Figure 1.-- Here President Hindenburg is walking with his three grandchildren walking in a wintry Berlin park. The children are all wearing overcoats. Both the girls wear knee socks while the little boy wears long stockings. The photograph was taken February 1, 1932, just before the election for the presidency in which Hitler ran against him (March and April). (There were two rounds.) It is interesting that he was able to walk in the park with the children with virtually no security. Hitler at the time was launching into a campaign of frentic activity, establishing an image of an energetic young man of the future.

Hindenburg was careful to marry an aristocrat--Gertrud von Sperling (1860–1921) while stationed at Strettin (1879). They had three children, a boy and two girls: Irmengard Pauline (1880) and Annemaria (1891) and one son, Oskar (1883). We know nothing about his family life. We know very little about his wife and daughters. Nor do we know who is grandchildren are here (figure 1). We do know about his son Oskar. Oskar followed his father in a military career, but did not get very far. His superiors were not impressed with his intelligence. He began to receive promotions only after his father gained prominance in World War I. Major Oskar von Hindenburg became an important political influenceimar after his aging father was elected president. As secretary and chief of staff, he controlled access to his father. He was influenced by Fritz von Papen and apparently played a major role in convincing his father to appoint Hitler chancellor (January 1933). He later promoted a 'Yes' vote in the plebecite after his father's death to merge the office of chancelor amd president making Hither the Führer (August 1934). [Shirer] The son subsequently received further promotions as well as additional land, but lost all political influence after the NAZIs solidified their grip on Germany.

Sources

Shirer, William. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

Created: 10:12 PM 3/30/2011
Last updated: 10:12 PM 3/30/2011