19 – Battle of Tannenberg (1)
In the last week of August 1914, the German and Russian armies were on the verge of their second encounter in East Prussia.
“We’ll win this time as well. But still, you never know.”
I accepted the report from the 8th Army Headquarters with a tense heart. Alexander von Kluck assured me of victory with a confident attitude.
“After this battle, Your Majesty, the Russian army will not be found on German soil. So please rest assured.”
His assurance put my mind at ease to some extent.
I sent the following reply to the 8th Army Headquarters, expressing my concern.
“Although the baggage has been examined for a long time, the Russian army that was said to be on German soil is nowhere to be seen. Please welcome the prisoners who are coming from the 8th Army Headquarters to the POW camp.”
*
August 26, 1914, Tannenberg, East Prussia, German Empire.
Russian Second Army Commander, Alexander Samsonov, was a commander with a very cautious personality. Unlike the impulsive Lennencamp, he was the type to test the waters and then make a decision.
“The aesthetics of military science lie in caution. Even if there is some loss in being late, it is better than rushing and losing everything.”
Because of this, the 2nd Army crossed Poland much later than the schedule prepared by General Zylinski, the commander of the Northwestern Front.
“Your Highness, isn’t this too late? If we want to keep up with the schedule, we need to hurry a little more.”
“As slow as I am, isn’t Lennenkampf running ahead? There shouldn’t be any problem.”
He had no intention of fighting without securing enough ammunition for his artillery and cannons, as well as hay for his horses.
“Even if I rush north, Lennenkampf will get all the credit and I’ll be the only one suffering. Why should I do that?”
Furthermore, he had no intention of sending his main force north without deploying infantry to protect his flanks, as he believed that the further Lennenkampf’s 1st Army was from him, the more his own flanks would be threatened.
The officers were frustrated with Lennenkampf’s caution, but there was nothing they could do.
The fact that Samsonov’s caution was “correct” was soon proven.
Samsonov’s intelligence unit intercepted a large-scale German radio transmission in southern East Prussia, and the air force reported a significant number of German troops as well.
“We intercepted German radio transmissions. It seems they are targeting our forces.”
“What is the volume of communication?”
“At least the size of one field army.”
“The air force’s report and the fact that there are German main forces on my side confirmed it.”
Samsonov was convinced.
Based on this, Samsonov delayed his rendezvous with Lennenkampf.
If a significant portion of the German 8th Army was confronting Samsonov himself, then the 2nd Army had done its part.
As Samsonov hesitated, Zylinski became furious. The front commander sent a message filled with fiery anger, urging him to advance “as soon as possible” and narrow the distance with Lennenkampf.
“General, our army is in a very precarious situation. What will happen if we continue to hesitate and the enemy attempts to divide and conquer us?”
There was a reason for Zylinski’s urging.
In a situation where the German army was shifting its main forces to the Eastern Front, the separation of two mobile armies could have resulted in a strategically dangerous outcome.
“If we deviate from the schedule, the general will be dismissed. Should we prepare a position for the general in Warsaw?”
Samsanov’s heart sank at Zhilinski’s threat that he could be dismissed if he continued to hesitate.
“Damn it.”
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Samsanov put aside the careful transportation of artillery and ammunition and hurriedly moved the main forces of the mobile army northward.
Surprisingly, there was nothing blocking his path when he started to act quickly.
Samsanov’s Second Army crossed the East Prussian border on August 19th, and the vanguard entered Tannenberg on the 20th.
“The Germans are retreating more easily than I thought. Were they worried about a counterattack from Rennenkampf? If that idiot knew that wouldn’t happen, he wouldn’t have worried. The Germans are also cowards.”
Samsanov celebrated this achievement and reported to Zhilinski that on the 21st, he would advance to Osterode, an important railway junction, and block the German supply line heading east.
He believed that if he succeeded, it would be a great help to Rennenkampf, who was fighting north of Lake Masurian.
However, on the afternoon of the 20th, the communication unit of the 10th Army under the Northwest Front received a confusing request for support from the 1st Army, completely changing the situation.
“Your Excellency! Urgent message from the 1st Army.”
“Give it to me.”
Samsanov received the confusing request for support from the 1st Army and had a gut feeling that something had gone wrong.
At first, the 1st Army sent encrypted messages, but at some point, they started sending unencrypted messages. This was evidence that the situation was urgent.
Samsanov became restless inside the headquarters.
“Do I need to send reinforcements?”
But he couldn’t move the mobile army without orders.
Even if he tried to help, the distance between Tannenberg and Gumbinnen was not close enough to reach within two days.
If he moved the mobile army only to end up unable to rescue friendly forces and crawling into the enemy’s mouth…
Samsonov didn’t want to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
“Commander-in-Chief, um, sir? It’s Samsonov.”
Trying to convey the situation of the First Army in his own way, Samsonov sought Gilynski’s opinion on what to do, but the Commander-in-Chief of the Frontline Army, hundreds of kilometers away, had no proper knowledge of the situation on the ground.
