Paulus after the war. What was the fate of Field Marshal Paulus after the Battle of Stalingrad

Introduction

1.4.1 First campaigns 1.4.2 Command of the 6th Army

2.1 Friedrich Paulus as a military figure

Literature

7 Videos

Notes

Introduction

Friedrich Paulus(German) Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus* September 23, 1890, Breitenau, Hesse-Nassau - February 1, 1957, Dresden) - German military leader of the Third Reich, Field Marshal (1943) of the Wehrmacht. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (1943). During Battle of Stalingrad commanded the 6th Army, which was surrounded and capitulated at Stalingrad. The author of the plan is Barbarossa.

1. Biography

1.1. Childhood and youth

Paulus born on September 23, 1890 in the city of Breitenau (Hesse-Nassau) into a poor family of an accountant, served in the Kassel prison. In 1909, Friedrich Paulus, after graduating from high school, made an attempt to enter the naval school and become a cadet in the Kaiser's fleet, but was refused due to his insufficiently high social background. Later he entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Marburg, where he studied law. However, he did not complete his studies and a year later, in February 1910, he left educational institution and entered military service, being enrolled as a candidate for officer rank (Fanen-Junker) in the 111th (3rd Baden) Infantry Regiment "Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm" in the city of Rastatt.

1.2. First World War

Participant of the First World War on the Western and Eastern Fronts. At the beginning of the war, Paulus's regiment fought in France. In 1915, he received the rank of lieutenant and was appointed commander of an infantry company. Later he held the position of regimental adjutant in the 2nd Chasseurs Regiment in France, Serbia and Macedonia. In 1917, he was sent to the General Staff, where he became a representative of the General Staff at the headquarters of the Alpine Corps. Awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. He finished the war with the rank of Hauptmann.

1.3. Period between wars

1919 After the defeat of Germany in the First World War and the demobilization of the Kaiser's army, he was left to serve in the Reichswehr. While serving in the Reichswehr - Army of the Weimar Republic, he held various staff and command positions. In 1919, in the ranks Volunteer Corps"Ost" fought against the Poles in Silesia, commanded a company, and then served as a staff officer in the 48th Reserve Infantry Division. Friedrich Paulus regimental adjutant. In 1923, he graduated from the General Staff officer course, was enrolled in the General Staff and was assigned to the headquarters of the 2nd Army Group (Kassel). During the years he served at the headquarters of the 5th Military District (Stuttgart). B - commander of an infantry company. In 1930, he received the rank of major and was appointed representative of the General Staff in the 5th Infantry Division. In 1934, Paulus was appointed commander of one of the first motorized battalions in the German army, formed under the 3rd Infantry Division (Berlin), and received the rank of Oberst-lieutenant.

Barbarossa" - the fruit of the development of General F. Paulus

In 1935, he was promoted to Oberst and appointed chief of staff of the Directorate of Armored Forces, replacing Colonel G. Guderian in this post. Then he attracted the attention of General W. von Reichenau, who played in future fate the future field marshal has a special role. Already in the 1930s, Paulus earned a reputation as a major specialist in the field of motorization of troops, as well as a capable General Staff officer. In August 1938, he was appointed chief of staff of the 16th Army Corps, which then included all tank forces of the Wehrmacht. The corps was commanded by Lieutenant General G. Guderian, and later by General E. Gopner.

Participated in the Anschluss of Austria and the occupation of the Sudetenland; Major General (January 1939). Since the summer of 1939, chief of staff of the 4th Army Group (Leipzig), commanded by General Reichenau. In August 1939, this army group was transformed into the Tenth Army, with Paulus as chief of staff.

North". Soviet Union. October 1941

1.4. World War II

1.4.1. First campaigns

As Chief of Army Staff, Major General Friedrich Paulus participated in the Polish 1939 and French 1940 campaigns. At the beginning of hostilities, the 10th Army operated first in Poland, later in Belgium and the Netherlands. After the numbering change, the 10th Army became the 6th Army. In August 1940 he received the rank of lieutenant general.

For the Polish campaign, Paulus was awarded the Iron Cross, 1st class (1939), and for the second he was made a lieutenant general (1940). In September 1940 he was appointed 1st Chief Quartermaster of the General Staff of the Ground Forces. As 1st Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Colonel General F. Halder, Paulus was involved in the development of operational and strategic plans, including the war plan against the Soviet Union (Plan Barbarossa). On January 1, 1942 he received the rank of general of tank forces.

Military career

February 18, 1910 - fanen-junker August 15, 1911 - lieutenant 1915 - chief lieutenant 1918 - Hauptmann January 1, 1929 - major June 1, 1933 - oberst-lieutenant June 1, 1935 - oberst January 1, 1939 - major general August 1, 1940 - general Lieutenant January 1, 1942 - General of Tank Forces November 30, 1942 - Colonel General January 30, 1943 - Field Marshal General

January 5" href="/text/category/5_yanvarya/" rel="bookmark">January 5, 1942 appointed Paulus commander of the 6th Army operating on the Eastern Front, which had previously been commanded by Reichenau. Paulus was delighted with his new appointment , since he had long wanted to move to a command position. The Fuhrer's choice of Paulus for the post of army commander was quite strange and difficult, since he was a typical staff worker and had no experience of commanding not only large military formations, but even his entire regiment. The command experience consisted of commanding an infantry company and a motorized battalion, and Paulus commanded the battalion for only a few months, and then in peacetime, Hitler’s surprising choice consisted primarily in the fact that he had at his disposal. large number experienced corps commanders who had proven themselves well in the campaigns of 1939, 1940 and 1941. Having taken command of the 6th Army on January 20, 1942, when Reichenau was no longer alive, Paulus first canceled his orders on cooperation with SS punitive detachments and SD bodies, as well as the order “On Commissars”.

