Model, Walter

the Beginning of the military career[/heading]
Otto Moritz Walter Model was born on 24. January 1891 in the brandenburg town of Genthin. Unlike many high-ranking officers of the Wehrmacht did not come from a purely military family, although several of his ancestors served in the military. His father, Otto Model was a music teacher, and shortly after walter's birth, he took the place of a government official in Haumburgu.
After graduation in 1909 he applied for admission to the army, to 62. infantry regiment, where he served his uncle. That's probably why he accepted despite the unsatisfactory physical condition (in school he was exempted from physical education). Soon he was sent to the military academy in the silesian Nise, where he belonged to the average students, and his poor physical condition was a source of ridicule. Hard discipline and strenuous exercise, however, managed to work our way to the peak of physical fitness, which is preserved after the rest of my life. As well as a sense of discipline, hardness to each other and the demands on the child to become its permanent qualities.
The academy finished in 1910, he was promoted to first officer rank and sent to the 52. infantry regiment "von Alvensleben", where was included in the functions of the adjutant company commander and later battalion.

the First world war and interwar period[/heading]
At the beginning of the first world war in the years 1914-1915 proven himself as a company commander and was awarded the Iron cross 2. and 1. class. In 1916 he was sent to a course for the officers of the general staff and graduated it with excellent grades. He then became aide to the commander of the 10. infantry brigade and later a company commander of 8. granátnického regiment. In may 1917 he was severely wounded and after returning from rehab, worked briefly as a deputy battalion commander, before he was assigned as a staff officer to the Great general staff. There he served until march 1918, and then was already in the rank of captain assigned as the intelligence officer to Spare the guards division. The end of the war found him in the same function at 36. the reserve infantry division.
After the conclusion of the truce Model thinking about the end of the military career and the study of medicine, but he received orders to report at the headquarters of the XVII. army corps, which corresponded after the war for the protection of Western Prussia from the Polish attacks. He was then admitted to the Richswehru, where he worked at 14. infantry regiment as a company commander. In 1920 he Modelův battalion participated in the suppression of the communist general strike in the Ruhr. After the consolidation Reichswehru he worked for several years as a staff officer at the Artillerieführer VI in Münster. In October of 1925, then was transferred to 8. ( Prussian ) infantry regiment to the city of Görlitz .
In the context of further military education has compiled a study on the Gneisenauovi, big military reformátorovi from the period of the napoleonic wars. The study was published in the proceedings of the "Führertum" and met with a positive response. The Model was therefore entrusted with the leadership of courses, tactics and history of warfare for the future general staff officers. In the summer of 1929 he was promoted to major. A year later he was transferred to Berlin at the Reichswehrministerium (ministry of defence), the department of military education. Here is the "famous" enthusiastic support of the modernization of the army and a complete lack of tact. In 1931 participated in internships in the Soviet union, where you can verify in the practice of offensive tactics, which officers Reichswehru (that should according to the provisions of the treaty of versailles strictly defensive character) secretly working on.
1. October 1934, already in the rank of colonel, took over command of Infantry regiment Allenstein and 1. October 1935 he was appointed head of the technical department of the high command of the ground troops. In this function responsible for the study and evaluation of the armament of foreign armies. In 1938 he was posted to Spain, to study the weaponry and tactics used in the civil war by both the warring parties. He was then commissioned to the studio of the czechoslovak border opevnení. Germany started after the onset of the nazis to be able to think of offensive war, and therefore also on the modernization of the army. The Model developed a proposal for the replacement of hipomobilního artillery motorized (guns drawn behind a motor vehicle and assault guns on tracked chassis). 10. November 1938 he was already in the rank of major general, appointed chief of staff IV. army corps in Dresden.

the Polish and western campaign[/heading]
In this capacity, participated in the Polish campaign at the beginning of the second world war. During the western campaign he served as chief of staff of the 16. army in the rank of lieutenant general.

