Alexander Vasiliyevich Samsonov

Russian military officer

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Alexander Vasiliyevich Samsonov was a Russian military officer who played a significant role in World War I. He commanded the Russian Second Army during the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914. In this battle, his army was encircled and largely destroyed by German forces led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. The crushing defeat at Tannenberg, which resulted in the capture of approximately 92,000 Russian soldiers and the annihilation of half of Samsonov's army, became a symbol of the Russian Empire's struggles in the war. Samsonov reportedly died by suicide during the battle's disastrous conclusion.12

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Battle of Tannenberg
Initial developments on the Eastern Front
Alexander Samsonov. The two armies formed a group under the higher control of Zhilinsky. Zhilinsky’s plan was that Rennenkampf should advance against East Prussia from the east, drawing upon himself the German defending forces, and then, two days later, Samsonov was to cross the German…
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Alexander Samsonov. The two armies formed a group under the higher control of Zhilinsky. Zhilinsky’s plan was that Rennenkampf should advance against East Prussia from the east, drawing upon himself the German defending forces, and then, two days later, Samsonov was to cross the German…
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World War I
The war in the east, 1914
…2nd, or Warsaw, Army under A.V. Samsonov, were to converge, with a two-to-one superiority in numbers, on the German 8th Army in East Prussia from the east and the south, respectively. Rennenkampf’s left flank would be separated by 50 miles from Samsonov’s right flank.
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…2nd, or Warsaw, Army under A.V. Samsonov, were to converge, with a two-to-one superiority in numbers, on the German 8th Army in East Prussia from the east and the south, respectively. Rennenkampf’s left flank would be separated by 50 miles from Samsonov’s right flank.
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