Battles Of WW1

Battles of WW1

Battle of Tannenberg

Russia was allied with France and Britain in ww1. When Grand Duke Nicholas, the Russian commander heard the notice of the attack from Germany, with and offensive in East Prussia, he agreed to help France in this attack. This attack required mobility and agility, Unfortunately Russia had neither.

The plan was to invade German East Prussia in August 1914. Russia send two armies, the first was called Rennenkampf and the second Samsonov. The two armies were to gather to give a numerical superiority over the German 8th army, which they would attack from the east and south. The plan began well at Gumbinnen on 20 August. When Rennenkampf's first army defeated eight divisons of German 8th army on the eastern front. By this time Samsonov’s army had crossed the southern frontier of East Prussia to attack the Germans, defended by only three divisions.

Prittwitz, the commander of the 8th army, alerted by the unexpected attack, approved Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman’s idea to attack Samsonov’s left flank with another three divisions moved by rail from Gumbinnen front. The Germans got lucky when they intercepted an uncoded message sent by Rennenkampf to inform Samsonov that they were not marching toward the second army. This message guarantee to the Germans that samsonov would not get help from the first army. So they developed the idea, sending six divisions against Samsonov’s left flank and the rest of the German troops to Samsonov’s right flank. Samsonov’s forces were advancing gradually against Germans when on 26 August the Germans attacked Samsonov left flank near Usdau, and forced a Russian retreat, then the attack of the other flank of Samsonov started on August 27th and was a great success. So the communication to Russia, already weak. So the second army didn’t know that the Samsonov army was captured. And they were going to tanneberg to attempt a breakout, but on August 29th German army surrounded Russian second army.

Of the 150,000 men in the Russian second army, only 10,000 escape,30,000 men died and more than 95,000 were taken prisoner.

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