Chapter Summaries

Russian forces launched a dense assault on the German defenses at Tannenberg, but overwhelming German machine-gun and artillery fire drove them back with heavy losses. General Samsonov halted the attack and ordered an artillery bombardment before another attempt.

• Russian soldiers charged the German defensive line, where German troops opened fire with machine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and mortars.
• German fire stopped the Russian assault and inflicted devastating casualties as Russian soldiers began fleeing.
• General Samsonov ordered the attacking troops to withdraw after his generals warned that they were being slaughtered.
• The retreating Russians left more than fifteen thousand men missing and over ten thousand wounded.
• General Samsonov rejected calls to abandon the advance and ordered Russian artillery to bombard the German positions in ten minutes.

General Samsonov ordered a Russian artillery bombardment, believing overwhelming numbers could break the German defensive line, but German guns countered with devastating accuracy and power. The Russian artillery positions were shattered, leaving the Russian generals stunned.

• General Samsonov ordered Russian artillerymen to prepare a bombardment despite their limited ammunition.
• Lieutenant General François learned of the Russian preparations and ordered German artillery to wait for the attack before suppressing the Russian guns.
• More than four hundred Russian guns bombarded the German positions, but most German soldiers were sheltered in fortifications.
• After three minutes, German artillery used observations from an Observation Balloon to target the Russian artillery positions.
• German shells destroyed Russian guns and killed or scattered artillerymen, while the Russian generals stared in shock.

German artillery and machine-gun fire stopped the Russian 2nd Army Corps from advancing on Tannenberg, forcing General Samsonov to ask Warsaw for instructions. General Ivan Gylinski chose to keep the 2nd Army Corps attacking while ordering the 1st Army Corps to seize Königsberg and strike the Germans from the rear.

• German artillery devastated the Russian artillery positions, and General Samsonov ordered the surviving guns to withdraw.
• Russian commanders warned Samsonov that German defenses made an attack on Tannenberg costly and that a Cossack cavalry charge would fail against the machine guns.
• Samsonov ordered the 2nd Army Corps to take up defensive positions and sent a report to Warsaw requesting instructions.
• General Ivan Gylinski considered ordering a retreat but decided the opportunity to attack East Prussia was too valuable to abandon.
• Gylinski ordered the 2nd Army Corps to continue attacking Tannenberg and told the 1st Army Corps to advance on Königsberg, then join a pincer attack against the German main force.

General Samsonov’s 2nd Army Corps was ordered to keep the Germans occupied while the 1st Army Corps advanced toward Königsberg, but German forces delayed the 1st Army’s march through the Masurian Lakes. After learning that the Russians were trying to pin down his forces, Lieutenant General François prepared a German counterattack for the morning of the 21st.

• General Samsonov angrily accepted General Ivan Gylinski’s order for the 2nd Army Corps to act as bait and demanded a share of the 1st Army Corps’ spoils.
• General Leiningen-Kempf ordered the 1st Army Corps to speed up its advance toward Königsberg, while German 17th Army Corps units continued delaying it in the Masurian Lakes.
• Lieutenant General Mackensen and Lieutenant General François realized the Russian 2nd Army Corps might be attacking to create an opening for the 1st Army Corps, after Colonel Guderian raised the possibility.
• The 17th Corps reported that it was still holding back the advancing Russian 1st Army Corps.
• Lieutenant General François ordered the German forces to prepare a counterattack for the morning of the 21st, and Lieutenant General Mackensen vowed to destroy the Russian 2nd Army Corps and then defeat the 1st Army Corps.

The Russian 2nd Army Corps suffered heavy losses in futile assaults while the Russian 1st Army Corps remained delayed near Königsberg. After preparing through the night, the German 8th Armored Division launched its first counterattack under Guderian and Rommel, charging the Russian lines with more than a hundred tanks.

• The Russian 2nd Army Corps repeatedly attacked German defenses and lost ten to twenty thousand men in a day.
• General Samsonov blamed Leiningen-Kempf for the slow advance, while the German 17th Army Corps continued to hold up the Russian 1st Army Corps.
• On the night of the 20th, the 8th Armored Division serviced its tanks as Colonel Guderian and Lieutenant Colonel Rommel planned the coming attack.
• German artillery bombarded the Russian positions and then shifted its fire toward the rear, alerting Russian commanders to a possible offensive.
• Guderian and Rommel led more than a hundred tanks of the 8th Armored Division in a charge toward the Russian lines.

The German 8th Armored Division launched its first major offensive against the Russian army, overwhelming the defenders with tanks and forcing them to flee. As the Russian position collapsed, German forces advanced through it, leaving the battle’s gains to be secured by the following infantry.

• The German 20th Corps moved to circle behind the Russian army while an infantry division prepared to follow the 8th Armored Division’s breakthrough.
• Oscar, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff watched the tanks advance, and Oscar said air superiority would become the main force in future wars.
• The Russian soldiers panicked at the sight of the tanks as German shells and machine-gun fire destroyed their positions.
• A Russian company commander fired a Maxim machine gun at a tank, but its bullets bounced off, and the tank killed him with a shell.
• The Russian position collapsed as tanks crushed soldiers who had not escaped, prompting a German infantryman to complain about the gruesome advance.

General Samsonov ordered the Cossack cavalry to counterattack after German armored vehicles broke through the Russian defensive line. More than ten thousand cavalrymen charged toward the battlefield, unaware that their attack was about to confront the German armored forces.

• General Samsonov dismissed the initial report of a German counterattack and told the frontline troops to hold their positions.
• A staff officer reported that German forces had breached the forward defensive line with iron-armored vehicles that fired shells and machine-gun bullets.
• General Samsonov ordered General Andrei and General Karsky to lead their Cossack cavalry divisions against the Germans while the remaining units regrouped.
• Major General Andrei rallied the Cossacks, and more than ten thousand cavalrymen mounted their horses and charged toward the battlefield.

Major General Andrei and Major General Karsky sent two Cossack Cavalry Divisions charging at the German 8th Armored Division, whose tanks and heavy machine guns devastated the cavalry. The attack stalled in a mass of casualties, leaving the two divisions to be destroyed under German fire.

• Major General Andrei and Major General Karsky ordered the Cossack cavalry to attack the German tanks despite their misgivings.
• Colonel Guderian ordered the 8th Armored Division to stop, spread out, and prepare its tank guns and machine guns.
• The German tanks fired 37mm shells into the charging cavalry, causing casualties but failing to stop the charge.
• When the cavalry came within a little over two hundred meters, the German tanks unleashed their heavy machine guns and halted the attack.
• Major General Karsky realized the charge was futile as the German firepower continued to wipe out the two Cossack Cavalry Divisions.

The 8th Armored Division crushed the Russian Cossack cavalry, forcing the remnants of the two divisions to retreat. As General Samsonov ordered the 2nd Army Corps to withdraw, a staff officer reported that German forces had appeared behind them.

• Cossack cavalrymen charged the tanks, but their sabers could not damage the armor, and the tanks killed the attackers once their machine guns cooled.
• Colonel Guderian ordered the tanks to advance, and Major Generals Andrei and Karsky retreated with fewer than two thousand surviving Cossack cavalrymen.
• Oscar ordered Major General Ludendorff to contact General Mackensen, who confirmed that the 20th Corps had reached its position and was preparing to block the Russian retreat.
• Major General Andrei told General Samsonov that the two cavalry divisions had been defeated, and Samsonov ordered the 2nd Army Corps to retreat while the 22nd and 23rd Infantry Divisions held the Germans back.
• A staff officer reported that a large number of Germans had appeared behind the Russian 2nd Army Corps.

General Samsonov ordered the encircled Russian army to break through the German line, but the 20th Corps crushed both the infantry assault and the Cossack cavalry charge. The Russian generals realized the German encirclement had succeeded and faced complete annihilation.

• General Samsonov and the Russian generals recognized that the Germans had trapped them near Tannenberg, then decided to attack the blockade as their last chance to survive.
• The Russian army assembled more than twenty thousand troops and attacked the defensive line of the German military's 20th Corps.
• Lieutenant General Mackensen ordered the 20th Corps to unleash its artillery and infantry fire, inflicting heavy losses on the advancing Russians.
• General Samsonov sent three Cossack Cavalry Divisions against the German positions, but machine-gun fire cut down the cavalry without breaking the line.
• The Russian generals watched the failed assaults and realized the German encirclement had succeeded, leaving their army facing annihilation.

General Samsonov ordered the Russian 2nd Army Corps to break out in scattered groups as German forces closed in, but the troops were routed and surrendered in large numbers. The Battle of Tannenberg ended in a great German victory, with more than 150,000 Russian soldiers destroyed or captured.

• After reporting that German firepower had stopped the cavalry, Russian commanders urged General Samsonov to order a breakout, and he agreed.
• General Samsonov ordered the Russian divisions to break out in different directions while their generals led trusted troops away; most of the generals escaped, leaving their forces behind.
• Lieutenant General François ordered German units to block the fleeing Russians and persuade them to surrender.
• German tanks stopped Russian breakout groups, whose frightened soldiers surrendered in large numbers before German infantry took custody of them.
• By sunset, the German 8th Army Corps had nearly destroyed the Russian 2nd Army Corps, capturing more than 100,000 soldiers and destroying or capturing over 150,000 in total.

After Germany won the Battle of Tannenberg, Oscar earned the generals’ loyalty through his leadership and concern for the soldiers. He turned their attention to defeating the Russian 1st Army Corps at the Masurian Lakes and arranged for the 8th Armored Division to receive replacement tanks.

• General Hindenburg congratulated Oscar on the victory, and Major General Ludendorff and the other generals credited Oscar with transforming the 8th Army Corps.
• Oscar asked about the army’s casualties and ordered compensation for fallen soldiers’ families, care for the wounded, and support for those left disabled.
• Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and the other generals resolved to follow Oscar’s orders even if they conflicted with the Emperor’s.
• Oscar urged the generals to help the 17th Corps destroy the Russian 1st Army Corps at the Masurian Lakes.
• Major General Ludendorff planned to send the 11th Corps and 20th Corps by train, while reporting that the 8th Armored Division needed replacement tanks.
• Oscar said the German Arms Company had already delivered new tanks and ordered trains carrying them to go directly to the Masurian Lakes.

After the German 8th Army Corps won at Tannenberg, Moltke the Younger questioned the report and angered Wilhelm II. The verified account confirmed Oscar’s victory, and Wilhelm II redirected the reserved troops to the Western Front while Moltke’s resentment of Oscar deepened.

• Wilhelm II, Moltke the Younger, and von Falkenhayn learned that the 8th Army Corps had defeated the Russians at Tannenberg.
• Moltke the Younger doubted the victory report and implied that Oscar’s forces could not have won so easily, prompting von Falkenhayn to defend the Crown Prince.
• Wilhelm II ordered an investigation into the battle, and the Imperial Intelligence Service delivered a detailed report within half an hour.
• After reading the report, Moltke the Younger acknowledged that he had wronged Oscar but continued warning that the Eastern Front remained dangerous.
• Wilhelm II ordered the troops held in reserve to be sent to the Western Front, and Moltke the Younger accepted the decision while blaming Oscar for his worsening standing.

After the Russian 2nd Army Corps was destroyed at Tannenberg, General Ivan Gylinski ordered General Leiningen-Kempf to withdraw the 1st Army Corps. The chapter ended with Leiningen-Kempf receiving the order and commanding his army to retreat.

• A staff officer told General Ivan Gylinski that Samsonov had ordered the shattered 2nd Army Corps to break out in scattered groups, with few units escaping.
• General Ivan Gylinski demanded a report from Samsonov and ordered General Leiningen-Kempf to withdraw the 1st Army Corps.
• General Ivan Gylinski blamed the German military's strength for the defeat and decided to seek reinforcements from Russia.
• At the Masurian Lakes, General Leiningen-Kempf received Gylinski's withdrawal order and commanded the entire 1st Army Corps to retreat.

German forces rushed the 11th Corps, 20th Corps, and 8th Armored Division toward the Masurian Lakes as the 17th Army Corps attacked Russian rearguards. The Russian 1st Army Corps struggled to retreat under bombardment and pursuit, abandoning heavy equipment along the way.

• German officers loaded troops and equipment onto trains and trucks for a rapid redeployment to the Masurian Lakes.
• The 8th Army Corps planned to have its forces in position by the evening of August 23 and begin its offensive on August 24.
• On August 23, the German 17th Army Corps’ artillery bombarded Russian blocking positions, devastating their defenses.
• German troops attacked the shattered Russian line, capturing many soldiers as Russian rearguards fled or surrendered.
• The Russian 1st Army Corps abandoned large quantities of heavy equipment while trying to escape German encirclement and interception.

As the Russian 1st Army Corps retreated through the Masurian Lakes, General Leiningen-Kempf ordered more troops to sacrifice themselves to delay the German pursuit. In Königsberg, Oscar planned to destroy the Russian force before resting his army and then attacking the Kingdom of Poland.

• After the 14th Infantry Division was routed and German pursuers came within thirty kilometers, General Leiningen-Kempf ordered the 15th Infantry Division to hold them back.
• A staff officer reported that the German main forces were withdrawing from Tannenberg to attack the Russian 1st Army Corps, and Leiningen-Kempf said his troops would fight to the death if they could not escape.
• General Hindenburg told Oscar that the 8th Armored Division, the 11th Corps, and the 20th Corps would attack the Russian forces along three routes the next morning.
• Major General Ludendorff proposed attacking Warsaw after the Russian 1st Army Corps was destroyed, but Oscar decided to rest and reorganize the troops for a week first.
• Oscar ordered the German forces to destroy the Russian 1st Army Corps and leave no officer or soldier behind.

German forces prepared defensive positions east of the Masurian Lakes while the Russian 1st Army Corps found its retreat blocked. General Leiningen-Kempf chose to halt the retreat and stake the army’s survival on a full-scale attack the next morning.

• Lieutenant General François received Oscar’s telegram promising the German troops rest after defeating the Russians and urging them to leave no invaders behind.
• The German 11th and 20th Corps and 8th Armored Division prepared for the coming battle with confidence.
• The Russian 1st Army Corps marched through the night but discovered that German forces had cut off the road ahead.
• After learning the Germans had blocked their route, General Leiningen-Kempf warned his officers that the army faced near-certain destruction.
• General Leiningen-Kempf ordered the Russians to rest overnight and attack the German positions at dawn, committing their main forces to a desperate bid for escape.
• The Russian generals agreed to the plan and prayed for God to bless them and the Russian Empire.

On August 24, the Russian 1st Army Corps launched a desperate attack on the German defensive line, hoping to break through before being trapped. The chapter ended with more than twenty thousand Russian infantry charging while their artillery was still firing.

• Lieutenant General François put the German troops on alert, ordered their artillery to prepare, and had breakfast sent to the front line.
• Russian officers told their soldiers that breaking through the German position was their only chance to survive.
• General Leiningen-Kempf ordered the Russian artillery to fire all its shells at the German defenses.
• The German artillery returned fire and damaged the Russian guns, but the Russian bombardment continued to intensify.
• More than twenty thousand Russian soldiers charged toward the German positions before their own artillery had stopped firing.

General Leiningen-Kempf ordered a desperate Russian assault while Russian artillery was still shelling the German lines, hoping to overwhelm the Germans despite the danger of friendly fire. Lieutenant General François sent German soldiers into their positions to meet the attack, and the chapter ended with German firepower devastating the advancing Russians.

• General Leiningen-Kempf launched the Russian infantry attack before the artillery bombardment had ended, intending to force the Germans into their defenses and inflict heavy losses.
• Lieutenant General François ordered German infantry to man the front-line positions and German artillery to suppress the Russian guns.
• German soldiers emerged from their dugouts under Russian shellfire, while gunners worked to return fire as quickly as possible.
• German commanders opened fire on the approaching Russians with machine guns, mortars, and grenade launchers.
• Russian troops continued their suicidal advance but were cut down before reaching the German defensive line, leaving corpses piled across the ground.

German forces held back the Russian infantry while heavy artillery destroyed Russian gun positions, leaving General Leiningen-Kempf's forces increasingly vulnerable. With more than sixty percent of their artillery lost, Leiningen-Kempf ordered the two remaining cavalry divisions to prepare a final attempt to break through the encirclement.

• German grenade launchers and interlocking machine-gun positions inflicted heavy casualties on Russian infantry and stopped their attacks.
• Russian artillery destroyed a German machine gun and caused German casualties, while German artillery struggled to silence the Russian guns quickly.
• Six German 150-millimeter howitzers destroyed nearly all the guns at a Russian artillery position and shifted fire to another target.
• The Russian artillery Commander reported to General Leiningen-Kempf that the Russians had lost more than sixty percent of their guns.
• General Leiningen-Kempf ordered the artillery to keep firing and told the commanders of the two cavalry divisions to launch an attack in ten minutes as the army's last chance to escape.