Walter Model
| Walter Model | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Otto Moritz Walter Model |
| Nickname(s) | Master of Defence, Lion of Defence, The Saviour of the Eastern Font, Führer's Fireman, The Frontline Pig |
| Born |
24 January 1891 Genthin, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 21 April 1945 (aged 54) near Duisburg, Ruhr, Nazi Germany |
| Buried at | Hürtgenwald-Vossenack: war cemetery (reinterred) |
| Allegiance |
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| Years of service | 1910–45 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands held |
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| Battles/wars | |
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| Signature |  |
Otto Moritz Walter Model (German pronunciation: [ˈmoːdəl]; 24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German field marshal during World War II. He is noted for his defensive battles in the latter half of the war, mostly on the Eastern Front but also in the west. He has been called the Third Reich's best defensive tactical commander.
Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of defensive warfare. His success at the head of the Ninth Army in the defensive battles of 1941–42 determined his future career path.
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 dedication to the Nazi cause won him plaudits from Hitler, who considered him one of his best field commanders and repeatedly tasked him with retrieving desperate situations. However, their relationship had broken down by the end of the war after Model was defeated at the Battle of the Bulge. In April 1945, with the Third Reich's defeat imminent, Model committed suicide rather than be captured and stand trial for war crimes.
Model's decision to burn all his personal papers at the end of World War II means relatively little is known about his early years. Born to a music teacher in Genthin, Saxony, he belonged to a lower-middle class, non-military family. Following schooling at the Bürgerschule (citizen school) in Genthin, he graduated with his Abitur from the , a humanities oriented secondary school, on Easter 1909. He entered the army officer cadet school (Kriegsschule) in Neisse (now Nysa, Poland) in 1909, where he was an unexceptional student, and was commissioned a lieutenant (Leutnant) in the 52nd Infantry Regiment von Alvensleben in 1910. He made few friends among his fellow officers and soon became known for his ambition, drive, and blunt outspokenness. These were characteristics that would mark his entire career.
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