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Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) during World War II who is best known for his surrender of the German 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 to February 1943).
Paulus refused to participate directly. In Soviet captivity, Paulus denied having surrendered, claiming to have been taken by surprise. He refused to issue an order to the remaining Germans in the southern pocket to surrender. He also denied having the authority to issue an order for the northern pocket to surrender. [14]
On 31 January 1943, General Friedrich Paulus announced the surrender of the German 6th Army. On 2 February, the Legion became Soviet prisoners of war, including all officers, approximately 100, mostly wounded, sick, and frostbitten combat soldiers, and some 600 other legionaries from artillery and support units.
German casualties were 147,200 killed and wounded and over 91,000 captured, the latter including Field Marshal Paulus, 24 generals and 2,500 officers of lesser rank. [21] Only 5,000 would survive Soviet internment and return to Germany after the war.
The division fought in the ruined city until Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus' surrender in January 1943, with the 297th division's and IV Army Corps mutual commander, General Pfeffer, following suit into Soviet captivity on the 16th. [7]
The success of Operation Uranus, launched on 19 November 1942, had trapped 250,000 troops of General Friedrich Paulus' German 6th Army and parts of General Hoth's 4th Panzer Army in Stalingrad. To exploit this victory, the Soviet general staff planned an ambitious offensive with Rostov-on-Don as the ultimate objective, codenamed "Saturn".
General Friedrich Paulus, a deputy Chief of the General Staff, was sent to Africa to report on the situation. [47] The British received through Ultra a decrypt of the Paulus report but the "considerable intelligence coup" was mishandled, encouraging the premature attack of Operation Brevity.
However, it was quickly reformed and used by Field Marshal Erich von Manstein's Operation Winter Storm efforts to relieve General Friedrich Paulus' trapped Sixth Army still in Stalingrad. In February 1943, the XXXXVIII Panzer Corps took part in the battles around Kharkov , and in June it was committed to the southern flank of the Battle of ...