DEATH OF MARSHAL VON HINDENBURG.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 14173, 15 July 1918, Page 7

DEATH OF MARSHAL VON HINDENBURG.

* REPORT FROM AMERICAN , ~ > '. . SOHRCES. ; UNCONFIRMED RUMOUKS. (Press Association—Extraordinary.) (Australian -mI N.Z, Cable Association) •■-.-.■," .'• ■ - ■ . v ■• - ; ; i'-':.- VANCOUVER, July 13. ;i • ■ '.,'', '■■':'>.' I Marclial von Hindenburg, Chief of the', - QcraanQen ! .- .-■' '■•.-.'■'- ' 4! ' : '- : ,'-*•*.: ■■'«' . \ (Reuterls Telegrams) .': Received July-14, 5.5 .p.m. "V ..'? '":■ "■. "■:■ ' There arfe: renewed unconfirmed riir. -i mdurs, -emaiiatiiig .from The Hague, tbat'Marshai von Hindenbnrg is dead. ; BEifelANl NEWSPAPER. REPORT, ' = • IAON:REi[AINS SCEPTICAL. - ' . '• | f ':' ■ (ReMtei'a Tclegrnms) Recei^Julyi'l-11.20 p;m. : *jy-- AMSTERDAM, ■■July'l3. - ~ LcsNouvclles gtetesihat it.learns"'from a good source ''.-'. ihatVon'Hiitdenmirg die,d 'as the -result 1 of following a'''-stormy inter- ." ■ view with the Kaiser at the Main -Head- :■,'.; garters omtliclfith-May, at wliieli dif- ! * feren-ces.ofi.opinions aroso as to;ilie '' objeet'of ieoifcnsWoagaiiistrFaris, ''' "'. The above, report 'is reeeiyod' sceptic- , -filly in London.',-' ,' ■ -"t ■'-••-?'-.rr - ?'" ••'■■' >■,-■ ' • -.'•,/ VM von Beneckendorft und'llinden- -.': bilrg^the;.Chief ,of. tiie German Great : 'f. 'Gineral-Stajf, 4 was; seventy years' 1 of ago. y - ' on : ;:Ociob>r,ind last. Totally'niiKriowii- , to tha general' public before the. 'wir, ~'. he fceamo th'e' chiefj popular -heio, but ! ■ '•• few, people,;even in' Germany, can- ever -i i : havc ; expected to sec him nominated to ' \ eontrol *-' the brain of the Army." Von fiindehbitrg-passed through the Ger- . man- Si/aft College about forty years ■ ; ago, ancKsubsequently, .served for short ,- .periods'on'the General Staff, but never, .'-, {tj.wOTtld j seem,- since lie; passed the rank' • of major; : After ordinary promotions, he- obtained) in 1903, the command of , tiie Fourth Army Corps ; at Magdeburg. There-lie stayed-till 1911, when he relit-. ;l . Ed, andlived inobscuritj' at Hanover., It ''..'■; 'islMMri-hsweyer, .that Hindenbnrg -'■'.'.-, made many secretj journeyinga to the ■;. Russian frontier, and studied the topo- - "graphy of the .Masurian Lakes country, ; , '*ncl yeryiSboin'ibecame acquainted with •'.-"'. the physical pecuUarities of the whole frontier;;of East Prussia.';' It trjll be ,• remembered how, .after tjie outbreak olth6; ; wav ) ,and'.'Wheii the.Russians wfere. . invading East,Frussiaj'Hindenburg was

