Skip to main content

German Generals Erich Ludendorff, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich von Falkenhayn during the First World War.

 German Generals Erich Ludendorff, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich von Falkenhayn during the First World War.





Today 107 years ago, on August 29, 1916, German Chief-of-Staff Erich von Falkenhayn was dismissed from his command and replaced by Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff as 'Chief of the German Great General Staff' and 'First Quatermaster-General'. For simplicity sake, I will refer to these titles as Chief-of-Staff from now on.


General Erich von Falkenhayn, already Minister of War, was appointed Chief-of-Staff on September 14, 1914, following his predecessor Generel Helmuth von Moltke's nervous breakdown due to the German defeat in the First Battle of the Marne.


Chief-of-Staff Falkenhayn believed the war would be won on the Western Front and thus prioritized it over the Eastern Front. 


This belief was in direct contrast to General Paul von Hindenburg, German Commander in the East, who firmly believed Russia could be defeated by a single, massive, and decisive offensive on the Eastern Front, which, if pulled off, would undoubtedly tip the war in favor of Germany.


Chief-of-Staff von Falkenhayn dismissed this vision as a pipe dream, commencing a fierce and antagonistic rivalry between von Falkenhayn and von Hindenburg. 


During the winter of 1914/1915, von Hindenburg intensified his efforts of getting his will with von Falkenhayn, appealing to the Kaiser, the Empress and the Crown Prince Wilhelm in order to dismiss von Falkenhayn in favor of himself.


The Kaiser was reluctant of losing von Falkenhayn and compromised by removing von Falkenhayn as Minister of War, though still keeping him as Chief-of-Staff.


General von Hindenburg would somewhat get his will in May 1915, when Germany and Austria-Hungary launched a massive offensive at Gorlice-Tarnów on the Eastern Front. 


Although it didn't knock them out of the war, the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive forced Russia to withdraw 300 km eastwards, resulting in von Hindenburg becoming an even more popular figure in Germany.


don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Two boys in this photograph from the early 1900s, taken by Dr. Allan Warner of the Isolation Hospital in Leicester

Two boys in this photograph from the early 1900s, taken by Dr. Allan Warner of the Isolation Hospital in Leicester, UK, had been exposed to the same source of smallpox.  One of them had received the smallpox vaccine, while the other had not. Dr. Warner captured these images as part of his study on the disease. The smallpox vaccine holds historical significance as the first vaccine developed to combat a contagious disease.  In 1796, British doctor Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the milder cowpox virus could provide immunity against the deadly smallpox virus.  Cowpox acted as a natural vaccine until the modern smallpox vaccine became available in the 20th century. From 1958 to 1977, the World Health Organization led a global vaccination campaign that successfully eradicated smallpox, marking it as the only human disease to be completely eliminated. Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

THE LEGEND OF TRAPPER NELSON.

THE LEGEND OF TRAPPER NELSON. As you ride up the Loxahatchee River from its mouth in Jupiter, the canopy of slash pines and cabbage palms eventually starts to close in on you. Wildlife hides in the gnarled thickets of mangrove.  Everything about this place feels prehistoric. The turns become more and more hairpin, deceiving and disorienting you, as turtles and alligators eye you wearily before slipping beneath the murky water. Nearly eight miles up the northwest fork of the river, a weathered, wooden boathouse juts out into the dark water: the first sign of human existence seen for miles.  Alongside it is a dock that leads through a bamboo thicket into what was once the heart of wild Florida: Trapper Nelson’s homestead, zoo and jungle garden. The biggest attraction, though, was Trapper himself. Known as Tarzan of the Loxahatchee, he’d wrestle alligators, trap wildcats, and dazzle guests with his infallible good looks and stories of the wild.   He was a man who lived witho...

During the Vietnam War, one of the most dangerous jobs was undertaken by a select few known as "tunnel rats."

During the Vietnam War, one of the most dangerous jobs was undertaken by a select few known as "tunnel rats." These unsung heroes were American, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers specially trained as combat engineers, who crawled through Viet Cong underground tunnels to perform perilous covert search and destroy missions.⁠ ⁠ Tunnel rats gently prodded for armed mines in order to disarm them — and prayed that they survived with both their legs intact. Most men were volunteers and tended to be of smaller stature, making it easier for them to maneuver through the cramped subterranean spaces Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.