On 26,August in the morning a German reconnaissance aircraft
sighted that a considerable force marched toward the north of
Bischofsburg.
Ludendorff mentally broke down. If Rennenkampf's army cut
in 8th army had no chance for survival. Better to withdraw?
Von Hindenburg was calm enough to stick to already disposed
deployment. According to his memoir they could overcome the inward
crisis.
At that time 17th corps of Mackenzen recovered supplemented
by reservists but had continued to march for four consecutive
days in forcible manner.
Around
Lake Dedey on 26, August 1914
On the way to Bischofsburg they met 6th mixed territorial
brigade which drew heavy and old fortress guns by half-starved
horses and aged soldiers.
They traversed from east to west across the long column of
17th corps and von Mackenzen thought of this war now fought and
inevitable human losses, and saw territorials off with hope for
military luck.
Two hours later they suddenly encountered part of Russian
6th corps. Germans' strength was around twice but Russians fought
very well because the soldiers were fresh. The balance of fighting
was almost still with Germans exhausted. At that moment Russians
collapsed without premonition and ran away.
From the opposite side of the lake old heavy guns of 6th mixed
territorial brigade fired. This effect was devastating to Russians.
17th corps broke through and entered Bischofsburg.
1st reserve corps of von Below also crushed the rest of Russian
6th corps.
This day Russian 6th corps of Blagoveschchensky had received
the report that cavalry sighted defeated soldiers marching from
east to west and tried to contact with them. Defeated soldiers
were estimated to be part of German 6th mixed territorial brigade.
The Russians suffered so heavily that they retreated toward east
or south almost in rout. Blagoveschchensky failed to grasp what
happened to his corps unable to report until next noon on 27,
August.
This battle played a decisive roll on the whole battle. On
the same day Samsonv, commander in chief of Russian 2nd Army
decided to take direct command on the fighting front and left
Ostrolenka and arrived at Neidenburg in the evening. When 6th
corps collapsed he did not change any operational plan to envelope
by single wing German 20th corps turning from north.
Allenstein Bygone Days
6th corps would not appear again till 30, August as an organised
body. Samsonov once again ordered 13th, 15th and half of 23th
corps to put more pressure to the German centre. 13th corps of
Kliouev occupied Allenstein but went straight to west while to
imagine that non-existing 6th corps was to come and hold to occupy
it. Allenstein was nearest to Berlin while Russians tried to
occupy it and to arrest Kaiser for the exile to St. Helena.
In the centre German defence strengthened but could not cope
with constant pressure from Russians with incessant retreat and
huge losses. 1st corps of von Francois was ordered to attack
the left wing of 2nd army but did nothing except gradual 3km
advance. This was perfect disobedience but von Francois brooded
and waited for his timing.
When Samsonov took late evening meal with British observers
soldiers on guard duty suddenly fled away without direct threat
from the enemy. When an adjutant for Samsonv asked an officer
in charge for comment he simply told of failures of logistics
and no food for three days.
This evening German 8th army headquarters received another
striking news. OHL(Oberste Heeresleitung; German Headquarters)
announced three corps(two on the western front, one concentrated
in Germany proper) would be sent to East Prussia for reinforcement.
von Moltke junior, Germany's chief of general staff told later
that occupation of Paris was meaningless if Berlin fell. Reasonable
enough but unstrategic.
Ludendorff once worked as section chief of mobilisation in
general staff. He knew everything necessary for execution of
Schlieffen plan. He rebuffed that 3 corps were unnecessary and
unable to be in time. But he was paralysed by being told that
this had already been decided.
A general of France once told that von Moltke must report
of this failure and impossibility to be equated with Great uncle,
Moltke senior in front of his tomb.
It is hard to know whether this decision was a main factor
of Marne or rather of the whole of the First World War. However,
we are sure that Russian rapid advance caused von Moltke's confusion.
This late night artillery of von Francois was finally brought
up. 8 o'clock in the morning on 28, August von Francois's timing
was finally to come.The guns fired huge barrage on heads of Russian
1st corps that was expected to keep hold to the end. They held
for three hours without protection because they really made trench
in name but it was without any dug-out and communication trench.
Russian manual for infantry stipulated that all infantry men
should wait and hold until enemy artillery's ammunitions were
exhausted. They did not change anything significant in manual
since Napoleonic War.
Russisn Trench near Usdau
Russians vanished in the position with half dead and the rest
fleeing away.
Russians made a strange disposition followed by plan 19, their
mobilisation plan. They practised war games over and over again.
They feared about flank assault. While they concentrated 9th
and 10th armies around Warsaw they disposed a quarter of 1st
corps for defence against assault from west especially from Thorn
fortress despite the fact that Germans emptied it and organised
garrisons for the mixed brigade and replaced them by small folk-defence
troops supplemented by school boys and girls.
However, the rest of 1st corps held and stopped successfully
the advance of German 1st corps of von Francois shortly before
Soldau.
In the east Germans were also exhausted. 17th corps and 1st
reserve corps hardly marched only 20 km. 1st reserve arrived
at Allenstein and 17th at Ortelsburg without fierce fighting.
This day Jilinsky found out that the situations were not so
easy. However, he and Rennenkampf could not cancel their preoccupation
that German main force was around Koenigsberg and did not speed
1st army's march up.
28,
August in the Decisive Battlefield
On 28, August von Francois again gunfired Russian's position
before Soldau. Russian soldiers who fought so bravely yesterday
could not hold because their commander Altamonov scuffled inside
the border.
In the east, arose a dispute between von Below and von Mackenzen
on which road they were to take.
Both commanders were asked to succour the centre. Both wanted
to take a would-be safer road, Bischofsburg-Allenstein boulevard.
Ludendorff intervened to allow von Below to take that. Von Mackenzen's
corps consisted of active soldiers only so that he gave way.
However, this intervention gave crucial destiny to Russians.
Because von Mackenzen took south-westernaly direction which was
later changed to straight south, Willenberg. Russians lost way
to escape by German occupation of Willenberg.
German Military Leaders on Lake Great Damerau
Left Standing by Telescope Is Hoffman
In the centre von Scholtz took an offensive to sally out through
a narrow strait between two lakes. He failed losing 11000 which
was largest casualties in number.
Ludendorff was terrified to have received the number. He pleaded
von Francois to succour 20th corps with most earnest language,"If
you follow this order you and your corps contribute most important
service to the army."
Von Francois refused.
He took rather straight east direction not paying any consideration
for the actual battle in the centre into account. He posted a
machinegun squadron on each important intersection and before
dawn on 29, August reached Willenberg.
Ludendorff was unhappy. He did not know where 17th corps and
1st reserve corps were , was disappointed with Scholtz's unsuccessful
sally-out and out of all was upset by von Francois's disobedience.
But in the afternoon on 28, August inside his brain a brilliant
idea flashed. If he asked von Mackenzen to march to Willenberg
the envelopment was to complete. 17th corps's cavalry detachment
also arrived at Willenberg in the early morning on 29, August.
Envelopment finished. In the morning of 28, August Samsonv
still thought that if he held tight and continued to attack Rennenkampf
came to succour and could defeat Germans by two armies. In the
afternoon the sound of gunfire gradually approached Neidenburg.
He realised that all things were in danger.
He asked British observers to go back to Warsaw and to leave
right now with ominous presumption that the enemy was lucky this
day.
Samsonov ordered the general retreat in the night. After that
the battle of Tannenberg turned out to be annihilation of the
entire army. 15th corps and 13th which fought longest and best
had to retreat from the furthest. Germans awaited them with machine
gun fire.
Only one officer out of all of 15th corps could return to
safety. 1st corps with considerable fresh force counter-attacked
and took Neidenburg again on 30, August to the vain. 6th also
tried to take Ortelsburg but failed.
Destroyed Neidenburg
German took 92000 prisoners and killed 20000 or more. German
dead and prisoners were less than 15000. Samsonov committed suicide
near Wiilenberg. Germans found out his body and buried it. Two
year later his widow retrieved it to Russia helped by Red Cross.
Rennenkampf clearly realised what happened to 2nd Army on
28, August. His advanced troops reached Bischofsburg and main
force in Bartenstein. However, all were too late and after annihilation
of 2nd Army he was also back to Angerapp line.
The First Battle of Masurian
Lakes
Ludendorff received two corps, one for 11th corps and another
for guard reserve corps. On 4, August he began to attack to the
left wing of Russian 1st Army which were still inside the border.
Von Francois's 1st corps lead off. Ludendorff thought of single
envelopment that they would turn the Russian right and catch
the centre back.
This plan was so simple and everyone could imagine it so easily
that Russian headquarters(Stavka) sent newly organised 10th Army
to protect the left of 1st Army. 10th army was commanded by Pflug
who lost fighting spirit at a first sight of German fierce attack.
Pflug brought all of his army back to the inside of the border.
As a result Germans broke through the Russian left at a moment
with 30000 prisoners captured. Von Francois turned to the centre
back.
Contrary to everyone's expectation Russians' defence was tight
enough to repel all German attacks from two directions. This
time von Francois did not have sufficient time to cut the Russian
back off so, he threw his cavalry in. That was a disaster. The
cavalry was destroyed completely before they approached Russian
overnight sapped trench. German envelopment failed. Rennenkampf
successfully withdrew outside the border with all of his army
shaped like half-moon.
Rennenkampf
Germans captured 32000 prisoners for 10 days out of which
30000 were done for by von Francois's corps at the beginning.
Second half of the battle showed that Rennenkampf was not so
bad a general as was said. Germans pursued outside the border
but were counter-attacked and withdrew.
epilogue
The whole battle of Tannenberg was fought up. This battle
did not influence the important phase of the war in 1914. Russian
were not so damaged due to the victory in Galicia. But German
people were influenced.
The battle of Tannenberg was remembered not as its importance
but as how Germans defeated Russians. Any time and in any countries
people appreciates that inferior number of army defeats superior
by feat of an ingenious commander. After the battle of Tannenberg
the duo, Hindenburg and Ludendorff became heroes of their time.
In Russia the responsibility of the defeat went to Jilinsky.
He was relegated to liaison officer for French headquarters living
in Paris. It was said he was rather happy to take that position.
French military personnel was perplexed because they could not
question about Tannenberg not to offend him.
French military attache at Stavka showed great sympathy for
casualties in Tannenberg and death of Samsonov. Grand Duke Nicholas
replied that Russians were happy to have made such sacrifices
for their allies. It was a remarkable reply by the top of world
largest military body. Better to be an ally with Russia.
There still remains a great why.
Why did not Rennenkampf speed up to march to succour Samsonov?
Hoffman told this was because of vengeance between them. When
in Russo-Japanese War both participated in the battle of Ryaoyan(Ryouyou).
In Yentai(Endai) coal mining Rennenkampf, commander of a cavalry
division almost fell into Japanese encirclement and asked Samsonov
for help. But Samsonov refused and vengeance occurred between
them. In the retreat battle at Mukden station a fist fight took
place. Thus, Rennenkampf did not march.
This story is not true. After hearing of Hoffman's story Japanese
general staff investigated the case. In the Ryaoyan battle Rennenkampf
was in hospital because he was injured in the battle of Jaotao(Kyouto).
It was Mischchenko who actually squabbled with Rennenkampf at
Mukden station.
It almost appeared that Japanese army sent a spy inside the
Russian Manchuria army headquarters. It did not mention about
the source.
According to von Francois Rennenkampf was worried about his
corps who caught them by surprise two times. Rennenkampf also
misunderstood he was in Koenigsberg. He would challenge by siege
battle so that Rennenkampf called up reserve divisions while
waiting for a while.
Ludendorff put emphasis on deftness of German army. They managed
manouver so skilfully that Russian failed to catch up with uptodate
location of German army.
According to Japanese general staff Russians lacked or underestimated
reconnaissance and overestimated war result of the battle of
Gumbinenn.
Jilinsky belonged to Sukomulinov faction, Rennenkampf to Grand
Duke Nicholas and Samsonov to neutrality. Russian generals appeared
to think about how to dash a step from his comrade and promotion
not to cooperate.
In this battle basic problems which appeared throughout The
First World War had to be picked up.
