Who Is Paulus In Victory At Stalingrad

Roberts in his book, Victory at Stalingrad, makes several comparisons between Paulus, who headed the 6th Army of Germany and Chuikov, leader of the 65th Army for Russia. With these differences, Roberts explains the underlying factors that contributed to Germany’s overwhelming defeat at Stalingrad. According to Roberts, Paulus was “a highly competent, but unimaginative officer, an operational technician rather than a field commander,” (82). I take this to mean that Paulus had the knowledge and skill to lead the 6th Army, but lacked the nerve that was required to make quick and informed decisions. Paulus’s lack of gusto and chutzpa played a major role in Germany’s defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad. Roberts refers to Chuikov, on the other
During the battle, Chuikov never left his post, despite coming close to the grips of death on several occasions. Chuikov lead from the front, and as a result, his leadership is often referenced as the cause of Russia‘s victory. After all, it was Chuikov who marched the first troops into Berlin at the end of WWII. Because Paulus did not have that direct communication, nor relationship with his men, by the time things got really bad, Paulus was no longer able to control his men, which also led to Germany’s
General Paulus did not think with his own brain, and instead of choosing the best options for his men, he went along with Hitler’s unrealistic notion of ‘fight to the death.” That is to say, up until it meant his own death, at which point he came to the realization that he wasn‘t willing to go that far. The Germans should have left when they had the opportunity, and it is because they remained in Stalingrad that Germany suffered such a defeat. Though Paulus was lacking in leadership skills, it cannot be forgotten that Germany was fighting at a distinct disadvantage due to the fact that they were not operating on their own turf. The Soviets knew the layout of the land and used that to their