It was the second of two . 330. Treaty of London Further south, an isolated army corps held the line near the border. The remains of the First Army retreated to the safety of their own border forts. Siam Battle of the Masurian Lakes may refer to the following battles of World War I : First Battle of the Masurian Lakes, September 1914 Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, February 1915 This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Battle of the Masurian Lakes. On 31 August, with Tannenberg lost, Rennenkampf had been ordered to stand his ground in the event of a German attack. Two divisions were left behind to slow down the German advance and to allow the Russians the opportunity to withdraw unhindered. The whole area is a prime tourist destination, frequented by boating enthusiasts, canoeists, anglers, hikers, bikers and nature-lovers. Easter Rising (1916) Lyck was also captured by the Germans on 14 February. . For the first time since the opening of the war, the Germans now had numerical superiority. 338. The ram attack of 16 Russian battalions hit three battalions of the German 65th brigade (97th infantry regiment) and two batteries of the 15th field artillery regiment and a pioneer company that had taken up positions. This daring move was aided by the absence of communication between the two Russian commanders and by the ease with which the Germans deciphered Samsonovs wireless orders to his corps. Small parts of the district lie within the Masovian and Podlaskie Voivodeships. First Battle of the Masurian Lakes - INFOGALACTIC First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Before the retreat to Frcki (no more than 250 men remained), the artillerymen managed to remove locks and sights from 8 guns and drown them in a swamp. [20], It seemed that the breakthrough of Russian divisions on Grodno could no longer be stopped. The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front 2-16 September 1914, during the second month of World War I. Estimates of German losses are as low as 10,000. Belgium However, it was in this operation on the Russian side that the command, both at the level of the front and the army, and at the level of the corps, showed the worst qualities - lack of confidence in victory, contradictions and errors in assessing the situation, and stiffness in the initiative. New Zealand Romania There Hoffmann learned much about the Russian Armynot least that two generals, Rennenkampf and Samsonov, represented dueling factions within the upper levels of command. 141-164; . Battle of Vittorio Veneto Destruction of Kalisz 2726. 223. Battle of Caporetto But unlike Rennenkampf, Hindenburg had enough forces not only to cover the entire front in the Insterburg Gap, but had additional forces "left over". Prittwitz, however, curtly told them that the decision rested with him and not with them. 1105. Alfred, Graf von Schlieffen, with discerning insight, had picked this impishly brilliant young captain to go as an observer with the Japanese forces in the Russo-Japanese War. Bd. Two machine guns were also lost. It was this speed that enabled the retreating Russian troops to escape the trap Hindenburg had planned for them. 105-232; . The Germans, led by Supreme Commander of All German Forces in the East Paul von Hindenburg, would attack eastward from their front line in western Poland, which had been occupied after the Battle of d in 1914, toward the Vistula River and also in East Prussia in the vicinity of the Masurian Lakes (site of the 1914 Battle of the Masurian Lakes). 1. Battle of the Somme 395. Biking and boating are popular ways to get around. First Battle of the Masurian Lakes - Glosbe Dictionary In the south, however, things were going much worse. 46-47. In which region did the Battle of the Masurian Lakes take place? On returning to the office, Prittwitz agreed to their moves and spoke no more of retiring behind the Vistula. . . With all these losses, the Russian army group commander, Yakov Zhilinski, was dismissed. 121-157; . Now the battle turned decisively in the Germans' favor. However, this advantage was bought at a cost: the newly arrived corps had been sent from the Western front and their absence would be felt in the upcoming Battle of the Marne. The Eighth Army was reinforced by some of the newly arrived corps, while the rest of them became the German Tenth Army, commanded by Colonel-General Hermann von Eichhorn, which was formed on the German left. 130-194; . Yet if allowance is made for these flashes of light, due account should be taken of the difficulties of campaigning in this region. The man who was, in large measure, responsible for the blundering execution of this plan was also responsible for the disastrous invasions being made, and being made before Russian forces were ready. The Battle of Masurian Lakes - History Learning Site Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. When the nature of the German counteroffensive became clear, Rennenkampf had his troops move as quickly as possible to help, but by then it was too late. Estimates of German losses are as low as 10,000. The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front during the early stages of World War I. Newfoundland The Battle of the Masurian Lakes took place between the 7th and 14th September, 1914. Who commanded the German Army at the Battle of the Masurian Lakes? He began to think that he could use Mackensens XVII Corps as well, leaving only the cavalry to watch and occupy Rennenkampf. It is a 20,000-square-mile (52,000-square-km) area immediately to the south of the Baltic coastal plains and extends 180 miles (290 km) eastward from the lower Vistula River to the borders with Lithuania and Belarus. Just days after the Russians' crushing defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg, the German 8th Army pushed the scattered Russian 1st Army out of East Prussia, preventing the Russians from launching any new offensives until the spring of 1915. Kaocen Revolt (1916-1917) 536. 332. PolishLithuanian War (1920) On top of that, there are several color-marked walking trails with numerous points of interest for qualified tourism. . This was Gen. Yakov Grigoryevich Zhilinsky, who as chief of the general staff until early 1914 had made the military convention with France whereby Russia pledged to put 800,000 men in the field by the 15th day of mobilization. . Site Map, Collected Diplomatic Documents Relating to the Outbreak of the European War, The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Ludendorff and the First World War, Dark Invasion; 1915; Germany's Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America, Was Revolution Inevitable? Zhilinskys pledge to the French did not end with this promise, for the plan also envisaged an offensive against the Germans simultaneously with the main thrust against the Austrians. [1], The Lakeland extends roughly 290km (180mi) eastwards from the lower Vistula to the PolandRussia border, and occupies an area of roughly 52,000 square kilometres (20,000sqmi). While this may have been true, the Russians did, in fact, lose the battle of Masurian Lakes and this after their loss at Tannenburg. GeorgianArmenian War (1918) Spring Offensive Meanwhile the 3rd Reserve Divisions had engaged the Russians' XXII Corps even further south, and after a fierce battle forced them to fall back southeastward; its commander wired Rennenkampf he had been attacked and defeated near Lych, and could do nothing but withdraw. On. To start off with, the Hindenburg ordered his troops to advance through a gap between Konigsberg and the Masurian Lakes. Turbocharge your history revision with our revolutionary new app! . 3-55: . I, August to October, Military Operations France and Belgium, 1914, Vol. This force, inferior in strength to the Russians, could not have been decisive. The Battle of Masurian Lakes - History Learning 147-220; . Kosovo Offensive, Erzurum Offensive Kerensky Offensive . 331. A very short article about an early WWI battle, but since there is a 2nd Battle of Masurian Lakes, it seemed important to include the first. Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919) The Germans, despite, now outnumbering the Russians, were unable to encircle them in the broken terrain of the Masurian Lake lands, and Rennenkampf was able to extract his army intact, and even launch his own counterattack on 25 September which regained much of the land lost during the battle during the Battle of Niemen (Source). Battle of the Masurian Lakes - Wikipedia They include: Historical sights include the ruins of Hitler's fortified World War II headquarters, the Wolf's Lair, near Ktrzyn (former German name: Rastenburg), which has become a major tourist destination. Further progress was hampered by the arrival of the Russian Tenth Army on the Germans' right flank. 1113. 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Trump is Building the United States Space Force, Unlawful business practices: sexual orientation change efforts, CRT, Ankle Bracelet Tracking, and School Security, Taxes, Sanctuary Cites, and Organized Crime, Anyone Can Access and Alter Voting Machines, What is the Problem with the Critical Race Theory. To the south, however, the Russians outnumbered the Germans, putting up fierce resistance until German support troops arrived. It contains more than 2,000 lakes. The crowning scene of the tragedy was enacted by Samsonov himself, who had moved up from Neidenburg on August 27 to control the battle, only to find himself caught up in the swirling eddies of the retreat. [1], The lakes are well connected by rivers and canals, forming an extensive system of waterways. However, on 15 February, the weather changed to rain, and a thaw, turning the roads into knee-deep mud. Web. Worse yet, the Russians had lost any footing they yet had in East Prussia. Under the converging blows Samsonovs flanks would be crushed and his centre surrounded. Rennenkampf crossed the eastern frontier of East Prussia on August 17 and threw back the bulk (seven infantry divisions and one cavalry division) of Gen. Max von Prittwitzs Eighth Army at the Battle of Gumbinnen (now Gusev, Russia) on August 1920. The Germans lost 40,000 men. Battle of Gallipoli The battle was between the German Eight Army and the. First Battle of the Masurian Lakes - YouTube First Battle of the Masurian Lakes - Wikipedia 2725. Treaty of Trianon. . After Tannenberg and the arrival of two fresh army corps from the Western Front, the Germans turned on the slowly advancing Rennenkampf, whose lack of energy was partly due to his losses at Gumbinnen and to his subsequent lack of information. Hindenburg and Ludendorf struck at these two isolated forces.On September 9, the Germans attacked the reserve units with two corps, one attack head on, the other striking the left flank, and moving through the lakes to get behind the Russian line. 21-38; . The first was that the two armies were separated by the 50-mile (80-km) chain of the Masurian Lakes in southern East Prussia, which, in conjunction with the fortified Knigsberg area (now Kaliningrad, Russia) on the west, narrowed Rennenkampf's line of advance to a gap only about 40 miles (64 km) wide. 1173. Second, the Russians own invasion from the south was now to be handicapped by the fact that they had left the border country a desert, with poor railways and worse roads, as a barrier against a German invasion. Horse use In order to get even this close his units had to rush southward, and were now spread out over a long line running southward from just east of Knigsberg. The Germans were certainly favoured by Russian mistakesabove all, by the folly in dispersing the fog of war by sending unciphered wireless messages. Omissions? Battle of Tannenberg During February 22, the encircled units of the 27th, 28th, 29th and 53rd Infantry Divisions, the headquarters and administration of the XX Army Corps laid down their arms. Cryptography Administratively, the Lake District lies within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. 90-163; . The offensive was intended to advance beyond the Vistula River and perhaps knock Russia out of the war. [16], Sievers warned the Northwest Front commander, General Nikolai Ruzsky, that they were likely to be attacked, but was ignored. By September 13th, Rennenkampf had achieved this orderly withdrawal but Russia had pulled all of her troops out of East Prussia. It took place only days after the Battle of Tannenberg where the German Eighth Army encircled and destroyed the Russian Second Army. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Initial developments on the Eastern Front, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Tannenberg-World-War-I-1914, Academia - Operational Art at the Battle of Tannenberg - 1914, History Learning Site - The Battle of Tannenberg, 1914-1918-online - International Encyclopedia of the First World War - Battle of Tannenberg, Warfare History Network - The Battle of Tannenburg: Massacre in the Marshes, Battle of Tannenberg - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Battle of Tannenberg - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The 31st German division occupied Lipsk on February 18, and Bartniki on February 19 with minimal losses (2 killed, 6 wounded, while 13 Russian officers and 1,285 soldiers were taken prisoner). By 13th September, Rennenkampf had achieved his withdrawal with much of his army still in tact - unlike in the Battle of Tannenberg before it - but Russia had now withdrawn all troops from East Prussia.The Battle of Masurian Lakes cost Russias First Army 125,000 men and 150 artillery guns in total, with the Germans losing just 40,000 men. First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Sykes-Picot 435. 25-26,102-116, 153-155; . 67-128; . Accompanying Hindenburg as his chief of staff was the hero of the Lige attack, Erich Ludendorff. Russian Revolution (1917), Russian Civil War (19171921) This was also the merit of the fighters of the XX Army Corps, who chained three German divisions to themselves on the way to Grodno. The German victory at Tannenberg remains a singular achievement, as its scale was unique in the history of the war. [12], Chief of the German Great General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn strongly believed that the war would be won on the Western Front. The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Artist: Anonymous - Getty Images First Battle of the Masurian Lakes - YouTube Upon his arrival in East Prussia on August 23, Ludendorff was pleasantly surprised to find that the movements already in progress fitted in with his own half-formed plan, and he confirmed Hoffmanns arrangements. Revolutions and interventions in Hungary (19181920) At the end of World War II (1945), following the decision taken at the Potsdam Agreement, all national borders were redrawn, the area annexed by Communist Poland and its German residents expelled. 1160. By the time the battle proper ended on 30 August (Samsonov committed suicide on 29 August), the closest of Rennenkampf's units, his II Corps, was still over 45 miles (70km) from the pocket. Copyright 2014 by John Shea | Designed by Masuria is famous for its lakes and forests, offering a wide range of outdoor activities from sailing to kayaking and swimming. First Battle Of The Masurian Lakes stock photos are available in a variety of sizes and formats to fit your needs. Unable to do anything, he turned and rode south again on August 28, only to get lost in the depths of the forest. 2373. Meanwhile, Samsonovs army was spread out over a front of nearly 60 miles (almost 100 km), and his right, centre, and left were widely separated. Treaty of Svres The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive on the Eastern Front during the early part of World War I.It started on 7 September and ended on 14 September 1914. The lake district was shaped by glaciers during the Pleistocene ice age. 1. [28], Taking into account the available information about the number of prisoners, the death toll on the German side rises to 9,580 men (including 205 officers), on the Russian side it can reach 28,743 men, which indicates a high degree of fierce fighting. The First World War in Poland 1914-1915 Tour - The Cultural Experience The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front during the early stages of World War I. K. Litzman's group and the 4th Cavalry Division were transferred to the 10th Army to develop the offensive against the Bobr River and assist in the encirclement of Osowiec. In response, Rennenkampf ordered his men to retreat all while preparing for a counterattack. It has an ancient fortress, historic church, bridges, and passenger boats to the towns of Wgorzewo, Mikoajki and Ruciane-Nida. Private Collection. Strategic bombing The area had also been the scene of another battle the previous autumn. After their victory over the Russian 2nd Army at Tannenberg, the German 8th Army, under the command of Paul von Hindenburg, turned their attention to defeating the Russian 1st, under the command of Paul von Rennenkampf. Additionally, some 5,000 Russian soldiers were taken as German POWs. Indo-German Conspiracy (19141919) Many of its hills are parts of moraines and many of its lakes are moraine-dammed lakes. 71-85: . The idea was that taking out this force would ensure the eastern border of Germany was safe from attack so German troops could be transferred to the Western Front. ArmenianAzerbaijani War (19181920) 37-56: . Yuri Danilov, the Russian quartermaster general, stated, "This offensive by the German Eighth and Tenth Armies in February 1915 was definitely a great success for our enemies. 16196. 393. . 7-14 September 1914. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. . The German claw was, indeed, being menaced by a Russian pair of pincers instead. It also put a strain on the Russian headquarters staff, which consequently made decisions in a state of nervous flurry. Franco-Syrian War (1920) . Battle of Sarikamish In the following weeks, the Germans drove the Russians out of their remaining small enclaves in East Prussia. Naval warfare On. . Battle of Cambrai, Operation Faustschlag 329. First Battle of Masurian Lakes | USA-eVote The Russian XXVI, XX, and III Siberian Corps were now in danger of being encircled. . The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front 2-16 September 1914, during the second month of World War I. The II maneuvered well, and by the end of the day had managed to get their left flank into position for a flanking attack on the Germans, potentially encircling them. If you find our videos helpful you can support us by buying something from amazon.https://www.amazon.com/?tag=wiki-audio-20First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Start Date: 1914-09-09. "[12], .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}540000N 220000E / 54.0000N 22.0000E / 54.0000; 22.0000, Der Weltkrieg 1914 bis 1918. Nor was Ludendorff even the agent of victory, for Franoiss share was the most essential. In a stubborn battle, the German batteries fired all the shells, the Russian infantry advanced their machine guns and fired at the covering soldiers. Artist: Anonymous The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. Battle of Tannenberg, (August 2630, 1914), World War I battle fought at Tannenberg, East Prussia (now Stbark, Poland), that ended in a German victory over the Russians. Private Collection. The opening encounters on the Eastern Front had been marked by rapid changes of fortune; the greater distances and the greater differences between the equipment of the armies ensured a fluidity which was lacking in the West. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. At the Gaienek Village, the Russian regiments, which continued to advance forward, dispersed one battalion and captured 2 more guns, but were stopped. [30], According to Buttar, "For Hindenburg and Ludendorff, the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes known in Germany as the Winter Battle of Masuria was undoubtedly a victory, but it fell short of what had been intended. 22-87: . Further progress was hampered by the arrival of the Russian Tenth Army on the Germans' left flank. However, Ludendorff, finding that Rennenkampf was still near Gumbinnen, took the calculated risk of withdrawing the rest of the German troops, except the cavalry screen, from that front and rushing them back against Samsonovs right wing. Sievers' ordered Evgeny Radkevich's III Siberian Corps to pull back to Lyck, where it would form a new defensive line with the XXVI Corps. Nonetheless, he sent four additional army corps to Paul von Hindenburg, commander of their Eastern Front. View history The Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, also known as the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes, was the northern part of the Central Powers ' offensive on the Eastern Front in the winter of 1915. The Germans started their attack on September 7th 1914. 5-14; . That morning Franois, now amply supplied with shells, opened a fierce bombardment on the position of the Russian left wing near Usdau. Treaty of Neuilly . II, October-November, Military Operations France and Belgium, 1915, Vol. Franois ordered the pursuit to be made toward Neidenburg, to get across the rear of the Russian centre, but a Russian counterattack against his outer flank caused him to wheel south toward Soldau (Dziadowo). Background [ edit] Updates?