The Man Who Lost Stalingrad —  Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]This German field marshal became the face of one of the most devastating defeats of World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad.

[00:00:10]But, was this soldier truly to blame?

[00:00:13]Or was he a victim of circumstance, orders, and a collapsing war machine?

[00:00:20]Today, we're going to look at the life, campaigns, and most importantly, the medals of Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus.

[00:00:41]Friedrich Paulus was born in September 1890 in Breitenau, Hesse, to a lower-middle-class family. His father worked as an accountant or bookkeeper in a correctional institution.

[00:00:54]Aged 18, after finishing school in Kassel, he applied to join the Imperial Navy, but was rejected. He briefly studied law at university before turning to the army. In 1910, he entered the Imperial German Army as a cadet. The following year, he would become a lieutenant and join the 3rd Infantry Regiment.

[00:01:14]In 1912, he married Elena Rosetti-Solescu, a Romanian aristocrat whose brothers served in his regiment. Paulus married up, so to speak, the marriage being socially advantageous to Paulus, giving him connections in society that were previously denied to him.

[00:01:33]Selecting a career in a very class-conscious institution, one critique of Paulus was that throughout his life, he would fail to shake off a sense of personal inadequacy due to his modest family background.

[00:01:47]Apparently, in Germany, having a von, Freiherr, or Ritter in your name brought a distinct advantage.

[00:01:55]Maybe like a double-barreled name in England or one of those old French Norman surnames.

[00:02:01]At the outbreak of the First World War, Paulus was served with his infantry regiment on the Western Front.

[00:02:07]Early in the fighting, he fell seriously ill and was pulled from the line in November of that year, only around 3 months since the war began.

[00:02:17]It's unclear what the illness was, perhaps trench fever. I'm just going to read you out some of the symptoms and description of trench fever and see if you agree.

[00:02:27]Trench fever was caused by bacteria spread by body lice, causing painful fever and extreme fatigue for weeks, up to 3 months in some cases. Though rarely fatal, it infected over a million Allied troops and forced many off the front lines and placed in administrative functions.

[00:02:47]So, that could be it.

[00:02:49]When Paulus recovered, the army reassigned him to staff work. First, with the Second of Prussia Jaeger Regiment and later with the elite Alpine Corps.

[00:03:00]These units moved between the Western and Eastern Fronts, often taking heavy casualties. During this time, Paulus worked behind the scenes on planning operations and administrative roles rather than leading troops in the field.

[00:03:14]By the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of Hauptmann or captain, but he had never actually commanded a combat unit.

[00:03:22]His superiors consistently saw him as a methodical and capable staff officer, intelligent, diligent, but not naturally decisive.

[00:03:33]Those early impressions would follow him in his career in the interwar army and would ultimately shape the kind of officer that he would have come to be.

[00:03:41]After the war, from the end of 1918, Paulus served as an adjutant in the government-supported paramilitary Freikorps in a unit within the Eastern Border Protection Force. During the so-called Silesian Uprisings, this outfit would fight against the occupation of Silesian territories by Polish troops. The Border Force was intended to protect the eastern border and territories of the German Reich, particularly against the newly founded Polish state until the final border was decided by either government. Paulus was involved in organizing volunteer deployments as well as recruitment, but did not participate in combat himself.

[00:04:23]He would not stay long in this role, though, as in 1919, Paulus applied for and was accepted into the Reichswehr, which would become the army of the Weimar Republic. Paulus would be one of 4,000 officer applications accepted by the now drastically reduced post-war army. He then served as an adjutant in the 14th Infantry Regiment garrisoned in Konstanz.

[00:04:50]In the mid-1920s, Paulus would serve as a general staff officer in Stuttgart and was then transferred to the 13th Infantry Regiment, where he would meet Erwin Rommel, who was another company commander. Although they would maintain a friendship, they would later clash in their careers, as we shall see.

[00:05:09]Tellingly, around this time, during one appointment at infantry school, Paulus's students would nickname him the Ditherer. Allegedly, Paulus would also be criticized for lacking decisiveness during practical troop maneuvers.

[00:05:24]Essentially, all book smart, no street smarts. In 1931, Paulus would be promoted to major and given a role as an instructor teaching tactics and military history at the War Academy in Berlin.

[00:05:38]This was the elite staff college of the German army and was responsible for training future general staff officers.

[00:05:46]It was originally called the Prussian War Academy, and during the interwar period, it was known as the Kriegsakademie.

[00:05:55]In 1935, he would be promoted to colonel.

[00:05:58]Throughout the mid to late 1930s, he would play a major role in the development of the German armed forces, including the Panzers.

[00:06:07]Paulus thought of himself as an apolitical professional soldier, not a Nazi.

[00:06:13]But like many military men, he approved of Hitler coming to power in the 1930s.

[00:06:19]And this was primarily due to Hitler's nationalistic sentiment, desire for growing the armed forces, and his muscular foreign policy. I'm sure a lot of military men were thinking of all the great career options that could be available with the expansion of the armed forces.

[00:06:39]In 1938, he became chief of the general staff to the 16th Army Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Erich Hoepner. Apologies to any German speakers if I've butchered that one.

[00:06:52]Paulus was then promoted major general in 1939.

[00:06:57]Early in the war, Paulus was assigned as chief of staff of the German 10th Army during the Polish campaign. This would later be redesignated as the Sixth Army during the campaign in the west.

[00:07:10]In the Sixth Army, Paulus would become chief of staff to General von Reichenau during the French Blitzkrieg in 1940.

[00:07:20]The two men were very different in temperament and experience. Paulus had never commanded more than a battalion, and that was in peacetime. His boss, however, was seen as a frontline soldier. Paulus was the perfect intellectual foil to the brash, energetic, and decisive Reichenau.

[00:07:41]Paulus would plan and coordinate operations during the invasions of the Low Countries and France. And he would gain a reputation as both a meticulous and efficient staff officer rather than a field commander.

[00:07:57]In 1940, he was seen as a man highly skilled with organizational and planning capabilities rather than a battlefield commander or leader. In September 1940, Paulus was appointed to the Army High Command OKH as Deputy Chief of the German Staff for Operations. In this position, he worked directly under Franz Halder, the Chief of the General Staff, and conducted much planning for the future Operation Barbarossa. In this role, he would come to Hitler's attention. Impressed by Paulus' reputation for impeccable behavior, diplomacy, and organizational skills. In April 1941, Halder became concerned by Erwin Rommel's aggressive behavior in North Africa and ignoring orders from High Command. Due to their prior relationship as junior officers, Paulus was thought of as one of Rommel's few old friends among staff officers, many of whom he'd fallen out with since. Halder sent Paulus to Libya stating of Paulus, "Perhaps he's the only one who can exercise his personal influence on this officer who has gone mad." By ignoring High Command's directive in that Rommel should just pursue a limited and defensive war in North Africa, Rommel's aggression and demands for further logistical support and reinforcements was actually messing up the High Command's planning and preparation for Operation Barbarossa, i.e. the invasion of the Soviet Union. However, in Rommel's defense, he was unaware of the planned invasion due to operational security and need to know.

[00:09:41]Unlike Rommel, described as a robust leader with a bit of fire in his belly, who was prepared to ignore orders from his seniors from time to time, Paulus possessed an exaggerated sense of respect for the chain of command.

[00:09:55]And I've seen one description of him as more scientist than general.

[00:10:00]In layman's high school terms, I guess that means Rommel was seen as more of a a Chad and jock, and Paulus a bit of a bit of a dweeb, nerdy type.

[00:10:10]After his visit to North Africa, Paulus would author a critical report on Rommel's handling of the Africa Corps, arguing that Rommel had overextended his forces and was taking unnecessary risks with his supply lines. After observing the first failed attack on Tobruk in April 1941, Paulus concluded that Rommel had seriously misjudged the situation in North Africa. He also disapproved of Rommel's cultivation of a flamboyant public image through the media, thinking it vain, which created friction between the two men.

[00:10:47]On the Eastern Front, during the disastrous winter campaign of late 1941, Hitler would dismiss many senior commanders, creating major gaps in leadership.

