Erich Ludendorff was a German military officer who rose to become the de facto ruler of Germany during the latter half of World War One. However, the manner of his fall from power left a dark stain on Germany’s chances of reconstruction.

Early Life and Career

Ludendorff was born into a family with military connections on both sides: his father was a cavalry officer, his mother was from a member of the military aristocracy.

Consequently Ludendorff became an infantry officer and had a swift rise to the German general staff. In 1908 he was given command of the branch of the general staff which plan future (potential) operations, and he worked under Moltke to tinker with the Schlieffen Plan.
However, Ludendorff soon ruffled feathers. He campaigned passionately for the army to be bolstered by extra men and equipment, believing Germany was in an arms race against nations, and Germany should be ready with the manpower to fight these threats, at a time when the navy was receiving attention as part of a naval race with Britain. But the German general staff were supposed to stay out of politics, and not antagonize the Kaiser, and Ludendorff was packed off to command a regiment.

World War 1: The Russian Front

When World War 1 broke out Ludendorff was made quartermaster in chief of the 2nd Army, on the Western Front. Here Ludendorff showed ability and talent, and when the Eastern Front began to crumble – the commander there asked to retreat – Ludendorff was selected to go and help.

However, the German command worried about sending Ludendorff on his own, and so handed him to an old commander who’d returned to help: General Paul von Hindenburg would be in charge, and Ludendorff notionally his second.
The pair arrived, assessed the situation, and then Ludendorff adopted a plan made by another German commander to rectify the trouble. The result was swift and stunning, with victory in the Battle of Tannenberg. It was the greatest German success of the year, a crushing blow to the Russians who were halted, and it made the pair of newcomers famous. For the next two years they tried to press the Russians and win a victory, while struggling to persuade the German high command to send them the troops and resources to do so.

World War 1: Supreme Command

In August 1916, after another German commander had been seen to fail on the Western Front, the Kaiser turned to the combination of Hindenburg and Ludendorff, making them supreme commanders of the entire German war machine. They decided to try and win a victory on both fronts and conclude a peace that included holding their gains, and worked to mobilize everything Germany could offer in a total war. Some commentators have called the power Ludendorff now wielded as a dictatorship, although others argue that while he was powerful, he wasn’t like the dictators who would follow him in the middle of the century. Even so most government positions relied on the pair’s approval, and even the nominal head of state – the Kaiser – was sidelined.
While in charge Ludendorff made two decisions that really changed the world. With the Russians collapsing, revolting, and the Tsar falling, Ludendorff approved using a sealed train carriage to transport Lenin back home, and played a crucial role in the later Russian Revolution of 1917, the Bolshevik coup-d’etat. Ludendorff also approved the decision which, perhaps more than any other single action, lost Germany the war, in resuming unrestricted submarine warfare. The result was an American entry into the war.

As it became apparent the submarines weren’t working and the Americans were coming en mass, Ludendorff decided to make one final attack, and his forces surged forwards. But they were stopped, forced back, and as his enemies utilized combined arms tactics to make clear gains, Ludendorff called for an armistice and – much like Moltke in 1914 – experienced a mental breakdown. He recovered, but in doing so, seeing the armistice conditions, stating that the Germans should carry on, and then offering his resignation (which was accepted) by the Kaiser and the politicians, Ludendorff began the idea that the military had been ‘stabbed in the back’, an idea so damaging as to play a role in the rise of Hitler and World War 2. Ludendorff played on this idea greatly, encouraging the myth, and Germany as a whole suffered. As Hindenburg had been allowed to keep his job, Ludendorff hated him.

The pair, particularly Ludendorff with his genius organizational skills, had undoubtedly kept Germany in the war for far longer than others might, but they had also caused the eventual defeat.

Inter War and Death

Ludendorff had experienced massive power and a swift fall from grace, and he spent the inter-war period portraying himself as a tragic figure, the great general who was betrayed. He had always had a weakness for the idea of ‘strong men’ to run a country, and drifted to the far right, taking part in two coup attempts (one involving Hitler), standing for president (he got a humiliatingly low vote), joining the Nazi party, writing about how war was superior to politics and it was the latter which should aid the former, teaming up with a second wife who led him into the world of esoteric belief and a war against the paranormal, falling out with Hitler (who offered to make him a Field Marshal) and maintaining a tiny circle of followers. At the very end he warned Germany against Hitler, but no one was listening, and he died in 1937.