Battle of Tannenberg
Fought from 26 to 30 August 1914 in East Prussia, Tannenberg was the most complete German victory of the war: the Russian Second Army under General Samsonov was encircled and annihilated, with some 92,000 prisoners taken and Samsonov committing suicide in the forest. Russia had invaded East Prussia faster than German planners expected, forcing the transfer of two corps from the Western Front at the height of the Marne campaign — a contribution to the failure of the Schlieffen Plan. Hindenburg and Ludendorff, summoned to retrieve the situation, exploited Russian radio messages sent in clear and the uncoordinated advance of the two Russian armies. The victory made Hindenburg and Ludendorff national heroes and began their ascent toward effective military dictatorship over Germany. For Russia, the disaster was an early revelation of the command, logistics, and equipment deficiencies that would corrode the army's morale and the monarchy's prestige over the next three years.
- Year: 1914 CE
- Category: Military
