Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff ( sometimes given as von Ludendorff ) ( April 9 , 1865 â `` December 20 , 1937 ) was a German Army officer , Generalquartiermeister during World War I , victor of LiÃ ge , and , with Paul von Hindenburg , one of the victors of the battle of Tannenberg . Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff ( sometimes given incorrectly as von Ludendorff ) ( 9 April 1865 â `` 20 December 1937 ) was a German military officer , victor of LiÃ ge , and , with Paul von Hindenburg , one of the victors of the Battle of Tannenberg ( 1914 ) .