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WordNet
battle of Tannenberg

n. a battle in World War I (1914); decisive German victory over the Russians [syn: Tannenberg]

Wikipedia
Battle of Tannenberg

The Battle of Tannenberg was fought between Russia and Germany from 26-30 August 1914, during the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov. A series of follow-up battles ( First Masurian Lakes) destroyed most of the First Army as well and kept the Russians off balance until the spring of 1915. The battle is particularly notable for fast rail movements by the Germans, enabling them to concentrate against each of the two Russian armies in turn, and also for the failure of the Russians to encode their radio messages. It brought high prestige to Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and his rising staff-officer Erich Ludendorff.

Although the battle actually took place near Allenstein (now Olsztyn, Poland), Hindenburg named it after Tannenberg (now Stębark, Poland), 30 km to the west, to avenge the defeat of the Teutonic Knights at the earlier Battle of Grunwald of 1410 having also the same name.

Usage examples of "battle of tannenberg".

Because of the momentous results of the Battle of Tannenberg of which Gumbinnen was a preliminary, the episode of Rennenkampf’.

For these they exchanged their crusaders' wagons, and so it was in carriages with comfortable springs that they witnessed the second battle of Tannenberg, which was not fought at Tannenberg any more than the first.

Grandfather Vanya had gone to the front and fought against the Germans, but early in the war had been captured at the Battle of Tannenberg.