Eastern front[/heading]
In November 1940 was the Model entrusted to the command of the 3. panzer division, that proved in June 1941 the eastern campaign. As the commander of the division during the campaign of Russia was the extremely dynamic and even in the most difficult situations have pushed his way forward. 9. July 1941 he was deservedly awarded the Knight's cross. In the autumn of 1941, 3. panzer division participated in under the Model command of a gigantic pincer operation in Kiev. In the final stage of the operation set out to Model the inspection prvosledových troops fighting in the woods at Kalisty and was there wounded.
Fighting about Moscow (operation Typhoon) is a Model of participated as the commander of the XXXXI. army corps in the rank of general of the tank units. His corps took over at the end of October 1941 in the moment when the German offensive exhausted itself. The Model demanded that the glee club was withdrawn from the front to rest and replenish, but in mid-November renewed the army Group Centre offensive. The corps continued offensive action and continued to advance up to the close proximity to the capital. The hard fight the corps so much exhausted, that the tank regiments of his division were only weak combat groups. The soviet protiofenziva, launched 5. December, forced the Germans to retreat. Modelovo strong and decisive command contributed to the fact that his congregation could make the difference from other volumes of an orderly fighting retreat with minimal losses.
In mid-January 1942 he took over the Model command 9. army, located in the area of Rževa. Army during the retreat showed signs of decay and has now been threatened by the ongoing soviet winter offensive. That's why she needed a resolute commander. The Model was aware that if he cleaned out the Rževský výběřek, would endanger the whole of the Group of armies Center. Therefore, the launched 5. February offensive operations and managed to soviet troops close in a huge cauldron. After a short but successful battle was the German front restored and the Soviets lost 26 000 fallen. It was the first German victory after a long series of defeats sustained during December 1941 and January 1942. The Model was therefore deservedly promoted to the rank of was to hold and received oak branch to the Knight kžíži.
Area Rževa was under soviet pressure during the entire year 1942, and 9. the army fought a hard struggle for her to maintain. After the surrender of 6. army for Stalingradu was, however, her defenses useless, and Hitler agreed with her cleaning. The retreat was launched 22. February 1943 and ended 1. march. During the retreat took the Soviets a total of 6 attacks, so retreating 9. the army was destroyed, but lost in these battles 42 000 men, without having proved the pace of decline more seriously endanger. After the completion of retreat of the defending 9. army a much shorter stretch of the queue and could free up 8 divisions, which have boosted other risk areas.
For successful command during the retreat of the fighting received Model in oak 1943 meče to the Knight's cross. 9. the army got orders to move into the area of the city Eagle and make preparations for operation "Citadel" - an attempt to pincer the bypass and the liquidation of the soviet salient queues in the space of the Kursk. 9. the army had to create the northern arm of the forceps. Model had serious doubts, whether it is 9. the army strong enough to assigned tasks to meet. He therefore asked to be allocated another two panzer and four infantry divisions, as well as the heavy assault cannon and combat engineer units. When the reinforcements by the end of June arrived, the Model suggested that instead of offensive operations remained German troops in the defense and tried to crush the soviet attempts to attack. Hitler, however, only postponed the beginning of operations in July. The course and result of the operation are known. The fight began to 4. July and after three days, during the inspection at XLVII. tank corps, ran out of the Model concluded that the offensive failed. 13. July then Hitler's operation Citadel stopped, the end of the fighting however, it didn't mean anything. The soviet attacks continued with a view to cut off the 9. army, and then encircle the whole Group of armies Center. The Model, who at that time commanded the i 2. tank army, protested against Hitler's ban on the retreat from the area around the city of Eagle. Hitler's requirement that the Eagle was defended no matter what, he wasn't given the situation real. The Model finally achieved his and all his energy devoted to the rescue of everything from the space Eagle to save you. Only thanks to him have managed to evacuate over 20,000 wounded soldiers and 53 000 tonnes of material. The soviet attacks then gradually diminished and the following months up until November took place in the sign of the double-sided self-defeating.
5. November, the Model was transferred to the führer's backup. 29. January then received orders to take command of army Group North, to stabilize the critical situation in the area Leningradu and to prevent the penetration of the Red army into the Baltic states. For the successful management of the fighting in the so-called Leningradsko - Novgorodské surgery was 1. march 1944 promoted to the rank of general field marshal.
At the end of march he was given command of the Group of the armies of the South, later renamed Group of the armies of the Northern Ukraine. This group of armies was forced under heavy soviet pressure to subside and the first Model command in the new function was at any cost to keep the approaches to the Karpatům. The red army has launched offensive 22. June 1944, but not in the area, perpetuated by army Group North Ukraine, but against the army Group Centre. Hitler therefore ordered that Model took command of this army group. Soon found out, that it is considerably exhausted, therefore, began with its reorganization and has strengthened her in some divisions of the army Group North Ukraine, which has not been under such pressure. The combat readiness of army Group Center soon increased so he could pay the liquidation of the soviet breakthrough and managed to maintain supply of communication. Model but be aware that does not have enough forces to fending off constant soviet attacks and submitted to Hitler a proposal to shorten the defensive lines retreat to the German border. The as usually rejected the proposal and instead demanded a counterattack in the area of to the Memel in East Prussia. While completely ignoring the critical situation somewhat to the south, where the Red army advanced towards Warsaw.

