In 1914, Tannenberg was not just the site of a German First World War victory shrouded in myth. The triumph bestowed legend status on above all General Hindenburg, which he ultimately bore right up to his presidency of the Weimar Republic and his fatal decision to appoint Hitler Reich Chancellor. This makes it all the more fascinating to scrutinize this momentous battle and the myths that took shape around it on the basis of the sources.

John Zimmermann, Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr, Potsdam, Germany.