The incredible diligence, steadfastness and exactingness that Erich Ludendorff is known for made him a legendary man with tremendous power over the fate of all of Germany at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Education and early military career
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was born on April 9, 1865 in the village of Krushevnia, located near the city of Poznan in the former Prussia. Concerned about the future of his son, his father sent him to study in Berlin at a higher cadet school, and then at the Military Academy. After completing his studies, he was sent to Russia for six months to improve his knowledge of the Russian language.
In 1906, Erich Ludendorff began teaching tactics and military history at the Military Academy, and a couple of years later he headed the operations department of the German General Staff. In 1913 he was appointed commander of a regiment in Düsseldorf, and then commander of the 85th infantry brigade in Strasbourg.
A brave act
During the period of mobilization (August 1914), Ludendorff holds the position of chief quartermaster of the headquarters of the 2nd army, which operated in Belgium.
His first baptism of fire took place near Luttich. At nightGerman troops, whose goal was a surprise attack on the fortress, made a breakthrough between the fronts. During this maneuver, the commander of the brigade, von Wussov, died, and Ludendorff, taking over the leadership, boldly led the people into battle. A little later, he, along with his adjutant, ahead of the troops, rushed in a car to the enemy garrison. Succumbing to panic, the enemy quickly surrendered to the victor.
For this brave act, Erich Ludendorff, whose biography is full of military events and exploits, was personally awarded the Order of Pourle Merite by Emperor Wilhelm II.
Hindenburg's Helper
Soon, Ludendorff was appointed to the post of chief of staff of the 8th army, located in East Prussia. The leadership of the German army was carried out by Paul von Hindenburg. The fates of these two people will be linked for a long time.
Despite some superiority of the Russian troops, the German army carried out military maneuvers quite successfully. And Erich Ludendorff by the end of 1914 was appointed commander in chief on the Eastern Front. In early 1915, this man was awarded oak branches to the Order of Pourle Merite for military achievements.
At the end of the summer of 1916, Hindenburg was appointed Chief of the Field General Staff, and Ludendorff at that time received the post of Supreme Quartermaster General. Such an arrangement of military ranks established between the commanders the same responsibility for directing operations, and could also contribute to some misunderstanding between them. However, complete unity in theirviews on the conduct of hostilities prevailed. Both commanders-in-chief pursued a strategy of brutal destruction, conducting operations from the rear and flanks of the enemy.
Influence on the country's politics
In early 1917, Germany launched a large-scale submarine war, and in 1918 a military campaign against Soviet Russia was launched. The initiators of such actions were Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Photos and archival documents tell a lot about the characters, deeds and historical significance of these personalities.
Ludendorf can be judged as an outstanding tactician, strategist, organizer, but he lacked political abilities. He was too straightforward, inflexible, incapable of compromise, and quite reckless. He was also an adherent of the military dictatorship regime and a supporter of the merciless suppression of any manifestations of popular discontent. In addition, he adhered to rather cruel methods of warfare.
In the spring of 1918, Ludendorff launched several major offensive operations in France. However, the exhaustion of the army led to the final failure and complete collapse of Germany in the First World War. Therefore, the general had to resign in October of the same year.
Post-war
With the advent of the November Revolution in 1918, Ludendorff was forced to move to Sweden. But already in 1920, he became one of the main participants in the Kapp putsch, the purpose of which was to eliminate the Weimar Republic and introduce a military dictatorship inGermany.
Later on, Erich Ludendorff became close to the Nazis. In November 1923, together with Hitler, he led the unsuccessfully ended "Beer Putsch" in Munich.
In 1925, after differences of opinion with the Nazis, he founded the Tannenberg Union, and five years later, the German People church union. However, after Hitler came to power, their activities were banned.
In the late 1920s, Ludendorff retired from public life with his wife Matilda. During this time, he created several books in which he expressed his arguments that all the problems in the universe arise because of the Jews, Christians and Freemasons. He also worked for a long time on the work "Total War", in which he outlined his memoirs, forecasts of world politics and theoretical views.
In 1937, Erich Ludendorff, a German infantry general and an outstanding person, died of cancer in Tutzing (Bavaria), where he was buried with honors.
