Walter Model

Model commanded the 3rd Panzer Division and later the 9th Army during the invasion of the Soviet Union. He participated in the encirclement battles at Bialystok and Minsk, and later in the advance on Moscow. His aggressive tactics earned him a reputation as a defensive specialist.

Model commanded the 9th Army in the Rzhev salient, where he conducted a successful defensive battle against Soviet offensives. He used counterattacks and elastic defense to inflict heavy casualties on the Red Army, stabilizing the German line despite being outnumbered.

Model was transferred to the Western Front to command Army Group B after the Allied invasion of Normandy. He failed to stop the Allied breakout and was later encircled in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945. Facing capture, he shot himself on April 21, 1945.

Model was appointed commander of Army Group North in January 1944 after the Soviet Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive. He stabilized the front and prevented a complete collapse, earning Hitler's trust as a 'fireman' who could salvage desperate situations.