[00:10:59]Paulus's old boss from France, General Reichenau, was a committed National Socialist and someone that Hitler felt he could trust, as well as being an experienced battlefield commander. He would replace General Gerd von Rundstedt as commander of Army Group South after Rundstedt was removed. Initially, Hitler wanted Reichenau to command both Army Group South and the Sixth Army, but Reichenau stated it was impossible and recommended Paulus as commander for the Sixth Army. With Hitler's approval, Reichenau brought Paulus into his command and promoted him to Lieutenant General, placing him in command of the 6th Army.

[00:11:42]For the first time in Paulus's career, he would move from a senior staff officer role to a command in the field.

[00:11:51]The author Anthony Beevor writes, "Thus, on New Year's Day, 1942, Paulus, who had never even commanded a division or corps, found himself catapulted up the army list to the rank of General of Panzer Troops."

[00:12:11]Less than a week later, he would be promoted again. He became Commander-in-Chief of the 6th Army just after the Soviets launched a major but ill-coordinated offensive towards Kursk.

[00:12:25]Essentially, Paulus had jumped from major general up two ranks to general in less than a week. Unlike his charismatic predecessor, who was loved by his troops and seen as a swashbuckling soldier's soldier, Paulus lacked the common touch and was not popular amongst his men.

[00:12:44]He would habitually wear gloves as he hated getting dirt under his fingernails.

[00:12:50]And he would insist on changing his uniform twice a day.

[00:12:55]That's not a great look when most of your men are absolutely filthy living in Panzer tanks or armored vehicles not having washed for weeks. It reminds me of General Westmoreland in Vietnam visiting his soldiers who were in the jungle in his immaculately pressed uniform. You just seem out of touch with your rank and file.

[00:13:16]Conducting his handover with Paulus only 6 days after assuming control of Army Group South, fate would rob Paulus of his patron.

[00:13:25]Reichenau, being a fitness fanatic, decided to go on a morning run in the freezing Ukrainian countryside and then began to feel unwell, later suffering a stroke or heart attack. And he would die following a further head injury inflicted during a crash landing during a medical evacuation flight back to Germany.

[00:13:46]Although now lacking having access to his mentor's guidance and advice, Paulus would initially start off his command with successes. In May 1942, Paulus led the Sixth Army to victory in the Second Battle of Kharkov, capturing nearly a quarter of a million Soviet troops and earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The success enabled Operation Blue, the 1942 German summer offensive aimed at seizing the oil-rich Donets Basin and the Caucasus region.

[00:14:19]Hitler stated, "If I don't get the oil of Maikop and Grozny, then I must finish this war." In July, Paulus was ordered to take Stalingrad with limited support, despite warning that his forces were too weak for the task alone.

[00:14:34]Although having his misgivings, Paulus would not push back hard enough against Hitler and the leadership and would carry on with his orders.

[00:14:43]Of his command style, it's written, "His aloof manner made him appear cold.

[00:14:49]However, he was more sensitive than many generals to the well-being of his soldiers.

[00:14:56]However, I've also seen other sources claim he felt little empathy for the daily trials and tribulations of the rank and file."

[00:15:07]Obsessed with cleanliness, Paulus would demand a daily bath and shave, even when on campaign, and he would gain the nickname among some troops of the lord the lord.

[00:15:20]I don't think he would have managed somehow the U-boat service, don't you?

[00:15:24]Although he may have raised one or two eyebrows amongst his more junior troops, it has to be said Paulus was very popular amongst senior officers due to his impeccable manners and diplomacy.

[00:15:37]In the summer of 1942, the German 6th Army began its drive towards Stalingrad as part of Hitler's grand plan to seize the Volga and push into the Caucasus oil fields.

[00:15:49]To chase both objectives at once, Hitler split the original Army Group South into two commands. Army Group A heading for the Caucasus and Army Group B tasked with capturing Stalingrad.

[00:16:01]The 6th Army formed under Army Group B and advanced rapidly across Southern Russia reaching the city by late August.

[00:16:09]This was achieved by rapid armored thrusts by the 6th Army who broke through weakened Soviet lines.

[00:16:15]With German units reaching the outskirts of Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe was tasked with heavy bombing of the city before brutal urban fighting began. The 6th Army reinforced with two core from the 4th Panzer Army would be the largest formation in the German Army.

[00:16:33]Eight divisions would fight in Stalingrad. Eleven divisions would man the front around the city and only one division was held in reserve. Even though he was a meticulous desk worker with a passion for war games and formulating plans and strategy on map boards or sand tables, Paulus would be criticized for his lack of imagination during the main offensive on Stalingrad.

