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The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Ludendorff Conduct World War I
During the first two years of World War I a German general called from obscure retirement, Paul Von Hindenburg, aided by his deputy, Erich Ludendorff, won imperial fame from his successful campaigns on the eastern front. In 1916 Kaiser Wilhelm named Hindenburg to head the all-powerful Great German Staff with Ludendorff his deputy. At first all went well. But as food and other resources including replacements diminished, and as America entered the war, the top command increasingly panicked. In the summer of 1918 German armies in the west opened an all-out defensive. This failed and German surrender followed—as did the fall of the German empire.
558 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1991
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About the author
Robert B. Asprey
24 books15 followersRobert Brown Asprey was an American military historian and author, noted for his books on military history published between 1959 and 2001.
Asprey received a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1949, after serving in World War II. He also studied at New College, Oxford, at the University of Vienna, and at the University of Nice.
In World War II, Asprey was a member of the secret Marine Beach Jumper Unit, then joined the 5th Marine Division. In the 1950s, he served in U.S. Army Intelligence in Austria before returning to the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War with the rank of captain. He received a Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation for his service.
Asprey received a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1949, after serving in World War II. He also studied at New College, Oxford, at the University of Vienna, and at the University of Nice.
In World War II, Asprey was a member of the secret Marine Beach Jumper Unit, then joined the 5th Marine Division. In the 1950s, he served in U.S. Army Intelligence in Austria before returning to the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War with the rank of captain. He received a Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation for his service.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 24, 2015
This book provides an in-depth look into the German high command surrounding World War I. Prior to the war Germany was primed for expanding it’s boundaries through military buildup and propaganda. Since 1905 high ranking German officers were well versed with the Schlieffen Plan that called for a quick offensive thrust west through Belgium and Luxemburg, culminating with the capture France within weeks.
I found it interesting that following the death of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Ferdinand in the summer of 1914, German Kaiser Wilhelm II found an avenue to portray Germans as innocent victims. In a formal speech he mentioned that for over four decades Germany had maintained peace and then rallied the audience by stating: “Russia has set the torch to the house…France has already violated peace…French cavalry patrols and infantry companies have broken into Alsace. We are therefore acting in self-defense”
Once war was declared the Schlieffen Plan was deployed and the German military almost prevailed. A deathly stalemate surfaced and with the prospect of a prolonged war one German officer wrote: “Truly there is no longer any sense in this business”.
The book closely followed the duo of General Paul von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff, who both reported to the Kaiser. The Germans did not relish a defensive war and when faced with diminishing manpower and raw materials an Armistice agreement was finally sought.
The Battle of Jutland the largest WWI naval conflict off the coast of Denmark in 1916 between Germany and England was mentioned in a brief half page.
I found it interesting that following the death of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Ferdinand in the summer of 1914, German Kaiser Wilhelm II found an avenue to portray Germans as innocent victims. In a formal speech he mentioned that for over four decades Germany had maintained peace and then rallied the audience by stating: “Russia has set the torch to the house…France has already violated peace…French cavalry patrols and infantry companies have broken into Alsace. We are therefore acting in self-defense”
Once war was declared the Schlieffen Plan was deployed and the German military almost prevailed. A deathly stalemate surfaced and with the prospect of a prolonged war one German officer wrote: “Truly there is no longer any sense in this business”.
The book closely followed the duo of General Paul von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff, who both reported to the Kaiser. The Germans did not relish a defensive war and when faced with diminishing manpower and raw materials an Armistice agreement was finally sought.
The Battle of Jutland the largest WWI naval conflict off the coast of Denmark in 1916 between Germany and England was mentioned in a brief half page.
September 11, 2025
First, this is a relatively unbiased book. Asprey doesn't ding Germany for dictatorial tendencies, contrary to what some may think; rather he dings the dictator, Quartermaster-General Ludendorff, who executed a bloodless coup against Kaiser Wilhelm II.
That is, in essence what started in 1916, and was complete by the time German relaunched unlimited submarine warfare in early 1917.
That said, Ludendorff had plenty of fellow-traveler idiots in both the German military and in Wilhelm's cabinet. A stupid Grand Admiral, Tirpitz, who clamored for the naval expenditures that antagonized the UK, then was afraid to use his toy in war. A series of spineless chancellors and ministers, emasculated by Wilhelm and afraid of Ludendorff when he sought to push them aside.
