Of the three Osprey Command titles I received as a present, this is clearly the best one. It still suffers from the fact that Manstein was not truly a commander, he was but Hitler's willing tool. While he planned campaigns and coordinated battles, he wasn't free in disposing his forces. His unwillingness to stick up for his subordinates, his unwillingness to confront Hitler and his eager acceptance and complicity in the Nazi crimes make him a highly questionable character (whose four years in prison was a rather mild punishment for the Wehrmacht atrocities in the Eastern theater).

While his involvement in the planning of the Sichelschnitt guarantees Manstein a place in the history books, Forczyk's competent account of his campaigns shows a mixed picture regarding his strategies, execution and leadership. His Crimea and Leningrad attack and Stalingrad relief operations as well as Operation Zitadelle show him frittering away Germany's offensive capabilities for little strategic gain. Most of his successes were due to Soviet overreach (or French incompetence). By the way, just one of the three commissioned illustrations actually show Manstein, which underlines the questionable concept of this series. ( )