NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Walter Model

Otto Moritz Walter Model (IPA: ['mo:dəl]) (24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German general and later 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, and for his close association with Adolf Hitler and Nazism. He has been called the Wehrmacht's best defensive tactician.^[1] This article is about the assault phase of Operation Overlord. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor Stanislaw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead,wounded or missing 6,450 Captured 2,000 Killed 6,000 Wounded Operation... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Courtney Hodges Walter Model Strength 120,000 80,000 Casualties 33,000 casualties 12,000â€”16,000 deaths[1] (est. ... For the 1965 film, see Battle of the Bulge (film). ... The Ruhr Pocket was a battle that took place at the end of World War II in the Ruhr Area, Germany. ... The penultimate expression of the award: the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. ... is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... -1... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... Hitler redirects here. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ...

Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of attrition warfare—his associate, General Erhard Raus, called it "zone defence".^[2] It emphasised strong fortifications, a reluctance to give ground (although not an absolute refusal to withdraw), and the importance of not allowing major enemy breakthroughs. This approach brought him much success, but his death in 1945 meant he would later be overshadowed by his rivals who advocated manoeuvre warfare. Panzer IV Ausf. ... This article is about the military strategy. ... Erhard Raus (January 8, 1889 - 1956) was born in Wolframitz (Moravia), which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. ... For the fortification of food, see Food fortification. ... Maneuver warfare, is the term used by military theorist for a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption brought about by movement. ...

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 aggressive personality won him plaudits from Hitler, who considered him his best commander and repeatedly tasked him with retrieving desperate situations. However, the relationship had broken down by the end of the war, after Model was defeated at the Battle of the Bulge. Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the 1965 film, see Battle of the Bulge (film). ...

In personal terms, Model was considered a thorough and competent leader, but was known to "demand too much, and that too quickly", accepting no excuses for failure from both his own men and those who outranked him. His troops were said to have "suffered under his too-frequent absences and erratic, inconsistent demands", and that he frequently lost sight of what was or wasn't practically possible. On the other hand, his dislike of bureaucracy and his crude speech often made him well-liked by some under his command.^[3]

Early life and career

Model's decision to burn his papers at the end of World War II means relatively little is known about his early years. Born in Genthin, Province of Saxony, he was the son of a music teacher and belonged to a lower-middle class, non-military family. He entered the army officer cadet school (Kriegsschule) in Neisse in 1908, where he was an unexceptional student, and was commissioned as a lieutenant (Leutnant) into 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.^[4] Genthin is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. ... The Province of Saxony (German Provinz Sachsen) was a Prussian province between the Napoleonic Wars of 1815 and 1947. ... Nysa (until 1946: German Neisse or NeiÃŸe; the current version is a Polish rendering of this) is a town in southwestern Poland on the Nysa KÅ‚odzka river with 52,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in the Opole Voivodeship. ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ...

World War I

In World War I, the 52nd Infantry formed part of the 5th Division, fighting on the Western Front. Model served as the adjutant of his regiment's 1st Battalion. In May 1915 he was severely wounded near Arras, and in October he won the Iron Cross, First Class. His deeds brought him to the attention of his divisional commander, who despite misgivings about his "uncomfortable subordinate", recommended him for a posting to the General Staff. Among other things, this meant that Model took part in only the initial stages of the Battle of Verdun, and escaped the carnage of the Somme, to which his division was committed in his absence.^[4]^[5] â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Combatants Belgium British Empire Australia[1] Canada[2] India[3] Newfoundland[4] New Zealand[5] South Africa[6] United Kingdom France and French Overseas Empire Portugal[7] United States Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then Ferdinand Foch Moltke â†’ Falkenhayn â†’ Hindenburg and Ludendorff â†’ Hindenburg and Groener Casualties ~4,800... Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Arras (Dutch: ) is a town and commune in northern France, prÃ©fecture (capital) of the Pas-de-Calais dÃ©partement. ... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Bundeswehr, Germanys Armed Forces. ... The German General Staff, (GroÃŸer Generalstab, literally, Great General Staff) was an institution whose rise and development gave the German military a decided advantage over its adversaries. ... Combatants France German Empire Commanders Philippe PÃ©tain Robert Nivelle Erich von Falkenhayn Strength About 30,000 on 21 February 1916 About 150,000 on 21 February 1916 Casualties 378,000; of whom 163,000 died. ... For other battles known as Battle of the Somme, see Battle of the Somme (disambiguation). ...

Model sailed through the abbreviated staff officers' course and returned to the 5th Division as adjutant of the 10th Infantry Brigade, followed by postings as a company commander in both the 52nd Infantry and the 8th Life Grenadiers. He was promoted to captain (Hauptmann) in November 1917, and in 1918 was assigned to the staff of the Guard Ersatz Division, which fought in the German Spring Offensive of that year. He ended the war with the 36th Reserve Division. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 29th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Division, Canadian Corps. ... Captain is a rank or title with various meanings. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Ersatz is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement. ... This article is about the First World War. ...

Inter-war years

By the end of the war, Model had gained a reputation as a capable officer with great potential. In addition, he was already known to Hans von Seeckt, head of the slimmed-down Reichswehr, from his staff postings during the war; and he was equipped with an excellent reference from Major-General Franz von Rantau, commander of the 36th Reserve Division. It was thus no surprise that he was one of the 4,000 officers retained in the Reichswehr. Model generally kept away from politics in the chaotic period that marked the birth of the Weimar Republic, although as an army officer he was involved in the bloody suppression of the 1920 communist uprising in the Ruhr. The next year he married Herta Huyssen, and they would eventually have three children: Christa, Hella and Hansgeorg. Model hated war stories, and never discussed politics or the war with his wife.^[6] Hans von Seeckt Hans von Seeckt (22 April 1866 - 27 December 1936) was a German soldier. ... Reichswehr flag (1921-1935). ... Anthem Das Lied der Deutschen Germany during the Weimar period, with the Free State of Prussia (in blue) as the largest state Capital Berlin Language(s) German Government Republic President - 1918-1925 Friedrich Ebert - 1925-1933 Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor - 1919 Philipp Scheidemann(first) - 1933 Kurt von Schleicher (last) Legislature... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Ruhr Area within Germany Map of the Ruhr Area The Ruhr Area, also called simply Ruhr, (German Ruhrgebiet, colloquial Ruhrpott or Kohlenpott) is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of large formerly industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to...

In 1925 Model was posted to the 3rd Infantry Division, an elite formation of the Reichswehr, and one which was heavily involved in testing the new technical innovations of that era. From 1928 he lectured in tactics and war studies for the basic General Staff training course, and in 1930 was transferred to the Training Branch of the Truppenamt. He became known both for his enthusiastic support for modernising the army, and his complete lack of tact. In 1938, the year he became a major general (Generalmajor), he gave a demonstration of an assault on mocked-up Czech fortifications that impressed Hitler and annoyed the army chief of staff Ludwig Beck (who was trying to dissuade Hitler from occupying the Sudetenland).^[7] Like many other army officers at the time he was a supporter of the Nazi party; his time in Berlin also brought him into contact with senior members of the Nazi regime, and in particular he was friends with Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring.^[8] Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Truppenamt or Troop Office was the cover organisation for the German General Staff from 1919 through until 1933 when the General Staff was re-created. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Ludwig Beck General Ludwig Beck (June 29, 1880 â€“ July 21, 1944) was Chief of Staff of the German Armed forces during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Born in Biebrich in Hesse-Nassau, he was educated in the conservative Prussian military tradition. ... The Munich Agreement and the first Vienna Award After the Austrian Anschluss, Czechoslovakia was to become Hitlers next target. ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: , or NSDAP, commonly, the Nazi Party), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation: IPA: ; English generally IPA: ) (October 29, 1897 â€“ May 1, 1945) was a German politician and Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the National Socialist regime from 1933 to 1945. ... Hermann Wilhelm GÃ¶ring ( ) (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 â€“ October 15, 1946) was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command of the Third Reich, and commander of the Luftwaffe. ...

World War II

Model spent the first year of World War II as a chief of staff, first of IV Corps during the invasion of Poland, and then of Sixteenth Army during the Battle of France. He was promoted to lieutenant general (Generalleutnant) in April 1940, and earned his first senior command posting in November that year, when he was assigned to lead the 3rd Panzer Division. He immediately proceeded to ignore all formalities of organisation and command, which endeared him to his men and exasperated his staff—who often had to clean up the mess he left behind. He also instituted a combined arms training program where his men were thrown together in various ad-hoc groupings regardless of their parent unit: tankers would train with infantry, engineers with recon units, and so on. Model thus anticipated by some months the regular German use of kampfgruppen in World War II; while this would become routine later on, it was still not a universal practice in the Wehrmacht in late 1940 and early 1941.^[9] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Polish Defensive War of 1939 Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign or Defensive War of 1939 (Polish: Wojna obronna 1939 roku) was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet... The German Sixteenth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Czechoslovakia Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) Leopold III H.G. Winkelman Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... The German 3rd Panzer Division () was established in 1935. ... Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects. ... This article is about the armoured fighting vehicle. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... Combat engineers place satchel charges and detonating cord, preparatory to blowing up a railway bridge during the Korean War, 30 July 1950 Combat engineering is the practice of using the knowledge, tools and techniques of engineering in combat. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... The Kampfgruppe was a common combat formation used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ...

Download high resolution version (1201x920, 255 KB)Map of the Eastern Front (WWII), 1941-06-21 to 1941-12-05 Drawn by User:Gdr File links The following pages link to this file: Siege of Leningrad Eastern Front (World War II) Talk:Eastern Front (World War II) Battle of Moscow... Download high resolution version (1201x920, 255 KB)Map of the Eastern Front (WWII), 1941-06-21 to 1941-12-05 Drawn by User:Gdr File links The following pages link to this file: Siege of Leningrad Eastern Front (World War II) Talk:Eastern Front (World War II) Battle of Moscow... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian GÃ¼nther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov...

Invasion of the Soviet Union

For Operation Barbarossa, the 3rd Panzer Division was assigned to the XXIV Panzer Corps, itself part of the Second Panzer Group, commanded by Heinz Guderian. The campaign opened on 22 June 1941, with Guderian urging his divisions forward at breakneck speed. This suited Model just fine, and by 4 July, his advance elements leading the panzer group's charge had reached the Dnieper, an exploit that earned him the Knight's Cross. Crossing it in strength was another matter, however, as the Red Army was prepared to defend the river line. 3rd Panzer's vanguard was thrown back by the Soviet 21st Army, and it was not until 10 July that the Germans were in a position to force a crossing. For this operation, Model, now reinforced with additional troops, reorganised his command into three groups: an infantry-heavy force that would cross the river and establish a bridgehead, a mobile armoured group that would pass through the bridgehead and continue the advance, and a fire support group containing nearly all his artillery. The plan worked so successfully that the river crossing cost scarcely any casualties. There followed two weeks of hard fighting to defend the panzer group's flank, during which he was assigned the 1st Cavalry Division in addition to 3rd Panzer as Gruppe Model, and then an attack to break up Soviet forces massing near Roslavl.^[10] Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian GÃ¼nther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian GÃ¼nther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov... Panzergruppe 2 (2nd Panzer Group) was formed in November 1940 from the Panzergruppe Guderian and it was called by its commander general Heinz Guderian until October 1941, when it was renamed the Second Panzer Army. ... This article is about the World War II general Heinz Guderian. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dnieper River (Russian: , Dnepr; Belarusian: , Dniapro; Ukrainian: , Dnipro) is a river which flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, ending its flow in the Black Sea. ... The penultimate expression of the award: the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. ... For other organizations known as the Red Army, see Red Army (disambiguation). ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Mechanized warfare be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... A church in Roslavl. ...

After the fall of Smolensk, Hitler ordered a change of direction, and Guderian's panzer group turned south into the Ukraine. Its objective was to trap the Soviet forces defending Kiev, an unsupported advance of 275 km (172 mi), and again 3rd Panzer would form the spearhead. From 24 August to 14 September Model conducted a lightning thrust into the rear of the Soviet Southwestern Front, in which he impressed on his men that speed was everything. The maneuver reached its conclusion when 3rd Panzer made contact with the 16th Panzer Division from Army Group South at Lokhvitsa. While it would take several more days to eliminate all resistance, the trap around Kiev had been closed.^[11]^[12] The eastern front at the time of the Battle of Smolensk. ... Combatants Germany Soviet Union Commanders Gerd von Rundstedt Semyon Budyonny (Removed from duty on Sept. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Southernwestern Front was one of the Soviet Army fronts during the World War II. In 1941 it took part in the tank battles in western Ukraine and the defensive operation around Kiev, in which the Front Chief of Staff General Mikhail Kirponos was killed and the entire Front captured... The 16th Infantry Division of the German Army was created in 1935 and participated in the invasion of Poland (1939) and France (1940) during World War II.. The division later split in 1940, resulting in two independent lineages: The 16th Panzer Division and the 16th Motorized Infantry Division. ... Army Group South (Heeresgruppe SÃ¼d in German) was a German Army Group during World War II. Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South. ...

Throughout the opening stages of Barbarossa, Model had driven his men hard, achieving the rapid pace of advance that Guderian called for. He had taken great risks—at one point 3rd Panzer had only 10 tanks operational^[13]—but his audacity and improvisational skills (and the tactical ineptness of his foes) had brought him rich rewards.

Before Moscow

Shortly thereafter Model was promoted to general of panzer troops and placed in command of XLI Panzer Corps, which was embroiled in Operation Typhoon, the assault on Moscow. The attack had begun on 2 October 1941, and Model arrived at his new command on 14 November in the midst of the battle, which did not help to endear him to his staff. Combatants Nazi Germany Soviet Union Commanders Fedor von Bock, Heinz Guderian Georgy Zhukov, Aleksandr Vasilevsky Strength As of October 1: 1,000,000 men, 1,700 tanks, 14,000 guns, 950 planes[1] As of October 1: 1,250,000 men, 1,000 tanks, 7,600 guns, 677 planes[2... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... -1... XLI Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II. The XLI Panzer Corps fought at Bely, in the anti-partisan operations aat Nikitinka, Yartsevo, Vyazma, and Dukhovshchina. ... Combatants Nazi Germany Soviet Union Commanders Fedor von Bock, Heinz Guderian Georgy Zhukov, Aleksandr Vasilevsky Strength As of October 1: 1,000,000 men, 1,700 tanks, 14,000 guns, 950 planes[1] As of October 1: 1,250,000 men, 1,000 tanks, 7,600 guns, 677 planes[2... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The corps, part of Georg-Hans Reinhardt's Third Panzer Group, was located at Kalinin, 160 km (100 mi) northwest of Moscow. It was worn out, at the end of a long and tenuous supply line (Model had been promoted on 28 October, and needed two weeks just to get to Kalinin), and the cold weather was starting to hamper the Germans. Nevertheless morale remained high, and the final push towards Moscow began shortly after his arrival. Model was a whirlwind of energy, touring the front and exhorting his troops to greater efforts; he also ran roughshod over the niceties of protocol and chains of command, and in general left his staff trailing in his wake. By 5 December, XLI Panzer Corps' 6th Panzer Division had reached Iohnca, just 35 km (22 mi) from the Kremlin. There, the advance stopped, as the winter—thus far comparatively mild by Russian standards—took hold. Temperatures dropped to 20 to 40°C below zero, weapons and vehicles froze solid, and the Germans were forced to call a halt to offensive operations.^[14] Georg-Hans Reinhardt (March 1st, 1887 to November 23rd, 1963)) was Colonel General of the German Third Reichs Panzer Group 3, 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center. ... The German 3rd Panzer Group was an army size unit which served as part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. 3rd Panzer Group was a part of Operation Barbarossa under Army Group Center. ... Tvers coat of arms depicts grand ducal crown placed on a throne. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1st Light Brigade 1st Light Division 6th Panzer Division The German 1st Light Brigade was a mechanized unit established in October 1937 in imitation of the French Division LÃ©gÃ¨re MÃ©canique, intended to take on the roles of army-level reconnaissance and security that had traditionally been the... The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: ÐœÐ¾ÑÐºÐ¾Ð²ÑÐºÐ¸Ð¹ ÐšÑ€ÐµÐ¼Ð»ÑŒ) is a historic fortified complex at the very heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River (to the south), Saint Basils Cathedral (often mistaken by westerners as the Kremlin) and Red Square (to the east) and the Alexander Garden (to the west). ...

Just as the Germans had made that decision, the Soviet Kalinin, Western and Southwestern Fronts launched a massive counteroffensive, aimed at driving Army Group Centre back from Moscow. The attacks were especially strong against Third Panzer Group, which had made some of the closest penetrations to the city. In three weeks of confused, savage fighting, Reinhardt extricated his troops from potential encirclement and fell back to the Lama River line. Placed in charge of covering the retreat, Model's harsh, almost brutal style of leadership now paid dividends as panic threatened to infect the German columns. On several occasions he restored order at a congested crossroads with a drawn pistol, but the retreat never became a rout.^[15] The Kalinin Front was a Front (i. ... WWII Eastern Front at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa The Western Front was a Front (military subdivision) of the Soviet Army, one of the Soviet Army Fronts during the Second World War. ... The Southernwestern Front was one of the Soviet Army fronts during the World War II. In 1941 it took part in the tank battles in western Ukraine and the defensive operation around Kiev, in which the Front Chief of Staff General Mikhail Kirponos was killed and the entire Front captured... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was created on 22 June 1941 when Army Group B was renamed Army Group Centre. ... Lama River (Ð›Ð°Ð¼Ð° in Russian) is a river in the Moscow and Tver Oblasts in Russia. ... A rout is a disorderly withdrawal made by a military force following defeat , a collapse of discipline, or poor morale. ...

During this period, Model noticed that the Soviet attacks—made en masse and with poor tactical coordination—tended to be most successful when the Germans employed a strongpoint defence instead of a continuous line. Moreover, Soviet logistics were still inadequate to support a fast-moving battle; thus even if a gap was made, it did not automatically mean a crisis. Therefore he ordered his men to spread themselves out, which exploited his corps' advantage in artillery over the Soviets, while he created small mechanised kampfgruppen to deal with any breakthrough. His tactics were successful, if costly (by the end of 1941, 6th Panzer Division mustered 1,000 men, including all frontline, support and staff personnel). He would continue to advocate similar tactics throughout his career.^[16] This article is about the military tactic. ... Military logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ...

Rzhev

Model's success in holding his front had not gone unnoticed, and in January 1942 he was placed in charge of the Ninth Army occupying the Rzhev salient, leapfrogging at least 15 more senior commanders in Army Group Centre alone.^[17]. Ironically, although he felt great displeasure towards officers bearing the red trouser-stripe, the fact is that he had a valuable experiencie as a division and corps commander and as chief of staff to both a corps and an army. The formation of the Rzhev salient during the winter of 1941-1942. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The German Ninth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... Rzhev is the uppermost town situated on the Volga river. ... In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. ...

There is a popular anecdote concerning his arrival at army headquarters in Sychevka on 18 January. He swept into the operations room without ceremony, examined the situation map while polishing his monocle, and finally pronounced the army´s predicament to be "rather a mess". When informed by Lieutenant Colonel Blaurock that his current plans extended no further than pushing the Russians away from the rail line, he demanded a counterattack with the final goal of "strike the Russian flank and catch them in a strangle-hold". When the astounded Blaurock inquired "And what, Herr General, have you brought us for this operation?", Model looked him severely and responded "Myself!" before bursting into laughter ^[18].

Just prior to his departure for the front, the new army commander had held lenghty consultations with both Hitler and Halder. They impressed upon Model that great firmness would be necessary to save the army from destruction, and his vehemence in return had so impressed Hitler that upon the general's departure he remarked: "Did you see that eye? I trust that man to do it, but I wouldn't want to serve under him". When Model took over, his sector was in a shambles: the Kalinin Front had broken through the line and was threatening the Moscow-Smolensk railway, the main supply route for Army Group Centre. Despite the danger, he realised the precarious position the attackers themselves were in and immediately counterattacked, cutting off the Soviet 39th Army. In the ferocious battles that followed, he repelled multiple Soviet attempts to relieve their trapped soldiers, the last being in February. He then squeezed out the pocket at his leisure, in a series of operations culminating in mid-July.^[19] For this, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross and promoted to colonel general (Generaloberst). The penultimate expression of the award: the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. ... Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries. ...

Having restored Ninth Army's front, Model set about holding it. His defensive doctrine, which combined conventional thinking with his own tactical innovations, was based on the following principles:^[20]

Using these tactics, he would successfully defend his front throughout 1942 and into 1943, despite giving up troops and vehicles for the battles further south. In this time he fought off several major Soviet offensives; one of these, codenamed Operation Mars by the Soviets, has been described as Marshal Georgy Zhukov's worst defeat of the war.^[21]^[22] It all added to his reputation as a "lion of defence". Military intelligence (abbreviated MI, int. ... A front line is a line of confrontation in an armed conflict, most often a war. ... The Military Reserves are an organization that is associated with the military but is not in active duty. ... This article is about the armoured fighting vehicle. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ... A corps (plural same as singular; a word that migrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: (cor), but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or... For the fortification of food, see Food fortification. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Mars, or 2nd Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive was a World War II strategic offensive launched in November-December of 1942 by Soviet forces against a German salient in the vicinity of Moscow. ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, GCB (Russian: ) (December 1, 1896 [O.S. November 19]â€“June 18, 1974), was a Soviet military commander who, in the course of World War II, led the Red Army to liberate the Soviet Union from the Nazi occupation, to overrun...

Ninth Army eventually evacuated the salient in Operation Buffalo (Büffel) in March 1943, as part of a general shortening of the line. Large-scale anti-partisan sweeps were carried out in the weeks before the operation (the army's sector was a hotbed for partisan activity), in which an estimated 3,000 Russians were killed, the great majority of whom were unarmed. The withdrawal itself took two weeks, with minimal casualties or disruption: no mean feat when the army numbered about 300,000 men including civilian hangers-on, 100 tanks and 400 guns. In its wake, Model personally ordered the deportation of all male civilians, wells to be poisoned, and at least two dozen villages razed.^[23] In the same month, he received the Swords to his Knight's Cross, and Ninth Army received orders to move into Orel. Look up partisan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Oryol or Orel (Russian: ) is a city in Russia, administrative center of Oryol Oblast. ...

Kursk and Orel

On 5 July 1943 Model led the northern assault on Kursk during Operation Citadel, a plan which had caused great controversy within the German high command. Günther von Kluge and Erich von Manstein, commanding Army Groups Centre and South respectively, had originally urged that the salient be attacked in May, before the Soviets could prepare their defences. Others, including Heinz Guderian, felt that attacking was unnecessary, and the Germans should instead wait for the Soviets to launch their own offensive before defeating it. Model was also dubious about attacking, pointing out that Konstantin Rokossovsky's Central Front was strongly dug in and outnumbered him two to one in men, tanks and artillery. Rather than conclude that the offensive be called off, however, he said it should be postponed until he could receive further reinforcements, in particular the new Panther tanks and Ferdinand tank destroyers.^[24] Combatants Nazi Germany Soviet Union Commanders Erich von Manstein GÃ¼nther von Kluge Hermann Hoth Walther Model Georgiy Zhukov Konstantin Rokossovskiy Nikolay Vatutin Ivan Konyev Strength 2,700 tanks 800,000 infantry 2,000 aircraft 3,600 tanks 1,300,000 infantry and supporting troops 2,400 aircraft Casualties German... Operation Kutuzov was a military operation by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, the Tsarist general credited with saving Russia from defeat during the invasion by Napoleon in 1812. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kursk (Russian: ; pronunciation: koorsk; IPA: ) is a city in the western part of Central Russia, at the confluence of Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. ... Combatants Nazi Germany Soviet Union Commanders Erich von Manstein GÃ¼nther von Kluge Hermann Hoth Walther Model Georgiy Zhukov Konstantin Rokossovskiy Nikolay Vatutin Ivan Konyev Strength 2,700 tanks 800,000 infantry 2,000 aircraft 3,600 tanks 1,300,000 infantry and supporting troops 2,400 aircraft Casualties German... GÃ¼nther â€œHansâ€ von Kluge (October 30, 1882 â€“ August 19, 1944), was a German military leader. ... Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was created on 22 June 1941 when Army Group B was renamed Army Group Centre. ... Army Group South (Heeresgruppe SÃ¼d in German) was a German Army Group during World War II. Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South. ... This article is about the World War II general Heinz Guderian. ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovskiy (Russian: ÐšÐ¾Ð½ÑÑ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ‚Ð¸Ð½ ÐšÐ¾Ð½ÑÑ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ‚Ð¸Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð Ð¾ÐºÐ¾ÑÑÐ¾Ð²ÑÐºÐ¸Ð¹, Polish: Konstanty Rokossowski) (December 21, 1896 â€“ August 3, 1968) was a Soviet military commander and Polish Defence Minister. ... The Central Front was a Front (military subdivision) of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. ... The Panther ( ) was a tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. ... The PanzerjÃ¤ger Tiger (P) Elefant (Sd. ...

Model's true opinion on the value of the offensive remains unclear. Von Manstein took his recommendation at face value, while Guderian said that he was categorically against attacking.^[25] It has similarly been suggested that Model in fact hoped to scuttle the operation, by causing it to be delayed until the Soviets launched their own attack.^[26]^[27] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Model's assault was a failure, as Ninth Army quickly became enmeshed in the elaborate Soviet fortifications. If he had hoped to gain an advantage by waiting for reinforcements, he had made a critical error: the Red Army's strength in the salient was in fact growing much faster than that of the attacking force. Nor did his tactical plan of attack meet with great success. Having less armour and more artillery than von Manstein in the south, and fearing that the deep Soviet defences would stall an armour-heavy attack (the hallmark of the German Blitzkrieg), he decided to use his infantry to breach Rokossovsky's line before unleashing his armour. It did not work. The Germans took heavy losses to advance less than 12 km (8 mi) in seven days, and were unable to break through to open ground. Model threw his armour into the fray, but with little effect beyond incurring more casualties. (As mitigating factors, the Soviets had concentrated more of their strength facing Model in the north; and Rokossovsky had correctly anticipated where the attack would come, defending that sector heavily.^[28] Model's use of infantry assaults also meant his losses in armour were lower than von Manstein's.)^[29] Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... This article is about the military term. ...

Prior to Kursk, Model had anticipated the possibility of a Soviet attack into the Orel salient, and had (without OKH's knowledge) constructed extensive defensive works to meet such an attack. Following the stalling of his advance, the Soviet counteroffensive, Operation Kutuzov, duly opened on 12 July. It involved not just Rokossovsky's Central Front, but also the Bryansk and Western Fronts, a greater concentration of forces than Model had assaulted in Operation Citadel. For the battle, von Kluge placed him in command of Second Panzer Army in addition to Ninth Army—again, a larger total force than he had commanded in Citadel.^[30] The Soviet preponderance of strength was such that Stavka expected it to take only 48 hours to reach Orel, splitting the German forces into three parts;^[31] instead, the battle ended three weeks later with Model's orderly withdrawal from the salient. An idea of the scale of the fighting compared to Citadel can be gained from the combined casualty lists for Second Panzer and Ninth Armies: from 1 to 10 July, the Germans took 21,000 casualties, and from 11 to 31 July, 62,000. Despite these losses he had inflicted similarly heavy casualties on the three Red Army Fronts, shortened the line, and avoided annihilation.^[32]^[33] His reputation thus survived the failure of Citadel. The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) was Germanys Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. ... Operation Kutuzov was a military operation by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, the Tsarist general credited with saving Russia from defeat during the invasion by Napoleon in 1812. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bryansk Front was a Front (i. ... WWII Eastern Front at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa The Western Front was a Front (military subdivision) of the Soviet Army, one of the Soviet Army Fronts during the Second World War. ... The German Second Panzer Army was a German tank army that fought during World War II. It origins were in the Panzer Group Guderian (Panzergruppe Guderian), named after its commander Heinz Guderian, and Panzergruppe 2 which played a significant role in the initial success of the blitzkrieg in Operation Barbarossa... Stavka (Ð¡Ñ‚Ð°Ð²ÐºÐ°) was the General Headquarters of armed forces in late Imperial Russia and in the Soviet Union. ... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Northern Russia

After the loss of Orel, Model withdrew to the Dnieper as the Soviets went on the offensive from Smolensk in the north to Rostov in the south. He was relieved of command of the Ninth Army at the end of September, and took the opportunity to go on three months' leave in Dresden with his family. It was the last Christmas he would spend at home.^[34] Combatants Soviet Union Germany Commanders Soviet STAVKA German OKW Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties 260,000 all causes Unknown The Baltic Offensive, also formally referred to as the Baltic Strategic Offensive Operation[1][2][3][4] as it was called by the Red Army who undertook it, denotes the battle between... Download high resolution version (1201x921, 283 KB)Soviet advances on the Eastern Front (WWII), 1943-08-01 to 1944-12-31 Drawn by User:Gdr File links The following pages link to this file: Siege of Leningrad Operation Bagration Eastern Front (World War II) Talk:Eastern Front (World War II... Download high resolution version (1201x921, 283 KB)Soviet advances on the Eastern Front (WWII), 1943-08-01 to 1944-12-31 Drawn by User:Gdr File links The following pages link to this file: Siege of Leningrad Operation Bagration Eastern Front (World War II) Talk:Eastern Front (World War II... Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... Combatants Axis Soviet Union Commanders GÃ¼nther von Kluge Andrei Yeremenko, Vasily Sokolovsky Strength 850,000 men, 8,800 guns, 500 tanks, 700 planes[1] 1,253,000 men, 20,640 guns, 1,430 tanks, 1,100 planes[1] Casualties (Soviet est. ... A view of Smolensk in 1912. ... Central market and Church in Rostov. ... Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian DreÅ¾Äany, meaning people of the riverside forest) is the capital city of the German Federal Free State of Saxony. ...

Model's relief was not a sign that he had lost Hitler's confidence, but rather that he had gained it: the Führer wanted him available should another emergency break out needing his attention. Thus on 29 January 1944, he was urgently sent to command Army Group North, which two weeks earlier had seen its stranglehold on Leningrad broken by the Volkhov, Leningrad and 2nd Baltic Fronts. The situation was dire (a circumstance that Model would come to be familiar with): two of the three corps of the German Eighteenth Army had been shattered, and contact lost with the III SS Panzer Corps defending Narva. is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Army Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord in German) was a high level command grouping of military units operating for Germany during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached army corps, reserve formations, and direct-reporting units. ... Combatants Germany Spanish Blue Division Soviet Union Commanders Wilhelm von Leeb Georg von KÃ¼chler AgustÃn MuÃ±oz Grandes Kliment Voroshilov Georgiy Zhukov Strength 725,000 930,000 Casualties Unknown Red Army: 332,059 KIA 24,324 non-combat dead 111,142 missing 16,470 civilians 1 million civilians... The Volkhov Front was a Front (i. ... The Leningrad Military District is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. ... The Bryansk Front was a Front (i. ... The German Eighteenth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... The III.(germanische) SS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The (germanische) (lit. ... Battle of Narva Conflict {{{conflict}}} Date {{{date}}} Place {{{place}}} Result {{{result}}} The Battle of Narva took place in the first half of 1944. ...

The army group's previous commander, Georg von Küchler, had pleaded for permission to withdraw to the Panther Line in Estonia, which was still only half-completed at that stage. Model immediately cracked down on such talk, instituting a new policy he called Shield and Sword (Schild und Schwert). Under this doctrine, ground would only temporarily be ceded, to gather reserves for an immediate counterattack that would drive the Soviets back and relieve pressure on other areas of the front. These statements of aggressive intent won over Hitler and OKH, who had no substantial reserves to send him but were still unwilling to lose territory. Historians have since debated their significance; some claim that Shield and Sword was Hitler's invention,^[35] while others say they were a calculated ploy by Model to disguise his true intent—to pull back to the Panther Line.^[36] Field Marshal Georg von KÃ¼chler Georg Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von KÃ¼chler (May 30, 1881 - May 25, 1968) was a German field marshal during World War II. Born in Philippsruhe castle near Hanau, KÃ¼chler led the German German Eighteenth Army in 1940 in the invasion of neutral Holland... The Panther Line was a line of fortifications constructed by the German Army in Russia during World War II to defend against advancing Soviet forces. ... The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) was Germanys Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. ...

Regardless, the "temporary" loss of ground usually became permanent, as Model conducted a fighting withdrawal to the Panther Line. He delegated responsibility for the Narva front to Otto Sponheimer commanding Army Detachment Narva, while he concentrated on extricating Eighteenth Army from its predicament. Without OKH's notice or approval, he constructed a series of interim defensive lines to cover its retreat, slowing down and inflicting heavy losses on the Soviets in the process.^[36]

By March, the withdrawal was complete. His forces were mostly intact, but the fighting had been fierce: his Shield and Sword counterattacks alone had cost him some 10,000–12,000 men. These counterattacks usually failed to recover ground, but they kept the Soviets off-balance and won Model time to pull his units back. They also allowed him to say to Hitler that he was pursuing an aggressive approach, even as the front moved steadily to the west.^[36]

On 1 March Model was promoted to field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall), the youngest in the Wehrmacht.^[37] His meteoric rise from colonel to field marshal had taken just six years. is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Replica of the marshals baton of Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen (Third Reich) Generalfeldmarschall ( ) (general field marshal, usually translated simply as field marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austrian Empire. ...

Ukraine and Poland

On 30 March Model was placed in command of Army Group North Ukraine in Galicia, which was withdrawing under heavy pressure from Zhukov's 1st Ukrainian Front. He replaced von Manstein, who had fallen out of favour with Hitler; despite von Manstein's previous victories, the Führer wanted someone who could be unyielding in defence, and Model fit the bill.^[38] There, he came into conflict with von Manstein's associates, in particular Hermann Balck and Friedrich von Mellenthin at the XLVIII Panzer Corps. Like their previous commander, they favoured the concept of "elastic defence", which called for a thinly held front line and strong armoured reserves to counterattack Soviet breakthroughs; they now refused to implement Model's preferred tactics. Model solved the problem by transferring XLVIII Panzer Corps' tanks to Hermann Breith's III Panzer Corps, leaving Balck and von Mellenthin in charge of four weak infantry divisions in the front line.^[39] Combatants Germany Soviet Union Commanders Ernst Busch (to 28 June), Walter Model (Army Group Centre) Georg-Hans Reinhardt (Third Panzer Army) Hans Jordan (Ninth Army) Kurt von Tippelskirch (Fourth Army) Walter Weiss (Second Army) Georgy Zhukov Konstantin Rokossovsky (3rd Belorussian Front) Hovhannes Bagramyan (1st Baltic Front) Ivan Chernyakhovsky (1st Belorussian... Combatants Germany Soviet Union Commanders Josef Harpe (Heeresgruppe Nordukraine) Ivan Koniev (1st Ukrainian Front) Strength 370,000 men 340 AFVs 4,800 guns 1,200,000 men 1,979 AFVs 11,265 guns Casualties 350,000 men 520 AFVs 198,000 men 1,285 AFVs The Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive[1... Combatants Nazi Germany Romania Soviet Union Commanders Ferdinand Schorner (until July 23) Johannes Friessner (from July 25) (Heeresgruppe Sudukraine) GÃ¼nther Blumentritt (until June 28) Walter Model (until August 16) Georg Hans Reinhardt (Army Group Centre) Konstantin Rokossovsky (1st Belorussian Front) Strength ? ? Casualties ? ? Lublin-Brest Offensive is covered in the... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Army Group South (German: Heeresgruppe SÃ¼d) was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South. ... For other uses, see Galicia. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin (30 August 1904 - 28 June 1997) was a Generalmajor in the German Army during World War II. A participant in most of the major campaigns of the war, he became well-known afterwards for his memoirs Panzer Battles, first published in 1956 and regularly reprinted since... The XLVIII Panzer Corps (German ), originally called the XLVIII Motorized Corps, was a corps level formation of the German Heer which saw extensive action on both the east and western fronts during World War II. History The corps was originally formed on 15 December 1940 in Germany as the XLVIII... Defence in depth is a military strategy sometimes referred to as elastic defence or deep defence. ... ...

By mid-April Zhukov's advance had come to a halt, before the argument over which defensive doctrine was superior could be decided. On 28 June Model was sent to rescue Army Group Centre, which had been torn apart by Operation Bagration, the Soviet offensive in Belorussia. The Ninth Army (Model's old command) and Fourth Army were trapped, and the Soviets were about to liberate Minsk. Despite the catastrophic situation, Model believed that he could still hold Minsk, but this would require Fourth Army to break out of its pocket, and reinforcements to counterattack the Soviet advance. The reinforcements in turn could only be obtained by pulling back, thus shortening the line and freeing up troops.^[40] The consensus is that the German position was doomed regardless of what Model could have done,^[41]^[42] but Hitler rendered the issue moot by refusing to sanction either Fourth Army's escape or a general withdrawal until it was too late. is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Germany Soviet Union Commanders Ernst Busch (to 28 June), Walter Model (Army Group Centre) Georg-Hans Reinhardt (Third Panzer Army) Hans Jordan (Ninth Army) Kurt von Tippelskirch (Fourth Army) Walter Weiss (Second Army) Georgy Zhukov Konstantin Rokossovsky (3rd Belorussian Front) Hovhannes Bagramyan (1st Baltic Front) Ivan Chernyakhovsky (1st Belorussian... For other uses, see Belarus (disambiguation). ... The German Ninth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... Insignia of 4th Army The German Fourth Army (German: ) was a field army that fought in World War II. The Fourth Army was activated on December 1, 1938 with Field Marshal GÃ¼nther von Kluge in command. ... Location of Minsk, shown within the Minsk Voblast Coordinates: Country Subdivision Belarus Minsk Founded 1067 Government - Mayor Mikhail Pavlov Area - City 305. ...

