Walter Model
German military officer (1891-1945) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Walter Model?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Otto Moritz Walter Model (IPA: [ˈmoːdəl]; 24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of defensive warfare. His relative success as commander of the Ninth Army in the battles of 1941–1942 determined his future career path.
Walter Model | |
---|---|
Birth name | Otto Moritz Walter Model |
Born | (1891-01-24)24 January 1891 Genthin, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Died | 21 April 1945(1945-04-21) (aged 54) near Duisburg, Nazi Germany |
Buried | Hürtgenwald (reinterred) |
Allegiance | |
Branch | |
Years of service | 1909–1945 |
Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
Commands held | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds |
Signature |
Model first came to Hitler's attention before World War II, but their relationship did not become especially close until 1942. His tenacious style of fighting and loyalty to the Nazi regime won him plaudits from Hitler, who considered him one of his best field commanders and repeatedly sent him to salvage apparently desperate situations on the Eastern Front as commander of Army Group North, Army Group North Ukraine and Army Group Centre.
In August 1944 Model was sent to the Western Front as commander of OB West and Army Group B. His relationship with Hitler broke down by the end of the war after the German defeat at the Battle of the Bulge. In the aftermath of the defeat of Army Group B and its encirclement in the Ruhr Pocket, Model took his own life on 21 April 1945.