.gif)
East Prussian Campaign (1914)
Encyclopedia
The Russian invasion of East Prussia occurred during the First World War, lasting from August to September 1914. As well as being the natural course for the Russians to take upon the declaration of war with Germany, it was also an attempt to focus German military eyes on the Eastern Front
, as opposed to the Western Front
, where France was increasingly under the strain of her own German invasion.
.
(Prussia
being one of the integral states of the German union, and thus her invasion was a blow to the German morale, and her general state). As said, the Germans only had 10 divisions of the German Eighth Army under General Maximilian von Prittwitz
. The Russians had been able to mobilise the First Army, under General Paul von Rennenkampf
, and the Second Army, under General Alexander Samsonov
. They entered East Prussia on 7–9 August.
The Battle of Stallupönen
, fought between Russian and German armies on August 17, 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front. It was a minor German success, but did little to upset the Russian timetables.
The Battle of Gumbinnen
, started by the Germans on August 20, 1914 was the first major offensive on the Eastern Front during the First World War. Due to the hastiness of the German attack, the Russian army emerged victorious. Germans were forced to retreat, perhaps with the intention of performing holding actions in Mazuria, or perhaps even retreating to the River Vistula, which would have meant abandoning the salient of East Prussia. This would have fit in with the plans made before the start of the First World War that these were the positions the Germans would retreat to if the Russians put up a much stronger fight than they had anticipated. Regardless of whatever preparations had been made, it still remained that the Germans could not let the Prussian capital, Königsberg
, to fall into Russian hands. The moral, symbolic and military (since it was a major military hub) value of the city meant to lose it was to invite disaster of the home front, in addition to the strategic ramifications. Also, it was very likely that the Russians would have used the upper hand they had now gained, gain more men for an attack, to overwhelm the static German defenses. In short, the Germans had to fight back immediately and force the Russians from East Prussia.
Moltke, who was Chief of the German General Staff from 1906 to 1914, on the 22nd August replaced Prittwitz with Paul von Hindenburg
. Hindenburg along with his Chief of Staff, the formidable Ludendorff, would approach the crisis in East Prussia very differently from Prittwitz, who panicked when the Russian onslaught entered East Prussia, and planned to take the offensive. Hindenburg and Ludendorff decided to encircle one of the opposing armies. They chose to send eight divisions against Samsonov in the Battle of Tannenberg
, resulting in over 30,000 captured and 18,000 killed. The Second Army had been defeated, Samsonov had shot himself.
In the Battle of the Masurian Lakes, the Germans forced the First Army to retreat out of East Prussia.
The invasion had been a ghastly failure for the Russians, a setback which was followed by considerable German advances in the following year. However, the crisis they caused in the German High Command forced them to send the German 9th Army to attack the Russians. They didn't arrive in time for the twin battles; had they entered France, they could have been tremendously helpful to the precarious situation in the West. In Head of French Intelligence Colonel Dupont's words, "their debacle was one of the elements of our victory."
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
, as opposed to the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, where France was increasingly under the strain of her own German invasion.
Plans
The Germans initially planned to have only a 8th army to act as a bulkwark against any Russian incursion. However, the 9th Army was stationed in central Germany to reinforce the 8th if needed. It was expected that the Russians would be slow to mobilise, leaving Germany to beat France in a few weeks, and allowing the victorious, battle-hardened German troops to transfer along Germany's superior transport network to fight the Russians on the Eastern Front. This was the basis of the Schlieffen PlanSchlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
.
Battle
However, quite unexpectedly, Russia was able to mobilise an invasion into East PrussiaEast Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
(Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
being one of the integral states of the German union, and thus her invasion was a blow to the German morale, and her general state). As said, the Germans only had 10 divisions of the German Eighth Army under General Maximilian von Prittwitz
Maximilian von Prittwitz
Maximillion Von Prittwitz was a German General.-Family:Prittwitz came from an extremely old aristocratic Silesian family in Bernstadt...
. The Russians had been able to mobilise the First Army, under General Paul von Rennenkampf
Paul von Rennenkampf
Paul von Rennenkampf was a Russian general who served in the Imperial Russian Army for over 40 years, including during World War I.-Early career:...
, and the Second Army, under General Alexander Samsonov
Alexander Samsonov
Aleksandr Vassilievich Samsonov was a career officer in the cavalry of the Imperial Russian Army and a general served during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I.-Biography:...
. They entered East Prussia on 7–9 August.
The Battle of Stallupönen
Battle of Stalluponen
The Battle of Stallupönen, fought between Russian and German armies on August 17, 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front...
, fought between Russian and German armies on August 17, 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front. It was a minor German success, but did little to upset the Russian timetables.
The Battle of Gumbinnen
Battle of Gumbinnen
The Battle of Gumbinnen, initiated by forces of the German Empire on August 20, 1914, was the first major German offensive on the Eastern Front during the First World War...
, started by the Germans on August 20, 1914 was the first major offensive on the Eastern Front during the First World War. Due to the hastiness of the German attack, the Russian army emerged victorious. Germans were forced to retreat, perhaps with the intention of performing holding actions in Mazuria, or perhaps even retreating to the River Vistula, which would have meant abandoning the salient of East Prussia. This would have fit in with the plans made before the start of the First World War that these were the positions the Germans would retreat to if the Russians put up a much stronger fight than they had anticipated. Regardless of whatever preparations had been made, it still remained that the Germans could not let the Prussian capital, Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, to fall into Russian hands. The moral, symbolic and military (since it was a major military hub) value of the city meant to lose it was to invite disaster of the home front, in addition to the strategic ramifications. Also, it was very likely that the Russians would have used the upper hand they had now gained, gain more men for an attack, to overwhelm the static German defenses. In short, the Germans had to fight back immediately and force the Russians from East Prussia.
Moltke, who was Chief of the German General Staff from 1906 to 1914, on the 22nd August replaced Prittwitz with Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
. Hindenburg along with his Chief of Staff, the formidable Ludendorff, would approach the crisis in East Prussia very differently from Prittwitz, who panicked when the Russian onslaught entered East Prussia, and planned to take the offensive. Hindenburg and Ludendorff decided to encircle one of the opposing armies. They chose to send eight divisions against Samsonov in the Battle of Tannenberg
Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I. It was fought by the Russian First and Second Armies against the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete...
, resulting in over 30,000 captured and 18,000 killed. The Second Army had been defeated, Samsonov had shot himself.
In the Battle of the Masurian Lakes, the Germans forced the First Army to retreat out of East Prussia.
The invasion had been a ghastly failure for the Russians, a setback which was followed by considerable German advances in the following year. However, the crisis they caused in the German High Command forced them to send the German 9th Army to attack the Russians. They didn't arrive in time for the twin battles; had they entered France, they could have been tremendously helpful to the precarious situation in the West. In Head of French Intelligence Colonel Dupont's words, "their debacle was one of the elements of our victory."