First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was a German offensive in the Eastern Front 2–16 September 1914, during the Russian invasion 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. Using the rapid movements aided by the East Prussian railway network, the Eighth Army reformed in front of the spread-out Russian First Army and pushed them back across their entire front, eventually ejecting it from Germany. Further progress was hampered by the arrival of the Russian Tenth Army on the Germans' right flank.
By the conclusion of the battle, the Imperial German Army had destroyed the Second Army and shattered the First in a series of actions over only a few weeks. However, Russia had the largest army in the world, so the Russian army very quickly restored its losses in manpower, and after a couple of weeks the Russians launched a new offensive in East Prussia.[23]
Background[edit]
The Russian offensive in East Prussia had started well enough, with General Paul von Rennenkampf's First Army (Army of the Neman) forcing the Eighth Army westward from the border towards Königsberg. Meanwhile, the Russian Second Army invaded from the south, hoping to cut the Germans off in the area around the city. The lack of railways and logistical problems meant they made slow progress even though they faced only a single German army corps.
During their advance Yakov Zhilinsky, Chief of Staff of the Imperial Russian Army, made a strategic mistake by separating two large Russian armies and urging them to move rapidly over a marginally trafficable terrain in response to the requests of the French for an early offensive. As a result, the armies approached in a poorly coordinated manner, being isolated from each other by terrain obstacles, and before the logistical base could be established, the troops were worn down by a rapid march and had to face fresh German troops.[24]
The Germans developed a plan to rapidly move their forces to surround the Second Army as it moved northward over some particularly hilly terrain. The danger was that the First Army would turn to their aid, thereby flanking the German forces. However, the Russians broadcast their daily marching orders "in the clear" on the radio, and the Germans learned that the First Army was continuing to move away from the Second. Using railways in the area, the German forces maneuvered and eventually surrounded and destroyed the Second Army at the Battle of Tannenberg between 26 and 30 August 1914.
According to Prit Buttar, "as the magnitude of the disaster that had befallen Samsonov's army became clear, Rennenkampf ordered his men to pull back from their most advanced positions. First Army took up a line running from the Deime valley in the north, through Wehlau and Nordenberg, to the northern shore of the Mauer-See, immediately to the west of Angerburg." His reserve divisions formed the new XXVI Corps on his northern flank. Between Wehlau and Nordenburg were his III and IV Corps. The II Corps was placed opposite the German garrison in Lötzen. In addition, Rennenkampf received 5 newly formed reserve divisions (54th, 57th, 68th, 72nd, 76th).[25] The total strength of the First Army was more than 300,000 men, including 50,000 in reserve (garrisons of fortresses in the rear of the First Army).[25] The Tenth Army filled the gap with what was left of the Second Army. The Tenth Army was newly formed, and consisted of the XXII Corps from Finland, the III Siberian Corps, the I Turkestan Corps, and the II Caucasian Corps, with the XXII Corps opposite Lyck, and the III Siberian Corps to their south. Two corps were kept in reserve.[26] The total strength of the Tenth Army was 250,000 men. In the reserve of the Tenth Army there were garrisons of fortresses with more than 37,000 men.[27]
On 31 August, Hindenburg received the following orders, "XI Corps, Guards Reserve Corps, and 8th Cavalry Division are placed at your disposal. Their transport has begun. The first task of Eighth Army is to clear East Prussia of Rennenkampf's army. When the situation in East Prussia has been restored you are to contemplate employing Eighth Army in the direction of Warsaw." Hindenburg and Ludendorff placed their Guards Reserve Corps, I Reserve Corps, XI Corps and the XX Corps on the Russian northern flank. Their XVII Corps was deployed at Lötzen, and their I Corps around Lyck.[26] The total strength of the Eighth Army was 244,391 men, including troops against the Second Russian Army.[28]
Casualties and losses[edit]
Casualties 1st Army at the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes were estimated by the staff of the Russian North-Western front at 100,000 men (of which up to 50% were prisoners), 122 machine guns and 150 guns.[22]
For the entire East Prussian campaign, according to the lists of regiments and reports of the commanders of divisions and brigades 1st Army, 275 officers and 9,347 soldiers were killed, 557 officers and 25,616 soldiers were wounded, 449 officers and 65,608 soldiers were missing, in total - 1,826 officers and 115,374 soldiers (including without indication casualty categories - 545 officers and 14,219 soldiers of the 54th and 72nd Infantry Divisions).[46]
Due to the defeat of a number of headquarters and the loss of documents, the casualties of almost the entire 54th Infantry Division remain unexplained (as of September 18, 1914, 284 officers, 11,810 soldiers, 24 machine guns, 19 guns were missing in the division; it was disbanded) and partially - also the disbanded 72nd Infantry Division and the 76th Artillery Brigade (lost without categorization only 25 officers, 1,100 soldiers, 40 guns).[46]
