(1865–1937), German general. Erich von Ludendorff was born on April 9, 1865, in Prussia. He entered the army as a teenager, and his abilities eventually led to his promotion to the General Staff. An expert strategist, Ludendorff worked with Paul von Hindenburg in World War I and with him was responsible for many successful campaigns in the late years of the war. He fled to Sweden after Germany's defeat but returned to Munich in 1919. After the war his disillusionment at its outcome led him to join extreme political movements. He considered himself and the army betrayed by the politicians, a sentiment that helped undermine the postwar Weimar Republic. He died in Munich on Dec. 20, 1937.