Five centuries before the start of World War I, the Teutonic Knights suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg (Grunwald) at the hands of Slavic and Lithuanian forces. However, in 1914, the Germans secured a major victory in that same region, overcoming the Russian Second Army in just four days.Recognizing the historical importance of the site, German leaders chose to name their victory “Tannenberg” as a nod to its legacy.
Early days of World War I
Germany’s participation in the Great War was started by implementing the Schlieffen Plan, a strategy developed by Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen. This comprehensive scheme proposed a powerful German invasion of France and Belgium, enlisting the support of Germany’s allies and advancing through the Netherlands toward France.
The plan’s core goal was to defeat the French Third Republic. At the same time, a smaller German force would move eastward to hold off any potential Russian threats until reinforcements could arrive. In 1914, the German Army, with a total strength of 1,191 battalions, directed most of its forces to the Western Front for the campaign against France, while the East Prussian Eighth Army, representing just 10 percent of Germany’s military, focused on the Eastern Front.
In response, France quickly mobilized, launching an immediate counterattack to push back the German advance. Neutral Belgium, after two weeks of combat in the Battle of Liège – the first official battle of WWI—yielded to the German forces, opening a strategic route for their invasion.
France counted on eventual support from the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and its Russian allies, recognizing that Russia would need time to fully mobilize. With a limited and largely single-tracked railway network (75 percent of Russia’s railways were single-track), it took approximately 60 days for Russia to position enough divisions to actively participate in the conflict.
Battle of Gumbinnen
The Eighth Army, composed mainly of reservists and garrison troops, was the least experienced formation in the Imperial German military. Its commander, Generaloberst Maximilian von Prittwitz, was unprepared for the quick pace of Russian mobilization.
It quickly became apparent that the Russians had outmaneuvered the Germans, deploying two armies into East Prussia. In response, Germany directed von Prittwitz to confront the Russian 1st Army Corps at the Battle of Gumbinnen on August 20, 1914. The battle inflicted heavy casualties on both sides, and as a second Russian force approached, von Prittwitz considered a retreat. Nevertheless, his superiors made it clear that retreat was not an option.
Because of this, von Prittwitz was replaced by two important military figures: General der Infanterie Erich Ludendorff and Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg. Together, they assumed command of the Imperial German Army on the Eastern Front and prepared the Eighth Army to confront the unready Russians with every tactical advantage available.
Was Russia doomed from the start?
The events that transpired before the Battle of Tannenberg likely determined Russia’s fate even before the fighting began. The unseasoned Russian Army made a major mistake in its radio communications. Orders were sent over open radio frequencies, and while they were encoded, the Germans easily intercepted and took advantage of these communications.
The National Security Agency (NSA) points out that the Battle of Tannenberg was the first time in history where the interception of enemy radio communications had a real impact.
One intercepted message disclosed that the 1st Army Corps was not moving toward the Eighth Army as anticipated but was instead heading north toward Königsberg, Prussia, with the Second Army closely following. The two armies were separated by the 50-mile expanse of the Masurian Lake District, which hindered their advance toward Königsberg.
Surrounding the Second Army
Using the intercepted radio messages, Ludendorff, a military theorist, came up with a strategy to attack the 2nd Army south of the Masurian Lakes. The 2nd’s commander, General of the Cavalry Alexander Samsonov, was already hindered by a slow supply chain, poor communication and the difficulty of navigating a large force with heavy artillery through the are’s impossible terrain. Soon, he and his men found themselves completely surrounded by the Germans.
“Imagine this Russian army as a bulge pressing into Germany and the Germans strike at a point where the bulge begins and cut off the vast majority of the Russian forces in the middle,” explains military historian, Jay Lockenour. “Because of communication problems, the Russian commanders didn’t know that a major attack on their flank was underway until half a day too late.”
Samsonov’s men were spread out over a 60-mile stretch, with the center, right and left wings separated – practically inviting the Germans to attack both wings. Meanwhile, the 1st Army Corps, led by General of the Cavalry Paul von Rennenkampf, was in no rush to come to the 2nd’s aid. Instead, a lapse in communication failed to urge him to pick up the pace and change his focus from Königsberg to the Masurian Lakes.
On August 26, 1914, Ludendorff ordered General der Infanterie Hermann von François and his I Corps to attack and break through the Russians’ left wing.
Who won the Battle of Tannenberg?
The height of the Battle of Tannenberg occurred on August 27, with the German heavy fire focused on the left wing. Soon, Russian troops began to flee across the frontier, toward Neidenburg, and von François ordered his men to hold the road from there to Willenberg.
They formed a barricade across the line of retreat as Russian soldiers flowed in and out of the nearby woods. The Germans secured the rear group, who were exhausted from lack of rest and food. The hungry and exhausted men accepted their defeat, surrendering to the Germans in the tens of thousands.
Even Samsonov found himself wrapped up in the flurry of retreating men. Unable to stop the madness, he turned around and rode south, only to get lost in the dense forest. His absence had gone unnoticed until the early hours of August 30, when a lone shot rang out from the woods. Rather than admit to his failure, Samsonov shot himself with his officer’s pistol.
Even though the German contingent of 150,000 men was outnumbered by the Russians, who had 230,000, they still managed to nearly eradicate the entire 2nd Army. When all was said and done, only 10,000 returned to Russia. Between 30,000-78,000 were killed or wounded in the battle, while another 92,000 were taken as prisoners of war (POWs).
Want War History Online‘s content sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter here!
Battles continued between the Germans and the Russian 1st Army Corps, who were also defeated and mostly destroyed. After the resounding success of the campaign, German Kaiser Wilhelm II named the battle after Tannenberg, a nod to the 1410 engagement that eviscerated German knights.
Leave a Comment