Minsk was liberated by the Soviet 1st and 3rd Belorussian Fronts on 3 July, but Model still hoped to re-establish the front to the west of the city, with the aid of divisions from Army Groups North and North Ukraine.^[43]^[44] However, German strength was unequal to the task, and he had been driven out of Vilnius and Baranovichi by 12 July. At the same time, the 1st Ukrainian Front (now commanded by Ivan Konev) and the 1st Belorussian Front's left wing (which had been uncommitted thus far) opened up a fresh offensive against Army Group North Ukraine. In this battle the First Panzer Army managed to hold the line east of Lvov using Model's defensive tactics, but was forced to retreat when the Fourth Panzer Army, weakened by the steady flow of units to Army Group Centre, was unable to stem the Soviet penetrations of its front.^[45] Model stopped the Red Army's advance just short of Warsaw, after Hitler finally consented to release four experienced and fresh panzer divisions to him (3rd SS Panzer, 5th SS Panzer, Hermann Göring and Grossdeutschland). It should be noted that he was assisted in this by the Soviets themselves, who paused their offensive to regroup and resupply, and allow the Germans to crush the non-communist Warsaw uprising. The 1st Belorussian Front (alternative spellings are 1st Byelorussian Front and 1st Belarusian Front) was a military subdivision (Front) of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. ... The 3rd Belorussian Front (alternative spellings are 3rd Belarusian Front) was one of the Soviet Army fronts during the World War II. At various times, it was commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Aleksandr Vasilevsky and General Ivan Chernyakhovsky. ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with Vilnius city municipality. ... Baranovichi (Belarusian Ð‘Ð°Ñ€Ð°Ð½Ð°Ð²iÑ‡Ñ‹ | BaranaviÄy; Polish Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest voblast in western Belarus with a population of 173 000 (as of 1995). ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Marshal Ivan Konev Ivan Stepanovich Koniev (Russian Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ Ð¡Ñ‚ÐµÐ¿Ð°Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ ÐšÐ¾Ð½ÐµÐ²) (December 28, 1897 â€“ May 21, 1973), Soviet military commander, was born into a peasant family near Podosinovsky in central Russia (now in Kirov Oblast). ... Combatants Germany Soviet Union Commanders Josef Harpe (Heeresgruppe Nordukraine) Ivan Koniev (1st Ukrainian Front) Strength 370,000 men 340 AFVs 4,800 guns 1,200,000 men 1,979 AFVs 11,265 guns Casualties 350,000 men 520 AFVs 198,000 men 1,285 AFVs The Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive[1... The First Panzer Army (German ) was a German tank army that fought during World War II. When formed the First Panzer Army was named Panzer Group Kleist (Panzergruppe Kleist) and was activated on November 16, 1940 with Field Marshal Ewald von Kleist in command. ... â€œLvovâ€ redirects here. ... Panzergruppe 4 4. ... For other uses, see Warsaw (disambiguation) and Warszawa (disambiguation). ... Panzer Division is the German term for armored division. ... SS Division Totenkopf (Deaths Head or Skull) is also known as 3. ... SS Division Germania SS Division Wiking SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking Logo of the SS Wiking Formed around SS Regiment Germania as SS Division Germania in late 1940, and renamed SS Division Wiking in early 1941. ... Polizeiabteilung z. ... Wachregiment Berlin Kommando der Wachtruppe Wachtruppe Berlin Wach-Regiment Berlin Infanterie-Regiment GroÃŸdeutschland (mot) Infanterie-Division GroÃŸdeutschland (mot) Panzergrenadier-Division GroÃŸdeutschland Panzer-Korps GroÃŸdeutschland The GroÃŸdeutschland Division (lit. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... For other uses, see Warsaw Uprising (disambiguation). ...

At various times in 1944, Model commanded each of the three major army groups on the Eastern Front, and for a short period in the middle of the year was commanding both Army Groups Centre and North Ukraine simultaneously. He therefore came closer than anyone else in the Wehrmacht to effective command of the entire theatre. Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky...

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 789 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (3000 Ã— 2279 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 789 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (3000 Ã— 2279 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Normandy

On 17 August 1944, Model received from a grateful Hitler the Diamonds to go with his Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords, a reward for patching up the Eastern Front. Simultaneously, he was transferred to the west, replacing von Kluge as commander-in-chief of Army Group B and OB West. The front in Normandy had collapsed after nearly two months of severe fighting, the U.S. Third Army was driving for the Seine, and the army group was in danger of being completely annihilated in the Falaise pocket. This article is about the assault phase of Operation Overlord. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Army Group B was the name of three different German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. The first was involved in the western campaign in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands which was to be aimed to conquer the Maas bridges after the German airborne actions in... The German Army Command in the West (Oberbefehlshaber West (German: initials OB West) was the overall command of German armed forces (Wehrmacht) on the Western Front during World War II. It was directly subordinate to German Armed Forces High Command. ... For other uses, see Normandy (disambiguation). ... Distinctive Unit Insignia // The Third United States Army was first activated as a formation during the First World War on November 7, 1918, at Chaumont, France, when the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces issued General Order 198 organizing the Third Army and announcing its headquarters staff. ... This article is about the river in France. ... Combatants North: United Kingdom Canada Polish forces South: United States Free French Nazi Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Harry Crerar Philippe Leclerc StanisÅ‚aw Maczek Bernard Montgomery George Patton GÃ¼nther von Kluge Walter Model Strength ~at least 500,000 Casualties Canadian: 1,470 killed Polish: 325 killed ~50,000 killed...

Model's first order was that Falaise be defended, which did not impress his staff.^[46]^[47] However he quickly changed his mind, convincing Hitler to authorise the immediate escape of the German Seventh Army and Panzer Group Eberbach—something that von Kluge, with his limited political clout, had not been able to do. He was thus able to salvage a remarkable proportion of his units, albeit at the cost of nearly all his armour and heavy materiel. When Hitler demanded that Paris be held, Model replied that he could do so, but only if given an extra 200,000 men and several panzer divisions—an act that has been described as naivety by some,^[48] and canny bargaining by others.^[49] The reinforcements were not forthcoming, and the city's liberation took place on 25 August. Meanwhile, Model fell back to the German border. Ensign of the German 7th Army from 1944 The German Seventh Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... The Fifth Panzer Army, also known as Panzer Group West and Panzer Group Eberbach (German: , Panzergruppe West, Panzergruppe Eberbach) was a German panzer army which saw action in the Western and North African Fronts. ... Material (from the French matÃ©rial for equipment or hardware, related to the word material) is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Combatants Free French Forces French Resistance Germany Commanders Philippe Leclerc Raymond Dronne Henri Rol-Tanguy Jacques Chaban-Delmas Dietrich von Choltitz # Strength 2nd Armoured Division, French resistance 20,000 Casualties 1,500 dead French resistance 71 dead, 225 wounded Free French Forces[1] 3,200 dead, 12,800 POW The... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

By early September, Model was finding the task of juggling his responsibilities at Army Group B and OB West increasingly difficult, in the face of Allied air superiority and his own predilection for roaming the front lines. Thus he was happy to relinquish OB West in that month to Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. He retained command of Army Group B, a post he would keep until the army group's final dissolution in April 1945.^[50] Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Retreat to Germany

After the debacle of Normandy, Model established his headquarters at Oosterbeek, near Arnhem in the Netherlands, where he set about the massive task of rebuilding Army Group B. In mid-August 1944, von Kluge committed suicide and Model was given command of OB West for eighteen days before he was relieved of duty and Gerd von Rundstedt was once again placed in command in the west. Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor Stanislaw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead,wounded or missing 6,450 Captured 2,000 Killed 6,000 Wounded Operation... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Courtney Hodges Walter Model Strength 120,000 80,000 Casualties 33,000 casualties 12,000â€”16,000 deaths[1] (est. ... Renkum is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. ... This article is about the Dutch city and municipality. ... Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war. ...

On 17 September, his lunch was rudely interrupted when the British 1st Airborne Division dropped into the town: Operation Market Garden, the Allied attempt to capture the bridges on the lower Rhine, Maas and Waal, was under way. Model initially thought they were trying to capture him and his staff, but the size of the assault quickly disabused him of that notion.^[51] is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The British 1st Airborne Division was a military unit that fought in World War II. It suffered terrible casualties, especially in Operation Market Garden. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor Stanislaw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 11,377 dead,wounded or missing 6,450 Captured 2,000 Killed 6,000 Wounded Operation... For other uses, see Rhine (disambiguation). ... The Meuse (Maas) at Maastricht Meuse near Grave The Meuse (Dutch & German Maas) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. ... WAAL (The Whale) is a classic rock radio station broadcasting at 99. ...

When Model perceived what the Allies' real objective was, he ordered the II SS Panzer Corps into action. The corps, containing the 9th SS Panzer and 10th SS Panzer Divisions refitting after Normandy, had been overlooked by Allied intelligence: while still seriously understrength, it was composed of veteran troops and a deadly threat to lightly equipped paratroopers. 9th SS Panzer took on the British at Arnhem, while the 10th moved south to defend the bridge at Nijmegen. The II.SS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. // The II.SS-Panzerkorps was formed in July 1942 in Bergen in The Netherlands as SS-Panzer-Generalkommando. ... The official cuff title worn by men of 9. ... The 10. ... An American USMC Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ... Country Netherlands Province Gelderland Area (2006) - Municipality 57. ...

Model believed that the situation represented not just a threat, but also an opportunity to counterattack and possibly clear the Allies out of the southern Netherlands. Towards this end, he forbade SS General Willi Bittrich and SS Lieutenant General Heinz Harmel, commanding II SS Panzer Corps and 10th SS Panzer respectively, from destroying the Nijmegen bridge. With the exception of this tactical error, Model is considered to have fought an outstanding battle and handed the Allies a sharp defeat. The bridge at Arnhem was held and the 1st Airborne Division destroyed, dashing the Allies' hopes for a foothold over the Rhine before the end of the year.^[52] Bunker near Buhlert woods, Germany b/w photo by Markus Schweiß This photo taken from German wikipedia image of same name. ... Bunker near Buhlert woods, Germany b/w photo by Markus Schweiß This photo taken from German wikipedia image of same name. ... During World War II, the term Dragons teeth came to designate square-pyramidal fortifications used to impede the progress of mechanized armies. ... Map of the Siegfried line The original Siegfried line (Siegfriedstellung) was a line of defensive forts and tank defenses built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916-1917 in northern France during World War I. However, in English, Siegfried line more commonly refers to the similar World... Wilhelm Bittrich Wilhelm Willi Bittrich (February 26, 1894 â€“ April 19, 1979) was a ObergruppenfÃ¼hrer (rank equivalent to Lieutenant-General) of the German SS and a Waffen-SS General during World War II. Born in the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of Germany, Bittrich served as an army...

Arnhem restored much of Model's self-confidence, which had been shaken by the experience of Normandy.^[53] From September to December he fought another Allied thrust to a standstill, this time by Omar Bradley's U.S. 12th Army Group into the Hürtgen Forest and Aachen. While he interfered less in the day-to-day movements of his units than at Arnhem, he still kept himself fully informed on the situation, slowing the Allies' progress, inflicting heavy casualties and taking full advantage of the fortifications of the Siegfried Line. Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 â€“ April 8, 1981) was one of the main U.S. Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II and a General of the Army of the United States Army. ... The Twelfth United States Army Group was the largest and most powerful American military formation ever to take to the field. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Courtney Hodges Walter Model Strength 120,000 80,000 Casualties 33,000 casualties 12,000â€”16,000 deaths[1] (est. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders William Simpson Gerhard Wilck Strength 100,000 soldiers 12,000 soldiers Casualties 2,000 dead, 3,000 wounded 5,000 dead or wounded, 5,600 captured The Battle of Aachen was a battle in Aachen, Germany, that took place in October 1944 in World War... Map of the Siegfried line The original Siegfried line (Siegfriedstellung) was a line of defensive forts and tank defenses built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916-1917 in northern France during World War I. However, in English, Siegfried line more commonly refers to the similar World...

The Hürtgen Forest cost the U.S. First Army at least 33,000 killed and incapacitated, including both combat and noncombat losses; Germans casualties were between 12,000 and 16,000. Aachen eventually fell on 22 October, again at high cost to the U.S. Ninth Army. The Ninth Army's push to the Roer River fared no better, and did not manage to cross the river or wrest control of its dams from the Germans. Hürtgen was so costly that it has been called an Allied "defeat of the first magnitude", with specific credit being assigned to Model.^[54]^[55]^[56] The First United States Army is a field army of the United States Army. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ninth United States Army was one of the main U.S. Army combat commands used during the campaign in northwest Europe in 1944 and 1945. ... The Rur (-German, in Dutch and French: Roer, not to be confused with the Ruhr) is a river in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. ...

Wacht am Rhein

Following the end of Market Garden, Hitler decided that the Germans should launch an offensive in the west, which would catch the Western Allies by surprise. The objective he had in mind was to split the Allied front and capture Antwerp. This operation, codenamed Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine), would force the British and Americans to sue for peace, leaving Germany free to concentrate on fighting the Soviet Union. For the 1965 film, see Battle of the Bulge (film). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Western Allies were the democracies and their colonial peoples, within the broader coalition of Allies during World War II. The term is generally understood to refer to the countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations and Poland (from 1939), exiled forces from Occupied Europe (from 1940), the United States... For other uses, see Antwerp (disambiguation). ...

Model, along with all the other commanders involved, believed the idea was unachievable given the scarce resources available in 1944. At the same time, both he and von Rundstedt felt that a purely defensive posture—as had been adopted since retreating from Normandy—could only delay Germany's defeat, not prevent it. Thus he prepared Operation Herbstnebel, a less ambitious attack that did not attempt to cross the Meuse, but would still have inflicted a severe setback on the Allies. A similar plan had been developed by von Rundstedt at OB West, and the two field marshals combined their plans to present a joint "small solution" to Hitler. It was rejected, and the "big solution" of aiming for Antwerp went ahead.^[57]^[58]^[59] Unternehmen Herbstnebel (Operation Autumn Mist) was an offensive planned by Field Marshal Walter Model and his Army Group B operational staff in late 1944 during World War II. It envisaged an attack targeting the Allied forces in eastern Belgium and Luxembourg, east of the Meuse River. ... The Meuse (Maas) at Maastricht Meuse near Grave The Meuse (Dutch & German Maas) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. ...