"cauldron" turned out to be a large group of Soviet troops numbering up to 240 thousand people, over 2 thousand tanks and about 1.3 thousand artillery pieces. At the beginning of June 1942, the encircled group was destroyed. In August 1942, Paulus was awarded the Knight's Cross for this victory In the summer of 1942, the 6th Army, which was part of Army Group Don, took part in the attack on Voronezh and reached the Don south of this city, and in September 1942 launched an offensive in the Stalingrad direction after the division of Army Group South into two. Army Group The 6th Army became part of Army Group B under Colonel General M. von Weichs.

The offensive of Paulus's army towards Stalingrad developed slowly. He had to overcome stubborn resistance from Soviet troops. In July-August 1942, the army faced a fierce battle on the Don in the Kalach area. It ended with the victory of Paulus. A large group of Soviet troops (Sixty-second A, First and 4th I) was defeated and thrown back beyond the Don, losing up to 50 thousand personnel, about 270 tanks and up to 600 artillery pieces. Having crossed the Don, the advanced units of the 6th Army reached the Volga north of Stalingrad on August 23.

In early September, battles began directly for the city of Stalingrad, which by this time had already been almost completely destroyed by German aircraft. The fighting in Stalingrad was extremely fierce. By mid-September, the Germans captured almost the entire city (or rather, what was left of it), but throwing into the Volga the troops of the Soviet Sixty-second and Sixty-fourth armies, which held in their hands a narrow strip of land on the right bank of the river, despite all efforts, they couldn't. Paulus's not entirely skillful and decisive actions in the Stalingrad area in the fall of 1942 caused serious criticism from a number of well-known German generals, who demanded that Hitler remove him from his post and appoint another commander to command the 6th Army. However, Hitler refused to do this, setting Paulus the task of completing the defeat of the enemy in the Stalingrad area at any cost and as soon as possible. After this, he planned to appoint Paulus as chief of staff of the operational leadership of the OKW instead of Colonel General A. Jodl, who was in disgrace with the Fuhrer.

On November 19, 1942, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive near Stalingrad, and already on November 23, the 6th Army and part of the forces of the 4th Tank Army, operating to the south, were surrounded by Soviet troops in the Stalingrad area. In a huge “cauldron” there were groups of German troops numbering about 300 thousand people. Paulus refused the advice of some corps commanders who insisted on organizing a breakthrough from the encirclement in the southwestern direction. Rejecting his subordinates' hints about Field Marshal Reichenau, who, in their opinion, would have acted in such a situation in such a situation, despite Hitler's order prohibiting a breakthrough, Paulus said gloomily: "I don't Reichenau", and hastened to close the meeting. He did not dare to violate the will of Hitler, gave him the order to take up a perimeter defense and wait for outside help, and under no circumstances should he surrender Stalingrad.

It is worth noting that Paulus, as a man of insufficiently strong character, was strongly influenced by his more strong-willed chief of staff, an ardent Nazi, Major General A. Schmidt, who stubbornly stood his ground: "We must obey and in no case violate the Fuhrer's orders." And Paulus completely agreed with him; he was confident that the Fuhrer would do everything possible to rescue the 6th Army. On November 30, 1942, Paulus received the rank of colonel general.

The attempt of Field Marshal E. von Manstein (commander of Army Group Don) to release the 6th Army in December 1942 ended in complete failure. The idea of an “air bridge,” which Reichsmarschall G. Goering (commander of the Luftwaffe), promised to organize for the uninterrupted supply of ammunition, fuel and food to the army surrounded in Stalingrad, failed miserably. The 6th Army (surrounded by the formations of the 4th Panzer Army, which found themselves in the “cauldron” with it, were included in its composition) was doomed, but, following Hitler’s order “Stand to the last!”, continued the hopeless fight. On January 8, 1943, Paulus left the ultimatum of the Soviet command to surrender unanswered. He gave a decisive refusal to the repeated offer to capitulate.

January 10" href="/text/category/10_yanvarya/" rel="bookmark">January 10, 1943, the troops of the Soviet Don Front of General K. Rokossovsky began to eliminate the encircled enemy group. Fierce fighting lasted more than 3 weeks and ended with the complete destruction of 6- th army. Fierce resistance cost the German troops enormous losses. Thus, in the last days of the fighting alone, up to 20 thousand abandoned German wounded lay in the ruins of Stalingrad. Almost all of them died (mostly froze).

On January 15, 1943, Paulus was awarded the oak leaves to the knight's cross. On January 30, Paulus radioed Hitler’s headquarters from the basement of the department store on Red Square, where his headquarters was located:

"On the anniversary of your After the 6th Army came to power, it sends warm congratulations to its Fuhrer. The swastika flag still flies over Stalingrad. "

On January 30, 1943, Hitler promoted Paulus to the highest military rank - field marshal general. In the radiogram sent by Hitler to Paulus, among other things, it was noted that “not a single German field marshal has ever been captured.” Thus, the Fuhrer unequivocally suggested that the newly appointed field marshal commit suicide. However, Paulus did not listen to this advice from the Fuhrer - he chose captivity instead of suicide. The last message from him to headquarters arrived at 7:15 a.m. on January 31, 1943. It said that everything was over and the radio station was being destroyed. On the morning of January 31, Paulus and his staff surrendered.

On February 2, 1943, the 6th Army ceased to exist. Friedrich Paulus became the first captured field marshal in the history of the German army. In total, about 91 thousand people surrendered to Soviet troops in the Stalingrad cauldron. Of these, after many years only 7 thousand people returned to Germany.

1.5. Full

While in a prisoner of war camp, Paulus refused to join the League of German Officers and the National Committee of Free Germany, as well as to take part in any political activity. However, after the assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, 1944 and the brutal reprisal of the Nazis against participants in the anti-government conspiracy, he changed his mind.

On August 8, 1944, on the day of the execution of Field Marshal E. von Witzleben and 7 other participants in the conspiracy, Paulus spoke on the radio with an anti-fascist appeal to the German army, calling on it to oppose Hitler. Then there were a number of his speeches and joining the anti-fascist organization of German prisoners of war created in the USSR. In November 1944, the Paulus family in Germany was arrested and thrown into a concentration camp. There she remained until the end of the war, when she was liberated by the troops of the Western Allies. Paulus testified as a witness for the prosecution at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. His unexpected appearance there caused a great sensation.

October 24" href="/text/category/24_oktyabrya/" rel="bookmark">October 24, 1953 Soviet government decided to release Paulus and hand him over to the GDR authorities. After his release, Paulus settled in Dresden, where he spent recent years life being a police inspector. His wife, Romanian by nationality, died in 1949 in Baden-Baden at the age of 60. Two twin sons - Ernst and Friedrich - were officers and participated in the Second World War. Both of them had the rank of captain and served in tank forces. 25-year-old Friedrich died in February 1944 in Italy, and Ernst was seriously wounded during the Battle of Stalingrad; in September 1942 he was discharged from the army. Arrested for his father in the fall of 1944, he spent the rest of the war in a concentration camp. After the war he worked at his father-in-law's factory. Having learned about his father’s decision to stay in the GDR, he broke up with him. In 1970, 52-year-old Ernst Paulus committed suicide. Paulus' son-in-law Baron A. von Kutschenbach served as a military translator during the war. Killed on the Eastern Front (in Romania) in September 1944.

2. The role of Friedrich Paulus in history

Coming from the burgher class (according to the terminology of the Third Reich, he was considered a native of the people), Paulus was not part of the relatively narrow and privileged circle of the Prussian military elite, which occupied a dominant position in the German army of the 1st years. Everything that he managed to achieve in the Wehrmacht, he achieved thanks to his personal merits and abilities, the diligent fulfillment of his official duties without taking advantage of anyone's patronage.

Like most career officers of the German army, Paulus was quite wary of the Nazis at first, but then began to work closely with them, especially when he began to rapidly advance in the Wehrmacht created by the Nazi regime. The turning point that played decisive role The change in Paulus's attitude towards National Socialism was Hitler's decision to deploy powerful German armed forces (Wehrmacht) on the basis of the hundred-thousand-strong Reichswehr. This not only fully corresponded to his ideas about the role and place of the army in the system state institutions power, but also opened up for him personally a significant prospect of making a military career. After a long vegetation in the Reichswehr, for the “come from the people” there appeared real opportunity show your abilities.

Thanks to loyalty to the Nazi regime, emphasized detachment from political bias, service zeal and high professionalism, Paulus managed to make a brilliant career in the German army. If during 15 years of service in the Reichswehr he was able to advance only one step (from captain to major), then during 8 years of service in the ranks of the Wehrmacht he made a dizzying career, making a phenomenal leap from major to field marshal general.

South" on the eve of the start of Operation Blau. From left to right: Field Marshal F. von Bock, Major General A. Goisinger, Hitler, Colonel General E. von Mackensen, Panzer General F. Paulus, Infantry General G. von Sodenstern , Colonel General M. von Weichs June 1, 1942

Slow, but very thorough and methodical in his work, Paulus was better suited to the energetic, decisive Reichenau, with whom fate brought him together in the pre-war years. Reichenau hated paperwork and staff work, while his chief of staff Paulus, on the contrary, could not get up from his desk for days, translating his commander’s fragmentary, on-the-fly orders into clear and coherent paragraphs of orders that were immediately communicated to the troops . Then their implementation was scrupulously controlled by the army headquarters and Paulus personally. Successfully complementing each other, these two men, completely different in nature, worked well together, spending together the Polish 1939 and French 1940 campaigns. The successful commander Reichenau had a very high opinion of his chief of staff and greatly regretted that Paulus was not with him during the summer-autumn campaign of 1941 on the Eastern Front. Leaving the post of commander of the 6th Army, Reichenau recommended that Hitler appoint Paulus to the vacated position. The Fuhrer agreed after much hesitation. But this was far from the optimal solution.

A competent, highly trained, talented staff worker who had extensive experience working in large headquarters, including the General Staff, being a staff officer to the core, Paulus was a professional in his field, but, unfortunately, he did not respond to his new appointment. The fact is that Paulus did not have any combat experience in commanding large military formations. In addition, he lacked determination and independence. He was no different great strength will. In addition, Paulus believed in the infallibility of the Fuhrer's military genius. Only after surviving the Stalingrad disaster from the very beginning to the end, being captured and rethinking the entire tragedy of his army as his personal one, Paulus was able to abandon the false illusions in which he had so long and sincerely believed, and came to the conclusion that he had been given up and doomed to be slaughtered in a cynical manner. He realized that he and his army had been sacrificed to the political ambitions and selfish stubbornness of the Fuhrer he so adored, to whom he remained loyal to the last opportunity.

A turning point came in his consciousness, the belief in Hitler’s infallibility collapsed, his eyes were opened to the true essence of National Socialism, its criminal nature. Paulus was especially struck by the July 1944 conspiracy of Wehrmacht officers against Hitler, its failure and the brutal reprisal of its participants by the Gestapo, many of whom he knew personally. Paulus's speech on August 8, 1944 on the radio with an anti-Hitler appeal to the army and the German people was a logical consequence of his reassessment of his moral principles and a decisive break with previous values. It had the effect of a bomb exploding. The conspirators who carried out the assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, 1944 acted secretly; neither the army, nor the German people, nor the world community knew anything about their activities, plans and intentions. Nazi propaganda presented them simply as “a bunch of renegades”, “enemies of the German people” and others. And here the German field marshal, who fought for the glory of Germany until the very end in Stalingrad, directly appeals to the people of Germany and the army with a call to overthrow the Hitler regime. Hitler and his entourage did not expect such a blow. Before this, the entire country and army were sure that, as Nazi propaganda claimed, the 6th Army died at Stalingrad along with its commander. And he suddenly appeared, alive and in his right mind. Here even Dr. Goebbels was completely at a loss, which had never happened to him before...

2.1. Friedrich Paulus as a military leader

As a military leader, Paulus distinguished himself in the Battle of Kharkov in the spring of 1942, as well as in the battle that arose in the Small Bend of the Don in the summer of 1942. The troops he led acted successfully and won great victories in both of these battles. However, in the Battle of Stalingrad, despite initially achieving impressive successes, Paulus finally suffered a crushing defeat, his army was completely destroyed by Soviet troops. The German army had never known such a merciless defeat in its entire history. thousand-year history. Of course, the main culprit of the Stalingrad disaster is Hitler and his inner circle. But Paulus also bears his share of responsibility for it, who, blindly obeying his Fuhrer, did not display elementary civic courage, not to mention the courage of a commander, to do everything in his power to save the army entrusted to him. After the defensive front of the Romanian troops defending the flanks of the 6th Army fell and the Soviet tank corps rushed into the breakthrough, a real threat of encirclement loomed over Paulus's army. This development of events did not come as a surprise to the German command - the possibility of this had not been ruled out for several weeks at the headquarters of Army Group B and the 6th Army. Since the Germans did not have large operational reserves in the Stalingrad direction, the likelihood of parrying powerful enemy attacks seemed extremely problematic. Therefore, the commander of Army Group M. von Weichs and the commander of the 6th Army Paulus repeatedly raised the question of withdrawing the 6th Army from Stalingrad to the Don to Hitler. But the Fuhrer forbade them to even think about it. When the worst assumptions of the command of Army Group B and the 6th Army came true, the situation became stalemate.

In reality, Paulus had little choice in the situation; he was limited to two options. Option one - as a sign of disagreement with Hitler’s absurd decision, he could defiantly resign and thereby end his military career. Apparently, this option was unacceptable for the old campaigner. Option two - in order to save his army and his face as a military leader, he could have violated Hitler’s orders, left the ruins of Stalingrad without permission and quickly retreated beyond the Don. In this case, the army would have been saved, but Paulus could have put an end to his career as a military leader. For such lawlessness, the Fuhrer mercilessly removed even field marshals from their posts and sent them into retirement, and Paulus in this case was not even a colonel general yet. For the old servant, for whom the order of the senior boss was law, not subject to discussion, this option was also excluded. There was, however, a third option - to call in sick and thus wash your hands, leaving everything to be sorted out by your successor. But this option was quite slippery. If it were implemented, the military leader was at great risk of being accused of banal desertion, and his future career could also be in big question. Even with the most favorable outcome in this case, the reputation of the military leader would be greatly tarnished. Paulus did not dare to use one of these options. He decided to do nothing at all, letting events take their course and accepting his fate, firmly convinced that Hitler would fulfill his promise and do everything to release the 6th Army. There have already been examples of this kind (Demyansk groups and others). This faith did not leave Paulus for a long time, he continued to stubbornly resist until the last opportunity, dooming hundreds of thousands of his soldiers to senseless death... and cruelly miscalculated.

A tall, smart, reserved man, neat to the point of pedantry, Paulus gave the impression of being a rather dry service worker, and did not cause much delight among his subordinates when communicating with him. An invariable part of his equipment were gloves, which Paulus never parted with (even in the heat). He explained this curiosity to those around him by saying that he couldn’t stand dirt. He also had another oddity: no matter how the situation developed, Paulus always took a bath and changed clothes once a day. For his whims, he received such caustic nicknames from his colleagues as noble lord" or "our elegant gentleman." The name of Paulus forever remained inextricably linked with Stalingrad - the largest and bloodiest battle in the history of mankind. It was here, on the banks of the Volga, that the decisive event of the Second World War took place, predetermined its outcome, and one of its main participants was Friedrich Paulus.

