Título: Erich Ludendorff
Seção: Pre-war military career
Background: Ludendorff was born on 9 April 1865 in Kruszewnia near Posen, Province of Posen, Kingdom of Prussia (now Poznan County, Poland), the third of six children of August Wilhelm Ludendorff (1833-1905). His father was descended from Pomeranian merchants who had achieved the prestigious status of Junker. Erich's mother, Klara Jeanette Henriette von Tempelhoff (1840-1914), was the daughter of the noble but impoverished Friedrich August Napoleon von Tempelhoff (1804-1868) and his wife Jeannette Wilhelmine von Dziembowska (1816-1854), who came from a Germanized Polish landed family on the side of her father Stephan von Dziembowski (1779-1859). Through Dziembowski's wife Johanna Wilhelmine von Unruh (1793-1862), Erich was a remote descendant of the Counts of Donhoff, the Dukes of Duchy of Liegnitz and Duchy of Brieg and the Marquesses and Electors of Brandenburg.

Conteúdo: In 1885, Ludendorff was commissioned as a subaltern into the 57th Infantry Regiment, then at Wesel. Over the next eight years, he was promoted to lieutenant and saw further service in the 2nd Marine Battalion, based at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, and in the 8th Grenadier Guards at Frankfurt on the Oder. His service reports reveal the highest praise, with frequent commendations. In 1893, he entered the War Academy, where the commandant, General Meckel, recommended him to the General Staff, to which he was appointed in 1894. He rose rapidly and was a senior staff officer at the headquarters of V Corps from 1902 to 1904.  Next he joined the Great General Staff in Berlin, which was commanded by Alfred von Schlieffen, Ludendorff directed the Second or Mobilization Section from 1904-13. Soon he was joined by Max Bauer, a brilliant artillery officer, who became a close friend. By 1911, Ludendorff was a full colonel. His section was responsible for writing the mass of detailed orders needed to bring the mobilized troops into position to implement the Schlieffen Plan. For this they covertly surveyed frontier fortifications in Russia, France and Belgium. For instance, in 1911 Ludendorff visited the key Belgian fortress city of Liege.  Deputies of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, which became the largest party in the Reichstag after the German federal elections of 1912, seldom gave priority to army expenditures, whether to build up its reserves or to fund advanced weaponry such as Kr

user: what was erich in the pre war military

assistant: In 1885, Ludendorff was commissioned as a subaltern into the 57th Infantry Regiment, then at Wesel.

user: what happened after his commissioning?

assistant: Over the next eight years, he was promoted to lieutenant and saw further service in the 2nd Marine Battalion, based at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven,

user: how did he perform as a lieutenant?

assistant: His service reports reveal the highest praise, with frequent commendations.

user: was he promoted to the next rank?

assistant: General Meckel, recommended him to the General Staff, to which he was appointed in 1894.

user: what did you after this appointment?

assistant: He rose rapidly and was a senior staff officer at the headquarters of V Corps from 1902 to 1904.

user: did he do anything significant as a senior staff officer?

assistant: Next he joined the Great General Staff in Berlin,

user: what was his achievement at Berlin?

assistant: By 1911, Ludendorff was a full colonel.

user: what did he do as a full colonel?

assistant: 1911 Ludendorff visited the key Belgian fortress city of Liege.

user: did this visit produce any positive result?

assistant: His section was responsible for writing the mass of detailed orders needed to bring the mobilized troops into position to implement the Schlieffen Plan.

user: what is the most interesting aspect of this section?

assistant: Ludendorff's calculations showed that to properly implement the Schlieffen Plan the Army lacked six corps.