Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-i-battle-of-tannenberg-2361396. The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 26 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. A series of follow-up battles … However, I think this at first glance makes it look that no other were killed apart from the knights, and in turn gives an unfair picture of the battle. Using his artillery to advantage, François broke through the Russian I Corps and began advancing. The numbers were overwhelming; in perhaps as little as a month, the Russians could field around ten complete armies, more men than the Germans could muster on both fronts put together. [19] When the artillery barrage ended, the freshly drafted II.Battalion, Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 46 (2nd Estonian) returned fire after inflicting severe casualties on the assaulting Soviets and counterattacked, reclaiming the Grenadier Hill. For the next day the 2nd Shock Army was reinforced with the 31st and the 82nd Tank Regiments, three howitzer brigades and nine heavy artillery regiments. German forces withdrew quickly towards the Latvian border. [2][3] Units of the Nordland Division were placed between the two hills and the defense was completed by the Anti-Tank Company, 1st Estonian behind Nordland. The order did not reach a significant part of the German forces, which remained in their positions at the Orphanage Hill. [10] Additional 122nd, 124th Rifle Corps and divisions from 117th Rifle Corps were subordinated to Gen. Ivan Fedyuninsky, commanding the 2nd Shock Army. In recent years, Russian authors have published some figures but not for the whole course of the battle. [2] The subsequent attack by Soviet heavy tanks broke through the defenses of the 2nd Battalion, De Ruyter consisting of 35–45 capable men running between their heavy machine guns. The delivery of Soviet heavy artillery complimented the nine divisions of the 109th, the 117th and the 122nd Rifle Corps. The 117th Rifle Corps stood ready to break through the last of the German defenses. [7] According to some veterans, it appeared that low-flying Soviet bombers were attempting to hit every individual German soldier jumping between craters, from time to time getting buried under the soil by the explosions of Soviet shells. The next day, the German I Corps began their assault around Usdau. To the German's good fortune, Soviet intelligence severely overestimated the strength of the defenders to more than 60 tanks and 800 pieces of artillery[4] while in fact there were just one tank and 70–80 guns left at the Tannenberg Line. Of the 120th Rifle Division, 1,808 men were lost; killed or wounded. [7], The morning of 29 July began with preparatory artillery fire of 25,000 shells fired by the Soviets. [5] Several troops of the Estonian Division stayed in Estonia. In total, over 50,000 Russian soldiers were killed and some 92,000 taken as prisoners in the Battle of Tannenbergnamed thus by the Germans in vengeful remembrance of the village, where in 1410 the Poles had defeated the Teutonic Knights. As the Soviet forces were constantly reinforced, the casualties are claimed by the Axis forces, to be 170,000 dead and wounded, and 157–164 tanks. [8][28] Added to the men missing in action, the number of irrecoverable casualties in the period is approximately 2,500. [4][11] The remnants of the German advance guard were destroyed. Through the day on the 28th, German forces continued to drive back the Russian flanks and the true danger of the situation began to dawn on Samsonov. [7], The Soviet tanks besieged the Grenadier Hill and kept circling it, all the while firing away at the defenders. [2][7] The Soviet units that had suffered losses were brought up to strength with fresh manpower. The Second Army continued to fight for another two days until the bulk of its forces surrendered. This plan was risky as any turn south by Rennenkampf's First Army would endanger the German left. [4] The rest of the Soviet rifle corps lost their capacity for further attacks. [4] On the western terrace of the Grenadier Hill, Kampfgruppe Bachmeier and the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Estonian kept resisting. [7] With artillery fire preventing reinforcements being sent in from the German rear, the Soviet 8th Army went on the attack and drove a wedge into the north flank of the 11th Infantry Division. With the seizure of the Orphanage Hill, the Soviet 201st and the 256th Rifle Divisions were exhausted, as the 109th Rifle Division continued to press towards the Grenadier Hill alone. German casualties totaled around 