3. Quotes

“If we look at the war only with our own eyes, we will only get an amateur photograph. Looking at the war with our own eyes

enemy, we will get excellent

x-ray."

4. Awards of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus

Awards of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus

military service

III degree

III degree (February 5, 1943) II degree (February 5, 1943) I degree (February 5, 1943)

5 times noted in the Wehrmachtbericht report (May 30, 1942, August 11, 1942, January 31, 1943, February 1, 1943, February 3, 1943)

Literature

World War

Mitcham S., Mueller J.

German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, who commanded the 6th Army and surrendered after fierce battles and encirclement at Stalingrad, actively collaborated with the Soviet Union, which greatly irritated Hitler. German propaganda arranged a solemn funeral for the living Paulus in his homeland, and Nazi saboteurs repeatedly tried to kill him. Volgograd writer Yuri Mishatkin spoke about how it happened.

Rod on the lid

“It is known that the Stalingrad security officers prevented the assassination attempt on prisoner No. 1, Field Marshal Paulus,” the writer recalls. - The day before the complete collapse of the encircled 6th Army, Paulus was assigned by order of Hitler highest rank Field Marshal General. The calculation was simple - not a single top German commander surrendered. The Fuhrer intended to push the “heroic field marshal” to at least continue resistance and possible suicide.
Already at the beginning of February in Germany Nazi authorities National mourning was hastily declared for the 6th Army killed on the Volga. Hitler's propaganda declared Paulus himself to have died heroically. In the hall of one of the Berlin town halls, a luxuriously decorated empty coffin with the Kaiser's helmet on the lid was solemnly installed, symbolizing the martyrdom of the German military leader. At the symbolic funeral of Paulus, Hitler personally placed the symbolic marshal's baton, which had not been handed over to the ex-commander, onto the lid of the coffin. However, as you know, in reality Paulus decided to do everything his own way. He personally gave the order to the army entrusted to him to stop resistance and himself surrendered along with his headquarters.”

Fake underground

A couple of years after being captured in the basement of a Stalingrad department store, Paulus began to actively help the Red Army in organizing counter-propaganda. His anti-Nazi appeals and leaflets, which the Nazis declared to be fakes, are widely known. In them, the ex-field marshal called on the German people to eliminate Adolf Hitler and end the war. And immediately after the defeat of Nazi Germany, it was Paulus who became one of the main witnesses for the Soviet prosecution at the Nuremberg trials; he himself was not charged with any war crimes.

“Few people know, but Hitler tried with all his might to eliminate his captured “comrade-in-arms” physically, I learned this from documentary archives and the memoirs of security officers,” shares Mishatkin. - For example, literally in February 1943, a large group of Nazi saboteurs was airlifted to the rear of the Red Army near Stalingrad. Twenty well-trained, as they would say now, special forces thugs. They were given the task of physically eliminating by any means all captured German military leaders, Paulus in the first place.”
According to the researcher, the security officers figured out the landing point very quickly and just as quickly eliminated the landing force in battle. Literally a few months later, the Nazis repeated their attempt to “get” the captured field marshal with a similar sabotage and destruction group near Suzdal. It was in this city that the camp for “VIP prisoners of war” was then located. And again a complete failure of the fighter mission.

“The details of the extermination of the Paulus liquidator detachment near Stalingrad are still little studied,” explains the writer. - In my work “The Hunt for the Field Marshal” I decided to allow a free approach. He talked about how the Nazis, dressed as Red Army soldiers, settled into the rear of “ours” and established contacts with the false “White Guard underground”, the role of which was played by experienced security officers. But in reality everything was more banal. I don't like scenes of violence. I preferred the version that the security officers “outmaneuvered” the Nazis intellectually.”

Friedrich Wilhelm Paulus

Commander of the German 6th Army Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus (left)
captured by Soviet troops on the way to the headquarters of the 64th Army. Stalingrad. January 31, 1943

Paulus (Paulus) Friedrich (23.9.1890, Breitenau, Hesse, -1.2.1957, Dresden), Field Marshal General (1943) German fascist. army. Military began service in the Kaiser's navy in 1909; in the army since 1910. Graduated from the cadet corps (1911). Participant of the 1st World War. Then he served in the Reichswehr, ch. arr. in staff positions. When the Nazis came to power in Germany, he accepted their ideas and continued to serve in the Wehrmacht. In 1935-39 he served as chief of staff of tank troops. With the outbreak of World War II, as chief of staff of the 4th Army, he participated in the aggression against Poland, and during the actions against France in 1940 he was chief of staff of the 10th Army (later renamed the 6th). From Sep. 1940 but Jan. 1942 P. - first chief quartermaster (head of operational management) of the general staff of the dry army. troops, one of the main participants in the development of the plan for Germany’s treacherous attack on the Sov. Union. From January 1942 he commanded the 6th Army on the Soviet-German front, and exercised general leadership of the German army. group of troops surrounded during Stalingrad. battles. 31 Jan 1943 P., together with his army, surrendered to the Soviets. to the troops. While in captivity, P. joined the anti-fascist in 1944. German Union officers, and then entered the National. Free Germany Committee. In 1946, P. acted as a witness for the prosecution at the Nuremberg trials of Ch. Nazi military criminals. From 1953 he lived in Dresden (GDR). He publicly condemned the zanadnogerm. pr-in for the course he pursued towards the remilitarization of Germany and revanchism.

Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia were used in 8 volumes, vol. 6: Military objects - Radio compass. 672 pp., 1978.

Other biographical materials:

At the Nuremberg trials he acted as a witness ( Encyclopedias of the Third Reich)

He was one of the responsible drafters of the so-called Barbarossa Plan ( Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 10. NAHIMSON - PERGAMUS. 1967).

Name: Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus

State: Germany

Scope of activity: Army

Greatest Achievement: Saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of German soldiers at Stalingrad by surrendering

Military campaigns have always featured excellent commanders, officers, and army leaders. All of them were distinguished by their extraordinary talent for combat. Of course, opponents would give a lot to capture or kill such a warrior. In ancient times, life was not valued as much as it is now. Many talented commanders gave their lives for their country and king. In the 19th and 20th centuries it was more convenient to take prisoners. After all, such a general could benefit the enemy. One of these is General Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus.

The beginning of the journey

It seemed that nothing foreshadowed such a bright military career for a boy from a simple family of an accountant. Friedrich Paulus was born on September 23, 1890 in the town of Huxhagen. The father, who held the position of accountant (accountant in modern times) in the prison of the city of Kassel, instilled in the child a love of order and scrupulousness. Young Friedrich loved to study since childhood, showed excellent results at the gymnasium, and then at the college.

Entering adolescence, he listens more and more to how people talk about him, what opinions they have. Gradually he comes to the conclusion that a military career would suit him. Before this, he makes attempts to become a lawyer and even attends lectures on jurisprudence, but quickly loses interest in it. Paulus is trying to get a job as an officer in the German fleet, but was rejected for one simple reason - he does not have a drop of blue blood. But Paulus is not lost and becomes a lieutenant of the Baden Land Regiment. This is how his military career begins.

It is worth noting that, unlike other top-ranking German officers, Friedrich Paulus was not particularly eager to go to the front line; he was mainly at headquarters. The regiment under his command managed to fight in France and the Balkans. Frederick met the end of the war with the rank of captain.

Life after the war

After the end of hostilities, Paulus did not abandon the army and continued his service. And he did not forget to arrange his personal life - back in 1912 he met the Romanian aristocrat Elena Solescu. Soon they got married. It was with her help that Friedrich learned good manners and made the necessary acquaintances.

With the establishment of the Weimar Republic, Paulus did not leave the country and continued to serve Germany. He held leadership positions in the armed forces. In 1922 he completed training at the General Staff. Gradually he moved up the career ladder. His fellow officers said about him that “he is slow, but methodical,” that he does not have the determination that should be inherent in all high-ranking German officers.

Paulus and the Nazis' rise to power

The 1930s were marked by the rise of National Socialism in Germany. The NSDAP party, led by them, is trying to get to the top of power, and they soon succeed. Friedrich Paulus himself did not adhere to fascist ideas, but really wanted to become a general. That's why I joined the party. His wife, being an aristocrat, easily made the necessary contacts and often helped her husband in this. Paulus himself had a complex due to his lack of blue blood that he could not add the prefix “von” to his surname (designation aristocratic families in Germany).

In 1934, Friedrich was awarded the rank of colonel. He was also appointed commander of one of the sections of road transport. In this matter he became a real expert. Before Paulus rose to the rank of major general and became director of training for Germany's light divisions - motorized rifle and reconnaissance regiments.

Participation in World War II

Hitler could not help but use the talented officer in his military operations. In 1939, Paulus took part in the occupation of Poland, then was transferred to Belgium and France. In 1940 he became lieutenant general. His dreams of a high military position begin to come true. Together with other officers, Paulus begins to develop a plan for the invasion of. At this time, he is mostly at headquarters and does not take part in hostilities. He proposes to the Nazis to take over the Soviet Union. Paulus advises Hitler to attack immediately and prevent her from going deeper into the country after defeat. The main emphasis should be on northern territories, to make it more convenient to capture Moscow.

On the advice of Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau, Hitler makes Paulus commander of the army. Already at the beginning of 1942, Friedrich conducted his first battle near Dnepropetrovsk. This battle was lost by the Germans. Paulus gives the order to look for more reliable defensive positions. Paulus was nominated for awards for his bravery.

In the summer, Paulus’s troops were already located near the city of Stalingrad - in the amount of 250 thousand people. Frederick himself personally developed a plan for an attack on the Soviet city. Hitler listened carefully to his general - great importance had a victory. After all, the places were rich in oil, in addition, the city bore the name of Stalin, which would have been excellent propaganda and a demonstration performance of the German troops. But the fascist army faced difficulties with food and weapons delivery - replenishment was slow. There was also a shortage of fuel, without which it was almost impossible to win this battle.

After it was finally delivered, violent attacks began. During the first weeks, the German army under the command of Paulus captured or killed about 50 thousand Soviet soldiers. It would seem that this is success. But at the most inopportune moment, the fuel ran out again. I had to send a delivery request again. In order not to lose that success, the Luftwaffe helped Paulus - they bombed the city from the air, killing thousands of lives every day.

In September the fighting resumed. The German army advanced deeper into the city. Soviet troops fought fierce battles for every centimeter of Stalingrad. The Russian snipers, hiding in the destroyed houses, performed well. Their bullets greatly undermined the power of the German army. Despite the fact that the Germans still managed to raise their flag in the main square of the city, street fighting did not stop.

