the Original plan how to conquer Stalingrad was changed by Hitler Three times before the actual attempt, FM Paulus Forces have been allready stripped down by hitler to a size were it had been allready questionable to even consider a victory over Stalingrad.
The parts of the 6. Army had allready reached a state of exhaustment on the march from Woronesh to Stalingrad, there was no pause , no halt for a while and they began switching from marching mode immediatly into fighting modus with not much heavy equipment support except the Luftwaffe at the outskirts of Stalingrad.
Yes it is known that Paulus hesitated to give the order of breaking out, but at that time the condition of the 6. Army was allready in very bad shape…FM Paulus came from the Prussian Officer Corpse so he understoood honor and the value of it…Yes it was his first command in field, given at 1. january 1942.
He obeyed any given order except the one to take his own life.
It is just not making him a bad General and again he gave his life up so others could live…
@ Gar. beeing a Hero doesn´t mean you kill your self for nonsense because the perimeter of dignity were allready fading away in these battles of stalingrad…sometimes heros don´t get all the awards just because they diid something that was akward or not noble in others eyes…
@ worsham: Â FM Paulus took parts in the Poland, France and Russian campaign and worked out the Russian campaign with others…so he had quiet a career
@ Wittmann: we all don´t have a better name to posterity only a Free will in lifetime and the choice is yours in wich hands you want to lay it!..
paulus wasn´t the best General but he did the best he could do, Hitler himself may provoked his decission in the end to not give up his life…
I agree with you all to disagree…