Evening star., 1934-08-08
Rate by MaII--PayabIe In Assance.
Hindenburg at Tannenberg.

Hindenberg sleeps at Tannenberg
It Was not his wish that he be laid TO
rest there. He preferred TO be en-
tombed at his home. That was char
acteristic Of the man, who was not
given to self-exploitstion. The Ger
man people. in the person Of Hitler.
chose to disregard his wish and to
enshrine the great soldier at the place
where he won his great victory.
Tannenberg stands in history as
the supreme triumph Of German
arms. Yet it was not a decisive
battle. 1t merely protracted the war
II permitted Germany to concentrate
her forces upon the western front and
there 10 hold of the allies for more
than four years. In one sense the
victory at Tannenberg was a defeat
for Germany, for 1t required the with
drawal OF two army corps from
France and the lack OF those forces
may be regarded as q vital factor in
the defeat at the first battle Of the
Marne. Yet had Tannenberg not been
won. Germany might have been so
gravely menaced from the east that
n victory In France would have been
Offset, impossible to pursue to the
end Of crushing the allies there. For
the conquest Of East Prussia by the
Russians would have opened the way
for an invasion of territory farther
west, perhaps fatally nulIifying the
invasion of France.
1t was not known, at least TO the
world at large, how weak the Rus
SLAMS we're in point of leadership and
the material of war when they struck
at East Prussia. They had immense
forces. Hindenberg was far outnum-
bered ct Tannenberg. When Rennen-
kampf and Samsonov moved into the
Masurian lakes region the general be-
lief was that the great steam roller"
was under way, ready to crush all be-
fore it. There were visions Of a swift
collapse of the German defense. How
ever, Hindenburg knew, as doubtless
did the high command in Germany,
that the Russians were lacking in the
essentials of victory. that they had not
learned the lessons so plainly taught
by the war with Japan, had not re-
paired their war machine so badly
damaged In Manchuria. The general
conditions in Russia did not permit
such repairs or the learning Of les
sons. The Russian commanders were,
in comparison with their German op-
ponents, veritably amateurs. and be-
hind them was badly trained army
and wholly incompetent system Of
supplies.
Tannenberg was won by Hinderburg
against heavy numerical odds. won by
superior strategy. The German COM
mander knew the ground intimately.
1t was his own land. He maneuvered
his enemy into a trap, met the advance
with series Of manipulating move
ments that gave him an opening.
The result was one Of the most stu
pendous defeats ever inflicted upon a
superior force. 1t was another case Of
Hannibal at Cannae.
After Tannenberg 1t was possible for
Germany to concentrate in the west,
and appropriately it was Hindenburg
who commanded in the later stages
of the conflict. Had the war there
been fought as campaign Of move
ment the tale would possibly have had
a different ending. But by the time
Hindenburg had finished his task at
Tannenburg the western front had be-
come stabilized into war of attrition.
That gave the allies a chance to recoup
their losses, to increase their forces,
to gain new recruits, the most ef-
fective and the finally decisive being
the American divisions.
So now at Tannenberg sleeps Hin
denburg, who there won supreme mill
tar-v leadership in a doomed cause.
--s-@@@->----
II the Soviet government goes far