Erich von Manstein (1887-1973) is considered Hitler's most capable general, to whom the Wehrmacht owes some of its greatest successes. His name is still associated with the 1940 campaign in France and the events at critical points in the war against the Soviet Union (Crimea, Stalingrad, Kursk). In this edition, Roman Töppel presents the previously unpublished private war diaries and letters of the general to his wife, embedding these significant sources in a comprehensive research work on Manstein's campaigns during the war years 1939-1941. He presents new insights that often decisively contradict traditional historical narratives.