Chapter 200 Lure the Enemy Deep (900 votes plus updates)
Tannenberg, a small city located tens of kilometers south of Königsberg. It is only a few tens of kilometers away from the border between East Prussia and the Kingdom of Russian Poland. Although it is a small city, because it is the only way for the Russian army to go north to Konigsberg. Therefore, the strategic location here has also become very important.
After the 11th Army of the 8th Army of the German Imperial Army arrived here, it has already begun to strengthen the defense here. If you want to severely damage or even encircle and annihilate the 2nd Army of the Northwest Front Army of the Russian Army at the lowest cost, the best way is to let the Russian army suffer heavy losses in the solid defense line against the German army. After the Russian army lost a large amount of vital force, it launched an offensive and severely damaged the Russian army in one fell swoop.
Although the 8th Armored Division was deployed to the rear of Tannenburg, their mission was not to help the 11th Army defend its positions. They will become the main force in counterattacking the Russian army in the future.
As for the 20th Army, after they attracted the Russian 2nd Army to Tannenburg, they will also turn to rest and prepare for the subsequent counterattack.
Therefore, the task of guarding Tannenburg and consuming the vital forces of the Russian 2nd Army fell entirely on the 11th Army. Even though the 11th Army has four infantry divisions and a total strength of more than 65,000 troops, it still feels great pressure.
Lieutenant General François, commander of the 11th Army, personally sat in Fort Tannen to strengthen the defense here. The officers and soldiers of the German army meticulously built defensive positions according to the requirements. It can be said that the soil work of the German Army is definitely the best in the world. They can use all the materials they can get in their hands to build a strong defensive position. After only a week, Tannenburg was completely reduced to a small fortress.
On August 16th, Qin Tian, Hindenburg, Ludendorff and others personally rushed to Tannenberg to inspect the defense there. After a morning's understanding, Qin Tian is still very satisfied with Tannanbao's defense. Even if he is not a professional, he can still see that under the strong defense line of the German army, the Russians will pay a huge price if they want to take Tannenburg. I am afraid that all the Russian 2nd Army will be wiped out, and the strategic goal of taking Tannenberg may not be achieved.
"General François, it seems that Tannenburg has become a fortress. I am really sad for the Russians. They will die in the battle to attack Tannenburg!" Qin Qin Tian said with a smile.
"Your Highness, it would be the best if all the Russians could die here." Lieutenant General François also laughed.
"Hahaha!" The generals of the German army burst into laughter. Although, they all know this is just a joke. But it certainly showed their optimism for the next fight. Even if the Russians came aggressively and heavily suppressed the border. However, they can still be treated with ease.
"General François, since you are so confident in Tannenburg's defense, why don't I stay at Tannenburg and see how the general defeats the Russians!" Qin Tian said.
Lieutenant General Francois was taken aback by Qin Tian's words.
"His Royal Highness, this is not acceptable. Fort Tannen will soon become a war zone. It is too dangerous. You cannot stay here. You must go to a safer place." Lieutenant General Francois said.
"I believe that here is also very safe. With the protection of the most loyal soldiers, no matter where I am, I am safe." Qin Tian said with a smile.
"Your Highness, go back to Königsberg. If you stay here, General François will only affect his command because he is concerned about your safety. If that is the case, it will be bad." Admiral Hindenburg also persuaded.
Qin Tian didn't insist anymore, and he wasn't the kind of person who made trouble out of no reason. What he said just now was just a casual remark. You know, even though he is the crown prince of the empire, he has never experienced a real battlefield. He is also very curious about all this. Trying to hear that war is cruel, he wants to experience it for himself. However, under the strong opposition of the generals, his wish could only come to nothing.
That afternoon, Qin Tian left Tannenburg and returned to Königsberg. Because of the development of communication technology, even if he stayed in Königsberg, he could know the situation on the front line at the first time. So, there's nothing to worry about.
The next day, August 17, General Ivan Jilinsky, commander of the Russian Northwest Front, gave the order to attack. Hundreds of thousands of German 1st and 2nd armies, already ready to go, crossed the German-Russian border and entered East Prussia.
However, at this time the Russian army discovered that they had not encountered any resistance along the way, not even civilians.
"The Germans, who are as cowardly as a mouse, they ran ahead of time, they are really incompetent. However, this is also good, and we can rush to Königsberg as quickly as possible." General Samsonov I thought secretly.
Even General Samsonov has prepared several of his Cossack cavalry divisions for battle. Once it advances to a place only a few tens of kilometers away from Königsberg, it will detour westward. In any case, the road from Königsberg to the hinterland of Germany must be cut off. In that case, the German Crown Prince will be unable to fly.
It's a pity that Admiral Samsonov's plan is beautiful, but it is destined not to be realized. Because, from beginning to end, this was just a trap set by the German 8th Army, in order to let the Russian 2nd Army led by General Samsonov crash into Tannenburg.
The 20th Army, which was responsible for the task of luring the enemy to go deep, also worked very hard. They did not blindly give up their positions and escape, and they would also block when appropriate. Some battles were even fought fiercely. This made General Samsonov not suspicious at all. And it is under such circumstances that the Russian Second Army led by General Samsonov is stepping into the trap step by step.
At the same time, the Russian 1st Army, attacking from the east, did not encounter decent resistance. Although the German 17th Army set up several lines of defense in the east, they voluntarily abandoned their positions and retreated shortly after each Russian attack, giving the Russian army a feeling that they could not resist and had to retreat. This also made the Russian army march towards the preset position prepared by the German army step by step.
Even General Ivan Jilinski, who is in Warsaw, thinks that the advance of the Russian army is too smooth, right? However, he didn't think much about it, he just thought that the German army could not resist when the Russian army had an absolute advantage, so he had to retreat.
