August 26–30, 1914 · Eastern Front Theater
August 26–30, 1914
Two Russian armies invaded East Prussia at the war's outbreak, threatening to overwhelm German defenses. Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff, summoned to command, exploited the Russian generals' failure to communicate securely — their radio messages were transmitted unencrypted. Using Germany's railway network to shift forces rapidly, they encircled General Samsonov's Second Army completely. 92,000 Russians were captured; Samsonov walked into the forest and shot himself. The First Army escaped but was crippled at the subsequent Battle of the Masurian Lakes.
Commanders