Heavily outnumbered 3-to-1, the Russian forces dispersed, and the German advance continued northwards in pursuit of the main body of the Russian army.
However, upon receiving news of the Second Army's defeat, Rennenkampf ordered his forces to retreat to a firmer position extending from the Baltic south-east to Angerburg.Ī preliminary German attack began on 7 September, lasting two days, launched from either side of the southern lakes, its aim being to push the Russians up towards the coast. Rennenkampf's army was presently moving through the Insterburg Gap between Konigsberg and the Masurian Lakes. Hindenburg aimed to encircle Rennenkampf by breaking through a weak flank of the latter's southern corps who had belatedly moved south to support the Second Army at Tannenberg and who had become somewhat separated from the main body in the west (who had remained passive during the earlier battle). With one arm of the pincer broken, Hindenburg determined to neutralise the other in short order. These two armies had been deployed as two arms of a pincer movement intended to snap up Hindenburg's forces in East Prussia. Having successfully dealt with the Russian Second Army, commanded by Samsonov, at Tannenberg, Paul von Hindenburg's Eighth Army - comprising 21 divisions, 18 of infantry, 3 of cavalry - turned their attention to the Russian First Army, commanded by Rennenkampf. Here is the url so that you can click on all of the links referenced.īattles - The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes, 1914Ĭonducted between 9-14 September 1914, the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (of two, the second in February 1915) was the second victory of the war by the Germans over the Russian army, the first occurring at Tannenberg in late August.
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