Chapters 10 and 11; Leningrad-Vitebsk; Hitler as Supreme Commander Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 10, late in the summer of 1942, Manstein was called to lead Eleventh Army in an attack on Leningrad. Manstein noted that the relations between Chief-of-Staff Halder and Hitler were quite bad, as the offensive came to a halt. The Eleventh Army got up to the Leningrad front, but immediately had to fight a distance away south of Lake Ladoga. In September, the Soviets overran 18th Army's front, but after heavy fighting, this Soviet force was surrounded and destroyed. Still, it was no longer possible to attack Leningrad. Manstein was grief stricken when his aide, Pepo also known as Specht died in an airplane crash. Manstein was angry that Hitler did not reinforce the battle-tested German divisions, but then put 170,000 men in inferior Luftwaffe divisions, to please Goring. Manstein...