KARL GOETZ MEDALS. Germany - Poland. First Battle of the Masurian Lakes/von Hindenburg Cast Bronze Medal, 1914. Munich Mint. NGC MS-63. Kienast-143. 67mm. By Karl Goetz. Obverse: Uniformed bust of Paul von Hindenburg facing slightly right; Reverse: Russian cossacks and their horses drowning in the Masurian Lakes. Featuring an imposing portrait on the obverse and a dynamic battle scene on the reverse, this medal captures the high degree to which von Hindenburg was held within Germany during the war effort. Reddish-bronze surfaces, with some brilliance remaining.<p><em>Before serving as the president of the German Reich and his unintended role in giving rise to Nazism and Adolf Hitler in 1933, Paul von Hindenburg was a celebrated general within the German Empire, first retiring in 1911. Upon the outbreak of WWI, however, he was called upon to serve once again, where he oversaw a major and much celebrated German victory at Tannenberg in 1914. Following this campaign, Hindenburg s star rose to a national level, paving the way for his ensuing political career during the Weimar period.</em> From the Richard Jewell Collection.
