Russian invasion of East Prussia (1914)

For the Soviet invasion of East Prussia at the end of the Second World War, see East Prussian offensive.

East Prussian campaign
Part of the Eastern Front of World War I

Eastern Front, 17–23 August 1914.
Date17 August – 14 September 1914
Location
East Prussia, German Empire
Result

German victory

Territorial
changes		 Germany recaptures all of East Prussia.
Germany captures land in Poland
Belligerents
 German Empire Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
German Empire Paul von Hindenburg
German Empire Erich Ludendorff
German Empire Max Hoffmann
German Empire Maximilian von Prittwitz		 Nicholas Nikolaevich
Yakov Zhilinsky
Paul von Rennenkampf
Alexander Samsonov †
Vasily Flug
Units involved
German Empire VIII Army I Army
II Army
Strength
Initial: 209,000 men[a]
1,044 guns[5]		 Initial: 1st Army: 150,000 and 702 guns
2nd army: 100,000 men and 402 guns
Total: 250,000–400,000[6] men and 1,100 guns[7][b]
Casualties and losses

Official German medical reports:
13,206 KIA,
26,722 WIA,
2,702 MIA
Total 42,630[9]
Lost:[10]
17 guns
17 machine guns
3 airplanes

Other estimates: Stallupönen – 1,300;[11] Gumbinnen – 14,600;[12] Tannenberg – 12,000;[13] Masurian lakes – 10,000[14] or 40,000[15][16][17]
Total:
37,000[18]–100,000[19]		 Tanneberg: 90,000[Note 1][20]
Masurian Lakes: 100,000[21][22][Note 2]
Gumbinnen: 18,000
Stalluppen: 6,000[23]
Total:
160,000–240,000 casualties
60,000–100,000 taken prisoner[19][20]

The Russian invasion of East Prussia occurred during World War I, lasting from August to September 1914. As well as being the natural course for the Russian Empire to take upon the declaration of war on the German Empire, it was also an attempt to focus the Imperial German Army on the Eastern Front, as opposed to the Western Front. Despite having an overwhelming superiority over the Germans in numbers, the invading Imperial Russian Army spread its forces thin and was defeated in the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, resulting in a complete strategic collapse of the Russian invasion.

The shock of the invasion served to assist the German war effort. According to Alexander Watson "Outrage at the violation of national territory and Tsarist atrocities strengthened German solidarity, cemented conviction in the righteousness of the national cause, and acted as a terrible and lasting warning of the penalties of defeat".[24]

  1. ^ XI Corps, Guards Reserve Corps, 8th Cavalry Division
  2. ^ Sanitaetsbericht ueber das Deutsche Heer (Deutsche Feldund Besatzungsheer) im Weltkriege 1914/1918. Bd. III. p. 36, Bd. II. p. 477
  3. ^ Sanitaetsbericht ueber das Deutsche Heer (Deutsche Feldund Besatzungsheer) im Weltkriege 1914/1918. Bd. III. B., 1934. Taffel 11
  4. ^ Borisyuk 2024, p. 40.
  5. ^ Oleynikov 2016, p. 28.
  6. ^ Nelipovich 2017, p. 17.
  7. ^ Oleynikov 2016, p. 27.
  8. ^ С. Г. Нелипович: Два похода. Борьба за Восточную Пруссию в августе-октябре 1914 года, 2020, p. 110
  9. ^ С. Г. Нелипович: Два похода. Борьба за Восточную Пруссию в августе-октябре 1914 года, 2020, p. 99
  10. ^ С.Г. Нелипович, 2019, р. 23
  11. ^ Tannenberg 1914, 2005, p. 18.
  12. ^ Tannenberg 1914, 2005; p. 32
  13. ^ Hastings, Max., 2013; p. 281
  14. ^ David Eggenberger, 2012, p. 270
  15. ^ Spencer C. Tucker. World War I: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection. ABC-CLIO. 2014. p. 1048
  16. ^ Timothy C. Dowling. Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond. ABC-CLIO. 2014. p. 509
  17. ^ Prit Buttar. Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914. Osprey Publishing. 2014. p. 239
  18. ^ Der Weltkrieg 1914 – 1918. Band 2. S. 317, 346
  19. ^ a b M. Hughes, W. Philpott. The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the First World War. Springer. 2005. P. VI
  20. ^ a b Oleynikov 2016, p. 233.
  21. ^ Олейников А. В. "Крах австро–германского «блицкрига»". // Битва гвардий. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  22. ^ Alfred Knox. Major General with the Russian Army (1914–1917). (1921) P. 90
  23. ^ Головин Н. Н. Из истории кампании 1914 года на русском фронте. Начало войны и операции в Восточной Пруссии: С прил. карт и схем на отдельных листах. — Прага : Пламя, 1926. — 436 с., 15 с.
  24. ^ Watson, Alexander (2015). Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at war 1914-1918. London: Penguin Books. p. 206.


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