[00:16:59]It was said Paulus's answer to winning the battle throughout the autumn was the bludgeon not the rapier, using immense firepower and sledgehammer assaults to try and win through.

[00:17:11]Divisions would burn themselves out in attritional warfare fighting in the streets. And what followed was a brutal close-quarter struggle through the ruins of Stalingrad. Every factory, street, and apartment block became a battleground as Soviet defenders fought tenaciously, denying the Germans full control despite massive bombardment and repeated assaults.

[00:17:35]Throughout the campaign, Paulus would keep with him a small terrier dog named Sasha, who became the HQ mascot.

[00:17:43]Paulus was a heavy smoker and constantly drank coffee.

[00:17:47]Bent over with stress, Paulus would start to suffer from dysentery and a nervous tick on the left side of his face would become increasingly noticeable.

[00:17:58]In November 1942, with the weather changing, the momentum shifted. The Soviets launched Operation Uranus, a massive counteroffensive that smashed through the weaker Romanian and Hungarian units guarding Army Group B's flanks. Their collapse allowed Soviet forces to encircle the entire Sixth Army, trapping more than a quarter of a million Axis troops inside and around Stalingrad.

[00:18:26]Prior to Uranus, Paulus did not ignore the intelligence warnings of preparations by the Soviets of an upcoming offensive.

[00:18:35]But himself and his staff failed to fully appreciate the scale and effectiveness of the upcoming assault.

[00:18:43]Soviet forces were detected by signals intelligence massing around Stalingrad, but Paulus and his Chief of Staff, Arthur Schmidt, underestimated the buildup and capabilities of Soviet forces, dismissing much of the signals intelligence as fake as they had received false alarms before.

[00:19:01]On Boxing Day, the 26th of December, Paulus sent a signal to Manstein. Bloody losses, cold, and insufficient supplies have reduced fighting strength of divisions severely.

[00:19:13]Hitler believed willpower alone could bring on victory.

[00:19:18]But it failed to account for the military logic of inferior manpower, equipment, and supplies.

[00:19:25]In a letter to his wife before New Year 1943, Paulus stated, "Christmas, naturally, was not very joyful.

[00:19:33]At such moments, festivities are better avoided."

[00:19:38]"One should not, I believe, expect too much from luck."

[00:19:43]On the 18th of January 1943, the last post flew out of Stalingrad.

[00:19:49]Paulus wrote just one line of farewell to his wife, sending the letter along with his medals, wedding ring, and signet ring.

[00:19:57]Although later he would be criticized for surrendering his troops, just like Sir Arthur Percival, the British commander of Singapore, roughly a year before, he would never consider the idea of abandoning his troops. A very lucky staff captain flying out with the last dispatches saw Paulus before he left and stated, "He looked absolutely bent under the responsibility."

[00:20:21]With his men running out of supplies and facing starvation, Paulus surrendered on the 31st of January 1943. Paulus was promoted to field marshal by Hitler the day before. This was a rank from which no German officer had ever surrendered.

[00:20:37]Paulus instead chose captivity over He was alleged to have said, "I'm not dying for that Austrian corporal."

[00:20:45]He was taken prisoner by the Red Army in the ruins of the city, marking the first time a German field marshal had been captured, and symbolizing one of Nazi Germany's most devastating defeats.

[00:21:00]After Paulus's surrender, Hitler would reportedly say, "How can someone be so cowardly? I don't understand it. So many people have to die then such a man goes and besmirches in the last minute the heroism of so many others.

[00:21:19]After the battle, Soviet interrogations of captured German officers revealed that Paulus had become increasingly overwhelmed and allowing his chief of staff, Arthur Schmidt, to dominate command decisions. Many believe Schmidt, a committed National Socialist, was effectively running the Sixth Army by the end, rigidly enforcing Hitler's orders while Paulus grew more hesitant and withdrawn.

[00:21:43]This dynamic, Paulus's failing confidence and Schmidt's inflexible obedience, proved disastrous for the encircled German forces. Paulus, it seems, never fully recovered from the surprise enemy offensive. He would be criticized for just sitting and waiting to be rescued and having a lack of a breakout plan or strategy, just trusting that Manstein and Hitler would come to his rescue.

