Erich von Manstein was released in 1953.
Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski , known as Erich von Manstein ( 24 November 1887 -- 9 June 1973 ) , was a German commander of the Wehrmacht , Nazi Germany 's armed forces during the Second World War . His sentence of eighteen years in prison was later reduced to twelve , and he served only four years before being released in 1953 .