Postcard of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kaiser Franz Joseph, in the Secessionist style. Kaiser Wilhelm is wearing the uniform and shako of the Death's Head Hussars.
Völkerkrieg (people's war)1914; In Treue FestPeople's WarFirm in Loyalty
"[General] Samsonov, who suffered from asthma, was visibly weakening. He kept repeating to Potovsky, his Chief of Staff: 'The Czar trusted me. How can I face him after such a disaster?' After covering six miles, they stopped for a rest. It was then 1:00 A.M. [on August 30] Samsonov moved apart into the thicker darkness under the pines. A shot cracked the stillness of the night. Potovsky knew instantly what it meant. Earlier Samsonov had confided his intention of committing suicide but Potovsky thought he had argued him out of it. He was now sure the General was dead."
The last hours of Russian General Alexander Samsonov, defeated in the Battle of Tannenberg. Commanding the Russian Second Army in the invasion of Germany in August, 1914, Samsonov’s right (which should have been covered by the Russian First Army under Paul von Rennenkampf), was thrown back. On August 27, his left wing collapsed. Rather than falling back to defend his forces, Samsonov continued to advance. By August 29, the Germans had encircled most of the Russian Second Army. By August 31, the Russians had been captured or had surrendered, and the Germans had taken over 90,000 of them prisoner.
The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman, page 342, copyright © Barbara W. Tuchman 1962, publisher: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., publication date: 1963
Tannenberg, Battle of Tannenberg, Samsonov, 1914, August, 1914-08-29, 1914-08-30
