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Born (Fritz) Erich von Lewinski, Berlin, Germany, 1887; adopted by relatives and assumed von Manstein name; educated at the Lycée, Strasbourg; served in the Cadet Corps, Plön and Berlin, Germany, 1895-1906; Ensign, 3 Foot Guards, 1906; Lt, 1907; Battalion Adjutant, 1911; Senior Lt (Oberleutnant), 1914; served in World War One, 1914-1918; Adjutant, 2 Guards Reserve Regt, 1914; served in Marne campaign, France, 1914; severely wounded on Eastern Front, Nov 1914; Staff Officer, Army Group Gallwitz, Poland and Serbia, Jun-Aug 1915; Capt, 1915; Adjutant, Headquarters, 12 Army, 1915-1916; Staff Officer, Headquarters, 11 Army, Battle of Verdun, Western Front, 1916; Staff Officer, Headquarters, 1 Army, Battle of the Somme, Picardy, France, 1916; Senior Operations Officer, 4 Cavalry Div, Courland (Estonia), 1917; Senior Operations Officer, 213 Assault Infantry Div, Western Front, 1918; General Staff Officer, Frontier Defence, East, Breslau, Germany, 1919; Staff Officer to Gen von Lossberg, Berlin and Kassel, Germany, 1919; Company commander, 5 Infantry Regt, Angermunde, Pomerania, Germany, 1920; General Staff Officer, Wehrkreis I, II and IV, 1923-1927; Maj, 1927; General Staff Officer to Infantry Leader IV, Oct 1927; served with Operations Branch of Truppenamt, Sep 1929; Lt Col, 1932; Commanding Officer, Jäger Bn, 4 Infantry Regt, Kolber, Germany, 1932; Col, 1933; Chief of Staff to Gen Erwin von Witzleben, Wehrkreiss III, Berlin, Germany, 1934; Head of Operations Branch, Army General Staff, 1935; Maj Gen, 1936; Deputy Chief of Staff to Gen Ludwig Beck, 1936; commanded 18 Infantry Div, Liegnitz, Germany, 1938; Chief of Staff to Gen Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb during Munich Crisis, Sep 1938; Lt Gen, 1939; appointed Chief of Staff to Gen (Karl Rudolph) Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander-in-Chief, Army Group South, Aug 1939; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; service in German invasion and conquest of Poland, Sep-Oct 1939; Chief of Staff, Army Group A, 1939-1940; commanded 38 (Infantry) Corps, German invasion and conquest of France, May-Jun 1940; Gen of Infantry, 1940; commanded 56 Panzer Corps, 4 Panzer Group, Army Group North, May-Sep 1941; service in Operation BARBAROSSA, the German invasion of the USSR, 22 Jun 1941, and the advance on Leningrad, 1941; commanded 11 Army, Army Group South, USSR, 1941-1942; planned and completed German conquest of the Crimea, USSR, 1942; FM, 1942; commanded Army Group Don (later renamed Army Group South from Feb 1943), USSR, Nov 1942-1944; dismissed by Adolf Hitler, Mar 1944; served with Führer reserve, 1944-1945; surrendered to British forces, May 1945; tried by British Military Court on seventeen charges of war crimes, Curio House, Hamburg, Germany, Aug 1949; found guilty of nine charges of war crimes relating to neglecting to protect civilian lives, and sentenced to eighteen years imprisonment (later reduced to twelve years), Dec 1949; released from prison, 1953; appointed organisational adviser to the Bundeswehr, 1956; died 1973. Publications: Verteidigung Manstein (Hamburg, Germany, 1950); Verlorene siege (Bonn, Germany, 1955); Aus einem Soldatenleben, 1887-1939 (Bonn, Germany, 1958); Lost victories, edited and translated by Anthony G Powell (Methuen, London, 1958).