Erich Ludendorff

Erich Ludendorff , born the April 9th 1865 in Kruszewnia close to Posen in Prussia (today Poznań in Poland), dead the December 22nd 1937 with Tutzing in Bavaria, was general-in-chief of the German armies during the First World War, of 1916 to 1918. It actively supported the movement Nazi in his beginnings (years 1920), before being diverted some, while preserving opinions of extreme-right-hand side.

Before war

Ludendorff was " Erich Ludendorff" and not " Erich von Ludendorff" ; only his/her mother, Klara von Tempelhoff, were the girl of an big family of Junker S.

Erich Ludendorff, then 18 years old, gained its gallons of officer and was useful in the infantry before being invited to join, as of 1894, the Generalstab (entity being able to be compared to the current staffs).

Convinced militarist, Ludendorff liked to say that peace was in fact only one time interval between two periods of war: this currency led it to take an active part in the development of the Plan Schlieffen for the invasion of the France.

Great War

Hardly the conflict it is engaged, that Ludendorff is named at the station of Generalquartiermeister to the second army of Von Bülow. The objective of this second army is to implement what had been decided by the Plan Schlieffen, namely the catch of the forts of Liege in order to open the road of the French territory.

After the success of the operation, Ludendorff was recalled to OHL ( Oberste Heeresleitung or " Supreme command of the army of terre") at the sides of Paul von Hindenburg - what one will call the " third OHL" - which will replace Falkenhayn as supreme leader of the German army in August 1916.

After the victory of Tannenberg (26 - August 30th 1914) over IIe armed with the general Alexander Samsonov, Ludendorff was named Generalquartiermeister of Hindenburg: inseparable, they were going little by little to become the true decision makers of the Germany, relegating the Kaiser Guillaume II in a role of development.

Vis-a-vis the British maritime superiority, Ludendorff will be the apostle of the all-out war by using with excess its underwater fleet: the very many maritime catastrophes caused by this weapon, sending multiple civil ships, like the Lusitania by the bottom, will lead the United States to enter in war.

In 1917, Ludendorff will be one of the main actors who will negotiate the Traité of Brest-Litovsk with the revolutionary Russia.

The German forces being able to be withdrawn from the face Is, Hindenburg and Ludendorff then decided to plan a massive onslaught for spring 1918: the failure of this plan combined on arrival of the American troops, will finish convincing the two decision makers who the war could not be gained any more.

The couple Hindenburg/Ludendorff admitted that the Armistice had become inevitable, opinion that the Reichstag divided. Ludendorff had to resign of its station in October after the publication of declarations which expressed a volte-face on the choice to have signed the armistice.

Post-war period

After the armistice, Ludendorff expatria in Sweden where he wrote works on the military Tactique and others, more political, denouncing the scuttling of the Germany by the political power then dominated by SPD. It was one of the large propagandists of the famous thesis of the stab in the back (Dolchstoßlegende) according to which the German, unconquered army on the ground, would have been betrayed by the politicians of the back.

When in 1920, Hitler started to make many followers, Ludendorff turned over in Germany and took share with the Putsch of the brewery, coup d'etat missed by 1923. As of 1924, it was elected representative with the Reichstag with the label of the Nazi party.

In 1925, Adolf Hitler, seeking to discredit it, pushed it to be presented in an election where it knew that it would not have any chance. Result: with the ridiculous score of 1,1% of the voices to the first turn, Ludendorff lost the presidential election, gained by its former superior, Paul von Hindenburg. “ It is perfect. will entrust Hitler to the one of its close relations, carried We to him the death-blow. ” Ludendorff never recovered from its defeat. Carried in one mania the persecution, it founded with its wife Mathilde (she also passably enlightened) the Tannenbergbund, a sect Völkisch rejected by the ideologists Nazis themselves. The sect always exists under the name of Bund für Gotteserkenntnis; holding of the sect besides are sometimes called Ludendorffer .

Considering that its old ally had become awkward for the movement Nazi, Hitler showed it in 1927 to be Franc-maçon. Completely marginalized, the old general withdrew political life in 1928.

By learning that his/her former colleague, the marshal-president Hindenburg, had just called Hitler with the chancellery the January 30th 1933, Ludendorff addressed a surprisingly prophetic letter to him: " And me, I predict to you solemnly that this execrable man will involve our nation towards abysses of dishonor (...). The future generations will curse you in your tomb for what you have fait." (city by Ian Kershaw, Hitler , T.I, Flammarion, 2000)

Erich Ludendorff died the December 22nd 1937 at the 72 years age after having rejected the offer of Hitler proposing to him, in 1935, to raise it with the dignity of marshal.

External bonds

Bund für Gotteserkenntnis (in German)

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