For this operation, Model had at his disposal Sixth SS Panzer Army, Fifth Panzer Army and Seventh Army, including a dozen panzer and panzergrenadier divisions, representing the last strategic reserve of the Third Reich. Despite his misgivings, Model threw himself into the task with his usual energy, cracking down on any defeatism he might find. A staff officer complained about shortages, causing him to snap: "If you need anything, take it from the Americans".^[60]^[61] He remained acutely aware of both the operation's significance, and its most likely outcome. When Colonel Friedrich August von der Heydte, ordered to lead a parachute drop as part of the operation, said that the jump had no more than a 10 per cent chance of success, he replied: "Well, then it is necessary to make the attempt, since the entire offensive has no more than a 10 per cent chance of success. It must be done, since this offensive is the last remaining chance to conclude the war favourably."^[62]^[63] This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Also known as: Panzer Group West Panzer Group Eberbach The Fifth Panzer Army was a German panzer army which saw action in the Western and North African Fronts. ... Ensign of the German 7th Army from 1944 The German Seventh Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... The Military Reserves are an organization that is associated with the military but is not in active duty. ... Oberstleutnant von der Heydt, 1943 Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte was a German Luftwaffe officer who served with the FallschirmjÃ¤ger during World War II, reaching the rank of Oberstleutnant. ...

The operation was launched on 16 December 1944 and enjoyed initial success, but it lacked air cover and infantry, and most critically, fuel. Sixth SS Panzer Army ran into stiff resistance, and while Fifth Panzer Army managed to make a deep thrust into Allied lines, Model was unable to exploit the breakthrough. The Germans had failed to capture the vital road junction at Bastogne; combined with the poor weather and impassable terrain, this caused the German columns to bank up into huge traffic jams on the roads behind the front. Starved of fuel and ammunition, the attack had ground to a halt by 25 December, and was called off on 8 January.^[64] is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... An oil tanker taking on bunker fuel. ... The coat of arms of the Bastogne municipality. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Defeat at the Ruhr

The failure of Wacht am Rhein marked the end of Model's special relationship with Hitler, who on 21 January 1945, issued an order that all the divisions of Army Group B would thenceforth be personally responsible to him. Withdrawing to the Rhine was forbidden, and the army group was directed to conduct its defence without giving up an inch of ground.^[65] The Ruhr Pocket was a battle that took place at the end of World War II in the Ruhr Area, Germany. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

It was an impossible task, and by mid-March Model had been forced back to the Ruhr. On 1 April, Army Group B was encircled there by the U.S. First and Ninth Armies. Hitler's response was to declare the Ruhr a fortress, from which surrender or escape were denied (much like Stalingrad had been); he further ordered its industries to be destroyed to prevent them falling into Allied hands. Model ignored these orders.^[66]^[67] Image File history File links Bruecke_von_Remagen_1945_2. ... Image File history File links Bruecke_von_Remagen_1945_2. ... The Ludendorff Bridge was a railroad bridge across the Rhine in Germany, connecting the cities of Remagen and Erpel. ... For the conurbation see Ruhr Area. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The First United States Army is a field army of the United States Army. ... The Ninth United States Army was one of the main U.S. Army combat commands used during the campaign in northwest Europe in 1944 and 1945. ... Combatants Germany Romania Italy Hungary Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Friedrich Paulus # Erich von Manstein Hermann Hoth Petre Dumitrescu Constantin Constantinescu Italo Garibaldi Gusztav Jany Vasiliy Chuikov Aleksandr Vasilyevskiy Georgiy Zhukov Semyon Timoshenko Konstantin Rokossovskiy Rodion Malinovskiy Andrei Yeremenko Strength Army Group B: German Sixth Army # German Fourth Panzer Army...

On 15 April, after the Allies had split the pocket in two, Major General Matthew Ridgway, commanding the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, urged Model to surrender rather than throw the lives of his soldiers away. The reply was that Model, still bound by his oath to Hitler and his sense of honour as a field marshal, considered surrender out of the question. Rather than continue fighting, however, he ordered the army group dissolved. The oldest and youngest soldiers were discharged, and the remainder given the option of surrendering or attempting to break out on their own. In fact, he could do little else: the Fifth Panzer Army had already laid down its arms, and German command and communications in the pocket had all but disintegrated. On 20 April, Joseph Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry denounced Army Group B as traitors, marking the final break between Model and the collapsing Nazi regime.^[68]^[69] is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895â€“July 26, 1993) was a United States Army general. ... Patch of the XVIII Airborne Corps. ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation: IPA: ; English generally IPA: ) (October 29, 1897 â€“ May 1, 1945) was a German politician and Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the National Socialist regime from 1933 to 1945. ...

Suicide

Model's decision ended the war for his men, but he himself had little desire to witness the aftermath of defeat. He said to his staffers before dissolving his command: "Has everything been done to justify our actions in the light of history? What can there be left for a commander in defeat? In antiquity they took poison".^[67]^[70] His decision to commit suicide was sealed when he learned that the Soviets had indicted him for war crimes, specifically the deaths of 577,000 people in concentration camps in Latvia and the deportation of 175,000 others as slave labour.^[67]^[69] After his attempts to seek death on the front line came to nothing, he shot himself in the head in a wooded area on 21 April 1945. The location, between Duisburg and the village of Lintorf, is today part of the city of Ratingen. For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... Piles of bodies in a liberated Nazi concentration camp in Germany Prior to and during World War II, Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps (Konzentrationslager, abbreviated KZ or KL) throughout the territories it controlled. ... Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will by the threat of destitution, detention, violence (including death), or other extreme hardship to themselves, or to members of their families. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Duisburg is a German city and port in the western part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. ... Lintorf is a quarter in the northern part of the city Ratingen at the transition of the foreland of the Berg region into the lower Rhine plain. ... Ratingen is a North-Rhine-Westphalian (Germany) city in the northwestern part of Berg - about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. ...

Postscript

Model was buried where he fell. In 1955 his son, Hansgeorg Model, guided by his father's former officers, recovered his father's body. Walter Model was reinterred in the Soldatenfriedhof Vossenack, a German military cemetery near the town of Vossenack in the Hürtgen Forest. Hansgeorg himself served as an officer cadet with the Grossdeutschland Division in late 1944 and 1945; after the war he joined the Bundeswehr, rising to the rank of brigadier general. Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... The Hurtgen forest (or Huertgen Forest, for HÃ¼rtgenwald in German) is located along the border between Belgium and Germany in southwest corner of the German state of North_Rhine-Westphalia. ... Infanterie-Division GroÃŸdeutschland (mot) Panzergrenadier-Division GroÃŸdeutschland Panzer-Korps GroÃŸdeutschland The GroÃŸdeutschland Division (lit. ... The Bundeswehr (German for Federal Defence Force; ) is the name of the unified armed forces of Germany. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

Generalship

Limitations

Unlike Erwin Rommel, another field marshal who preferred to lead from the front, Walter Model was almost universally disliked by those who had to work with him. For example, when he was made commander of the XLI Panzer Corps in 1941, the entire corps staff asked to be transferred.^[71]^[72] Not only was he foul-mouthed and abusive, but he made a habit of micromanaging his subordinates, changing plans without consultation, and bypassing the chain of command when it suited him. He was oblivious to the niceties of etiquette, often reprimanding or castigating his officers in public. When he departed Army Group North in March 1944 after being sent to the Ukraine, the army group's chief of staff remarked: "Schweinfuhrt" (the swine has flown).^[73] It was a reference to Model's nickname among his staffers, that he had earned during his time at XLI Panzer Corps: "Frontschwein" (the frontline pig).^[74] Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 â€“ 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname â€œThe Desert Foxâ€ (WÃ¼stenfuchs, ) for the skillful military campaigns he...

He was not an operational genius in the mould of von Manstein, who had masterminded the plan that defeated France in 1940. Model had led the spectacular advance of 3rd Panzer Division during Operation Barbarossa, and come excruciatingly close to the heart of Moscow in 1941, but his record with offensive operations at army level and above was mediocre.^[1] As Ninth Army commander he encircled and destroyed large enemy formations that had penetrated his front, but at Kursk he miscalculated the effect of delaying the offensive, and his plan of attack was uninspired at best, flawed at worst.^[1] In the Ardennes, he was unable to overcome the problems of supply and coordination that hobbled the operation. His command style had worked when he was leading a division or corps, but once promoted to command of an army, it opened him to criticism over whether the advantages gained were enough to offset the loss of efficiency that followed.^[75] Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Czechoslovakia Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) Leopold III H.G. Winkelman Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di...

Nor did Model show any outstanding ability at strategy. On both the Eastern and Western Fronts, he had held commands that included control of multiple army groups; on both occasions, his stints were marked by the lack of any coherent plan. His decision during Operation Bagration to reinforce Army Group Centre with divisions from Army Group North Ukraine only had the effect of weakening the latter. It has been observed that he showed little ability or inclination to contemplate those stretches of the front he did not command.^[76]^[77] This article is about real and historical warfare. ...

Strengths

What Model possessed was an excellent tactical mind, especially on the defensive, and an "outstanding talent for improvisation".^[77] At 3rd Panzer Division he was a pioneer in the use of Kampfgruppen, which would soon become standard practice for the Germans. He had a formidable memory and eye for detail, which allowed him to dominate his staff officers, especially those in charge of specialist areas such as artillery, transport and communications.^[78] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Walter Nehring (August 15, 1892 - April 20, 1983), was a German General of World War II, known for his involvement with the Afrika Korps. ... Military tactics (Greek: TaktikÄ“, the art of organizing an army) are the collective name for methods for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ... The Kampfgruppe was a common combat formation used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. ...

His operational doctrine was very unlike that of his colleagues who dominated postwar evaluations of German operations: men like Guderian, von Manstein, von Mellenthin and Balck, who emphasised manoeuvre warfare as the key to winning battles. Before the war, when he was put in charge of analyse technical advances at home and abroad, his enthusiasm for innovation earned him the nickname Armee Modernissimus ("the army modernization fanatic"). To some extent, this was a product of their respective experiences. Model fought nearly all his battles in the northern and central parts of the Eastern Front; he was never tested on the steppes of southern Russia, where the open terrain would have made mobile warfare a more attractive proposition. Nevertheless, his defensive record indicated the value of his approach. At Rzhev, Orel, in Galicia and in Estonia he stymied opponents who expected to overwhelm him, and as late as November 1944, he gave the U.S. 12th Army Group a bloodied nose in the Hürtgen Forest. Operational warfare is, within warfare and military doctrine, the level of command which coordinates the minute details of tactics with the overarching goals of strategy. ... General Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (17 June 1888-14 May 1954) was a military theorist and General of the German Army during the Second World War. ... Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein Erich von Manstein (November 24, 1887–June 10, 1973) was a lifelong professional soldier who rose to be one of the most prominent commanders of Nazi Germanys Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) during World War II; he attained the rank of Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall), although he... Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin (30 August 1904 - 28 June 1997) was a Generalmajor in the German Army during World War II. A participant in most of the major campaigns of the war, he became well-known afterwards for his memoirs Panzer Battles, first published in 1956 and regularly reprinted since... Balck may refer to: Heike Balck (born 1970), retired German high jumper Hermann Balck (1893â€“1982), general in Nazi Germanys Wehrmacht Balk Black This page or section lists people with the surname Balck. ... Maneuver warfare, is the term used by military theorist for a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption brought about by movement. ... This article is about the ecological zone type. ...

His approach was not pretty. Model was a ruthless commander, willing to inflict and take casualties to stabilise his front.^[79] In addition to the instances noted above, he would send theatre or operational reserves into the line where the fighting was toughest, thus preserving the units he saw as organic to his own command.^[80] For example, he was given the elite Grossdeutschland Division in September 1942, when his Ninth Army was under heavy attack during Operation Mars. Told that the division was not to be broken up, Model nonetheless split it into battalions and companies, which he used to plug any gaps that appeared. Grossdeutschland took nearly 10,000 casualties out of a strength of 18,000 men, and at one point was reportedly close to mutiny; but from Model's viewpoint, these losses were acceptable because they meant that Ninth Army's own troops did not have to suffer them.^[81] That said, he did not simply treat these units as disposable either. In early 1942, the Der Führer Regiment of the 2nd SS Division Das Reich was infamously reduced to a handful of men in three weeks of bitter fighting—but in that time it also received at least 1,500 reinforcements, including 88 mm guns, artillery pieces, and StuG III assault guns, and Model himself visited the sector daily, calculating the minimum support that would be needed to hold off the Soviet attacks.^[82]^[83] Wachregiment Berlin Kommando der Wachtruppe Wachtruppe Berlin Wach-Regiment Berlin Infanterie-Regiment GroÃŸdeutschland (mot) Infanterie-Division GroÃŸdeutschland (mot) Panzergrenadier-Division GroÃŸdeutschland Panzer-Korps GroÃŸdeutschland The GroÃŸdeutschland Division (lit. ... Operation Mars, or 2nd Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive was a World War II strategic offensive launched in November-December of 1942 by Soviet forces against a German salient in the vicinity of Moscow. ... SS-Division VerfÃ¼gungstruppe SS-Division Deutschland SS-Division Reich SS-Division Das Reich 2. ... German 88 mm guns were used in anti-aircraft and anti-tank roles. ... StuG III Ausf G The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was one of Germanys most produced AFVs during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the Panzer III. Initially intended as a mobile, armoured light gun for infantry support, the StuG was continually...

