Grand Forks daily herald., 1916-04-17
|MACkE|NSfN IS
LITTLE KNOWN
Famous General only a name
in 1915-Work Sur
prises All.
'fAssociated Press Correspondence )

! '(Associatsd Press Correspondence
Berlin. April lit is doubtful
whether any popular national hero
in Germany is in general as little
known, either in Germany or abroad,
as General Field Marshal August Won
Mackensen. h, who was instrumental
in driving the Russians out of Galicia
and to whose credit the conquest of
Serbia lies.
'HindenburE. when -sthe war began,
was an unknown, but the public quick
~ familiarized itself with every de-
tail of his life when his victories OF
made him an idol Of all Germany
Mackensen. however, Hindenburg's
rival for public affection at present,
was only q name until the summer OF
1915 and. despite his great reputation
is little. more now. -.
Countless streets all over Germany
have been named after Hindenburg;
statues already have been erected to
him: he is weekly in receipt OF re-
in this or that connection. N1acken-
sen, however. though certainly rival
Of Hindenhurg insofar as military
achievements are. concerned. is still
Tar behind him when it comes to pop
ular esteem or idolatry.
Mackensen's pictures, however. are
to be seen everywhere. They perhaps
are responsible for an impression that
seems to be almost universal, that the
field marshal is stern and unapproach-
able. whereas the opposite is the case.
Scarcely any Of his innate personal
characteristics, except that Of unusual
ability seem to be depicted on his
strenuous features.
When Mackensen began to tower
above the other German army leaders.
by his achievements agains the Rus
sians and the Kaiser in frequent tele-
graphic messages conferred honor af-
ter honor on him, it was matter OF
surprise to Germans unfamiliar with
Mackensen's career that a warm per-
sonal note should manifest itself
which had been lacking in earlier
messages to Hindenburg.
The surprise came largely from the
fact that the general public did, not,
and to a great extent does not, know
how lons-standing and cordial are the
relations between the Emperor and
Mackensen. The latter. surrendering
the command Of his body guard hus-
iod as the Kaiser's personal adjutant,
and in this position accompanied his
chief on the noted trip to the Holy
Land.
:. Few know, either. how narrowly
Germany missed having Mackensen as
a great military leader. He 10 the
son Of a man who in America would
be rated as a, gentleman farmer, and
himself was trained to take his faith
er's place. Though he emerged from
the Franco-Prussian war as a reserve
lieutenant, he Immediately went back
to civil life, in difference to his par
ents' wishes.
For years he resisted the impulse to
go back into the army, and fought
with himself battle which his most
enthusiastic biosrapher described as a
conflict between ideal and reality His
university education. belated because
Of the war with France. was almost
concluded. and he was fast becoming
in theory at least farmer when the
opportunity to 90 back as a. line off,
Ger into the Deaths Head Hussar''
regiment with which he had served in
France arrived once more. and his
father reluctantly withdrew his OBJ
jections to this career.
A number of characteristics pos