According to the British royal lawyer and politician Thomas Paget, who defended Field Marshal Erich von Manstein in court, the military campaigns and Manstein's trial left a noticeable mark on the history of the Second World War and on the history of British justice. Having devoted the first part of the book to Manstein’s military successes in Russia, Paget assesses his leadership talent and military operations, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Soviet military machine and the effectiveness of its organization, and reveals Hitler’s destructive methods of warfare. The second part of the story is devoted to the trial of the field marshal, with detailed coverage of the charges brought against him and the defense system. The appendix contains excerpts from the transcript of the trial, the order to the troops coming under Manstein's command, and the court's verdict.