12,000-20,000. The operation was aimed at encircling the Army Detachment Narwa. While having a great psychological effect, the "Katyushas" or so-called "Stalin organs" were inaccurate, causing little damage to the well-dug-in German troops. The number of Soviet casualties can only be estimated by looking at other figures. [5] For the attack on 29 July, Govorov concentrated all of the capable Soviet units, consisting of 11 divisions and six tank regiments. The positions of the 11th Infantry Division were mainly attacked by the 35,000-strong 8th Army with their 112th Rifle Corps, two fresh tank regiments and 1,680 assault guns, deployed in nine artillery regiments and 150 armored vehicles. The new commanders arrived at Marienburg on the afternoon of 23 August; they had met for the first time on their special train the previous night and now they rendezvoused with the Eighth Army staff. EVTÜ, Saku, A.Aasmaa (1999). Estonian State Archive, Fund 32, Catalogue 12, File 7, pp.98–101, J.Uudevald (2000). [7][15], On 30 July the battle continued in similar fashion. These units continued fighting, some survivors joining the guerrilla groups which fought the Soviet occupying forces until the end of the 1970s. The battle was held in Tannenberg, lasted 4 days, and was one of Russia’s worst defeats and was one of the most significant battles fought during WWI. [9] The German force of 22,250 men held off 136,830 Soviet troops. The 110th Rifle Corps assaulting the Grenadier Hill found themselves in the middle of cross-fire from the remnants of the I.Battalion, 2nd Estonian Regiment. The 72nd Rifle Division assaulted the II Battalion, 3rd Estonian Regiment, which was defending the northern flank. [7] The armored forces included the brand-new IS-2 tanks with extra armor and a 122mm gun. They shot down several German bombers and afterwards turned their fire on the German infantry. In the attack of 29 July, 225 men survived of the Soviet 109th Rifle Corps carrying the main weight of the assault. Concerned that the Russian VI Corps was making a flanking march, Hindenburg ordered General Hermann von François' I Corps to begin their attack on August 25. The Army Detachment Narwa replaced its units with the less damaged detachments in the first days of August. Tagasivaateid. The formations of Gruppenführer Felix Steiner's III SS Panzer Corps halted their withdrawal and moved into defensive positions on the hills. Tagasivaateid. One of the few battles of maneuver from a conflict best known for static trench warfare, Tannenberg saw German forces in the east effectively destroy General Alexander Samsonov's Russian Second Army. [5] The bombardment covered the Tannenberg Line in a dust cloud. The German artillery noticed the concentration of the Soviet forces, and launched their rocket fire, inflicting numerous casualties on the Soviet infantry and tanks before the beginning of the attack. Crossing the frontier on August 15, General Paul von Rennenkampf's First Army moved west with the goal of taking Konigsberg and driving into Germany. [2][7], After the German counterattack the tactical situation at the Tannenberg Line remained unclear. Soviet artillery increased the intensity of its fire to 30,000 shells,[5] the German artillery answered with 10,000 rounds of its own. The 70–80 German Nebelwerfers answered. Despite this success, by the end of the day, the Russians were in jeopardy as XVII Corps had begun to turn their right flank. Ludendorff had delayed their marche… The 1st Cavalry Division was deployed to screen to the east and south of Königsberg. But the Battle of Tannenberg was a warning that Russia’s military, like Russia’s monarchy, was on its knees and ripe for the death blow. The attack continued towards the summit under heavy Soviet artillery and bomber attack, getting into close combat in the Soviet positions. This unit suffered great casualties from the fire of the last defenders who in turn were either killed or forced to the Grenadier Hill. They fought for the strategically important Narva Isthmus from 25 July–10 August 1944. In the era of the Soviet Union, losses in the Battle of Tannenberg Line were not mentioned in Soviet sources. Germany planned to quickly fight a two-front war against France and Russia, knock France … [2][7] However, the following combat proved the opposite. Immediately after the meeting, however, von Scholz was killed by a shrapnel splinter in front of the headquarters.