Erich von Manstein was born 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 . Born into an aristocratic Prussian family with a long history of military service , Manstein joined the army at a young age and saw service on Western Front and Eastern Front during the First World War ( 1914 -- 18 ) . Attaining the rank of general at the end of the campaign , he was active in the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 and the Siege of Sevastopol ( 1941 -- 1942 ) , and was promoted to field marshal on 1 July 1942 . He was one of the primary commanders at the Battle of Kursk ( July -- August 1943 ) , one of the largest tank battles in history . His ongoing disagreements with Hitler over the conduct of the war led to his dismissal in March 1944 .