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
hand, as a man who “lacked operational refinement but [was] a tough and determined fighter,” (82). It almost seems as though Robert states that each general lacked what the other possessed. Chuikov was the ideal leader for this battle because he was focused less on neatness and refinement in battle, but more so on getting his hands dirty and ensuring victory. One of the main differences between Chuikov and Paulus was that for most of the battle, Chuikov was in the thick of it while Paulus stayed away from the line of fire and commanded from the rear.
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
defeat. Another aspect of the Battle of Stalingrad was that the Germans, thought they had superior numbers and firepower, were unprepared for the kind of fighting that took place. The rubble and ruin that plagued the streets of Stalingrad due to heavy artillery fire and aircraft provided a sanctuary for the Soviet defenders and a hassle for the Germans, who being so used to uniformity and concentrated attacks, could not function well in the midst of chaos. Aircraft did not want to attack the Soviets because they were afraid of hitting their own troops, while the dense surroundings served as a hindrance to the use of armor by the enemy. Because of this, Stalingrad became a battle of foot soldiers, which put the Soviets at a distinct advantage. Chuikov, who was well-apt at conforming to his surroundings to better address the situation at hand, came to understand that the Germans could be defeated in the right circumstances. But let us focus more on Paulus, who was initially a blind follower of Hitler with his tainted military policies.
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
advantage. Although Paulus seemed somewhat spineless when it came to making tough calls, towards the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, when it became so clear that Germany was facing an inevitable defeat, Paulus was finally able to make the wise decision of surrendering to the Soviets. However, he did receive a lot of pressure and backlash from Hitler himself, who would’ve have gladly seen fifty thousand of his men commit suicide, rather than surrender to his enemies. The Battle of Stalingrad, though it was a pivotal moment in history, it was unnecessary. It determined the fate of the world as we know it, yet could have been avoided easily had the German Armies proceeded to Caucasus in the south as planned. This loss was a huge defeat for Germany in terms of casualties, but also served as a severing blow to the morale of the German people. General Paulus, though he was not perfect, was not to blame for the losses Germany suffered in this battle. They were unprepared from the start for this kind of warfare. Because they blindly followed the commands of Hitler, they were unable to realize the impending doom of Stalingrad until defeat was staring them in the face.