[7]. The battle was fought on the Eastern Front during World War II. The men of Nederland who survived the artillery bombardment, retreated down the slopes of the Grenadier Hill pursued by the Soviet units. Battle of Tannenberg. The central was the Grenaderimägi (Grenadier Hill; Grenadierhöhe) and the westernmost was the Tornimägi (Tower Hill, also known in German as or 69.9 or Liebhöhe (Love Hill)). After months of holding the line, the exhausted men of the III SS Panzer Corps joined the withdrawal; fighting their way back from the Tannenberg Line. The Soviets started searching the bunkers for documents and prisoners. Or the Russian front ... or the Eastern Front So many … [11] In the same attack, the German forces lost 600 men. At the Battle of Tannenberg itself the German army lost only 10,000 men but inflicted 170,000 casualties on the Russians. The Soviet attacks from 4 to 6 August were weaker; on 4 August, eleven tanks were destroyed, and seven more on 5 August. The Battle of Tannenberg was one of the few decisive battles of the First World War. If the Western Front - "Verdun" is a symbol Then "Tannenberg" is not a symbol of the Eastern Front Strange logic of developers Why did not they name (the Eastern Front) -Brusilovsky Breakthrough? [5] At the nine kilometre long segment of the front, 1,913 assault guns were collected, making it 300 guns per kilometer. [2][26] The 2nd Shock Army reported on fifty of their tanks destroyed on 29 July. In the era of the Soviet Union, losses in the Battle of Tannenberg Line were not mentioned in Soviet sources. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 3rd Estonian subordinated to Bachmeier had 20 to 30 men each. The commander sends a letter to his emperor and king saying that in the 13th, 15th, and 18th, the Army Corps have been destroyed. It was the Germans Army's greatest success of the war. In Steiner's memoirs, the intensity of the fire and the nature of the battles reminded him of the Battle of Verdun. [5][10], In the afternoon of 29 July the Soviet forces made eight attempts at regaining control of the Grenadier Hill. To the south, the German XX Corps was able to hold around Tannenberg, while the Russian XIII Corps drove unopposed on Allenstein. While the bulk of this strength was to be directed south against Austria-Hungary, who were fighting a largely one-front war, the First and Second Armies were deployed north to invade East Prussia. At Tannenberg the actual ratio of Russian to German troops was 29 to 16. [27], Russian author Grigoriy F. Krivosheev, in his account "Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth century", lists 665,827 casualties suffered by the Leningrad Front in 1944, 145,102 of them as dead, missing in action, or captured. [5][7] The Soviet 201st and 256th Rifle Divisions supported by the 98th Tank Regiment assaulted the positions of the SS Division Nordland, seizing the eastern side of the Orphanage Hill. These calls had no effect, as Hitler's response remained to stand or die. The weakness of the tank was its limited ammunition capacity (only 28 rounds) and long reloading time for its main gun. [7] After the counterattack, only one German Panther tank remained unscathed. Nevertheless, they could not capture the summit due to heavy casualties caused by the German anti-tank guns and the anti-aircraft guns pointing their barrels down the slope. The Komsomol organiser, V.I. Frustrati… In a conflict best remembered for trench warfare, Tannenberg was one of the few great battles of maneuver. [29], Soviet advance guards on the Grenadier Hill, Unpublished data from the official battle diary of the Army Detachment "Narwa", A.Aasmaa (1999). The latter suffered heavy losses but regrouped and cut the Norwegians off at the east side of the hill. The battle took place near … The Battle of Tannenberg Line (German: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; Russian: Битва за линию «Танненберг») or the Battle of the Blue Hills (Estonian: Sinimägede lahing) was a military engagement between the German Army Detachment Narwa and the Soviet Leningrad Front. Date 26–30 August 1914 Location Near Allenstein, East Prussia(today Olsztyn, Poland) 53°29′45″N 20°08′4″ECoordinates: 53°29′45″N 20°08′4″E Result Decisive German victory Belligerents Russia Germany Commanders and leaders Alexander Samsonov† Paul von Rennenkampf Paul von Hindenburg Erich Ludendorff Max Hoffmann Hermann von François Stre… [7] At a point occupied by the German 11th Infantry Division near the borough of Sirgala in the south, the Soviet tanks aimed to break through. The German commander facing Samsonov, Maximilian Prittwitz, was sacked by Helmuth von Moltke, Germanys Chief of Staff, for ordering his Eighth Army to retreat as Samsonovs Second Army advanced. Russia was able to mobilize over five million troops, not to mention 360 aircraft, along the Eastern Front’s almost 1,000 miles from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. The two assaults by Maitla's improvised platoon at the Orphanage Hill forced the Soviets to refrain from further attacks and gave the Germans time to regroup. World War I: Battle of Tannenberg. In Estonian) In: Mart Tamberg (Comp.). Battle of Narva - Battle of the Tannenberg Line 1944 : Battle of Narva 1944 , Ida-Viru County, Eastern Front World War II , East Prussia, 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien: Amazon.es: Frederic P Miller, Agnes F Vandome, John McBrewster: Libros en idiomas extranjeros Having escaped the encirclement, but unable to face Tsar Nicholas II after the defeat, Samsonov committed suicide. By the night of 28 July the battle had subsided. On 22 September, Tallinn was abandoned. Using the tactics of "rolling" small units into the Soviet positions, the troops seized the trenches on the slope of the feature. In addition, it required the southern portion of the Königsberg defenses to be left unmanned. The strategic aim of the Soviet Estonian Operation was to reoccupy Estonia as a favorable base for the invasions of Finland and East Prussia. B. Russia was decisively victorious, capturing more than 50,000 German troops and halting their advance. [7] The counterattack started from the parish cemetery south of the Tower Hill, with the left flank of the assault clearing the hill of the Soviets. The Allied battle plan prior to the war had been based on France and the United Kingdom halting the German armies in the West while the huge Russian armies could be organized and brought to the Eastern front. The commander of the Army Group, Ferdinand Schörner, had repeatedly called Adolf Hitler's attention to the fact that virtually no division consisting of Germans was left at the Tannenberg Line, which was threatening to collapse. The battle ended with the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army.. The Soviet Air Force and artillery covered the German positions with bombs and shells, destroying most of the forest on the hills. While this was largely true, two-fifths of Russia's peacetime army was located around Warsaw in Russian Poland, making it immediately available for action. The Battle of Tannenberg was fought between Russia and Germany between the 26th and 30th of August 1914, the first month of World War I.The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov.A series of follow-up battles (First Masurian Lakes) destroyed most of the First … Other Soviet tanks reached the westernmost hill Tower Hill. Bernard Montgomery would later write that “Tannenberg was the most brilliant tactical feat of the 1914/18 war” (1968, p.468). The remains of the 2nd Battalion Norge at the Grenadier Hill assaulted the Soviets. Vallutasime Grenaderimäe (We conquered the Grenadier Hill. The losses of the 8th Army were similar to that. [7] The 2nd Estonian Regiment was virtually lost and the Nordland Division a shadow of its former self. Estonian State Archive, Fund 32, Robert Helde (2004). It is estimated that the Russian second army suffered around 170,000 causalities in this battle out of which around 80,000 were killed. They … [5], The Soviet Marshal Leonid Govorov considered the Tannenberg Line as the key position of Army Group North and concentrated the best forces of the Leningrad Front. [5] On 10 August, the war council of the Leningrad Front ordered the termination of the offensive and switch strictly to defense. Eesti mehed sõjatules. [5], In the era of the Soviet Union, losses in the Battle of Tannenberg Line were not mentioned in Soviet sources. [12] The Soviets were forced to retreat from the Grenadier Hill. Anticipating an infantry attack, Steiner concentrated his few working armored vehicles, consisting of seven tanks. Hickman, Kennedy. For the defense of the Grenadier Hill, every available Estonian was sent into battle, including communications personnel. The platoon commanded by Lt. Lapshin broke through to the top of the Grenadier Hill. Among the Soviet tank commanders, starshina S.F. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila) and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the German–Prussian Teutonic Knights , led by … Eesti mehed sõjatules, p.329. This is not verified by Soviet sources. 023363 of the Head of the Political Department of the 2nd Shock Army on 30 July 1944. The forest on the Sinimäed Hills was entirely destroyed, with the trees cut down to a height of 2–3 metres. The Russians and Germans used many battle tactics out on the field. Due to I Corps' delays, it was XVII Corps which opened the main battle on August 26. Dubbing the engagement the Battle of Tannenberg, in vindication of the Teutonic Knight's 1410 defeat on the same ground by a Polish and Lithuanian army, Hindenburg succeeded in ending … [8], On 14 September, the Riga Offensive was launched by the Soviet 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts. Palavad päevad Sinimägedes (Hot Days at Sinimäed Hills. In the attack of 29 July, 225 men survived of the Soviet 109th Rifle Corps carrying the main weight of the assault. Receiving the order from Stalin to break through to Tallinn at all costs, Govorov made Fedyuninsky responsible for reaching Rakvere no later than 7 August. The eastern hill was known to Estonians as the Lastekodumägi (Orphanage Hill; Kinderheimhöhe in German). In recent years, Russian authors have published some figures but not for the whole course of the battle. Dubbing the engagement the Battle of Tannenberg, in vindication of the Teutonic Knight's 1410 defeat on the same ground by a Polish and Lithuanian army, Hindenburg succeeded in ending the Russian threat to East Prussia and Silesia. To aid Hindenburg, the gifted General Erich Ludendorff was assigned as chief of staff. Moreover, the Germans captured 92,000 Russian soldiers as war prisoners. There were about 180,000 total casualties during the Battle of Tannenberg. It was aimed at capturing Riga and cutting off Army Group North in Courland, western Latvia. [2][7] Such reinforcements were beyond the capacities of Army Group North. Special courage was shown by Sgt. Roughly half of the infantry consisted of the personnel of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) motivated to regain Estonian independence rather than support Nazi power. [22] In recent years, Russian authors have published some figures[23][24] but not for the whole course of the battle. Battle of Tannenberg Part of the Eastern Front of World War I Russian prisoners of war after the Battle of Tannenberg. Hickman, Kennedy. Prittwitz had feared that his army would be encircled after Rennenkampfs army had defeated the Germans at the Battle of Gumbin… [18][26] The German side counted an additional 44 Soviet tanks destroyed on 3–6 August. ThoughtCo. [5] The goal set by the War Council of the 2nd Shock Army was to break through the defense line of the III SS Panzer Corps at the Orphanage Hill, force their way to the town of Jõhvi in the west and reach the Kunda River by 1 August. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexa Casualties. ... Their were a total of 180,000 casualties for both sides. [7], Under Soviet pressure the German defense threatened to collapse. This remained the westernmost point the Soviet armed forces reached in Northeast Estonia until late September 1944. [4] The Soviets reduced their operations to patrol activities with occasional attacks. In the wake of this information, François was able to delay until the 27th, while XVII Corps was ordered to attack the Russian right as soon as possible (Map). [4], The principle of the Soviet attack in the Sinimäed was an overwhelming frontal shock, with only a few of the attackers presumed to have reached the target. [7], The German Army Group North buried 1,709 men in Estonia between 24 July and 10 August 1944. As justification for the failure to break through the German defenses, the report cited the weak cooperation between the artillery and the infantry. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva (1944). (2020, August 26). [5] Soviet tank forces were also restored, with 104 armored vehicles at their command. Anticipating a major attack, Steiner ordered the heavy weapons of the SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment Norge and the Danmark Regiment to be pulled together into two shock units. The defenders in their bunkers, which were poorly fortified from the north and the flanks, were destroyed. When a Soviet tank squadron arrived, the German attack collapsed. (Looking Back. In an effort to save his offensive, Samsonov withdrew XIII Corps from Allenstein and re-directed them against the German line at Tannenberg. The small German grenadier units were moved into the trenches. By the end of August, Russias ambitious advance in East Prussia in August 1914 had achieved at least one of its goals, albeit at a tremendous cost: two German corps had been removed from the Western to the Eastern Front in order to confron… A height of 2–3 metres were similar to that the tactics for the whole of. To Bachmeier had 20 to 30 men each main battle on August,... 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