Battle of Stalingrad

Hitler gave the order to Paulus to capture Stalingrad at any cost. On the radio, the Fuhrer loudly declared that “no one will ever push us out of Stalingrad.” When one of the generals complained about high casualties, Paulus quickly removed him from his post, although he himself had lost tens of thousands of soldiers and desperately asked Hitler to send reinforcements. Stalin did the same. Here you can trace the battle strategy - Soviet army there were more human resources, the German one has almost the entire territory of the city. It would seem that everything is lost. But the weather intervened.

The October rains turned the roads into a continuous mud mess. Paulus needed food and weapons. The Red Army continued its attacks and pushed the German army to the city's borders. Hitler demanded to stand to the end, and the Luftwaffe would provide the Germans with everything they needed from the air. However, what was delivered was not enough to fully supply the German army. Hitler realized that she was beginning to starve. During the winter, about 28 thousand soldiers died. Outside help was stopped by the Red Army near Stalingrad.

In January 1943, Hitler appointed Paulus as field marshal. He hoped that this would give Frederick a reason to commit suicide and avoid capture. However, Paulus himself decided otherwise - the next day he surrendered. He was taken into custody and initially refused to cooperate with the Soviet command. However, he soon changed his point of view and turned to the German people demanding the overthrow of Hitler. This was the beginning of the end. The Fuhrer, in retaliation, put his son, who served in the Wehrmacht, under arrest. His wife, daughter, and grandchildren are sent into exile. Paulus himself remained in captivity until the end of the war.

Last years of life

Friedrich Paulus settled in Ilyinsky near Moscow. He traveled to Germany several times, including to the Nuremberg trials, where he acted as a witness. In 1949, Paulus's wife died - he was informed about this only a month after her death.

He was able to leave the Soviet Union only after Stalin's death. He moved to Dresden, where he was given a villa. He starts teaching military history and art in a special military center. He always spoke warmly about. Paulus died on February 1, 1957 in Dresden. A few days later, the urn with the ashes was buried next to the grave of his wife in the city of Baden-Baden.

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Stalingrad, a response came from the German resort town of Baden-Baden to my request about Baroness Olga von Kutchenbach, daughter of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus. I wanted to know about the fate of her father after his release from Soviet captivity.

The long-awaited letter

“Dear Mr. Barykin! I have to disappoint you: Baroness von Kutchenbach died on her estate at the age of 89. If you have any questions, I advise you to contact the Bundesarchive, or to the memoirs of the field marshal’s friend, Colonel Wilhelm Adam, published in Russia. All the best to you! With deep respect, Mayor Wolfgang Gerstner."

I took Mr. Gerstner's advice and this is what I found out.

After being defeated in the Battle of Stalingrad, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus became a prisoner of war on January 31, 1943. Before this, there was no more popular person in the Wehrmacht than him. But there was no person with a more tragic fate than that of Paulus.

A brilliant General Staff officer, one of the authors of the Barbarossa plan, he could have been appointed head of the Main Command of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces if Stalingrad had been taken. Hitler promised this when he gave him command of the elite 6th Field Army that took Paris. Instead, Paulus suffered the fate of the first German field marshal to be captured.

From Hitler to Stalin

What happened next? Long years of Soviet captivity in an officer's camp, transition from the ranks of ardent opponents of the Soviet regime to its active supporters.

In the West, like here, there is an opinion that Paulus was “helped” by NKVD officers in this. You can adhere to this version or question it, but this is exactly what the famous publicist and historian Vladimir Markovchin thinks, citing as evidence not only the case filed against the field marshal, but also the contents of the folder with the inscription “Special Operation “Satrap” (Fr. Paulus).”

Apparently, there are no limits to the imagination of the NKVD officers, who undertook an unprecedented and very successful operation under that name against Paulus. The NKVD authorities managed to overcome, although not immediately, the stubborn field marshal, playing, among other things, on his all-consuming love for his beautiful wife Elena Constance Rosetta-Solescu from the royal Romanian family.

It was she who largely helped Paulus make a brilliant career. From a simple Reichswehr lieutenant, he worked his way up to field marshal. The son of a prison accountant, Paulus became a member of aristocratic circles not only in Romania, but also in Germany.

Elena-Constance everywhere represented her husband as a hero of the First World War, who received the Iron Cross from the hands of the Kaiser himself.
Paulus's career was meteoric. On January 20, 1942, Hitler appointed him commander of the elite 6th Field Army.

“With this army, my Paulus, it’s not scary to storm the heavens,” the Fuhrer admonished him.

Operation Satrap

But let's return to the moment of Paulus's capture. After his interrogation by the commander of the 64th Army M.S. Shumilov on the Zavarykin farm, the field marshal remained for three more days near Stalingrad while they decided where to place him.

In the end, he was sent to the Krasnogorsk special camp of the NKVD. Conveyance there defeated field marshal took place under the close supervision of special authorities. And not without reason.

The Abwehr was given an order: to recapture Paulus from the Russians, dead or alive. The attempt to capture the field marshal, made by the henchmen of Otto Skorzeny himself, failed. Our agent was infiltrated into the Abwehr special group...

It was much more difficult to change the field marshal’s Nazi beliefs. Forcing Paulus, an ardent Nazi and associate of Hitler, to come over to our side was a purely political matter. It was hardly possible to find a better figure for anti-Hitler propaganda.

