Liege
I zealously devoted myself to the training and education of the regiment and afterwards had the satisfaction of learning that it proved its worth in the face of the enemy. It.was a great pleasure to me when, in the course of the war, I was first placed d la suite of my regiment, and, later, appointed its colonel. At the time of my resignation it was named after me ; I am, indeed, proud of the General Ludendorff Fusilier Regiment.
In April, 1914, I went to Strasburg, where General von Deim-ling's presence ensured an active military life for every man in his command. The position as Brigade Commander was quite different from, that of Regimental Commander in Diissel-dorf. I missed the direct intercourse with the troops and the Corps of Officers and was occupied chiefly with organization. Before the outbreak of war I had the pleasure of parading my brigade for inspection at Bitsch.
There was again a question of my being appointed as Quartermaster-General on the Great General Staff; I was, of course, doing General Staff work. In May I took part in a Staff ride, which began in, Freiburg in Breisgau and ended in Cologne. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince was with us. He devoted himself with great zeal to his work and showed both sound understanding of military affairs and insight into large-scale operations. In August I had to conduct a so-called " Supply Ride/' in which the strategical plan for the supply of an army was examined.
Austria-Hungary's Note to Serbia at the end of July came as a shock to me in Strasburg ; nobody could ignore its seriousness. War was soon a certainty. Diplomacy presented the German Army with an extremely difficult task. In great anxiety I followed events in Berlin then as I still do, feeling that so far as I was concerned I was not responsible for whatever hap pened.
Ill
General mobilization was decreed on August ist. My wife went to Berlin immediately, for the families of all officers and officials were ordered to leave Strasburg, During the whole
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