Paul von Hindenburg was an officer.
Oskar Wilhelm Robert Paul Ludwig von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg ( 31 January 1883 -- 12 February 1960 ) was a German Generalleutnant . Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known generally as Paul von Hindenburg ( [ ˈpaʊl fɔn ˈhɪndn̩bʊɐ̯k ] ; 2 October 1847 -- 2 August 1934 ) was a German military officer , statesman , and politician who largely controlled German policy in the second half of World War I and served as the elected President of Germany from 1925 until his death in 1934 . As Germany 's Chief of the General Staff from August 1916 , Hindenburg 's reputation rose greatly in German public esteem . True to family tradition father supported his family as an infantry officer , he retired as a major . He became a second lieutenant in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards .