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Paul von Rennenkampf | |
|---|---|
 Rennenkampf in 1910 | |
| Commander of the Vilna Military District | |
| In office 20 January [O.S. 7] 1913 – 19 July [O.S. 6] 1914 | |
| Monarch | Nicholas II |
| Preceded by | Fyodor Martson |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 April [O.S. 17] 1854 Konofer Manor, Konofer, Kreis Hapsal, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire (in present-day Konuvere, Rapla County, Estonia) |
| Died | 1 April 1918 (aged 63) Taganrog, Russian SFSR |
| Resting place | Taganrog Old Cemetery[1][2] |
| Nationality | Baltic German |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Branch/service |  Imperial Russian Army |
| Years of service | 1870–1915 |
| Rank |  General of the Cavalry |
| Commands | 36th Akhtyrka Dragoon Regiment 1st Separate Cavalry Brigade Transbaikal Cossack Army 7th Siberian Army Corps 3rd Siberian Army Corps 3rd Army Corps Vilna Military District (1913–1914) 1st Army |
| Battles/wars | |
Paul Georg Edler[a] von Rennenkampf[b] (Russian: Па́вел Ка́рлович Ренненка́мпф, romanized: Pavel Karlovich Rennenkampf, IPA: [ˈpavʲɪl ˈkarləvʲɪtɕ ˌrʲenʲːɪnˈkampf]; 29 April [O.S. 17 April] 1854 – 1 April 1918) was a Baltic German nobleman, statesman and general of the Imperial Russian Army who commanded the 1st Army in the invasion of East Prussia during the initial stage of the Eastern front of World War I. He also served as the last commander of the Vilna Military District.
Rennenkampf gained a reputation as an effective cavalry commander during the Boxer Rebellion and the Russo-Japanese War. Following service in the latter, he led the detachment that suppressed the Chita Republic during the 1905 Russian Revolution. This earned him further promotion, and by the outbreak of World War I Rennenkampf was commander of the Vilna Military District, whose forces were used to form the 1st Army under his command.
He led the 1st Army in the invasion of East Prussia and won an early victory at Gumbinnen in late August 1914, but was relieved of command after defeats at Tannenberg, the Masurian Lakes and Łódź, although he was later proved innocent for the mistakes made in the Battle at Łódź by an official inquiry into his actions. Rennenkampf was shot by the Bolsheviks in Taganrog during the Red Terror in 1918.
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