To process Paulus, the best state security officers were involved in Operation Satrap. To persuade the stubborn field marshal to cooperate, a unique operation on the delivery of letters from Paulus's wife from warring Germany.

Elena-Constance did not believe that her Fridi (as she called her husband) shot himself to avoid being captured by the Russians. More than a year“processing” of Paulus was carried out. But he rejected any attempts to involve himself in the Anti-Fascist Committee. Paulus's relocation to the Suzdal camp did not help either.

There, seeing his former comrades, Paulus raised his hand in a Nazi salute. He was depressed by the thought that the Germans considered him a traitor. But neither Hitler nor Manstein gave him the opportunity to withdraw troops from Stalingrad.
The last straw that wore away the stone in the soul of the unapproachable field marshal was the news of the brutal execution on July 20, 1944 of the leaders of the assassination attempt on Hitler.

Among those executed was his friend, Count von Witzleben. Field Marshal Paulus was delivered fresh German newspapers, including the Nazi mouthpiece Völkischer Beobachter, which described the execution of the conspirators. Paulus was deeply angered by the brutal manner in which the count and other conspirators were executed. After monstrous torture, they were hung alive by their ribs on hooks.

Gradually, an epiphany came to Paulus: it was Hitler who was to blame for the death of the 6th Army. The field marshal volunteered to address the German people on Soviet radio, declaring the criminal nature of Hitler's regime. From that day on, the surname “Paulus” was not pronounced in the Reich without the prefix “traitor.”

Repression against his family followed immediately. Elena-Constance, her daughter Olga von Kutchenbach with three-year-old Achim, and her son's wife with a three-month-old child were placed in Gestapo prison. Half a month later, Paulus’s son, Ernst-Alexander, a tank captain who miraculously escaped the Stalingrad “cauldron,” was also imprisoned there.

Ernst-Alexander was interrogated by the Gestapo chief, SS Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller himself. He told Paulus’s son that his father was a state criminal, since he “headed an army of prisoners of war in Russia.”

“Until Paulus stops his criminal propaganda against the Reich,” the Gestapo chief “reassured” Ernst, “his family will be kept in custody.”

Paulus's son did not renounce his father and was transferred to Küstrin prison. Elena-Constance also rejected the proposal to change her surname with contempt. She was then sent to the death camp in Dachau, from which she was later released by the Americans.

With modest savings, Paulus's wife bought a small house in Baden-Baden, where she lived with her daughter Olga and grandson Achim. She was never given the opportunity to meet her husband - even in Nuremberg, where he was summoned as the main witness.

“Paulus’s daughter, Baroness Olga von Kutchenbach, avoided meeting with journalists until her death,” he said. “The fact is that in Germany the field marshal is still considered a traitor.”

Captured

Paulus spent more than ten years in the Soviet camp and was one of the last German generals to be released. He wrote to Stalin more than once asking for a personal meeting, wanting to express thoughts about the structure of the new Germany and his place in it.

But Stalin did not want to release his “personal prisoner.” The thought that the German field marshal was languishing in a Soviet camp warmed the heart of the aging leader. He did not answer, he only said to Beria: “Let him sit for his own good.”

Stalin was informed that they had tried to kill Paulus more than once. Such an attempt was made by the Nazis on the way to Nuremberg, where the field marshal was supposed to act as the main witness.

A prominent role in the fate of the captured field marshal was played by V.I. Chuikov, who at that time commanded the Soviet occupation forces in Germany. By agreement with the government of the GDR, Vasily Ivanovich was ready to receive the field marshal in Dresden, where a villa and a lecturer position were prepared for Paulus High school people's police.

Chuikov was the first to send a message to Paulus about the death of his wife in 1949. The death of his beloved wife deeply shocked Paulus. The hope of reuniting with the family also collapsed. Daughter Olga then lived in the French zone of occupation, and son Ernst lived in the English zone.

Paulus was nervous, sending one request after another to the Main Directorate of the NKVD of the USSR. And only in September 1953, after a meeting with the head of the Socialist single party Germany's Walter Ulbricht and Friedrich Paulus were finally allowed to leave.

Before leaving for the GDR, the field marshal was given a gift from the leadership of the MGB - a radio receiver and a one-time allowance of 1000 marks.

On October 24, 1953, Paulus left for Berlin by courier train. The first to meet him at the Ostbahnhof station was the faithful Adam.

Testament of Paulus

In Dresden, in his own villa, Friedrich Paulus spent all the last four years of his life allotted to him by God.

As V. Adam, who was sensitive to the fate of his former commander, recalled, he served as head of the Higher Officer School of the People's Police.

Adam remained next to Paulus until his last day. Giving all my strength new job in the People's Police of the GDR, he hid his deep apathy and ill health from everyone.

On February 1, 1957, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus passed away. There are two versions regarding his death. According to one, he died in his villa, according to another, he died in a car accident caused by the Nazis.

Paulus was buried with the highest honors in Dresden, and after the unification of Germany, his ashes were reburied in Baden-Baden, next to the grave of his wife.

His intention to write the history of the battle on the Volga, as he imagined it, remained unfulfilled. Sharing the plan for the book with Adam, Paulus repeated more than once: “The campaign against Stalingrad was a tragic mistake. Never again should war come from German soil. Let this be my repentance to the Soviet people for the evil committed... I arrived in Russia as its enemy, and left as its friend.”

These words became the political testament of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus.