German postcard celebrating the German victory over the Russians in the Battle of Tannenberg. The invading Russian Second Army was destroyed with the Germans taking over 90,000 prisoners.
FeldskizzeDie grosse Schlacht bei Tannenberg. Gefangennahme von 90000 Russen!field sketch The great battle of Tannenberg. Capture of 90,000 Russians!Reverse:Der Weltkrieg 1914.Die große Schlacht bei Tannenberg in Ostpreußen. Gefangennahme von 90000 Russen. 27-29. Aug. 1914.Das war ein Siegesjubel in Deutschland, als aus seinen Ostprovinzen die frohe Runde erklang: Deutsche Truppen unter Führung des General-obersten von Hindenburg haben den aus Südosten eingedrungenen, der deutschen Abwehrarmee an Zahl stark überlegenen russichen Gegner (5 Armeekorps und 3 Divisionen) bei Tannenberg, Hohenstein und Ortelsburg vernichtend und entscheidend aufs Haupt geschlagen! Drei russische kommandierende Generale, 300 Offiziere, und viele Feldzeichen wurden deutsche Beure, die gesamte Artillerie vernichtet. Dieser glückliche Ausgang der Schlacht, die durch die bewundernswerte Tapferkiet unserer Truppen gewonnen wurde, hatte auch den schleunigen Rückzug einer im Norden bis Insterburg vorgedrungenen russischen Armee und deren eifrige Verfolgung seitens der Deutschen unter General von François zur Folge.The World War in 1914.The great battle of Tannenberg in East Prussia. Capture of 90,000 Russians. Aug. 27-29, 1914.There was a victory jubilee in Germany as happy news came from its eastern provinces. Under the command of General Hindenburg, at Tannenberg, Hohenstein, and Ortelsburg, troops of the German defense army inflicted a crushing and decisive defeat on a greatly superior Russian opponent (five army corps and three divisions) that had invaded from the south-east. Three Russian commanding generals, 300 officers, and many field ranks destroyed. German Beure , the entire artillery. This happy outcome of the battle, which was won by the admirable Tapferkiet of our troops, also pressed the Russian army in its rapid retreat northwards to Insterburg. German forces under General von François zealously persecuted the retreating forces.
August 27 to 30, 1914
Eastern Front
Following the curve of the Baltic Sea to the north, East Prussia's border with Polish Russia was backed by forests and a chain of lakes - the Masurian Lakes. With these natural defenses in place, the area was protected by one army, the German Eighth Army under General Prittwitz. An excellent rail system allowed for the rapid movement of troops to the region after the defeat of France that Germany's von Schlieffen Plan anticipated.
Across the border, Russia maintained the First Army east of Prussia, and the Second Army to the south, east of Warsaw. Although there were rail lines through the area, such as one connecting Warsaw and Bialystok, Russia had intentionally limited the communications through the Polish salient so an invader could not take advantage of them.
Although the Russians had mobilized only a third of their forces by mid-August, General Januschkevitch, the Russian Chief of Staff, and General Jilinksy, commander of the Northwest Army Group (the Russian First and Second Armies) responded to the urging of the French for an early offensive by ordering an advance against East Prussia on August 13. By the next day, Prittwitz was receiving reports of Russian cavalry in the country. By August 17, the Russian First Army under General Paul von Rennenkampf was in Prussia in strength.
Both the Russian and German armies were in disarray. The Russians advanced with minimal use of cavalry screens to locate German positions. Prittwitz planned to let the Russian First Army advance further west so that he could defeat them quickly before the Russian Second Army was upon, and possibly behind, him from the south. Contrary to orders, his subordinate General François attacked the Russians at Stallupönen close to the border, taking 3,000 prisoners and delaying the Russian drive. After this skirmish and a delay, von Rennenkampf continued west and the enemies engaged at Gumbinnen on August 20. Three German army corps each arrived separately to the battle, each suffering heavily before the next corps arrived. After a Russian counterattack the Germans retreated, much of the retreat disorderly. The German Eighth army suffered 14,607 casualties in the battle.
The same day as this defeat, Prittwitz also received word that Samsanov's Russian Second Army had crossed the frontier from the south. He telephoned German Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke to say that he was falling back to the Vistula River, virtually abandoning East Prussia. Moltke immediately replaced him with General Paul von Hindenburg, calling him from retirement, and assigned as his chief of staff General Erich von Ludendorff, who had taken the city of Liège during the conquest of Belgium. Two years later these two men would command the entire German army.
After Gumbinnen, von Rennenkampf again tarried for several days. Samsonov's Second Army advanced from the south, an advance that threatened to isolate part of the German Eighth Army between the two Russian armies. Colonel Maximilian Hoffman, the sacked Prittwitz's chief of military operations, developed a plan to take advantage of Rennenkampf's delay, and attack Samsonov, who, like Rennenkampf, remained virtually in place from August 20 to 23. By the time Hindenburg and Ludendorff arrived to take command, Hoffman's plan was already being executed.
Rennenkampf and Samsonov did not coordinate their movements, nor did Jilinsky coordinate for them. In prewar maneuvers, Samsanov had always been slow, lagging behind Rennenkampf's pace, but now moved more quickly. Throughout the campaign, many Russian communications were in clear text or in codes known to the Germans. When Samsonov advanced on August 24, he, like Rennenkampf, did not use an advance cavalry screen, and was surprised when he ran into entrenched German forces. After a day of battle, his clear text message that the next day would be one of rest was heard by Russian and German alike.
Rennenkampf advanced slowly on the 25th, and, again in clear text, laid out his intentions. He was unaware of how thin the German forces before him were, and made no move to reinforce Samsanov's right wing.
On August 26, Samsanov’s right, which should have been covered by von Rennenkampf, was thrown back by von Mackensen's corps, and was in danger of being outflanked. On August 27, his left collapsed under heavy artillery bombardment by François, and fled back across the border. Rather than falling back to regroup, Samsanov continued his advance on August 28. François spread a thin line of troops to Samsanov's rear to bar retreat to the border. Though thin, the line held, and withstood Russian attempts to break through. By August 29, the greater part of the Russian Second Army was encircled. It surrendered on August 31. The Germans took 90,000 prisoners. Samsonov wandered off from his staff. His body was later found by the Germans, apparently a suicide.
An estimated 50,000 Russians were killed in the battle, and 90,000 take prisoner. The Germans suffered 10,000 to 15,000 casualties. Jilinksy, commanding the Northeast Army Group, had lost one of his two armies.
Start Date: 1914-08-27
End Date: 1914-08-30