[00:22:09]Once captured, he soon became disillusioned with the war. And later, in February 1944, he would find out that he lost a son at Anzio. This news would make him determined to cooperate with the Soviets in exchange to help shorten the war and diminish the number of senseless deaths in his opinion. From around the summer of 1944, he would join the National Committee for a Free Germany and make radio broadcasts aimed at German soldiers and officers and urge Germany to end the war and remove Hitler.

[00:22:42]He would be bugged in captivity. In one instance, in early 1945, Paulus would reportedly state, "All Hitler thinks about is how to force the German people into new sacrifice.

[00:22:54]Never before in history has lying become such a powerful weapon in diplomacy and policy.

[00:23:00]It is 2 years since the Stalingrad catastrophe and now the whole of Germany is becoming a gigantic Stalingrad.

[00:23:08]After the war, Paulus remained in Soviet captivity until 1953.

[00:23:14]Later supporting Soviet-backed anti-Nazi efforts and testifying at the Nuremberg trials before settling in East Germany where he lived quietly until his death in 1957.

[00:23:27]Critics would focus on Paulus's lack of breakout plan, his operational indecisiveness, his failure to conduct a timely breakout, and the inability to maintain cohesion under encirclement.

[00:23:43]And within the cauldron, he's also been criticized for failure of keeping up with his logistics, reconnaissance, and maneuver.

[00:23:52]Others would express sympathy for the impossible situation that he found himself in and would state grossly inadequate supplies, unrealistic political interference, and a German High Command that had failed to support the Sixth Army. It seems to me there are many parallels between Paulus at Stalingrad and Percival's downfall at Singapore.

[00:24:17]Both men were considered excellent at staff work but were judged wildly out of their depth as fighting senior commanders.

[00:24:25]Like Percival, Paulus would commit units into battles piecemeal and failed to adapt to realities on the ground unlike the Soviets.

[00:24:35]He would also increasingly allow himself to be dominated or influenced by more junior commanders just like Percival.

[00:24:43]The two men also would go against their political masters' wishes for a heroic last stand and personal sacrifice. Both Hitler and Churchill sent their generals messages urging them to fight to the end. However, both would reject that and and both would ultimately enjoy years of captivity.

[00:25:04]In summary, for Field Marshal Paulus' medals, we have Iron Cross of 1914, first and second class. Military Merit Order, fourth class with swords from Bavaria. Knight's Cross, second class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with swords. I think that's how it's pronounced. There's two medals here from princely states. The Military Merit Cross, first and second class, and the Cross for Merit in War. We also have the Military Merit Cross, third class with war decoration from Austro-Hungary.

[00:25:36]The Honor Cross of the World War from 1914 to 1918 with swords.

[00:25:41]A clasp to the Iron Cross, 1939.

[00:25:45]Iron Cross, first class, second class, both awarded in 1939. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. His Knight's Cross was awarded on the 26th of August as he was General of Panzer Troops and Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Army.

[00:26:00]His Oak Leaves were given on the 15th of January, 1943 during the Siege of Stalingrad.

[00:26:07]The Order of the Cross of Liberty, first class with Oak Leaves and Swords from Finland. That's interesting.

[00:26:13]Order of Michael the Brave, first class from Romania. I guess Paulus commanded a lot of Romanian troops.

[00:26:21]And finally, the Military Order of Iron Trefoil, first class with Oak Leaves.

[00:26:27]That's from the Independent State of Croatia. Again, another German ally at the time.

[00:26:33]For these medals, sadly, I've had to use Wikipedia as I have not seen any other sources which mention all of them.

[00:26:40]I may have mentioned this before in prior videos, but German medals and militaria definitely outside my wheelhouse or area of specific knowledge. So, I'm sure there will be some German medal geeks or boffins who know far more than me, but I've had a crack at it as many people have been requesting medals of this genre.

[00:26:59]So, let me know if there's any medals that you think may have been missed.

[00:27:03]For this video, I've mainly relied on Anthony Beevor's excellent book Stalingrad.

[00:27:10]Thanks for watching. I hope you found some value from this, and I'll see you in the next one.