Otto Moritz Walter Model (German pronunciation: [ˈmoːdəl]; 24 January 1891 – 21 April 1945) was a German 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. He has been called the Third Reich's best defensive tactical commander.Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of defensive warfare.