The Battle of Stalingrad, culminating in the encirclement and surrender of the German Sixth Army in February 1943, resulted in the surrender of which German Field Marshal?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Friedrich Paulus
- Step 1: During Operation Uranus in November 1942, the Red Army executed a massive pincer encirclement around the German Sixth Army fighting inside the ruins of Stalingrad.
- Step 2: Adolf Hitler promoted Paulus to Field Marshal on 30 January 1943, expecting him to commit suicide (as no German field marshal had ever surrendered); Paulus surrendered the next day on 31 January 1943.
Answer
Friedrich Paulus
Why not the others: 'Erwin Rommel' Rommel commanded the Afrika Korps in North Africa and later coastal defenses in Normandy, not the Sixth Army at Stalingrad; 'Heinz Guderian' Guderian was a pioneer of blitzkrieg armored warfare who served as Chief of the Army General Staff late in the war; 'Erich von Manstein' Manstein commanded Army Group Don and attempted unsuccessfully to relieve the trapped Sixth Army during Operation Winter Storm.
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