Branch: Kaiserliche Heer
Born: 2 October 1847 in Posen, Grand Duchy of Posen.
Died: 2 August 1934 in Neudeck near Rosenberg, East
Prussia, Germany.
Ranks:
Generalfeldmarschall 27 November
1914
Generaloberst 1914
General der IV Armee-Korps in
Magdeburg 1905
Generalleutnant 1900
Generalmajor 1897
Oberst 1893
Oberstleutnant 1890
Hauptmann 1876
Oberleutnant
Leutnant April 1866
Fähnrich
Decorations:
Hohe Orden vom Schwarzen Adler 1911
Orden Pour le Mérite 23 February 1914
Commands:
Other: Personnel
Articles:
Paul von Hindenburg, a member of a Prussian Junker family
was born October 1 1847 in Posen. Educated at the military
college Paul von Hindenburg joined the Prussian army in 1865
and served throughout the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and
the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71, being present at the battles
of St Privat and Sedan and the siege of Paris. Later Paul
von Hindenburg was on the staff of the 1st army corps at Konigsberg
and devoted himself to the study of the military problems
presented by the district of the Masurian Lakes (Mazurenland).
Rising in rank till Paul von Hindenburg became general of
the infantry and commander of an army corps Paul von Hindenburg
retired from the army in 1911 and was living at Hanover when
the Great War broke out. On the russian invasion of East Prussia
in August 1914 Paul von Hindenburg was appointed to the command
of the German forces in that province and on August 23 established
his headquarters at Marienburg. Before the month closed he
defeated the Russians disastrously in the battle of Tannenberg
largely owing to his special knowledge of the terrain. Paul
von Hindenburg pursued the Russians to the Niemen but was
compelled to retire into East Prussia. On September 25th Paul
von Hindenburg was put in chief command of the Austro-German
forces which invaded Poland and made the first attack on Warsaw
in the following October, but without success. In his second
attack on Warsaw Paul von Hindenburg defeated the Russians
at Kutno on November 15-16 and for this victory was made a
field marshal. During the rest of 1914, throughout 1915, and
during the greater part of 1916 Paul von Hindenburg was german
generalissimo on the eastern front.
On August 30 1916 it was announced that
Erich
von Falkenhayn had been removed from the position of chief
of the central general staff and that Paul von Hindenburg
had been appointed chief of the general staff of the field
army. From that time to the signing of the armistice by Germany
on November 11th 1918, Paul von Hindenburg was the german
generalissimo,
Erich
von Ludendorff being his chief of staff.
After the German revolution Paul von Hindenburg remained in
command of the German Army but retired into private life in
June 1919. His memoirs Out of my Life appeared in 1920. In
1925 Paul von Hindenburg was elected president of the republic
and Paul von Hindenburg was re-elected in 1932, when Paul
von Hindenburg was called upon to deal with the difficulties
created by the activities of
Adolf
Hitler and his followers.
For a complete list of
sources