And, in front of him? A puppet figure concerned to the nth degree about image, Field Marshal Hindenburg -- the man who did NOT win Tannenburg (neither did Ludendorff, of course), but rode that combination of myth and manipulation by Ludendorff to head the German Army.
Ludendorff deserves his military hacking down to size, too. The one positive thing, on the tactical side, was his development of stormtroopers. Otherwise, his rejection of the tank was idiocy in both tactics and larger strategy. His "Kaiser's offensive" was little better than the attrition warfare of two years earlier. (Edit: That said, once Ludendorff realized "the Yanks were coming" faster than he had told Wilhelm II they would come, a year earlier, he had little choice but to follow each straw of a possible breakthrough in the Kaiserschlacht and push until it played out.)
The real hero in Germany? The common soldier and common civilian, even more than in World War II, under a dictatorship in some ways as restrictive as Hitler's Germany, and with even tighter restraints on food and raw materials. (Germany and Austria-Hungary both had bad harvests in 1916 and 1917, and unlike World War II, they didn't control Ukraine.)
That is, in essence what started in 1916, and was complete by the time German relaunched unlimited submarine warfare in early 1917.
That said, Ludendorff had plenty of fellow-traveler idiots in both the German military and in Wilhelm's cabinet. A stupid Grand Admiral, Tirpitz, who clamored for the naval expenditures that antagonized the UK, then was afraid to use his toy in war. A series of spineless chancellors and ministers, emasculated by Wilhelm and afraid of Ludendorff when he sought to push them aside.
And, in front of him? A puppet figure concerned to the nth degree about image, Field Marshal Hindenburg -- the man who did NOT win Tannenburg (neither did Ludendorff, of course), but rode that combination of myth and manipulation by Ludendorff to head the German Army.
Ludendorff deserves his military hacking down to size, too. The one positive thing, on the tactical side, was his development of stormtroopers. Otherwise, his rejection of the tank was idiocy in both tactics and larger strategy. His "Kaiser's offensive" was little better than the attrition warfare of two years earlier. (Edit: That said, once Ludendorff realized "the Yanks were coming" faster than he had told Wilhelm II they would come, a year earlier, he had little choice but to follow each straw of a possible breakthrough in the Kaiserschlacht and push until it played out.)
The real hero in Germany? The common soldier and common civilian, even more than in World War II, under a dictatorship in some ways as restrictive as Hitler's Germany, and with even tighter restraints on food and raw materials. (Germany and Austria-Hungary both had bad harvests in 1916 and 1917, and unlike World War II, they didn't control Ukraine.)
March 26, 2021
A critical and well-written dual biography of Hindenburg and Ludendorff, with a focus on their planning of individual battles and overall German strategy.
Asprey emphasizes the ideology of the German military’s top brass (glory in conquest, bearing hardship stoically, etc.), and his treatment of the two commanders is decidedly unsympathetic (even though they largely conformed to a culture that encouraged traits like authoritarianism) Asprey emphasizes that while Ludendorff may have been a gifted tactician, his role as a strategist was not unblemished. He also promotes the idea that Ludendorff was the real brains behind the partnership, despite being an irresponsible egotist, and a strategic failure in the end.
Unfortunately, Asprey never really analyzes these in any comprehensive way, and his presentation sometimes seems selective. A couple points also seem underdeveloped. The maps are helpful enough if not terribly detailed.
Still, a solid portrait of Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and their generalship.
Asprey emphasizes the ideology of the German military’s top brass (glory in conquest, bearing hardship stoically, etc.), and his treatment of the two commanders is decidedly unsympathetic (even though they largely conformed to a culture that encouraged traits like authoritarianism) Asprey emphasizes that while Ludendorff may have been a gifted tactician, his role as a strategist was not unblemished. He also promotes the idea that Ludendorff was the real brains behind the partnership, despite being an irresponsible egotist, and a strategic failure in the end.
Unfortunately, Asprey never really analyzes these in any comprehensive way, and his presentation sometimes seems selective. A couple points also seem underdeveloped. The maps are helpful enough if not terribly detailed.
