Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov | |
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| Born | 14 November 1859 Andreevka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 30 August 1914 (aged 54) near Försterei Karolinenhof, Willenberg, East Prussia (now Karolinka Forestry near Wielbark, Poland) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Service | Imperial Russian Army |
| Years of service | 1877–1914 |
| Rank | General of the Cavalry |
| Commands | Warsaw Military District (1906–?) Second Army (1914) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | See Honours |
Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Самсо́нов, tr. Aleksándr Vasíl’evič Samsónov; 14 November [O.S. 2 November] 1859 – 30 August [O.S. 17 August] 1914) was a career officer in the cavalry of the Imperial Russian Army and a general during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. He was the commander of the Russian Second Army which was surrounded and defeated by the German Eighth Army in the Battle of Tannenberg, one of the early battles of World War I. Ashamed by his loss of the Army, Samsonov committed suicide while retreating from the battlefield.