Allied to this were his boundless determination and vigour, and stubborn refusal to countenance defeat. He held himself to the same high standard as he held those around him, saying: "He who leads troops has no right to think about himself".^[71] His visits to the front may not have helped operational efficiency, but they energised his men, who consistently held him in much higher regard than did his officers. As commanding general of Ninth Army he was once recorded as personally leading a battalion attack against a Soviet position, pistol in hand.^[84]^[85] Even his peers respected his ability and iron will, detest his personality though they might. Guderian thought him the best choice to command Army Group Centre during the crisis of Operation Bagration,^[86] and the Ninth Army's War Diary recorded, after he arrived at army group headquarters in Minsk: "The news of Field Marshal Model's arrival is noted with satisfaction and confidence."^[87]

Assessment

Relationship with Hitler

Before the war, Model had been content to leave politics to the politicians, preferring instead to concentrate on military affairs. Despite this, he became one of the Wehrmacht's field marshals most closely identified with Hitler. Postwar opinions on him have varied. Some historians have called him "blindly loyal"^[88] or a "zealous disciple"^[89] of Hitler; others take a more nuanced view, seeing in Model a coldly calculating opportunist who used the Führer to his advantage, whether or not he was committed to him or the ideals of Nazism.^[90] The contradictions between his Lutheran upbringing and his later association with the Nazis have similarly been the subject of comment.^[77]^[91] Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestant Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther. ...

As one of the few German generals of middle class upbringing, Model's background appealed to Hitler, who distrusted the old Prussian aristocratic order that still dominated the Wehrmacht's officer corps. His defensive tactics were a much better fit to Hitler's instincts never to give ground, than airy talk of "elastic defence"—even if Model did not entirely share those instincts.^[92] His stubbornness, energy and ruthlessness were more qualities that Hitler found admirable, and Model's blunt and direct manner of speaking also made an impression. The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... For other uses, see Prussia (disambiguation). ... Junkers (English pronunciation: ; German pronunciation: ) were the landed nobility of Prussia and Eastern Germany - lands which are often also called Eastelbia (Ostelbien in German - the land east of river Elbe). ... An officer is a member of a military, naval, or if applicable, other uniformed services who holds a position of responsibility. ...

In a much-noted incident, Model had to deal with an attempt by Adolph Hitler to interfere with his arrangements. A telephone call from Army Group Center's chief of staff on 19 January of 1942 informed him that Hitler, having become nervous about the direct Soviet threat against Viazma, had decided that XLVII Panzer Corps, 2nd SS Division Das Reich, and 5th Panzer Division were not to be employed in the imminent counterattack but reserved for other use in the rearguard. Immediately, Model drove back from Rzhev to Vyazma in a raging blizzard and boarded a plane for East Prussia. Bypassing the figure of field marshal Günther von Kluge, his immediate superior, he sought a personal confrontation with Hitler. At first he attempted to lay out his reasons in the best, dispassionate General Staff manner, only to find the Führer unmoved by logic. Suddenly, glaring at Hitler trough his monocle, Model brusquely demanded to know: "Mein Führer, who commands Ninth Army, you or I?". Hitler, shocked at the defiance of his newest army commander, tried to find another solution favorable for both, but Model still wasn't satisfied. "Good, Model", the exasperated Hitler finally responded. "You do it as you please, but it will be your head at risk" ^[93]^[94]. Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was one of three German army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, code-named Operation Barbarossa. ... The term Chief of Staff can refer to: The White House Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. ... SS-Division VerfÃ¼gungstruppe SS-Division Deutschland SS-Division Reich SS-Division Das Reich 2. ... The 5th Panzer Division is a German armored unit. ... Closing the Falais-Argentan Pocket and the Mortain counterattack 6-17 August 1944 A counterattack is a military tactic used by defending forces when under attack by an enemy force. ... Cover of March 2006 The Rearguard is a student newspaper at Portland State University, located in Portland, OR, that provides, as noted in its logo, a monthly alternative to the other publications on the PSU campus like the PSU Daily Vanguard and the PSU Spectator. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... GÃ¼nther â€œHansâ€ von Kluge (October 30, 1882 â€“ August 19, 1944), was a German military leader. ...

According to the Hitler's Table Talk recorded that night, the Führer commented: "I distrust officers who have exaggeratedly theoretical minds. I'd like to know what becomes of their theories at the moment of action". But when an officer "is worthy of command", he told Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, "he must be given the prerogatives corresponding to his functions" ^[95]. Shortly after Model's departure to Rzhev area, relaxing with his cronies that evening, he also stated that: "Generals must be tough, pitiless men, as crabbed as mastiffs - gross-grained men, such as I have in the Party" ^[96]. Importantly, however, Model never challenged Hitler on political issues: a point that has been identified as the secret to their successful relationship.^[77] Hitlers Table Talk is a term or title belonging to certain impromptu conversations and statements made by Adolf Hitler, which were recorded by various individuals. ... Heinrich Himmler as the ReichsfÃ¼hrer-SS ReichsfÃ¼hrer-SS was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. ... Heinrich Luitpold Himmler ( ; 7 October 1900 â€“ 23 May 1945) was commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS) and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and the Nazi hierarchy. ...

Helped by his defensive successes, he thus gained Hitler's full trust and confidence; the Führer called him "my best field marshal" and (after Operation Bagration) "the saviour of the Eastern Front".^[97] In turn, this granted Model a degree of flexibility available to no other German general. He frequently disputed, ignored or bypassed orders that he felt unsupportable: at Rzhev and Orel he had constructed defensive fortifications in defiance of a ban, and his use of Shield and Sword tactics while at Army Group North proved to be simply a cover for a staged withdrawal. His relationships with his superiors were marked by dissembling, where what he wrote in his reports could bear little resemblance to what was actually happening.^[98] While other generals who clashed with Hitler were fated to be dismissed, Model's standing remained undiminished—so long as he produced results. After he failed at the Ardennes and the Ruhr, he was discarded.

Model and Nazism

Many of Model's fellow officers considered him a Nazi. He had voiced pro-Nazi sentiments before and during the war, and he frequently harangued his troops to have faith in the Führer and uphold the virtues of National Socialism.^[74] Furthermore, he appointed a Waffen-SS officer as his adjutant at Army Group North in 1944,^[99] repeatedly requested to have SS officers assigned to his staff at each of his army group commands, and filled the National Sozialistischer Führungs Offizier (NSFO, essentially a Nazi political commissar) post at Army Group B that had been vacant before his arrival. His habit of parroting the Führer's orders caused him to be viewed as a sycophant, even if he often undermined or ignored those orders in practice.^[78]^[100] Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... A political commissar is an officer appointed by a government to oversee a unit of the military. ...

Following the July 20 Plot, Model was the first senior commander to reaffirm his loyalty to Hitler. However, he also refused to give up General Hans Speidel, his chief of staff at Army Group B who was heavily implicated in the plot, to the Gestapo. Model was well aware of Speidel's political leanings, as were his predecessors at Army Group B, Rommel and von Kluge. Like them, he shielded Speidel for as long as possible, while ignoring such treasonous talk as might take place.^[101]^[102] Claus von Stauffenberg The July 20 Plot was an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany, on July 20, 1944. ... (from left to right:) Gerd von Rundstedt, GÃ¼nther Blumentritt, Hans Speidel and Erwin Rommel in La RÃ´che Guillon Hans Speidel (born 28 October 1897, Metzingen - died at Bad Honnef, 28 November 1984) was a German general during World War II. Hans Speidel joined the German army in 1914... The (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei: â€œsecret state policeâ€) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 â€“ 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname â€œThe Desert Foxâ€ (WÃ¼stenfuchs, ) for the skillful military campaigns he... GÃ¼nther â€œHansâ€ von Kluge (October 30, 1882 â€“ August 19, 1944), was a German military leader. ...

While on the Eastern Front, Model showed no objection to the treatment of civilians by the SS in the areas under his command, and oversaw several anti-partisan operations, mostly while commanding Ninth Army. These operations, conducted by Wehrmacht troops as well as SS, were bloody, although not unusual by German Eastern Front standards. In conjunction with the ruthless scorched earth policies he followed during his retreats, they would lead to the Soviet Union declaring him a war criminal.^[103] Look up partisan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the computer game, see Scorched Earth (computer game). ... A war crime is a punishable offense, under international (criminal) law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ...

Despite this, while commanding Army Group Centre, he refused to dispatch troops to put down the Warsaw uprising (a task that ultimately was carried out by the SS), viewing it as a rear-area matter. He stated that the revolt arose from the mistreatment of the Polish population by the Nazis, and the army should have nothing to do with it.^[104] On the other hand, he showed no hesitation in clearing the Warsaw suburbs of Praga and Saska Kępa, through which vital supply lines ran,^[105] and he stood by when the Germans razed the city afterward. For other uses, see Warsaw Uprising (disambiguation). ... Praga PÃ³Å‚noc and Praga PoÅ‚udnie Pragas market, Jan Piotr Norblin, 1791. ... Saska KÄ™pa is a neighbourhood in Warsaw, Poland, currently part of Praga PoÅ‚udnie district. ...

It has been argued that the best explanation for Model's behaviour and suicide is that he was not necessarily a Nazi, but an authoritarian militarist who saw in Hitler the strong leader that Germany needed.^[106] This characterised many in the German officer corps, but in Model's case it was accompanied by a cynical willingness to placate the Nazi regime to expedite his own goals, and a complete internalisation of the image of the professional, apolitical soldier. He had dedicated his life to the army, whether the Reichswehr or the Wehrmacht, and in his final days in the Ruhr, more than one observer had detected in him a struggle to cope with the fact that its destruction was imminent. In this view, Model's decision to take his own life was less to do with matters of honour or Soviet retribution, as with an inability to come to terms with utter defeat.^[107]^[108] The term authoritarian is used to describe an organization or a state which enforces strong and sometimes oppressive measures against the population, generally without attempts at gaining the consent of the population. ... Militarism is the ideology that military strength is the source of all security. ...

