25 December 1886
Birth of Gotthard Heinrici
Birth of Gotthard Heinrici
Historical place archive
Browse historical events and people recorded at Gumbinnen in Germany. The records below are rendered directly from the World History Database into this page's initial HTML.
Birth of Gotthard Heinrici
Defeat at the scrappy Battle of Gumbinnen led a panicked Prittwitz to order the withdrawal of Eighth Army to the River Vistula, fearing encirclement by the Russian First and Second Armies
The order to withdraw effectively abandoned East Prussia to the Russians; before the order was executed he was recalled to Berlin by Helmuth von Moltke, the German Army Chief of Staff. Defeat at the scrappy Battle of Gumbinnen led a panicked Prittwitz to order the withdrawal of Eighth Army to the River Vistula, fearing encirclement by the Russian First and Second Armies
Prittwitz decides to engage Rennenkampf at the earliest possibility, pitting 150,000 Germans against 200,000 Russians, the decision went against the orders of Moltke, the German Chief of Staff, which ruled out any offensive before the fall of France
Maximilian von Prittwitz's orders were very clear, his German Eighth Army was to remain in its positions in East Prussia, without attempting any offensive action, as all German efforts were to be concentrated on the Western Front against France.
Prittwitz decides to engage Rennenkampf at the earliest possibility, pitting 150,000 Germans against 200,000 Russians, the decision went against the orders of Moltke, the German Chief of Staff, which ruled out any offensive before the fall of France.
Maximilian von Prittwitzs orders were very clear, his German Eighth Army was to remain in its positions in East Prussia, without attempting any offensive action, as all German efforts were to be concentrated on the Western Front against France
Maximilian von Prittwitzs orders were very clear, his German Eighth Army was to remain in its positions in East Prussia, without attempting any offensive action, as all German efforts were to be concentrated on the Western Front against France
At the mercy of the German artillery the Russians are were forced to retreat 8 km in the early afternoon but the lines are stabilized when the Russian 29th Division arrived, and the battle turned into a stalemate
The Battle of Gumbinnen, initiated by forces of the German Empire is the first major German offensive on the Eastern Front during the First World War. Commands Commander-XVIII Corps.
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf).
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf). Francois persuades Prittwitz to launch an offensive against the Russian First Army while the Second Army was still far to the south
At first the German advance went well, but faltered once they came under Russian artillery fire, and the Russians were able to turn their flanks and force them to retreat to the Insterburg-Angerburg lines, leaving 6,000 prisoners in Russian hands
At the mercy of the German artillery the Russians are were forced to retreat 8 km in the early afternoon but the lines are stabilized when the Russian 29th Division arrived, and the battle turned into a stalemate.
The Chief of Staff reacted by removing Prittwitz and his deputy Waldersee, replacing them with Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Prittwitz's panic partially affected Moltke, who now feared that Berlin itself could now be threatened by the advancing Russians.
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf)
The Battle of Gumbinnen, initiated by forces of the German Empire is the first major German offensive on the Eastern Front during the First World War
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf)
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf)
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf)
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf)
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf). Francois persuades Prittwitz to launch an offensive against the Russian First Army while the Second Army was still far to the south
The Eighth Army comprises four corps: I Corps (Hermann von Francois), XVII Corps (August von Mackensen), I Reserve Corps (Otto von Below), and XX Corps, plus one cavalry division, facing the Russian First Army (Paul von Rennenkampf)
Francois persuades Prittwitz to launch an offensive against the Russian First Army while the Second Army was still far to the south
Gathers a force 100,000 against the threat posed by Samsonov & Rennekamps armies
Provenance
These entries are generated from stored World History Database records whose country and place fields match Germany and Gumbinnen. Names, dates, event labels and descriptions are reviewed and normalised as the database develops. Historical place names may not match modern administrative boundaries.
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