In April 1945, the Anglo-American Allies launched the Battle of the Ruhr on the Western Front, when the German "B" Army Group was completely overwhelmed by the lack of major generals and ammunition. After the Germans were surrounded by allies, the german commander-in-chief at the time refused to surrender, but as a commander, he cherished the lives of his generals, so he ordered the disbandment of Army Group "B". On April 21, in a forest, the field marshal raised his pistol, pointed it at his head, and then pulled the trigger...
He was a defensive master who had beaten Zhukov, he was "Hitler's firefighter", and the soldier who defended his honor with his death was German Field Marshal Walter Modell. In comparison, Modell is a stranger, but his life is also extraordinary, so what are his legendary experiences? And look at the editors of "5,000 Years of Vertical and Horizontal" lonely goose one by one!
Modell fought in World War I, was wounded at the Battle of Verdun, and remained in the Wehrmacht after the war. Compared with Rommel and Guderian, Modell served more as a staff officer. After the outbreak of World War II, Modell began to hold senior command positions and in 1940 was promoted to commander of the 3rd Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht. In the time that followed, the Third Panzer Division participated in the blitzkrieg against the Soviet Union and participated in many major battles, with brilliant results. Modell was promoted to the position of lieutenant general and commander of the army group.
In January 1942, Modell was commissioned to take over the German 9th Army, responsible for the defense of the area around Gerlev. Since Gerlev was a strategic salient, the Soviets decided to retake it. Zhukov personally led 7 armies to launch operation Mars from three sides to Modell's 9th Army. The total Soviet army strength was as high as 1.9 million, almost equal to the strength of the entire German Army Group Center, while Modell had only 1 army group.
In the face of the powerful offensive of the Soviet army, Modell was not in danger, commanded the army to calmly defend, and resisted the Offensive of the Soviet Army. When the Soviet army was at the end of the crossbow, Modell actually led his army to launch a counterattack, and together with the reinforcements of the German army, the reverse road surrounded part of the Soviet army. Not content with defeat, Zhukov led his army into a fierce battle with the Germans, and in the end the Soviet army was defeated, and the "Mars" operation ended in a fiasco. The Soviets lost more than 260,000 killed and captured, and 500,000 were wounded, while the Germans lost only 40,000.
But the situation on the Soviet-German battlefield could not be reversed by a counterattack. Nevertheless, because Modell faithfully carried out Hitler's orders, in March 1944 he was promoted to field marshal, and his old superior Guderian never became a marshal for the rest of his life. Modell then played the role of "Fire Captain", where the war situation was critical, he was sent to wherever. When the East showed temporary stability, Modell was sent to the Western Front as a theater of battle on the Western Front.
In the Battle of The Hutgen Forest, Modell defeated the American army with fewer victories and more, which the Allies called "first-class defeat". In the ensuing Ardennes counterattack, Modell again inflicted heavy damage on the Western Front, but had to retreat due to the Lack of Fuel Supplies and Air Supremacy by the Germans. In March 1945, the Allies made a comeback, and Modell was back in the dark. U.S. General Ridgway urged Modell to surrender, but Modell said he would be loyal to his oath to Hitler and his honor as field marshal.
The resistance only increased the casualties of his soldiers, and Modell announced the dissolution of the army, while he defended the honor of his soldiers with his death, as well as his loyalty to the Führer. When Hitler learned of Modell's suicide, he said, "If Modell does it, then I can too." A few days later, Hitler committed suicide in Berlin, ending World War II in Europe.
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