Western front[/heading]
In the period ,when the crisis peaked, it Hitler appealed from the eastern front and appointed him commander of the army Group B and at the same time the chief commander of the German troops in the west ( the Main headquarters of the West), where the situation was equally critical. Replaced in the function Günther von Kluge, whom Hitler suspected of treason. 16. August 1944 his Leader at the same time with the appointment of the new features forward brilianty the Knight's cross.
Model when taking over the functions of found the western front in a disastrous state. France was already at that time Germany's lost - in the southwest of the Allies zatlačovali 1. and 19. army back to the German border, part of the 7. army and 5. panzer army were surrounded in the pocket in Falaise, 15. army defending the coast of La Manche threatened to cut off and to the north the allied armies swept through Belgium to the Siegfried line. Model managed to convince Hitler to not have insisted on his orders to defend the Falaise at any cost and managed to lead a large part of the encircled units of the trap. With their limited forces could only ensure that the German retreat from western Europe was organized and for the price of the lowest losses. In early September, Hitler again summoned into service von Rundstedta and gave him the command of the German troops in the west. Model so he could put all his energies into the Group of armies B. Breaks in the fighting, caused by logistical problems too rapidly advancing Allies, took the Model for a realignment of subordinate units and consolidate the defensive line.
In September occurred on the west to the two velkýn crises. The allies had taken Aachen, the first large German city, and the Allies launched operation Market Garden - the feathery airborne divisions were to seize the bridges in Holland and keep them for the procedure to the british XXX. corps to the north of Germany.. Model ordered to defend the bridges at all costs and banned yet undamaged bridges to destroy. Then he gave the order to launch the counterattack, which prevented the connection XXX. the ward with the paratroopers at Arnhem. 18. September personally commanded the offensive operations in the area of Oosterbeek - Wolfsberg.
The next crisis occurred when the u.s. 1. army launched a massive offensive operation with the aim to break through the Siegfried line. Model directed the defensive battle successfully and the american offensive during November, exhausted.
During this crisis period, Hitler dealt with the planning of the German offensive in the west, which then entered into history as the battle of the Bulge. Its aim was to capture Antwerp, cut off from each other british and american armies and gradually destroy them. Army group B received orders to attack from the area of eifel hill country and the newly formed army Group H was among the defend the line of defense on the Maase. The Model considered Hitler's plan for the impossible, and pioneered the so-called "small solution" - the offensive of small-scale, which should eliminate the bulge the american lines near Aachen. Hitler, however, constantly promoted their "big solution". The Model was willing to accept them only on condition that all the tank units will be connected in one big attack wedge. Hitler, however, his concept of the refused, and pushed for a uniform distribution of the panzer divisions all along the front.
Offensive was launched on 16. December, despite initial successes, however, was the allied troops on the ground and after the improvement of weather and air strikes stopped. Hitler was therefore issued 27. December order to implement the "small solution", however, it was already too late and the deployed units had to retreat back to German territory. The Model is then tried in vain to Leader to convince them that Germany cannot be defended on the Siegfried line, but the defense must rely on the natural barrier of the river Rhine. In mid-march then army group B had to before the american pressure to retreat behind the Rhine and failed to destroy the bridge at Remagen. 1. April then she found herself in Paris in the siege of the american 1. and 9. army. Hitler declared the Ruhr for "fortress", which is necessary to defend to the last man and ordered the destruction of all the industrial enterprises and the entire infrastructure to fall into the hands of the Allies. The Model decided this ignored the order. In mid-April, the Allies divided the encircled Ruhr into two separate pockets and major general Matthew Ridgway, commander of us . XVIII. airborne corps, sent a Model of the parley with the challenge to surrender, to save the lives of their soldiers and the civilian population. The Model's offer of surrender, refused, prevented him, in that sense of military honor and personal oath to Hitler. He decided however not to continue in the fight and ordered the dissolution of army Group B. The oldest and youngest soldiers were discharged from military service with appropriate evidence of demobilisation, and the remaining men were given the opportunity to surrender or try to escape - according to your discretion .
Obsessed with the idea that at its last location failed, and when he wasn't given a death on the battlefield, he began to Model consider suicide. The final impetus for the voluntary withdrawal from life was Goebbelsův radio speech 20. April 1945, the day of Hitler's birthday, in which očerňoval porůrskou army and blamed her of betraying the Leader and Germany. When he learned that the Soviets accused of war crimes, it was decided. In the forest near the Duisburg shot. The officers, who were asked to bury him on the spot, all of his choice, under a massive oak tree. In his personal papers was found a ticket with the snippet of the poem: "... I will come like a winner, not otherwise...".
His final resting place has remained for many years unmarked. Only 26. July 1955 were the remains of field marshal exhumed and deposited in a grave number 1074 at military cemetery Vossenack in the North eifel hill country.

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