Summary of career

Dates of rank

is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Service history

Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

References

Bibliography

Categories: 1891 births | 1945 deaths | People from the Province of Saxony | Field Marshals of Nazi Germany | German military personnel of World War I | Military personnel who committed suicide | Suicides by firearm | Recipients of the Knight's Cross | German generals Paul Carell, whose real name was Paul Karl Schmidt, was born on 2 November 1911 in Kelbra (KyffhÃ¤user) in Germany; he died in June 1997 in Rottach-Egern in Bavaria. ... USACMH Logo The U.S. Army Center of Military History: A Brief History Terrence J. Gough From: ARMY HISTORY, PB-20-96-2 (No. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 - 5 September 1999) was a British Conservative politician, historian and diarist. ... Correlli Barnett is an English military historian, who has written also on the United Kingdoms industrial decline. ... David M. Glantz is an American military historian and the editor of The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. ... Sir Max Hastings (born December 28, 1945) is a British journalist, editor, historian and author. ... Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin (30 August 1904 - 28 June 1997) was a Generalmajor in the German Army during World War II. A participant in most of the major campaigns of the war, he became well-known afterwards for his memoirs Panzer Battles, first published in 1956 and regularly reprinted since... (from left to right:) Gerd von Rundstedt, GÃ¼nther Blumentritt, Hans Speidel and Erwin Rommel in La RÃ´che Guillon Hans Speidel (born 28 October 1897, Metzingen - died at Bad Honnef, 28 November 1984) was a German general during World War II. Hans Speidel joined the German army in 1914... Steven Zaloga is an expert on military technology. ... The German 3rd Panzer Division () was established in 1935. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The German Second Panzer Army was a German tank army that fought during World War II. It origins were in the Panzer Group Guderian (Panzergruppe Guderian), named after its commander Heinz Guderian, and Panzergruppe 2 which played a significant role in the initial success of the blitzkrieg in Operation Barbarossa... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lothar Rendulic (November 23, 1887 â€“ January 18, 1971) was a Colonel General in the Wehrmacht during WWII. Rendulic was born on in Wiener Neustadt, Austria to a Croatian family (Croatian spelling of the surname is RenduliÄ‡). He entered the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1910 and served during World War I... Field Marshal Georg von KÃ¼chler Georg Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von KÃ¼chler (May 30, 1881 - May 25, 1968) was a German field marshal during World War II. Born in Philippsruhe castle near Hanau, KÃ¼chler led the German German Eighteenth Army in 1940 in the invasion of neutral Holland... Army Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord in German) was a high level command grouping of military units operating for Germany during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached army corps, reserve formations, and direct-reporting units. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Georg Lindemann (1884 - 1963) was a German cavalry officer and field commander who served in the Heer during The Great War and World War II. He survived the Second World War and after several years incarceration, was released. ... GÃ¼nther Blumentritt (February 10, 1897-October 12, 1967) was a German general. ... Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was created on 22 June 1941 when Army Group B was renamed Army Group Centre. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Georg-Hans Reinhardt (March 1, 1887 - November 23, 1963) was a German general of World War II, who was Colonel General of Panzer Group 3 (later 3rd Panzer Army), Army Group Center. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... German Grand Admiral Sleeve Insignia Grand Admiral Shoulder Insignia In the German Navy the rank of Grand Admiral (GroÃŸadmiral) was considered the highest Naval rank. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Replica of the marshals baton of Generalfeldmarschall von Richthofen (Third Reich) Generalfeldmarschall ( ) (general field marshal, usually translated simply as field marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austrian Empire. ... Werner von Blomberg. ... Fedor von Bock (December 3, 1880 - May 4, 1945) was an officer in the German military from 1898 to 1942, attaining the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War 2. ... 1915 portrait of Eduard Freiherr von BÃ¶hm-Ermolli Eduard Freiherr von BÃ¶hm-Ermolli (February 12, 1856 - December 9, 1941) was an Italian-born Austrian officer during World War I who rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the Austro-Hungarian Army. ... Walther von Brauchitsch in 1939. ... Ernst Busch (6 July 1885 - 17 July 1945) was a German field marshal during World War II. He was born in Essen-Steele, Germany, and was educated at the GroÃŸ Lichterfelde Cadet Academy. ... Hermann Wilhelm GÃ¶ring ( ) (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 â€“ October 15, 1946) was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command of the Third Reich, and commander of the Luftwaffe. ... Robert Ritter von Greim. ... Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (September 22, 1882â€“October 16, 1946) was a German field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) and a senior military leader during World War II. // Keitel was born in Helmscherode, Brunswick, German Empire, the son of Carl Keitel, a middle-class landowner, and his wife Apollonia Vissering. ... ==Biography== Albrecht von Kesselring (August 8, 1881 - July 16, 1960) was a Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. One of the most respected and skillful generals of Nazi Germany, he was nicknamed Smiling Albert or Smiling Kesselring. At least one source claims that Kesselring was born on August 8, 1881 [2... Ewald von Kleist Ewald von Kleist Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (August 8, 1881, Braunfels an der Lahn - ca. ... GÃ¼nther â€œHansâ€ von Kluge (October 30, 1882 â€“ August 19, 1944), was a German military leader. ... Field Marshal Georg von KÃ¼chler Georg Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von KÃ¼chler (May 30, 1881 - May 25, 1968) was a German field marshal during World War II. Born in Philippsruhe castle near Hanau, KÃ¼chler led the German German Eighteenth Army in 1940 in the invasion of neutral Holland... Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb in a photo from 1946 Wilhelm Ritter[1] von Leeb (September 5, 1876 - April 29, 1956) was a German Field Marshal during World War II. // Born in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria as Wilhelm Leeb, he joined the Bavarian Army in 1895 as an officer cadet. ... Wilhelm List (Siegmund Wilhelm von List) (May 14, 1880 - August 17, 1971), was a German Field Marshal during World War II. He entered the Army in 1898 and served as a staff officer in the First World War. ... Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Erhard Milch (left) with his brother Dr. Werner Milch, who worked as his associate defense counsel at the Nuremberg Trials. ... Friedrich Paulus. ... Walther von Reichenau (August 16, 1884 - January 17, 1942), German military commander, was the son of a Prussian general and joined the German Army in 1902. ... Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (10 October 1895 - 12 July 1945) was a German fighter ace during World War I and a general and field marshal of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Von Richthofen was a distant cousin of the German World War I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 â€“ 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname â€œThe Desert Foxâ€ (WÃ¼stenfuchs, ) for the skillful military campaigns he... Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war. ... Ferdinand SchÃ¶rner (December 5, 1892 - February 7, 1973) was a general and later Field Marshal in the German Wehrmacht during World War II. // Early life He was born in Munich, Bavaria. ... Hugo Sperrle Hugo Sperrle (February 7, 1885 - April 2, 1953), was a German Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe during World War II. He joined the German Army in 1903 and transferred to the LuftstreitkrÃ¤fte (German Army Air Service) at the start of World War I, serving as an observer... Maximilian von Weichs Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr von Weichs zu Glon (12 November 1881 - 27 September 1954) was a German Generalfeldmarschall and a military leader in World War II. He was born into a noble family at Dessau, a son of an Army colonel. ... Job-Wilhelm Georg Erwin von Witzleben (born 4 December 1881 in Breslau; died 8 August 1944 in Berlin, executed) was a German army officer (by 1940 a Generalfeldmarschall) and in the Second World War an Army commander and a resistance fighter in the July 20 Plot. ... The rank of Grand Admiral has also appeared in science fiction literature, most notable the Star Wars Expanded Universe where the rank is held by Grand Admiral Thrawn. ... Karl DÃ¶nitz (IPA pronunciation: ) (born 16 September 1891; died 24 December 1980) was a German naval leader, who commanded the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during the second half of World War II. DÃ¶nitz was also President of Germany for 23 days after Adolf Hitlers suicide. ... Erich Raeder. ... The penultimate expression of the award: the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Werner MÃ¶lders (March 18, 1913 - November 22, 1941) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Adolf Dolfo Joseph Ferdinand Galland[1] (19 March 1912-9 February 1996) was a World War II German fighter pilot and commander of Germanys fighter force (General der Jagdflieger) from 1941 to 1945. ... Gordon MacGollob (16 June 1912 - 8 September 1987) was an Austrian fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe from 1938 to 1945) during World War 2. ... Hans-Joachim Marseille (13 December 1919 - 30 September 1942) was a Luftwaffe pilot and flying ace during World War II. He was nicknamed the Star of Africa. Marseille scored all but seven of his 158 victories against the British Commonwealths Desert Air Force over North Africa. ... Category: ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 â€“ 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname â€œThe Desert Foxâ€ (WÃ¼stenfuchs, ) for the skillful military campaigns he... One of Nazi Germanys most successful U-Boat aces, Wolfgang LÃ¼th (15 October 1913â€“13 May 1945) was the youngest German ever appointed captain, and the youngest to ever command the German Naval Academy. ... Walter Nowi Nowotny (December 7, 1920 - November 8, 1944) was a Sudeten German fighter ace of World War II with 258 confirmed victories in 442 missions, 255 victories over Russian pilots. ... Adelbert Schulz (1900 to 1/28/1944) was a Generalmajor and Division Commander in the German Wehrmacht in WWII. He was one of only 27 people to be awarded the Knights Cross with oakleaves, swords, and diamonds. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hans-Ulrich Rudel (July 2, 1916 â€“ December 18, 1982) was a Stuka dive-bomber pilot during World War II. Rudel is famous for being the most highly decorated German serviceman of the war. ... Generalleutnant der Reserve & SS-BrigadefÃ¼hrer Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von GroÃŸ-Zauche und Camminetz, 1943 Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von GroÃŸ-Zauche und Camminetz (July 30, 1893 -April 25, 1968) was a Silesian officer and panzer ace. ... Herbert Otto Gille (March 8, 1897 in Gandersheim - December 27, 1966) was a German general, and the highest decorated member of the Waffen SS. Military Career He started his military career as a first lieutenant during the First World War . ... General der Panzertruppen Hans-Valentin Hube Hans-Valentin Hube (29 October 1890 - 21 April 1944) was a general who served in the German Army during the First and Second World Wars. ... ==Biography== Albrecht von Kesselring (August 8, 1881 - July 16, 1960) was a Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. One of the most respected and skillful generals of Nazi Germany, he was nicknamed Smiling Albert or Smiling Kesselring. At least one source claims that Kesselring was born on August 8, 1881 [2... German Night-fighter pilot. ... SS-ObergruppenfÃ¼hrer Sepp Dietrich Josef Sepp Dietrich also known as Ujac (May 28, 1892â€“April 21/22, 1966) was a German Waffen-SS general, an SS-OberstgruppenfÃ¼hrer, and one of the closest men to Hitler. ... Erich Alfred Bubi Hartmann (April 19, 1922 - September 20, 1993), also nicknamed The Blond Knight Of Germany by friends and The Black Devil by his enemies, is the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial combat. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hermann-Bernhard Gerhard Ramcke (January 24, 1889 - July 04, 1968) is a winner of the Knights Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves, and Diamonds, one of only 27 people in the German military to do so. ... Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (February 16, 1922-1950) was the top night fighter ace of all time. ... Albrecht Brandi (1914-1966) was a famous German U-boat commander. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Ferdinand SchÃ¶rner (December 5, 1892 - February 7, 1973) was a general and later Field Marshal in the German Wehrmacht during World War II. // Early life He was born in Munich, Bavaria. ... Hasso-Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel (January 14, 1897 â€” September 24, 1978) was a German soldier and politician of the 20th century. ... Theodor Tolsdorff (November 3, 1909 to May 25, 1978) was lieutenant general and one of 27 carriers of Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross in the Second World War . ... Dr. Karl Mauss (May 17, 1898 - February 9, 1959) was one of the most distinguished tank commanders of the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a lieutenant general and commander of The 7th Panzer Division, and one of only 31 ever to receive the Knights Cross with Oakleaves... Dietrich von Saucken (1892â€“1990) was a General in the German Army (Wehrmacht) during World War II. He was born in East Prussia in 1892 and personified all the aristocratic Prussian militarists who despised the braune Bande of Nazis. ... The penultimate expression of the award: the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. ... Generalleutnant Ernst-GÃ¼nther Baade (1897-1945), was a German general serving during World War II. He was wounded in action and died from his injuries on the last day of World War II in Europe. ... A colour photograph of Oberst der Reserve Dr.med. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Heinz Pritzl BÃ¤r (21 March 1913 - 28 April 1957) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace who served through the whole of World War II. He had a total of 221 victories,[1] fighting in all the major German theaters of war, including ETO, MTO and the Eastern Front. ... Erich BÃ¤renfÃ¤nger was a German officer during World War II. He was born on 12 January 1915 in Menden, Germany, and was the son of an upper post office secretary. ... Gerhard Gerd Barkhorn (20 March 1919 - 8 January 1983) was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann. ... Wilhelm Willi Batz (born 21 May 1916 in Bamberg â€“ died 11 September 1988 in Mauschendorf in Unterfranken) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace. ... Otto Baum, (born 15 November 1911 in Stetten; died 18 June 1998) was was a SS-OberfÃ¼hrer of the Waffen-SS. He was also a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. ... Werner Baumbach (1916-1953) was a bomber pilot in the German Luftwaffe during World War 2 and commander of the secret bomber wing KG 200. ... General Fritz Bayerlein Fritz Bayerlein (January 14, 1899 - January 30, 1970) was a German Panzer general during the Second World War. ... Wilhelm Bittrich Wilhelm Willi Bittrich (February 26, 1894 â€“ April 19, 1979) was a General of the German SS during World War II. Born in the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of Germany, Bittrich served as an army officer during World War I. He joined the SS-VerfÃ¼gungstruppe... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Major Alwin Boerst (born 20 October 1910 in Osterode â€“ Killed in action 30 March 1944 near IaÅŸi) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka ace[1]. Boerst participated in the Battle of Crete and assisted in the sinking of HMS Kelly and HMS Kashmir[2]. Together with his... Georg Freiherr von Boeselager (August 25, 1915 â€“ August 27, 1944) was a German nobleman and officer of the Wehrmacht, who ultimately served as Colonel (Oberst) of Cavalry. ... Albrecht Brandi (1914-1966) was a famous German U-boat commander. ... Josef Bremm (born 3 May 1914 in Mannebach Pfalz, died 21 October 1998 in Monreal), was a German Officer, serving during World War II. He is noted for being the last recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords which he received from... Kurt BÃ¼hlingen (born 13 December 1917 in GranschÃ¼tz, Thuringia, died 11 August 1985 in Nidda, Hesse) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1936 until the end of hostilities 8 May 1945. ... Eduard Dietl (Born 21 July 1890, Bad Aibling, Died 23 June 1944, Styria) Lieutenant General Eduard Dietl commanded the German 3rd Mountain Division that participated in the German invasion of Norway on April 9 and 10, 1940. ... General Sepp Dietrich Josef Sepp Dietrich (May 28, 1892–April 21/22, 1966) was a German Waffen-SS general, an SS-Oberstgruppenführer, and one of the closest men to Hitler. ... Oberst Alfred Druschel (born 4 February 1917 in Bindsachsen, BÃ¼dingen, Hesse; Killed in action on 1 January 1945 near Aachen in Unternehmen Bodenplatte) was a German Luftwaffe combat pilot and Flying ace during World War II. He was the first combat pilot to be honored with the Knights... Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Edelsheim[1], (born 6 July 1897 in Berlin; died 26 April 1994 in Konstanz) was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. ... ObergruppenfÃ¼hrer Hermann Otto Fegelein (30 October 1906 â€“ c. ... Adolf Dolfo Joseph Ferdinand Galland[1] (19 March 1912-9 February 1996) was a World War II German fighter pilot and commander of Germanys fighter force (General der Jagdflieger) from 1941 to 1945. ... Herbert Otto Gille (March 8, 1897 in Gandersheim - December 27, 1966) was a German general, and the highest decorated member of the Waffen SS. Military Career He started his military career as a first lieutenant during the First World War . ... Gordon MacGollob (16 June 1912 - 8 September 1987) was an Austrian fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe from 1938 to 1945) during World War 2. ... Category: ... Fritz-Hubert GrÃ¤ser (January 3, 1888 - November 4, 1960), was a German general of World War II and recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. ... Anton Toni Hackl (born 25 March 1915 in Regensburg, died 10 July 1984 in Regensburg) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II. Anton Hackl flew about 1000 combat missions and... Josef Harpe (1887-1968), was a German Generaloberst, serving during World War II. Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st Class Wound Badge (1914) in Black Cross of Honor Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 4th to 1st Class Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class Panzer Badge in Silver Eastern Front Medal... Erich Alfred Bubi Hartmann (April 19, 1922 - September 20, 1993), also nicknamed The Blond Knight Of Germany by friends and The Black Devil by his enemies, is the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial combat. ... Paul Papa Hausser (October 7, 1880 - December 21, 1972) was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high rank of Lieutenant General in the inter-war Reichswehr, after retirement from regular Army he became the father (thus the nickname â€œPapaâ€) of the Waffen-SS and one of its most... Gotthard Heinrici. ... Oberst Joachim Helbig (born 10 September 1915 in BÃ¶rln, Torgau-Oschatz; killed in car accident on 5 October 1985 while on vacation in Spain) was a bomber pilot in the German Luftwaffe during World War II and recipient of the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. ... Traugott Herr (1890-1976), was a German general of the Panzer troops, serving during World War II. Wound Badge in Black 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class (14 September 1914) 1st Class (21 October 1915) House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords Bavarian Military Merit Cross (3. ... Hajo Herrmann (born 1 August 1913 in Kiel, Germany), is a German lawyer focusing his activities mostly on the defense of former Nazis and Neo-Nazis, deniers of the holocaust and political activists of the far-right. ... General Hermann Hoth Hermann Papa Hoth (12 April 1885 - 26 January 1971) was a general of the Third Reich during World War II, notable for victories in France and on the Eastern Front, and later, after serving six years in prison for war crimes, as a writer on military history. ... General der Panzertruppen Hans-Valentin Hube Hans-Valentin Hube (29 October 1890-21st April 1944) was a General who served in the German Heer during the First and Second World Wars. ... Herbert Ihlefeld (born 1 June 1914 in Pinnow, Pommern, died 8 August 1995 in Wenningsen, Niedersachsen) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1936 until the end of World War II in 1945. ... ==Biography== Albrecht von Kesselring (August 8, 1881 - July 16, 1960) was a Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. One of the most respected and skillful generals of Nazi Germany, he was nicknamed Smiling Albert or Smiling Kesselring. At least one source claims that Kesselring was born on August 8, 1881 [2... Otto Kittel (February 21, 1917 - February 14, 1945) was a World War II pilot. ... Ewald von Kleist Ewald von Kleist Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (August 8, 1881, Braunfels an der Lahn - ca. ... GÃ¼nther â€œHansâ€ von Kluge (October 30, 1882 â€“ August 19, 1944), was a German military leader. ... Otto von Knobelsdorff (1886-1966), was a German general of the Panzer troops, serving during World War II. Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Knights Cross (17 September 1941) 322. ... Hans Kreysing, (born 17 August 1890; died 14 April 1969) was a German general who commanded the . ... Hans Kroh (born 13 May 1907 in Heidelberg; died 18 July 1967 in Braunschweig) was a highly decorated German FallschirmjÃ¤ger and general in the Bundeswehr. ... For other persons named Walter KrÃ¼ger, see Walter KrÃ¼ger (disambiguation). ... Otto Kumm, (born 1 October 1909 in Hamburg; died 23 March 2004) was was a SS-BrigadefÃ¼hrer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS. He was also a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. ... Oberst Dr. Ernst Kupfer (born 2 July 1907 in Coburg â€“ Killed in aircraft accident 6 November 1943 60km north of Thessaloniki in the Belasica mountain range) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka ace. ... Major Friedrich Lang (born 12 January 1915 in MÃ¤hrisch-TrÃ¼bau â€“ died 29 December 2003 in Hannover) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka ace[1]. Verwundetenabzeichen in Black Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant 1. ... Heinz-Georg Lemm (born 1 June 1919 in Schwerin; died 17 November 1994 in Ruppichteroth) fought in the 12th Infantry Division. ... German Night-fighter pilot. ... One of Nazi Germanys most successful U-Boat aces, Wolfgang LÃ¼th (15 October 1913â€“13 May 1945) was the youngest German ever appointed captain, and the youngest to ever command the German Naval Academy. ... Heinrich Freiherr von LÃ¼ttwitz[1] (1896-1969), was a German general of the Panzer troops, serving during World War II. His cousins Smilo Freiherr von LÃ¼ttwitz and Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz were also decorated with the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with... Smilo Freiherr von LÃ¼ttwitz[1] (1895-1976), was a German general of the Panzer troops, serving during World War II and son of Walther von LÃ¼ttwitz. ... GÃ¼nther LÃ¼tzow (4 September 1912 - 24 April 1945) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and a leader in the Fighter Pilots Revolt. LÃ¼tzow was credited with 110 victories achieved in over 300 combat missions. ... Hellmuth MÃ¤der, (born 5 July 1908 in Rotterode, Thuringia; died 12 May 1984 in Konstanz) was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. ... Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Hasso-Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel (January 14, 1897 â€” September 24, 1978) was a German soldier and politician of the 20th century. ... Hans-Joachim Marseille (13 December 1919 - 30 September 1942) was a Luftwaffe pilot and flying ace during World War II. He was nicknamed the Star of Africa. Marseille scored all but seven of his 158 victories against the British Commonwealths Desert Air Force over North Africa. ... Dr. Karl Mauss (May 17, 1898 - February 9, 1959) was one of the most distinguished tank commanders of the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a lieutenant general and commander of The 7th Panzer Division, and one of only 31 ever to receive the Knights Cross with Oakleaves... Egon Mayer (born 19 August 1917 in Konstanz at the Bodensee, killed in action March 2, 1944 near MontmÃ©dy) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937 until his death in 1944. ... Kurt Panzermeyer Meyer in 1942 after being awarded the Oakleaves to the Knights Cross Kurt Panzermeyer Meyer (December 23, 1910-December 23, 1961) served as an officer in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. ... Werner MÃ¶lders (March 18, 1913 - November 22, 1941) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. ... Friedrich-Wilhelm MÃ¼ller (b. ... Werner Mummert (31 March 1897 to January/February 1950) was a German officer during both World War I and World War II. Mummert was born in Luttwitz/Saxony. ... Joachim MÃ¼ncheberg was born on 18 December 1918 at Friedrichsdorf. ... Walter Nehring (August 15, 1892 - April 20, 1983), was a German General of World War II, known for his involvement with the Afrika Korps. ... Hermann Niehoff was a German General during World War II. Niehoff was the garrison commander of Festung Breslau during the Battle of Breslau. ... Major Theodor Nordmann (born 18 December 1918 in Dorsten â€“ Killed in flying accident 19 January 1945 near near Insterburg) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka ace[1]. His radio operator and gunner, Feldwebel Gerhard Rothe, was one of only 15 Stuka gunners to be honored with the Knight... Walter Nowi Nowotny (December 7, 1920 - November 8, 1944) was a Sudeten German fighter ace of World War II with 258 confirmed victories in 442 missions, 255 victories over Russian pilots. ... Hans von Obstfelder (1886-1976), was a German general of the Infantry, serving during World War II. Bavarian Military Merit Cross (3. ... Walter Gulle Oesau (28 June 1913 â€“ 11 May 1944) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1934 until his death in 1944. ... Hermann Leopold August von Oppeln-Bronikowski (born 2 January 1899 in Berlin; died 19 September 1966 in GaiÃŸach, in the district of Bad TÃ¶lz-Wolfratshausen, Bavaria) was German Army officer and panzer ace. ... Max-Hellmuth Ostermann (born 11 December 1917 in Hamburg, killed in action 9 August 1942 near Amossovo on the Eastern front) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II. // Max-Hellmuth... Joachim Peiper (January 30, 1915 - July 13, 1976) more often known as Jochen Peiper from the common German nickname for Joachim, was a senior Waffen-SS officer in World War II and a convicted war criminal. ... Generalmajor Dietrich Peltz (born 9 June 1914 in Gera â€“ died 10 August 2001 in Munich) was a German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot. ... Hans Philipp (born 13 March 1917 in MeiÃŸen, Sachsen, killed in action 8 October 1943 near Neuenhaus in the Nederlands) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1936 until he was killed in action 8 October 1943 by P-47 Thunderbolts. ... Hermann PrieÃŸ (May 24, 1901 - February 2, 1985) was the commander of 3rd SS Division Totenkopf following the death of Theodor Eicke in February 1943. ... Josef Pips Priller (27 July 1915 - 20 May 1961) was a Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. ... GÃ¼nther Rall (10 March 1918) was the third most successful Luftwaffe fighter ace of World War 2. ... Hermann-Bernhard Gerhard Ramcke (January 24, 1889 - July 04, 1968) is a winner of the Knights Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves, and Diamonds, one of only 27 people in the German military to do so. ... Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert (born 2 February 1919 in Lindenthal) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords[1] during World War II. Reinert flew 715 combat missions and was officially credited with shooting down 174... Georg-Hans Reinhardt (March 1st, 1887 to November 23rd, 1963)) was Colonel General of the German Third Reichs Panzer Group 3, 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center. ... Lothar Rendulic (November 23, 1887 â€“ January 18, 1971) was a Colonel General in the Wehrmacht during WWII. Rendulic was born on in Wiener Neustadt, Austria to a Croatian family (Croatian spelling of the surname is RenduliÄ‡). He entered the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1910 and served during World War I... Robert Ritter von Greim. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 â€“ 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname â€œThe Desert Foxâ€ (WÃ¼stenfuchs, ) for the skillful military campaigns he... Hans-Ulrich Rudel (July 2, 1916 â€“ December 18, 1982) was a Stuka dive-bomber pilot during World War II. Rudel is famous for being the most highly decorated German serviceman of the war. ... Erich Rudorffer (born 1 November 1917 in Zwochau, Sachsen) is a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace, one of a handful who served with the Luftwaffe through the whole of World War II. He had a total of 222 victories, fighting in all the major German theaters of war, including ETO... Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war. ... Dietrich von Saucken (1892â€“1990) was a General in the German Army (Wehrmacht) during World War II. He was born in East Prussia in 1892 and personified all the aristocratic Prussian militarists who despised the braune Bande of Nazis. ... Prince Heinrich Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was one of two fighting night-fighter pilot aces in the Luftwaffe in World War Two. ... Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (February 16, 1922-1950) was the top night fighter ace of all time. ... Ferdinand SchÃ¶rner (December 5, 1892 - February 7, 1973) was a general and later Field Marshal in the German Wehrmacht during World War II. // Early life He was born in Munich, Bavaria. ... Werner Schroer (born 12 December 1918 in MÃ¼lheim an der Ruhr, died 10 February 1985 in MÃ¼nchen) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937, initially as a member of the ground staff, until the end of World War II 8... Adelbert Schulz (1900 to 1/28/1944) was a Generalmajor and Division Commander in the German Wehrmacht in WWII. He was one of only 27 people to be awarded the Knights Cross with oakleaves, swords, and diamonds. ... General der Panzertruppe (Lieutenant-General) Gerhard (Gerd) Helmuth Detloff Graf von Schwerin was a German commander in World War II who was tasked with defending the city of Aachen while in command of the 116. ... SS-BrigadefÃ¼hrer Sylvester Stadler (1910 - 1995) was a German Waffen-SS officer, a commander of the 4. ... Reiner Stahel (1892 â€“ 1952 or 1955), also known as Rainer Stahel, was a German and Finnish military officer and a notable member of the Nazi Party. ... Leopold Bazi Steinbatz (born 25 October 1918 in Wien, Austria, killed in action 23 June 1942 near Volchansk, Kharkov region, on the Eastern front) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and sole non Officer recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords... This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Johannes Steinhoff (September 15, 1913 - February 21, 1994) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace of World War II and a senior West German air force officer after the war . ... Generalleutnant der Reserve & SS-BrigadefÃ¼hrer Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von GroÃŸ-Zauche und Camminetz, 1943 Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von GroÃŸ-Zauche und Camminetz (July 30, 1893 -April 25, 1968) was a Silesian officer and panzer ace. ... Werner Streib (born 13 June 1911 in Pforzheim, died 15 June 1986 in MÃ¼nchen) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II. After the war he attained the rank of... Reinhard Teddy Suhren (April 16, 1916 - August 25, 1984) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of KorvettenkapitÃ¤n (Ing. ... Theodor Tolsdorff (November 3, 1909 to May 25, 1978) was lieutenant general and one of 27 carriers of Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross in the Second World War . ... Erich Topp (b. ... General Helmuth Weidling was the German officer who surrended Berlin to the Soviet forces in the final stages of world war two. ... Wolf-Dietrich FÃ¼rst Wilcke (born 11 March 1913 in Schrimm, Posen, killed in action 23 March 1944 near SchÃ¶ppenstedt) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1935 until his death on 23 March 1944. ... Theodor Wisch (born 13 December 1907 in Wesselburener Koog Schleswig-Holstein, died 11 January 1995 in Norderstedt), was a German Officer in the Waffen-SS, serving during World War II. Infantry Assault Badge in Silver Wound Badge in Silver German Cross in Gold (25 February 1943) Iron Cross 2nd Class... GÃ¼nther-Eberhardt Wisliceny (5 September 1912 in Angerburg - 25 August 1985 in Hannover) was a highly decorated German Waffen-SS officer. ... Michael Wittmann (April 22, 1914 - August 8, 1944) was a German SS-HauptsturmfÃ¼hrer (Captain) during World War II, and one of the most successful tank commanders in history (Kurt Knispel scored around 30 more tank kills then Wittmann, making him the top tank killer of the war). ... Josef Sepp Wurmheller (born 4 May 1917 in Hausham, Bavaria, killed in action 22 June 1944 near AlenÃ§on, France) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937 until his death on 22 June 1944. ... Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ) (4 April 1884 â€“ 18 April 1943) was Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, graduate of Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and an alumnus of U.S. Naval War College and Harvard University (1919â€“1921). ...

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Early life and career GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");