![]() He telephoned German Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke to say that he was falling back to the Vistula River, virtually abandoning East Prussia. The same day as this defeat, Prittwitz also received word that Samsanov's Russian Second Army had crossed the frontier from the south. The German Eighth army suffered 14,607 casualties in the battle. After a Russian counterattack the Germans retreated, much of the retreat disorderly. Three German army corps each arrived separately to the battle, each suffering heavily before the next corps arrived. After this skirmish and a delay, von Rennenkampf continued west and the enemies engaged at Gumbinnen on August 20. 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. 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. The Russians advanced with minimal use of cavalry screens to locate German positions. The Russian Invasionīoth the Russian and German armies were in disarray. By August 17, the Russian First Army under General Paul von Rennenkampf was in Prussia in strength. By the next day, Prittwitz was receiving reports of Russian cavalry in the country. 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.Īlthough 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. 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.Īcross the border, Russia maintained the First Army east of Prussia, and the Second Army to the south, east of Warsaw. With these natural defenses in place, the area was protected by one army, the German Eighth Army under General Prittwitz. German forces under General von François zealously persecuted the retreating forces.Other views: Larger, Back, LargerBackįollowing 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. 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. Three Russian commanding generals, 300 officers, and many field ranks destroyed. 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. There was a victory jubilee in Germany as happy news came from its eastern provinces. The great battle of Tannenberg in East Prussia. ![]() ![]() 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. 1914.ĭas 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. Capture of 90,000 Russians!ĭie große Schlacht bei Tannenberg in Ostpreußen. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |