Though the Russians held a significant numerical advantage over the defenders, as well as the strategic value of an unexpectedly early offensive, they were beset by a number of disadvantages: many of the troops were poorly armed and equipped, owing to the incomplete mobilization their artillery component was notably weak compared to the Germans' though both Rennenkampf and Samsonov were capable officers, the latter was relatively new to his command, having previously served in the Far East and in Turkestan and the Russians' supply lines would be inadequate once they advanced into Germany (Russia's use of a different rail gauge meant its cars could not run on German tracks). While Rennenkampf marched through the Insterburg Gap between Königsberg and the Masurian Lakes to engage Prittwitz's front, Samsonov would bypass the Lakes from the south to turn the Germans' right flank. These two armies, with a combined strength of around 450,000 men, were directed to advance west and north respectively upon East Prussia, converging around the city of Allenstein (modern Olsztyn, Poland). These were the First Army under General Pavel Karlovitch Rennenkampf, stationed in Lithuania and northeastern Poland, and the Second Army under General Alexander Vasilevich Samsonov, massed further south around Warsaw. However, the Russian high command, in order to uphold its alliance with the French, determined to compensate for its weaknesses by mobilizing its available armies at once and sending them forward, while leaving the rest to arm and assemble later. Deployed east of the Vistula River, it had a strength of about 173,000 men. At the outset, then, the border with Russia was defended by a single army stationed in East Prussia, the Eighth, commanded by General Maximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron. The plan reasoned that Russia, though it had a much larger military, would take considerable time to fully mobilize on account of its great size and primitive infrastructure therefore the Germans could leave a minimal number of troops on their eastern frontier while achieving a quick victory against the Western Allies, after which the entirety of their forces could be thrown against the Russians.
The aura created by their victory would become the basis of their rise to near-dictatorial power in Germany toward the end of the war.įollowing the outbreak of war in early August 1914, the German high command, in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, shifted the vast majority of its troops to the Western Front for a preemptive attack against France. From a military as well as a political perspective, Tannenberg was among the most important military contests of the war for Germany, as it not only repulsed a Russian invasion of eastern Germany and the threat of a quick defeat, but also elevated Hindenburg and Ludendorff to the status of national heroes. It was fought between August 26-30, 1914, chiefly around the East Prussian city of Allenstein, and resulted in a crushing victory for the German forces under Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and his chief of staff, Erich Ludendorff, with the Russian Second Army almost completely destroyed and its commander, Alexander Samsonov, committing suicide. The Battle of Tannenberg was the climax to the opening clash between Imperial Germany and the Russian Empire following the outbreak of World War I. Near Allenstein and Neidenburg, East Prussia (modern-day Olsztyn and Nidzica, Poland)ĩ2,000 captured, 78,000 killed or wounded
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