Tannenberg – 1914

Poor coordination, act on poor intelligence

Tannenberg was a war between Russia and Germany that lasted from August 26 to August 30, 1914, and was won by Germany.

To understand the situation during the war, it is essential to understand the balance of power at the time.

The Germans' biggest problem of the Germans at the beginning of the Great War was not being sandwiched between Russia and France. According to the agreement between Russia and France, Russia would invade Germany within 15 days if Germany attacked France. According to the famous Shiflieffen Plan, which the Germans developed to avoid getting into this situation, they planned to disable France from action until Russia had completed its mobilization and only then challenge Russia.

The plan was based on the perception of a relatively slow mobilization of Russia. This assumption was not unfounded, for Russia did not have sufficient railway connections. According to the German plan, France would be eliminated in six weeks with eight armies.

From the German side, only the 8th Army was deployed to stop the Russian army in the east. On the other hand, the Russian 1st and 2nd Armies, which were already stationed on the German border,

Russia's mobilization is expected to take months.?

The two Russian armies outnumbered the German 8th Army.

On 3 August, Germany declared war on France and mobilized its armies. The Russian 1st Army advanced from the north to invade Germany from the east on August 17, as promised to the French.

The 1st Army would advance from the north and the 2nd Army from the south. They intended to encircle the German 8th Army with the two armies. Rivers, swamps, and hills were almost impassable where the Russian armies were advancing, giving the defense an advantage. The two armies advancing into Germany were almost 50 kilometers apart. And unfortunately,?their commanders were rivals. It was even said that there was bitterness among them.

It is possible to compare the rivalry between two army commanders to the rivalry between departments in a company. However, sometimes rivalries cost money and even lives.

The Germans had entrusted their eastern borders only to the 8th Army. While the total number of soldiers in the two Russian armies was 400,000, the Germans had 150,000. Initially, the Russian 2nd Army in the south, under the command of General Samsonov, was able to advance.

The Germans evaluated their own situation and that of the opponent well. They realized that they were dispersed against the two Russian armies and that their numbers were insufficient.

However, most importantly, there was a lack of coordination between the two Russian armies against them. Intelligence assessments worked well. German commanders assessed that they could deal with the Russian armies one by one.

The German plan was risky. German troops against the 1st Russian army in the north would withdraw, and the Germans would concentrate against the 2nd Russian army in the south. If General Rennenkampf, Commander of the 1st?Army, and General Samsonov, Commander of the 2nd Army, demonstrated good coordination, it was clear that the Germans would be caught in the middle and the plan would collapse.

There were significant Russian mistakes that made the Germans trust in their plans and put those plans into action.

• Plans found with a dead Russian soldier at the beginning of the invasion showed that the two armies were advancing separately, leaving Masurian Lake between them.
• German soldiers, including officers, were more professional than their Russian counterparts.
• Underestimating logistic hardships for Russian armies was an issue to underline.
• A significant part of Russian radio messages was sent unencoded, and it was hoped that the Germans would not be able to listen. They forgot that acting on an assumption comes at a cost.
• Above all, General Rennenkampf, Commander of the 1st?Russian Army, and General Samsonov, Commander of the 2nd Russian?Army, did not spare enough reconnaissance and surveillance resources to understand German movements. They were both unaware but negligently provided intelligence to the opponent, and they underestimated the importance of understanding the actions of the opponent.
• After all, they did not care to allocate resources to grasp an idea of the opponent’s actions.

The Germans attacked the Russians by surprise on August 27. The Russian 2nd Army was surrounded. The Russians were far from their country. Due to the different railroad systems in Russia, the supply became extremely difficult. They did not analyze geography well. Soldiers could not be fed. The organization collapsed. Meanwhile, the German Headquarters followed General Rennenkampf, the commander of the Russian 1st Army in the north. The move of the 1st Army could have changed the course of the war, but the 1st Army continued to move west slowly.

As a result, the Russian 2nd Army was destroyed. The Commander of the 2nd Army, General Samsonov, committed suicide in the forest. The Russians gave 92,000 prisoners. 50,000 people were lost. The loss of the Germans was around 10,000-15,000. The Germans turned their attention to the Russian 1st Army, which was forced to retreat into Russia.

The war was called Tannenberg after the actual fight.?In the wars in East Prussia, Russia lost 250,000 men and vital equipment.

Three corps commanders were taken, prisoner.

Meanwhile, the Germans were so sure of the victory in France that they took the two Corps from France and sent them to the Prussian region. However, the French managed to stop the Germans at the Marne, a few kilometers from Paris.

“If the Germans had not sent these two corps to the eastern front, they would have taken Paris and won the war,” some said.

Poor coordination, not getting enough information about the opponent, competition among the leaders, not paying attention to confidentiality, and neglecting logistics remained lessons to be noted.?

As can easily be perceived, the above lessons are not limited to warfighters but also to businesses.??

#Blunders #Leadership #Management

From hundreds readings, some easy access

• History Channel
• https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Tannenberg_(1914)
• Tannenberg, Osprey Books, Destruction of Russian Army
• Encyclopedia Britannica