. recalled' from / his,- sq-ealled ; retirement, ' ,he .wgn, Me, great .Bjittit? of Yannenberg, on "tip; ; Masurian LalreSi Kaiser;at;on;Po began ) o overwhelm v hW with honours, . and"it is to Hiiiilentaught'td attribute;all the wecsses: In ;■. the EastQ3^Jjwi^e;:of.^iV : K , i?; 4 J \ l ! fflil ' lireswerc'similarly'atfV|TuilMl'6"tlie re- / fusal'in high,places-''tb ; give tTiiiden-, burg'a-.'.freev;haii(li''. The .Hiiulentmvg' i legend endured more persistently than, anything else..in-German public opinion, anclthc popular belief that he.fan work . rniraejes is,doubtless even grealer than ;ihe ;Tirpitz and Zeppelin eoM'lmvp ; raa(ie aiior't worlrof England . if |hly f allowed, ; , afl his work during the first ' two years,of war was done in the East; 1 Hinflqnbnvg liadtioni-tinje to time-in. . interviews,:• carefully 'organised 'by his *P!iief of Staff, General von Ludendorff —proclaimed,a passionate Anglophobia. Ata Vilna in Decemliad been .warning 'the people against England'for some years; and that the great;thing still was to keep all ata: ' tioiiflxed'bn England.' Y After'the'.failure of 'General von

Falkonhayu to reduce ■ Verdun mid march through the breach) the Kaiser removed Falkejilmyn from the position • of Chief of the German Staff, and raised I Uutdonburg to supreme command. It was . known, of course, that the collapse of ( falkeiiluiyiv's reputation was bound to. make a. deep impression upon the .Prns ;V siau Army, especially iia'lie was regarded as the type of the highly educated, highly experienced, and extremely alert German officer, wiio was sure to surpass any intelligence that could be pitted against him. '■ However, during the closing days of the' battle, of the Sommc, nirid with memory of the staggering defeat of the German hosts at 'Verdun still lingering in his mind, the Kaiser surprised Europe by issuing on 29th August, 1016, tlio following official statement: "By.lmperial' Order tlio Kaiser has removed from his office Ihe Chief of the General Staff,, General von Fnlkcnliayn, who will be employed in an other capacity, and has appointed Field.Marshal von Bcekondorff and Hindeiiburg, Chief, of the General Staff of tilth Field' Army, and Lieut chant-General Ludendorff, First QHar,termasl;eT-Gcn-eral, with tlio rank of General." Since that day von Hindenbnrg has been In all intents and purposes military dictator of Germany."

General, von Ludendorff, Ilii'ulcnIrarg's Chief of Staff, was at the outbreak of the war head of a department of the-Goat General Staff in Berlin. At the beginning of the Hindenbnrg mania he was hept carefully in the Uncle ground, but it came to be said that lie ' was the real brain of the partnership, and his .name has since been associated • with that of Hindenbnrg.. Long ago, when the war first broke out, and fighting, began on the Russian front, certain American correspondents commented with great, .freedom, on'tlio Generals they came- in contact with on both sides; • Particularly ..one 'description of •Hindenbnrg's Chief-of-Stnff, General LmlendoTff, was prophetic, and it is well remembered the impression the correspondent 'gave of him and of the manner in which he was looked upon in the German Army, Hindenburg, he said ■was the man who carried out the great movements which had overwhelmed-the Russians in.East Prussia; -but -.those movements- were planned,by'this'young General—the brain's of the army.'Characteristically tlio article.ended: "Keep your eyes open for any mention of Lti- ; flendorff, for, ere. the-.-war'is'over,, he. Will/bo-one' of- Germany's greatest Generals. '' That,one assumed was the' cor- - respondent's way of saying that this, particular man was in very truth a goodofficerj if young, compared'to those around him,. but the "appointment of Ludendorff as First Quartermaster-Gen*, oral,'in connection with the'assumption by von Hindenbnrg of the position of Ciiief-of-'Staff, and tlio probability of Ludendorff becoming Chief of, the Gen'erai.'SfafjV should von Ifiii'denbufg die, 1 j shows that the American was'npt so far out after all. Judging by' cmot-alions ' froin.tlWGerman papers, which appeared [in.nentr.il and British periodicals, the i Germans coupled the twp men together as almost'" equals; .asserting 'that they, more, than'any other leaders, can comlifand tjie 'absolute'confidence of the nati.om.' Vigorous as lie is Von Hind en/ imf|'is' m nW'mjiw, 'and it n% • Wolf be ■that'tiie c\i& burden ; of the • direction' oialniic German armies isf being borne by young and' hitherto iinknown'LudeV do.rff.