He was called the "unsurpassed master of defense," the best specialist in the Wehrmacht in overcoming hopeless situations, the "fire Fuhrer" and even the "German Zhukov." Hitler directed him to the most dangerous and threatened sections of the front, considering him the last hope of the Reich. In the second half of the war, the laurels of Field Marshal Model (by the way, a distant relative of Lenin!) Overshadowed even the loud fame of Guderian, Rommel and Manstein. However, the former stonemason Konstantin Rokossovsky managed to surpass the best Hitler field marshal in all respects. During the Great Patriotic War, these great military leaders had a chance to measure their strength twice, near Kursk and in Belarus, and both times the genius of the maneuver Rokossovsky emerged victorious from the confrontation, but the Model master of retreats managed to avoid final defeat.