Gilynski said that the “scene” could make a more accurate judgment and told Samsonov to make a decision.
“For f*ck’s sake.”
While Samsonov exchanged messages with Gilynski, killing time, the screams of the First Army continued.
With no significant response from the Second Army, the First Army requested support from the Tenth Army.
“What? The First Army is collapsing?”
The Tenth Army reported the chaotic information pouring into the communication unit to the Northwestern Frontline Army.
Only then did Gilynski realize the urgency of the situation.
“Oh my God. General Samsonov, prepare for support immediately.”
“Understood.”
Samsonov quickly began to move the army to narrow the distance with the First Army.
“Please, provide support. The fate of our First Army is on the brink of destruction.”
As the situation of the First Army changed rapidly, the communication unit of Rennenkampf, sending news to the Northwestern Frontline Army, also sent plaintext messages without using codes.
The screams from the terminal finally ended after three days.
The news of Rennenkampf’s First Army ceased with the final message, “I wish you luck,” directed at the Tenth Army.
“1, the First Army has been annihilated? Rennenkampf couldn’t even save the remaining troops?”
Samsonov was seized by terror upon hearing the news of the First Army’s annihilation. He regretted not making a prompt decision when he first received the request for support.
Of course, even if he had, he wouldn’t have been able to assist Rennenkampf’s First Army in time, but he wouldn’t have done nothing.
“Your Highness, what should we do now?”
The first army that needed salvation had disappeared from the map.
Given the situation, Samsonov no longer wanted to take any more risks.
“All forces, retreat to the homeland through Tannenberg.”
He suggested a withdrawal to the Northwest Front while ordering his subordinate units to retreat.
But the order that Jilinski returned with in just an hour contained the opposite of what Samsonov had expected.
“Prohibit any retreat from East Prussia until further instructions are given.”
Samsonov was infuriated by the commander’s order.
“Are we supposed to wait until the first army is completely wiped out before we take any action?”
Samsonov raged, but Jilinski had a reason for issuing such an order.
The Northwest Front believed that the first army had practically been annihilated. There might be some remaining troops, but they were meaningless as a fighting force.
If that was the case, it meant that there was an unbearable gap in the Eastern Prussian and Baltic frontlines that the first army had been responsible for.
Although there was the reserve 10th army, their scattered forces made it difficult to fill the gap left by the first army.
“If the German army breaks through this gap, we will be defenseless.”
If the German 8th army launched an aggressive attack, they could ignore Samsonov and move southeast to attack Warsaw.
Coincidentally, the main forces of the Austrian army and the newly arrived German reinforcements were concentrated in Western Galicia, fueling such suspicions.
If the 8th army coordinated with the southern Austrian-German forces and shook things up from above, Poland could be lost.
“We would be done for.”
They couldn’t afford to let that happen.
By the book, it would be proper to swiftly retreat Samsonov’s army and reinforce the Warsaw defensive line, but there was a high chance of failure.
In terms of time, Samsonov was too far away to respond to the German army coming down from the east side of Lake Marjory.
However, it was not feasible to request support from the Southwest Front because they were too far down in Warsaw and did not have enough troops to quickly extricate themselves from the entanglement with the enemy.
In this situation, there were only two choices to protect the crucial railway hub of Warsaw and the Southwest Front.
Either advance Samsonov northward to completely block the supply line between East Prussia and mainland Germany, or keep him in his current position to maintain pressure and prevent the German 8th Army from bypassing him.
The former option was favorable for distracting the German army’s attention by looting empty houses while the 8th Army concentrated, but the problem was that Samsonov would be surrounded by the German army coming down the railway and there would be no chance of survival.
The latter option had the advantage of keeping the German army’s attention moderately distracted while leaving room to strike back into Poland.
In the context of these considerations, Zhilinsky’s order not to withdraw from East Prussia was a “reasonable” decision.
Zhilinsky intended to rearrange the forces to protect the northern axis line of Warsaw during the time gained.
Samsonov felt uneasy, but he followed his superior’s orders. The staff officers were rather taken aback.
“Your Excellency, this is an absurd order. In a situation where the 1st Army has been annihilated, are we supposed to stay alone in German territory?”
“If by any chance the German army aims for us and comes, we will be in a situation where no one can help us.”
Samsonov also knew that.
“For now, obey the order. Soldiers in uniform should be prepared to accept that it might be their last stand, shouldn’t they?”
While saying that, Samsonov quickly withdrew most of the supplies outside the German territory to facilitate a rapid retreat.
The units that had advanced northward were brought back to Tannenberg, a place that was easy to withdraw from.
He deployed his forces widely, utilizing the marshes surrounding Tannenberg as much as possible as defensive fortifications.
Now, all he could trust was his own luck.
“Oh God, protect us.”
Samsonov prayed, drawing a cross, asking for the favor of luck from God.