The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-12-13

among the men. luck and intrigue that
saved critical situations finally the
complete .disintegration OF the great ma
chine; these are things he colby sets
down, regardless of consequences,
RENNENKAMPFF'S TREACHERY
So much is crowded into the book that
one can take only few of the chief
revelations. They will suffice. however.
to prove how often luck and intrigue
helped Germany to carry on when her
boosted efficiency had been decidedly
inefficient.
Right in the first campaign blunder-
ing showed itself. The Great General
Staff had adopted Count Schlieffen's
plan for a sweep through Belgium and
annihilation of France before Russia
could come into the battle. But the
Schlieffen plan was not carried out prop
erly. The Crown Prince wanted glory
and took so many troops for his attack
on the fortresses in the center that the
extended right wing, rushing on Paris.
was made too weak and defeat came
at the Marine.
4 vital blunder was made in the CAL
culation of the time Russia must take
for mobilization. Weak forces We're left
to cover East Prussia and these in the
first weeks were thoroughly defeated
by the rush of the cars armies
LET ARMY BE ANNIHILATED
Intrigue here saved the day, Luden-
dorff, sent to save the situation, admits
he could never have carried out his
plans except for the actions of General
Rennenkampff, favorite of the Czarina
and brother of the German governor of
Thorn. who was in command of one OF
the powerful armies of invasion. Rem
nenkampff. with beaten army in full
retreat before him suddenly stopped his
advice into East Prussia at the end OF
September. 1914 and with 100000 men
let himself be held up for almost week
by 10000 German cavalry while Luden-
iorff use the Germans. whom Rennen-
kampff should have kept running. to
surprise and annihilate Samsonoff $
army of 10000 men in the battle of Tam
nenberg.
. Rennenkampffs treachery did not end
there His army was still menace to
East Prussia: so he let Ludendorff.
with half his numbers, throw him out
of positions which the Germans admitted
they could not have taken without enor-
NOUS losses had a real defense been
made Rennenkampff< ordered hasty
retreat which resulted in the disorgan-
ization of his army and the loss of many
guns and men.
Finally this arbitrator saved LudeD-
dorff'st whole campaign in the east.
when in November. 1914, he delayed for
IS hours the Cossacks, who had been or
dered to close the trap into which the
Grand Duke had Unanswered the five
fighting army corps of the Germans.
I,udendorff admits that if this trap had
been closed the war might have been
ended soon by Russian invasion OF
Germany and Austria. !.
Ludendorffs~ reputatino as great
strategist started with tsese battles, so
his confession that Rennenkampff gave
him his success, knocks out one tradi-
ton of German invincibility.
BITTER QUARREL IN STAFF
Bitter ouarreling among the highest
military chieftains appears with his
tale of the Russian campaign of 1918
He and Hindenburg came to direct
clash with General Won Falkenhayn
chief of the great general STAN ano
intimate of the Kaiser. Falkenhayr
won. Not only were the Ludendorh-
Hindenburg plans upset but Marsha
Won Mackensen and Prince Leopold OF
Bavaria were given independent com
mands, with the result that the various
armies jostuled each other and allowed
the Russian armies to get out OF bad
trap. into which they. had been be-
JTdyeQ, as huSSi1i iSSOi vs. he''N S-tAS1>
shown, by the treachery of the Czarina
This quarreling continued on the
eastern front until the summer OF
1916 Then the successes of Brusilofi
on the eastern front, where the Ger
man-Austrian line was almost broken,
the failure Of the Verdun attacks; the
successes OF the allies on the Somme;
and anlly the entry of Rumania into
the war, caused the dismissal of the
Kaiser's favorites from command and
the bestowal of full power on linden
burg and Ludendorff.
Ludendorff admits the situation was
so critical that he feared the Ruman-
ians would roll up the whole south
eastern flank and help bring the Rus
slams into Hungary. Intrigue and
treachery again saved the military ma
chine. King Constantine of Greece
the Kaiser's brother-in- law, surren-
dered to the Bulgarians the fortresses
east OF Salonica and gave them such
an advantage over the allies that Bull
garian troops could be spared to meet
the Rumanian peril.
Rumania's weeks of waiting for
Russia to send the aid that had been
promised enabled Ludendorff to gather
the armies that smashed the small
nation. I'VE should not have been