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes was the development and continuation of the plan of the command of the 8th German Army to destroy the Russian armies invading East Prussia. P. von Hindenburg and E. Ludendorff decided to repeat the encirclement operation, organizing a powerful strike at the junction of the 1st and 10th Russian armies with access to the rear of the 1st. The 8th German Army lost for the whole of September 1914 (more accurate data is not available) 1,555 dead, 10,412 wounded and 1,552 missing. More than 30,000 Russian prisoners and 150 guns were announced to have been captured.[5]
In the battles of September 7–15, emphasis was placed on the qualitative superiority of the German troops in artillery, on maneuvering with fire. The Russian troops were not ready for this, and their defense could not withstand the long artillery preparations that had not been used before. Nevertheless, the 1st Army was not surrounded. The firmness of the defense on the Angerapp River made it possible to fend off the maneuver of the German cavalry and prevent it from destroying the headquarters and rear of the army. However, the actions of Rennenkampf were dissatisfied. Vasily Flug angrily wrote to the Chief of Staff of the armies of the North-Western Front V. Oranovsky: "The catastrophe with Samsonov made such a deep impression that we want to avoid any action involving even the smallest risk, forgetting that there is no victory without risk. To justify our indecision, we put forward the colossal numbers of troops that the enemy allegedly has ... The Germans seem to us ubiquitous".[47]
Having lost 321 officers, 14,585 soldiers, 31 machine guns, 30 guns, the 72nd Infantry Division was disbanded, its commander, Major General Orlov, was transferred to the reserve ranks. Head of the 30th Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Eduard Kolyankovsky, commander of the 28th Artillery Brigade, Major General V. Mallio, head of the 1st Separate Cavalry Brigade, Major General N. Oranovsky, commanders of the 110th , 112th, 113th, 117th, 169th, 223rd, 287th, 288th infantry, 16th Irkutsk Hussars, 34th Don Cossack regiments were removed from their posts.[48]
Сonsequences of the Russian occupation of East Prussia[edit]
The rule of the Russian occupation authorities in East Prussia caused great damage to the province. The victims of the Russian troops were 19,000 civilians, of which 1,620 died (including those who were shot without trial), 433 were wounded and 10,000 were driven to Russia (5,419 men, mainly the elderly, 2,587 women and 2,719 children).[49]
33,553 houses were destroyed or partially destroyed, 100,000 Germans were left homeless and without property. A third of the population of the province - 800,000 people became refugees. 24 cities, 572 villages, 236 estates were destroyed. Russian troops stole 135,000 horses, 250,000 cattle (later 20,000 horses and 86,000 cattle were recaptured), and 200,000 pigs.[50]
The robbery was led by the military department, which created a special commission on the basis of the commissariat of the Dvina military district. All the "confiscated" property was brought to Vilna, where the applications of "interested parties" for a share of the loot were sent. Agricultural machinery and implements, machine tools, personal items, clothes, underwear and footwear (including women's and children's), furniture, sanitary ware (bathtubs, toilet bowls), watches, cutlery were subject to confiscation. In total, the list, compiled later for the chief of staff of the Dvina military district, includes 697 positions of various items (regardless of their number in each item).[51]
These consequences of the war, characteristic, however, for each of the fighting armies, contributed to the bitterness of the struggle. At the end of 1914 in Germany, Russian generals taken prisoner were brought to trial for crimes against civilians. The court acquitted them, as they carried out the orders of their superiors.[52]
Almost immediately after the liberation of the province, Emperor Wilhelm II arrived in East Prussia. He visited Lötzen, other cities, was in the immediate rear of the 8th Army. On October 7, 15 million marks were allocated for the restoration of the province.[53] In addition to the state, the organization “Help to East Prussia” made a huge contribution. Union of German Societies for Post-War Aid to Destroyed East Prussian Cities and Towns, which collected millions in donations. Many cities and districts of Germany took patronage over the destroyed settlements and regions of the province. For example, Schirwindt received assistance from Bremen, Ortelsburg from Berlin-Wilmersdorf and Vienna, and Stallupenen from Kassel.[54]
Outcome[edit]
On 11 September, Grand Duke Nikolai dismissed Yakov Zhilinsky as the commander of the Russian Northwestern Front, replacing him with Nikolai Ruzsky. The Grand Duke then ordered the Fifth Army from Galicia to a position north of Warsaw.[26]
On 14 September, the last of the Russian army had retreated over the frontier, as the German 1st Infantry Division reached Wyłkowyszki, within Russian territory, and the German 3rd Reserve Infantry Division had reached Suvalki.[26]
On 15 September, the Germans formed the Ninth Army to protect Silesia.[26]
The German 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. Much of the territory taken by the Germans would later be lost to a Russian counterattack during 25–28 September.[9]