Friedrich Paulus

From Metapedia

Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (September 23, 1890 – February 1, 1957) was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1943, attaining the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. He is most known for commanding the Sixth Army's assault on Stalingrad during Operation Blue in 1942. The battle ended in disaster for Germany when approximately 300,000 soldiers of the Wehrmacht, Axis allies, and Hilfswilligers were encircled and destroyed in a massive Soviet counter attack in November 1942.

Paulus surrendered to Soviet forces in Stalingrad on January 31, 1943, a day after he was promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall by Adolf Hitler. Hitler expected Paulus to commit suicide, citing that no German field marshall was ever captured by enemy forces. While in Soviet captivity during the war he became a vocal critic of the "Nazi" regime and joined the Russian-sponsored National Committee for a Free Germany. He would not be released until 1953.