During the Second World War, there were indeed many famous generals emerging in Germany, although Adolf was willful, often dismissing or killing senior generals of various levels for various reasons, but never worried about no one using them, which was also a very enviable thing; even Manstein, who was called the "first general" of World War II by later generations, after his dismissal, Adolf quickly found a suitable replacement, and here we are going to talk about Manstein's successor - Modell.
Speaking of which, in fact, Modell is only two or three years younger than Manstein, belongs to the same period of figures, he also participated in the First World War, but also participated in the Battle of Verdun; but because of the different family background and life circumstances, Modell has always lagged behind Manstein, and in the General Staff, Manstein was also his superior, Manstein was very recognized for his ability, and once praised him as "the barracuda in the carp pond" (meaning the strongest of the weak).
And, like Manstein, although he was known for his excellent staff skills, he also had a special preference for holding command positions in the army. Moreover, he also fulfilled his long-cherished wish during the Soviet-German war, serving as the commander of the vanguard division (the Third Panzer Division) of the Second Panzer Group led by General Guderian, which belonged to Army Group Center under the command of Marshal Bork, and it can be said that the Third Panzer Division led by Modell was the elite of the German elite at that time.
In the early days, he was deeply appreciated by Manstein in the staff, and later by Guderian, and two of germany's three famous players had deep intersections with him and were very optimistic about him, which showed that Modell was indeed extraordinary. Modell's actual performance was indeed to live up to expectations, repeatedly leading the armored division to break through soviet positions, and because of his bravery, he was awarded the Knight's Cross, and was promoted to general of the armored corps, and was appointed commander of the 41st Panzer Army.
In fact, it can be seen that Adolf's use of people is indeed meritocratic, and it is no wonder that so many famous players have emerged. Due to the defeat at the Battle of Moscow, Guderian and a large number of other famous generals were dismissed, but the bravery and fearlessness shown by Modell in this battle were deeply appreciated by Adolf and others, and since his armored army had only a dozen tanks left, he was appointed commander of the Ninth Army. Although this seemed like a promotion, it was also a test for him, because the Ninth Army was almost surrounded by Soviet troops.
However, Modell overcame this crisis and successfully repelled the Soviet attack, allowing the Ninth Army to withdraw, thus receiving the Knight's Cross of the Leaf, and from then on he was regarded as a "man who turned the corner". And he was particularly good at handling all kinds of relationships, so that he almost gained Adolf's unlimited trust, how much did Adolf really trust him? He often refuted Adolf's instructions, even to those sent by Adolf: "Please report to the leader that Modell does not carry out such orders!" ”
If other people, including famous generals such as Manstein and Guderian, dared to speak to Adolf like this, it is estimated that they would be removed from their posts directly, and even questioned, but Adolf was infinitely tolerant of him, because Adolf knew that Modell had no selfish intentions. Unfortunately, Modell's real glory was already at the end of World War II, when the Soviet counteroffensive and the Landing of Britain, France and the United States began to really show its sharp edge.
After the removal of the two commanders-in-chief, Manstein and Kleist, Modell and Schönen became their successors, and Modell was promoted to field marshal. He not only blocked the Soviet offensive for a time, but also annihilated the deep Soviet 3rd Panzer Army, and Adolf, in recognition of his defensive exploits, was awarded the Oak Leaf Double Sword Diamond Medal; this is the 17th place for the Wehrmacht to receive this special medal. He was then appointed commander-in-chief of the western theater, which was about to collapse.
Adolf believed that relying on Moder's ruthless command might once again be able to turn around here, and Modell did, putting the American army in crisis at one point during the Ardennes Campaign. However, Germany had reached the end of the crossbow at this time, and the counter-offensive of the Ardennes Campaign seemed to be only a return to the light, due to the lack of follow-up, it was finally defeated by the US army and suffered heavy losses. In the days of the German rout on the front line, Modell tried to find a chance to die on the front line, but did not succeed.
After the fall of the Ruhr industrial area, during the escape of Modell and his entourage, he finally could not bear the shame of defeat, and he seemed to be more reluctant to bear the shame of being a prisoner, and finally he chose to commit suicide, and before committing suicide, he shook hands with his entourage and said: "I never believed that I would be so disappointed, because I was loyal only to Germany..."
Marshal Modell should be called the last famous general of the German army during World War II, he defended the honor of the German army with his loyalty, his organizational talent and command ability are beyond doubt, and it cannot be said that he was buried in the early stage, but there are too many famous generals, he is not so dazzling in it; if there is a suitable stage, Presumably his current fame will not be weaker than manstein, Guderian, Rommel, but unfortunately, at the end of World War II, he only got the coveted opportunity to independently command large-scale battles. At this time, Germany was powerless to return to heaven.