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COMMANDER // 1865–1937

Erich Ludendorff

generalKingdom of PrussiaGermany11 battles1 war

Lifespan

1865 – 1937

1870188018901900191019201930World War I · 1914–1918 (1917–1918 U.S. combat role)Battle of Tannenberg — August 23, 1914 · German Empire · World War IFirst Battle of the Masurian Lakes — September 7, 1914 · Germany · World War IRussian invasion of East Prussia — January 1, 1914 · German Empire · World War IBattle of Bolimów — January 31, 1915 · German Empire · World War IGreat Retreat — September 1, 1915 · German Empire · World War ISecond Battle of the Masurian Lakes — February 7, 1915 · Germany · World War IBattle of Verdun — February 21, 1916 · German Empire · World War IThird Battle of Ypres — July 31, 1917 · German Empire · World War IBattle of Château-Thierry — July 18, 1918 · Germany · World War IMeuse-Argonne — Sep–Nov 1918 · Germany · World War ISpring Offensive — March 21, 1918 · German Empire · World War I

Active service 1914–1918 — 11 battles across 1 war; first command at age 49.

Profile

Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a Prussian-born German general and politician. He achieved fame during World War I (1914–1918) for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914. After his appointment as First Quartermaster General of the Great General Staff in 1916, Ludendorff oversaw virtually all decisions regarding Germany's strategy and war effort until the country's defeat in 1918. Later during the years of the Weimar Republic, he took part in the failed 1920 Kapp Putsch and Adolf Hitler's 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, thereby contributing significantly to the Nazis' rise to power.

Source · Wikipedia · Q58579

Battles (11)

Last verified June 2026
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