Battle of Tannenberg

Overview

The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 26 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the encirclement and the almost complete destruction of the Russian 2nd Army by the German 8th Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov. A series of follow-up battles led to the ousting of the Russian 1st Army from East Prussia.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Tannenberg, fought in the first month of World War I, resulted in the encirclement and near-complete destruction of the Russian 2nd Army by the German 8th Army. Russian casualties reached between 70,000 and over 120,000 against German losses of roughly 13,873, a disparity that reflected the totality of the German operational success. The commanding Russian general, Alexander Samsonov, died by suicide in the battle's aftermath. A series of follow-up engagements extended the outcome, driving the Russian 1st Army out of East Prussia entirely. The battle established Hindenburg and Ludendorff as the dominant command partnership on the Eastern Front and demonstrated that Germany could prosecute a two-front war with offensive results in the east while holding in the west. For Russia, the loss of an entire army in the opening weeks of the war foreshadowed the manpower and command strains that would accumulate through subsequent years of fighting.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)