Russian 2nd Army Corps Command, Commander General Samsonov After receiving the Telegram from General Ivan? Gylinski, his face suddenly became a little ugly.
"Damn it! You actually let 2nd Army Corps act as bait to create opportunities for 1st Army Corps. Doesn't that mean we, 2nd Army Corps, are going to take chestnuts from the fire for 1st Army Corps?" General Samsonov roared angrily.
However, of course he knew that this was the best way. When 2nd Army Corps has been blocked by Tannenberg, there is no way to let 1st Army Corps take the main attack and pin all hopes of defeating German military on 1st Army Corps.
Russian 2nd Army Corps's generals also felt a little aggrieved. However, they did not dare to refuse to execute the orders of General Ivan? Gylinski. Otherwise, if the war goes unfavorably, they may all bear the responsibility for the failure. Now Tsar has little tolerance for generals who have lost battles.
"General, what should we do now? Do we want to execute the order?" a general asked.
"Nonsense, besides executing the order, is there any other way? However, that guy Leiningen-Kempf, don't be too happy this time. It's just that they have better luck. Even if they win Königsberg first, "German Crown Prince was captured, but our contribution is indelible. At that time, they will have to share half of the loot. Otherwise, I will not give up." General Samsonov said bitterly. In this battle, he really felt a little aggrieved, but what could he do? Who is his bad luck? German military regards him as a priority target for elimination!
At this moment, Russian 1st Army Corps is heading towards Königsberg. However, as soon as they entered the Masurian Lakes area, their marching speed slowed down. There are many swamps here and the roads are difficult to navigate. The large Russian army marches very slowly and often stops and goes. At the same time, they were still blocked by German military. Although those who blocked them were all small troops, their firepower was very fierce, causing considerable losses to Russian 1st Army Corps. If it weren't for Russian 1st Army Corps's strong military strength, I might not be able to hold on any longer.
When General Leiningen-Kempf received Telegram from Warsaw, he immediately burst out laughing.
"Haha, God bless you. Damn Germany people are all going to trouble that Samsonov guy. I hope he can hold on. However, this also shows that what is blocking us is just a small army of Germany people. Germany The main force of the people has already gathered at Tannenberg. Order the whole army to speed up. When encountering the resistance of Germany people, immediately send out cavalry to disperse them, and use the fastest time to get out of Masurian Lakes and attack Königsberg! "Leiningen-Kempf gave the order to attack excitedly. In his opinion, with German military's main force being held back by 2nd Army Corps, there is no doubt that 1st Army Corps won the final victory.
Russian 1st Army Corps accelerated the march, but even so, it was still as slow as a snail. German 17th Army Corps, taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and firepower, launched layers of blocking and harassment tactics against Russian 1st Army Corps, seriously slowing down their marching speed. This also created opportunities for German 8th Army Corps's main force to encircle and annihilate Russian 2nd Army Corps, and bought enough time.
Tannenberg, the command headquarters of German 11th Corps. Lieutenant General François and others are studying the battle situation.
"General, the Russian army continues to attack." A staff officer reported.
"What? Russians did not stop the attack, let alone retreat, but continued to attack? Are they out of their minds?" Lieutenant General Mackensen looked surprised. It's really Russians's behavior that's so abnormal.
"Is it possible that Russians is really here to die?" Lieutenant General François also frowned.
"The two generals, Russians, want to hold back our main force through a fierce attack and create opportunities for their other troops! Don't forget, the Russian army's 1st Army Corps is launching an attack from the East." said 8th Armored Division acting division commander Colonel Guderian who participated in this meeting.
Lieutenant General François and Lieutenant General Mackensen's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Come here, send Telegram to 17th Corps and ask if there is anything unusual about Russian 1st Army Corps." Lieutenant General François ordered.
"Yes, General." Communications Officer immediately went to contact 11th Corps.
"There will be news soon. If Russians really had this wishful thinking, then they made a mistake. 17th Corps will not be easily defeated by them. However, we cannot delay any longer and must launch a counterattack as soon as possible. If we delay for too long, 17th Corps's losses will not be small. If we meet General Seeckt in the future, it will be difficult to talk to them." Lieutenant General François said.
Lieutenant General Mackensen nodded. His 20th Corps, who had previously played the role of luring the enemy, had already made him suffocate. He wished he could launch a counterattack earlier.
As for Colonel Guderian, I am even more excited. This counterattack will be the first battle since the establishment of 8th Armored Division. As the young acting commander of Colonel, I don't know how many people have questioned him. He needs to use a hearty victory to answer these people's doubts.
The news from 17th Corps came quickly. Russian 1st Army Corps, indeed speeded up the march. However, he was still firmly held back by 17th Corps.
"Gentlemen, it seems that just as Colonel Guderian said, Russians wants to drag us in Tannenberg to create opportunities for their 1st Army Corps. In this case, we cannot let them do what they want. Order all troops to prepare for a counterattack. As for the time for counterattack, It will be the day after tomorrow, that is, on the morning of the 21st. I think Russian 2nd Army Corps's strength will be almost exhausted by then. We will definitely be able to defeat them in one fell swoop. Of course, the only question is how successful we can be in the counterattack." Lieutenant General François said with a smile.
"Haha, we will definitely be able to annihilate Russian 2nd Army Corps this time. Then we will cooperate with 17th Corps and kill Russian 1st Army Corps as well." Lieutenant General Mackensen laughed.
The rest of the generals were all smiling, and they were all gearing up, waiting for the time to counterattack, to deal with Russian 2nd Army Corps in one fell swoop, or to severely damage it and make it lose its combat effectiveness.