Tannenberg, a small city located dozens of kilometers south of Königsberg. It is only a few dozen kilometers away from the border between East Prussia and Russian Kingdom of Poland. Although it is a small city, it is because this is the only way for the Russian army Kitakami Königsberg. Therefore, the strategic location here has also become very important.
After the German Imperial Army's 8th Army Corps 11th Corps arrived here, they had already begun to strengthen the defense here. If you want to severely damage or even encircle and annihilate Russian Northwestern Front Army 2nd Army Corps at the minimum cost, the best way is to cause the Russian army to suffer heavy losses in attacking German military's solid defense line. After the Russian army lost a large number of effective forces, it launched an attack again and severely damaged the Russian army.
Although 8th Armored Division was deployed to the side and rear of Tannenberg, their mission was not to help 11th Corps defend the position. They will become the main force in counterattacking the Russian army in the future.
As for 20th Corps, after attracting Russian 2nd Army Corps to Tannenberg, they will also go into rest and prepare for the subsequent counterattack.
Therefore, the task of guarding Tannenberg and consuming Russian 2nd Army Corps's vitality completely fell on 11th Corps. Even though 11th Corps had four Infantry Division, with a total strength of more than 65,000 people, they still felt great pressure.
11th Corps Commander Lieutenant General François is personally in charge of Tannenberg to strengthen the defense here. The officers and soldiers of German military meticulously constructed defensive positions in accordance with the requirements. It can be said that German Army's soil work is definitely the best in the world. They were able to build a strong defensive position using whatever materials they could get their hands on. Just one week later, Tannenberg completely turned into a small fortress.
On August 16, Oscar, Hindenburg, Ludendorff and others rushed to Tannenberg in person to inspect the defense there. After learning about it all morning, Oscar is still very satisfied with Tannenberg's defense. Even if he is not a professional, he can see that under German military's solid defense line, Russians will pay a huge price if he wants to win Tannenberg. I am afraid that even if all Russian 2nd Army Corps is sold out, the strategic goal of winning Tannenberg may not be achieved.
"General François, it seems that Tannenberg has become a fortress. I feel really sad for Russians. When they attack Tannenberg next, I don't know how many people will die!" Oscar said with a smile.
"Your Highness, it would be best if all Russians could die here." Lieutenant General François also smiled.
"Hahaha!" German military's generals laughed one after another. Although, they all know that this is just a joke. But it certainly shows their optimism for the battle ahead. Even though Russians is coming menacingly, heavy troops are pressing down on the situation. However, they can still treat it easily.
"General François, since you are so confident in Tannenberg's defense, why not I stay with Tannenberg and see how the general defeats Russians!" Oscar said.
Oscar's words shocked Lieutenant General François.
"Crown Prince, this is not possible. Tannenberg is about to become a war zone. It is too dangerous here. You cannot stay here. You must go to a safer place." Lieutenant General François said.
"I believe that it is still safe here. Protected by the most loyal soldiers, I am safe no matter where I am." Oscar said with a smile.
"Your Highness, it's better to go back to Königsberg. If you stay here, General François will only affect the command because he cares about your safety. In that case, it will be bad." General Hindenburg also advised.
Oscar did not insist anymore, and he was not the kind of person who made trouble without reason. What I said just now was just a casual remark. You know, even though he is Imperial Crown Prince, he has never experienced a real battlefield. He was also very curious about all this. Qianchi heard that war was cruel, and he wanted to experience it for himself. However, under the strong opposition of the generals, his wish could only come to nothing.
That afternoon, Oscar left Tannenberg and returned to Königsberg. Because of the development of communication technology, even if he stayed at Königsberg, he could know the situation on the front line immediately. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about.
The next day, August 17, General Commander of the Russian Northwestern Front Army Ivan? Gylinski issued the order to attack. Hundreds of thousands of people from German 1st Army Corps and 2nd Army Corps, who were already ready to go, crossed the German-Russian border and invaded the territory of East Prussia.
However, it was only then that the Russian army discovered that they had not encountered any resistance at all along the way, not even civilians.
"The Germany people are as timid as mice. They actually ran away early. They are really incompetent. However, this is good, as it allows us to get to Königsberg as quickly as possible." General Samsonov thought secretly.
In fact, General Samsonov has already prepared several of his Cossack Cavalry Divisions for battle. Once they advance to a place only tens of kilometers away from Königsberg, they will take a circuitous route to the west. No matter what, the road from Königsberg to the hinterland of Germany must be cut off. In that case, German Crown Prince will be unable to fly.
Unfortunately, General Samsonov's plan is wonderful, but it is destined to be impossible to realize. Because, from beginning to end, this was just a trap set by German 8th Army Corps, just to make Russian 2nd Army Corps led by General Samsonov crash into Tannenberg.
20th Corps, who was responsible for the task of luring the enemy deep, was also very hard-working. They did not just abandon their position and escape, but would also block it at the appropriate time. Some battles were even brutal. This makes General Samsonov not suspicious at all. And it is under such circumstances that Russian 2nd Army Corps, led by General Samsonov, is stepping into the trap step by step.
At the same time, Russian 1st Army Corps, who attacked from the East, did not encounter any decent resistance. German 17th Army Corps Although they have set up several lines of defense in the east, every time the Russian army attacks, they take the initiative to abandon their positions and retreat, giving the Russian army a feeling that they cannot resist and have to retreat. This caused the Russian army to advance step by step towards the preset positions prepared by German military.
Even General Ivan? Gylinski, who is in charge of Warsaw, feels that the Russian army's advance is too smooth, right? However, he didn't think much about it. He just thought that because the Russian army had an absolute advantage, German military could not resist, so he had to retreat.