Iditarod pioneer., 1915-02-20
"SWAMPY" HINDENBERG'S
 EAST PRUSSIA CAMPAIGN

PRZEMSYL, Austria-I have had an in sight into some of the affairs which have caused the greatest interest and excitement in the German war office. Just as this war in itself outdoes fiction, so some of the scenes that have occurred in the war offices have outrun imagination.
 There have been moments go exciting that even the staldest generals have cheered aloud in their offices. An instance of this was the occasion when General Won linden berg, whose name has since become world famous, was restored to the army.
 Perhaps it is not generally known that Hindenberg and the kaiser were personal enemies. It is the truth, however The kaiser himself put Hindenberg on the pen sion list six years ago in a fit of anger against him. Hindenberg was heartbroken; at 67 years of age his career seemed smashed.
 When the war broke out the kaiser or dered that lists should be prepared, includ- ing the name of every general who might help Germany. Hindenbergs name was not put on the list The kaiser noticed the omission.
 "Where's Hindenberg?" he asked Ger many needs him"
 That was one of the first surprises the war office sustained But greater surprise was in store for the men in the big stone building in Berlin in connection with this same Hndenberg Every German general in the WAT office is specialist on some tactic or plan, but Hindenberg was con sidered almost "queer" in regard to cer tain plan he had for crushing Russian force in East Prussia.
 He had figured when he WAS a young officer that if Germany and Russia ever fought each other, and if Russian troops started for Berlin by way of East Prussia, and that if on their march they got near Konigsberg or Tannenberg, and that if he were in charge of he German troops in East Prussia-if all these ifs" came true, he would get the Russians into trap and drive them back into the swamps in the lake country and let the swamps whip them -one more ''if''-that all this would not occur in the winter time, when the swamps were frozen.
 All of Hindenberg's success in life, in fact, depended on all these "ifs' coming true, and he was laughed at in the army and in Ger man court circles for stalking his career and HIS IJldCt III NiciIidll i4LAIVd1 hASNcAy 'iA such slim and apparently impractlcable chance
 He was called "Swampy" Hindenbers by his intimates. Many of his holidays he spent in the lake country in East Prussia studying the ground,
 There was not mudhole in the area that he did not know-its width, its depth, the nature of the earth around it. East Prussia swamps were his life study.
 When the war broke out Hindenberg was sent to East Prussia
 At the age of 67, after decades of theor izing and friendly ridicule, he was to be given his chance The war office kept its eye on Hindenberg In the early days of August the Russians crossed ;he border into East Prussia. Five great army corps, ap- parently irresistible in their might, began their ponderous progress toward konlgs berg. Miles and miles they went into Prus- sia, unchallenged. Hindenberg held back as he had planned to do His lite dream was coming true.
 The Russians destroyed villages, seized large towns and hastened on toward the great modern city of konigsberg, with its 350,0O0 inhabitants and it's rich store houses.
 "The Russians are overwhelming Prussia" said worried Germany. Hindenberg's life long dream had been all 8 mistake and his entire career only an error.
 At last the Russians reached the Tannen- berg country, and Hindenberg struck. America knows by this time that 1t was one of the most terrible battles in human history.
 Hindenberg folded back the Russian left wing. The Russians found only a swamp behind them, into which they retreated and found themselves helpless. The Russian center Hindenberg drove back against an other great swamp area Here his men took 30,000 prisoners.
 The oncoming Russian left had still an other swamp reserved for it, Hindenbergs s men fought like demons, but it was the