Friedrich Paulus

Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1945. He attained the rank ofGeneralfeldmarschall (field marshal) during World War II, and is best known for commanding the Sixth Army in the Battle of Stalingrad, including the successful advance toward the city and the less successful attack in 1942 (Case Blue) stopped by the Soviet counter-offensives during the 1942–43 winter. The battle ended in disaster for Nazi Germany when about 265,000 personnel of the Wehrmacht, their Axis allies, and the anti-Soviet volunteers were encircled and defeated. Of the 107,000 captured, only 6,000 survived captivity and returned home by 1955.

Paulus was taken by surprise and captured by Soviet forces in Stalingrad on 31 January 1943,[1] the same day on which he was informed of his promotion to field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) by Adolf Hitler.

Hitler expected Paulus to commit suicide, citing the fact that there was no record of a German field marshal ever being captured alive. While in Soviet captivity during the war, Paulus became a vocal critic of the Nazi regime and joined the Soviet-sponsored National Committee for a Free Germany. He moved to theGerman Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1953. (Temporary text from wikipedia; will be replaced soon)