage was searched for sharp metal objects, Schmidt, referring to Paulus, snapped at the Soviet officers: "A German Field Marshal does not commit suicide with a pair of scissors. He studied philology at the University of Kyiv before World War II, and after the war he became an author.. Stalingrad truce First attempt. [29] The signal sent from Sixth Army HQ on the evening of 30 January, that stated that soldiers were "listening to the national anthem for the last time with arms raised in the German salute", was, according to Beevor, much more likely to have been written by Schmidt than by Paulus. Manstein's forces were unable to reach Stalingrad on their own and their efforts were eventually halted due to Soviet offensives elsewhere on the front.[12]. Am 6. On 4 July 1912 he married the Romanian Constance Elena Rosetti-Solescu, the sister of a colleague who served in the same regiment. The events of that day were recorded by Colonel Wilhelm Adam, one of Paulus' aides and an adjutant in the XXIII Army Corps, in his personal diary: January 31, 1943 7.00 a.m. Schmidt, confident of his own abilities, put many backs up within Sixth Army headquarters, although he also had his supporters. List of officers and commanders in the Battle of Stalingrad [13], Regarding the resistance to capitulate, according to Adam, Paulus stated .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, What would become of the war if our army in the Caucasus were also surrounded? Dyatlenko had no doubt that Schmidt was "the eyes and hand of the Nazi Party" in the Sixth Army, because captured officers reported that "Schmidt was commanding the Army and even Paulus himself."[21]. However I'm not going to do them such a favour.' I prepared for my last official duty. Heavy fighting broke out near the hamlet of Verkhnekumsky, where the Soviet forces managed to resist the Germans for about five days, thus winning precious time. Februar 1957 in Dresden-Oberloschwitz) war ein deutscher Heeresoffizier (ab 1943 Generalfeldmarschall) und im Zweiten Weltkrieg Oberbefehlshaber der 6. The units craved encouraging news, recalled an officer of the 6th Army's intelligence section, Joachim Wieder. The area around the department store had by then come under the full control of Soviet infantry and Wehrmacht soldiers were clearing sectors that had been mined. Everyone knows that our nation used to have great military experts, known all over the world, such as Clausewitz, Moltke the Elder, Schlieffen. It now seemed more impossible than ever to act against an order of the High Command or Army Group.[17]. Had the Germans succeeded in their Operation Winter Storm (Operation Wintergewitter), all the efforts and sacrifices of the Soviet troops which had been heroically defending Stalingrad would have been in vain. We must hold them here to the last so that the eastern front can be stabilized. When World War I began, Paulus' regiment was part of the thrust into France, and he saw action in the Vosges and around Arras in the autumn of 1914. Arthur Schmidt (* 25. 1955 wurde er aus der Gefangenschaft entlassen. Hitler expected it. [6] Many false reports of the massing of Soviet forces were received from the Romanian sector, so when Stck radioed at 5 a.m. on 19 November that an offensive (marking the start of Operation Uranus, the Soviet encirclement of Axis forces) was about to begin, Schmidt, who was furious when disturbed by false alarms, was not informed,[7] although he was awoken twenty minutes later when it became clear that this was no false alarm. Paulus was promoted to lieutenant general in August 1940. We were in frenzied spirits and, had it made sense, we would have been shouting Hoorah! We were firing at every target that appeared, operating our machine guns to their very limit The Russian infantry dispersed in all directions; they must have thought we were madmen, is how 1st Lieutenant Horst Scheibert remembered the launch of Operation Winter Storm that aimed to break through to Friedrich Pauluss 6th Army encircled at Stalingrad. In that role he helped draft the plans for the invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa. In November 1942, when the Soviet Red Army launched a massive counter-offensive, code-named Operation Uranus, Paulus found himself surrounded by an entire Soviet Army Group. pocket and became General Officer, Chef Generalstab XIV. The frontline was holding on with the last of its strength, banking on Hitler imminently, in the run-up to Christmas, fulfilling his promise of relief. He lived out the rest of his life in Dresden. [2] On 26 January 1942 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold.[3]. [30] When the forces defending Sixth Army HQ surrendered on the morning of 31 January, Schmidt discussed surrender terms with officers from General Shumilov's HQ, while Paulus waited unaware in a room next door. Climbing out of the cellar, I stood dumbfounded. [5] Ignoring Hitler's 'Fhrer instruction' of 30 June 1942 that Axis formations should not liaise with their neighbours, Schmidt authorised an officer from Sixth Army, Lieutenant Gerhard Stck, to be issued with a radio and join up with Romanian forces to the north-west of Stalingrad to help with intelligence gathering. Later, Paulus briefly commanded a motorized battalion (193435) before being named chief of staff for Panzer headquarters in October 1935. At that point in time, the 6th Army in Stalingrad was cut into two groupings isolated from each other. I placed my revolver on the table. [27], Thyssen comments that both Paulus and Schmidt seemed to have forgotten Fiebig's statements on 21 and 22 November that the Luftwaffe would not be able to supply Sixth Army in the Kessel.[28]. The main entrance to the cellar was closed and guarded by the Soviet soldiers. The Germans started to withdraw, pursued by Malinovskys 2nd Guards Army which had begun a counterattack on December 24. On 2 February 1943 the remainder of the Sixth Army capitulated. Nach dem Krieg wurde er in die Reichswehr bernommen. In these last days Schmidt also developed a lively busy-ness in other respects. said Paulus after reading the dispatch. Manstein, Erich von; Powell, Anthony G. (2004). [1] On 19 January, Major Thiel was sent by VIII Air Corps to assess the runway at Gumrak and see whether further landings by Luftwaffe supply aircraft would be possible. Gerhard Hindenlang - Facing Stalingrad Following his orders, Paulus prepared to break out of Stalingrad. In it, he paid respect to the memory of General Heinz Guderian, who had died a little over a month previously, and criticized the political leaderships of the German Empire and Nazi Germany for causing the defeats of the German Army in both world wars: I have in mind in particular General Guderian, who died prematurely, and with whom I was particularly close, as chief of staff for the organization of the armored troops, and we were carrying out a task together. After leaving university without a degree, he joined the 111th Infantry Regiment as an officer cadet in February 1910. In der Endphase der Schlacht bernahm er von Paulus weitgehend die Fhrung der Armee. German hopes for the rescue of the encircled grouping were finally dashed by the Soviet Operation Little Saturn that started on December 16. In February 1938, Paulus was appointed Chef des Generalstabes to Gen. Heinz Guderian's new XVI Armeekorps (Motorisiert), which replaced Lutz's command.

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