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Manstein, Erich von & Wilhelm Keitel - Two Field Marsha

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:0.00 USD Estimated At:15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
Manstein, Erich von & Wilhelm Keitel - Two Field Marsha
Manstein, Erich von & Wilhelm Keitel - Two Field Marshals (1887-1973) Considered the most brilliant of all of Hitler's 27 Field Marshals. Typed Document Signed "Adolf Hitler," 1 page, in German, 11¾ x 8¼ in., Führer Headquarters, July 5, 1942. The document has a raised official Nazi seal to the lower left of Hitler's signature, 3 inches in diameter. The document is headed "In the name of the German people!" and announces that effective from July 1, 1942, "Colonel General von Lewinski called von Manstein, Commander in Chief of the 11th Army…." is promoted to General Field Marshal. The document is also signed "Keitel" by General Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946), who was Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the unofficial war minister. Very fine.

Born Fritz Erich von Lewinski, Manstein was a professional soldier descended from a line of Prussian generals. One of ten children, his parents (General of Artillery Eduard von Lewinski was his natural father) allowed him to be adopted by his mother's childless sister and her husband, Lt. Gen. Georg von Manstein. Erich followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle and entered the Prussian Army in 1906. He served in World War I, rising to Captain, with an Iron Cross First Class and the Hohenzollern House Order. After the war, he helped create the Reichswehr, the army of the Weimar Republic, which was restricted to 100,000 men. He rose through the Army and in 1939 participated in the invasion of Poland as Chief of Staff, Army Group South. In 1940, it was Manstein who initiated and helped plan the Ardennes offensive which led to the fall of France; for this he was promoted to full general and awarded the Knight's Cross. In February 1941, Manstein was appointed commander of the 56th Panzer Corps and was involved in Operation Barberossa. In September of 1941, he was appointed commander of the 11th Army, whose goals were invading the Crimea and capturing Rostov. He decided to go after the Crimea first and finally, after months of fighting, captured Sevastopol on July 3, 1942. Hitler called Manstein on July 4th and called him "The Conqueror of Sevastopol" and told him that he was being promoted to General Field Marshal, which he was the next day, when Hitler signed this document. Manstein also won a major victory in 1943 when he recaptured Kharkov and stopped the Soviet's winter campaign (Hitler gave him Oak Leaves for his Knight's Cross for this), but on March 30, 1944, Manstein was dismissed by Hitler because of disagreements over military stategy on the Eastern front. Mannstein retired to his estate and fought no more. After the war, he was captured by the British and spent four years in prison before being brought before a British Military court in Hamburg in 1949. He was convicted of one charge: neglecting to protect civilian life, and sentenced to 18 years, later reduced to 12 years. He was released in 1953 on medical parole and served as a military advisor for the West German Army. He wrote his autobiography, Verlorene Siege [Lost Victories] and died at the age of 85.

Field Marshal Keitel was known as "Little Lackey" because of his subservience to Hitler. Although he was against invading France (a plan initiated by Manstein), he did back down and was promoted Field Marshal after the French campaign, then received the Knight's Cross for arranging the armistice with France. Keitel signed orders allowing soldiers to be summarily executed, rather than taken prisoner of war. He was also involved in handing over officers who were involved in the July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler. On May 8, 1945, Keitel, on orders from Dõnitz, signed an unconditional surrender in Berlin. At Nuremberg, where he was accused of numerous offenses, his response was that he was just following orders. He was sentenced to death and because of his signed orders to execute soldiers, was ordered to be hanged, rather than shot by a firing squad.

Proceeds from the sale of this document will be donated to the Museum of Tolerance.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 20,000.

Our item number 155374