His rectangular features and broad frame projected a specific type of masculinity and virile gravitas. Known for his sangfroid, Hindenburg seemed to personify Germany’s superior mental strength, a key theme of German war propaganda. The new national hero was showered with official honours, and the country was flooded with Hindenburg souvenirs. He became a symbol of victory and unity at home – a role traditionally reserved for the Kaiser. Within weeks of Tannenberg, the German population exalted Hindenburg to mythical heights. The decisive victory at Tannenberg contrasted sharply with the stalemate and trench warfare of the Western Front, and it secured Hindenburg’s reputation as Germany’s “saviour”. This invasion played a key role in emphasizing the idea that Germany was fighting a defensive war – an idea otherwise hard to maintain in light of Germany’s violation of Belgian territory. Nevertheless, Hindenburg was credited with orchestrating victory in the Battle of Tannenberg in late August 1914, which helped to drive the Russians out of East Prussia. His foremost task was to provide backing to the more junior Major-General Erich Ludendorff (1865-1937). He was not chosen for his strategic brilliance, but as a calm and composed figurehead. In August 1914, Hindenburg was called back to command the Eighth Army in East Prussia. Hindenburg during the First World War ↑ The Battle of Tannenberg ↑ Although he lost out to Helmuth von Moltke the Younger (1848-1916), Hindenburg’s career had thus been a thriving one prior to his retirement in 1911. His name was mentioned in discussions about Alfred von Schlieffen’s (1833-1913) successor as chief of the General Staff in 1906. After concluding his training at the Prussian Military Academy, he was admitted to the Prussian General Staff, eventually becoming an infantry general in 1905. He fought in some of the key battles of German unification, which would later bolster his reputation as a symbol of national unity: Königgrätz in 1866 and Sedan in 1870. Born in 1847, he joined the Third Regiment of Foot Guards in 1866, admitting him to the Prussian Officer Corps. Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) was largely unknown before 1914.
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