Still, a solid portrait of Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and their generalship.
January 24, 2023
A must for those who WW1 enthusiast. Robert B. Asprey's The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Ludendorff Conduct World War I fills in the blanks so overlooked by so many books covering WW1. Mind you WW1 was a global conflict with multiple fronts and aspects; no one book could realistically cover everything.
Asprey balanced his narrative very well with out bludgeoning the reader in to submission by boring themselves with too many battlefield tactics and statisitics or over using first person accounts of events making the narrative quick and concise with a lot of "ah ha" moments that will surprise most ardent WW1 enthusiast.
Asprey balanced his narrative very well with out bludgeoning the reader in to submission by boring themselves with too many battlefield tactics and statisitics or over using first person accounts of events making the narrative quick and concise with a lot of "ah ha" moments that will surprise most ardent WW1 enthusiast.
September 15, 2010
If this were an academic site, I would probably rate this much higher. A very good monograph, but perhaps not the best choice for an average reader.
March 29, 2021
Hindenburg: weak and vain
Ludendorff: narcissistic egomaniac
Wilhelm: weak and vain
The World: fuck
The way the weak and ineffective "duo" of Hindenburg and Ludendorff were able to hold their government and country hostage leading to ultimate destruction is pathetic and I wish I didn't see parallels to the Trump administration, but of course I do. It could happen again. The whining about Versailles - the Versailles treaty was softer than the Germans gave when they have the chance. The fact that Hindenburg found himself in the identical position relative to Hitler later really shows the pattern of susceptibility to strong personalities to the detriment of his country. Beyond disgusting.
Ludendorff: narcissistic egomaniac
Wilhelm: weak and vain
The World: fuck
The way the weak and ineffective "duo" of Hindenburg and Ludendorff were able to hold their government and country hostage leading to ultimate destruction is pathetic and I wish I didn't see parallels to the Trump administration, but of course I do. It could happen again. The whining about Versailles - the Versailles treaty was softer than the Germans gave when they have the chance. The fact that Hindenburg found himself in the identical position relative to Hitler later really shows the pattern of susceptibility to strong personalities to the detriment of his country. Beyond disgusting.
February 27, 2024
Dissertation read/skim.
An interesting book, more compelling in its writing than other similar volumes, but also has a series of strange digressions and moments of editorializing. I also agree that Ludendorff’s decisions and deceptions in 1918 were stupid and short sighted, but I don’t necessarily expect my history book to come out and say that so bluntly? Also, there were a series of asides to a painter who painted portraits of both Hindenburg and Ludendorff which were kind of mystifying? They weren’t bad, they just felt so random that they didn’t add anything in my opinion. Of course, I was reading for specific information, so I glossed over those sections pretty fast.
All in all, able history, interesting, well written. Very readable as well!
An interesting book, more compelling in its writing than other similar volumes, but also has a series of strange digressions and moments of editorializing. I also agree that Ludendorff’s decisions and deceptions in 1918 were stupid and short sighted, but I don’t necessarily expect my history book to come out and say that so bluntly? Also, there were a series of asides to a painter who painted portraits of both Hindenburg and Ludendorff which were kind of mystifying? They weren’t bad, they just felt so random that they didn’t add anything in my opinion. Of course, I was reading for specific information, so I glossed over those sections pretty fast.
All in all, able history, interesting, well written. Very readable as well!
September 17, 2025
Very detailed account of Hindenburg (the man who, more than any other, facilitated Hitler's rise to power) and Ludendorff (who saw through Hitler after the Munich putsch, and warned that he would lead Germany into the abyss).
What's clear is that Hitler was not unique, rather his ideas (Lebensraum, total war, genocide) were continuations of policies already in place by 1917.
What's clear is that Hitler was not unique, rather his ideas (Lebensraum, total war, genocide) were continuations of policies already in place by 1917.
July 12, 2014
500+ pages on Hindenburg and Ludendorff. It would've been horribly boring if it wasn't for the fun anecdotes the author sprinkles throughout about the two men who basically took over the German government the last years of the War. Ludendorff comes off as an ambitious but hardworking subordinate who works his ass off while Hindenburg is more concerned with how his painter messes up the color of his uniform in a painting. Pretty fascinating stuff.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews