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{{Short description|Russian general (1859–1914)}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name = Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov
| name = Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov
| image = Samsonov Alexander Vasilevich.jpg
| image = Samsonov Alexander Vasilevich.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| nickname =
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1859|11|14|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1859|11|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = Andreevka, [[Kherson Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] (now [[Ukraine]])
| birth_place = Andreevka, [[Kherson Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] <small>
</small>
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1914|08|30|1859|11|14|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1914|08|30|1859|11|14|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Wielbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Willenberg]], [[East Prussia]]<br>(now Wielbark, [[Poland]])
| death_place = near Försterei Karolinenhof, [[Wielbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Willenberg]], [[East Prussia]]<br><small>(now Karolinka Forestry near Wielbark, [[Poland]])</small>
| death_cause = [[Suicide]]
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = {{flag|Russian Empire|1914}}
| allegiance = {{flag|Russian Empire|1914}}
| branch = {{flagicon|Russian Empire|1914}} [[Imperial Russian Army]]
| branch = {{flagicon|Russian Empire|1914}} [[Imperial Russian Army]]
| serviceyears = 1877–1914
| serviceyears = 1877–1914
| rank = [[General of the Cavalry]]
| rank = [[General of the Cavalry]]
| unit =
| unit =
| commands = [[Warsaw Military District (Russian Empire)|Warsaw Military District]] (1906–?)<br />[[Second Army (Russian Empire)|Second Army]] (1914)
| commands = [[Warsaw Military District (Russian Empire)|Warsaw Military District]] (1906–?)<br />[[Second Army (Russian Empire)|Second Army]] (1914)
| battles = [[Boxer Rebellion]]<br>[[Russo-Japanese War]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[Boxer Rebellion]]
* [[Russo-Japanese War]]
* [[Battle of Mukden]]
** [[Battle of Mukden]]
[[World War I]]
* [[World War I]]
* [[Battle of Tannenberg (1914)|Battle of Tannenberg]] {{KIA|Suicide}}
** [[Battle of Tannenberg (1914)|Battle of Tannenberg]]{{KIA|Suicide}}
{{tree list/end}}
| awards = See [[#Honours|Honours]]
| awards = See [[#Honours|Honours]]
| relations =
| relations =
| laterwork =
| laterwork =
}}
}}


'''Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov''' ( {{lang-ru|Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Самсо́нов}}, [[Romanization of Russian|tr.]] {{transl|ru|Aleksándr Vasíl’evič Samsónov}}; {{OldStyleDate|14 November|1859|2 November}}{{spaced ndash}}{{OldStyleDate|30 August|1914|17 August}}) was a career officer in the [[cavalry]] of the [[Imperial Russian Army]] and a general during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] and [[World War I]]. He was the commander of the [[2nd Army (Russian Empire)|Russian Second Army]] which was surrounded and defeated by the [[8th Army (German Empire)|German Eighth Army]] in the [[Battle of Tannenberg]], one of the early battles of World War I. Ashamed by his loss of the Army, Samsonov committed suicide while retreating from the battlefield.
'''Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov''' ({{langx|ru|Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Самсо́нов}}, [[Romanization of Russian|tr.]] {{transl|ru|Aleksándr Vasíl’evič Samsónov}}; {{OldStyleDate|14 November|1859|2 November}}{{spaced ndash}}{{OldStyleDate|30 August|1914|17 August}}) was a career officer in the [[cavalry]] of the [[Imperial Russian Army]] and a general during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] and [[World War I]]. He was the commander of the [[2nd Army (Russian Empire)|Russian Second Army]] which was surrounded and defeated by the [[8th Army (German Empire)|German Eighth Army]] in the [[Battle of Tannenberg]], one of the early battles of World War I. Ashamed by his loss of the Army, Samsonov committed suicide while retreating from the battlefield.


== Early military career ==
== Early military career ==
He was born in [[Kherson Governorate]] of the [[Russian Empire]] in what is now part of [[Ukraine]]. After graduation from the Vladimir of Kiev Cadet Corps and elite Nikolaev Cavalry School, he joined the [[Imperial Russian Army]] at age 18 as a [[Cornet (military rank)|cornet]] in the 12th [[Hussar]]s Regiment.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
He was born in [[Kherson Governorate]] of the [[Russian Empire]] in what is now part of [[Ukraine]]. After graduation from the Vladimir of Kiev Cadet Corps and elite {{ill|Nicholas Cavalry College|ru|Николаевское кавалерийское училище}}, he joined the [[Imperial Russian Army]] at age 18 as a [[Cornet (military rank)|cornet]] in the 12th [[Hussar]]s Regiment.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}


Samsonov fought in the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78]].<ref name=Tuchman-p295>Barbara Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'' (New York: Random House Trade Paperback, 2014 (first published 1962, Macmillan Publishing)), p. 295.</ref> After this war he attended the [[General Staff Academy (Imperial Russia)|Nikolaevsky Military Academy]] in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]].<ref name= Kowner>Kowner, '' Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War'', pp. 341–42.</ref> On November 4, 1888, he was appointed senior aide to the staff of the 20th Infantry Division, and from July 10, 1885, to February 4, 1889, served as Senior Staff Adjutant to the Caucasus Grenadier Division. From March 11, 1890, through July 26, 1896, he worked at various assignments at the [[Warsaw Military District (Russian Empire)|Warsaw Military District]]. He subsequently became commandant of the Elisavetgrad Cavalry School. During the [[Boxer Rebellion]] (1900), Samsonov commanded a cavalry unit. During the [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904–1905), Samsonov commanded a cavalry brigade of the Ussuri Siberian Cossack Division. He was promoted to command all Russian cavalry forces in the First Siberian Army Corps following the Russian defeat at the [[Battle of Telissu]]. His forces subsequently protected the Russian flanks at the [[Battle of Liaoyang]].<ref name= Kowner /> Through these conflicts Samsonov gained a reputation as an energetic and resourceful leader, but some observers criticized his strategic abilities.{{cn|date=February 2020}} He had no command experience preparing him to command an army of thirteen divisions.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 314.</ref>
Samsonov fought in the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78]].<ref name=Tuchman-p295>Barbara Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'' (New York: Random House Trade Paperback, 2014 (first published 1962, Macmillan Publishing)), p. 295.</ref> After this war he attended the [[General Staff Academy (Imperial Russia)|Nikolaevsky Military Academy]] in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]].<ref name= Kowner>Kowner, '' Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War'', pp. 341–42.</ref> On November 4, 1888, he was appointed senior aide to the staff of the 20th Infantry Division, and from July 10, 1885, to February 4, 1889, served as Senior Staff Adjutant to the Caucasus Grenadier Division. From March 11, 1890, through July 26, 1896, he worked at various assignments at the [[Warsaw Military District (Russian Empire)|Warsaw Military District]]. He subsequently became commandant of the Elisavetgrad Cavalry School. During the [[Boxer Rebellion]] (1900), Samsonov commanded a cavalry unit. During the [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904–1905), Samsonov commanded a cavalry brigade of the Ussuri Siberian Cossack Division. He was promoted to command all Russian cavalry forces in the First Siberian Army Corps following the Russian defeat at the [[Battle of Telissu]]. His forces subsequently protected the Russian flanks at the [[Battle of Liaoyang]].<ref name= Kowner /> Through these conflicts Samsonov gained a reputation as an energetic and resourceful leader, but some observers criticized his strategic abilities.{{cn|date=February 2020}} He had no command experience preparing him to command an army of thirteen divisions.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 314.</ref>
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[[File:Alexander-samsonow.jpg|thumb|Samsonov at the outbreak of the war]]
[[File:Alexander-samsonow.jpg|thumb|Samsonov at the outbreak of the war]]
At the start of [[World War I]], Samsonov received the command of the [[Second Army (Russian Empire)|Russian Second Army]] for the invasion of [[East Prussia]],<ref name=Tuchman-p295/> which was guarded by the [[8th Army (German Empire)|German Eighth Army]] under the command of General [[Maximilian von Prittwitz]].<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 297.</ref> Samsonov advanced slowly into the south-western corner of East Prussia, intending to link up with the [[1st Army (Russian Empire)|Russian First Army]], commanded by General [[Paul von Rennenkampf]], which had started advancing into the north-east section of East Prussia.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', pp. 294-295.</ref> However, lack of communications between the two armies, and with the rear command of the Northwest Army Group, hindered co-ordination.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'' pp. 292, 295, 296, 323, 325.</ref>
At the start of [[World War I]], Samsonov received the command of the [[2nd Army (Russian Empire)|Russian Second Army]] for the [[Russian invasion of East Prussia (1914)|invasion]] of [[East Prussia]],<ref name=Tuchman-p295/> which was defeated by the [[8th Army (German Empire)|German Eighth Army]] under the command of General [[Maximilian von Prittwitz]].<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 297.</ref> Samsonov advanced slowly into the south-western corner of East Prussia, intending to link up with the [[1st Army (Russian Empire)|Russian First Army]], commanded by General [[Paul von Rennenkampf]], which had started advancing into the north-east section of East Prussia.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', pp. 294-295.</ref> However, lack of communications between the two armies, and with the rear command of the Northwest Army Group, hindered co-ordination.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'' pp. 292, 295, 296, 323, 325.</ref>


It is sometimes claimed that the poor coordination between Samsonov and Rennenkampf during the campaign was based on their personal antagonism towards each other. This antagonism is said to have been based on an incident after the [[Battle of Liaoyang]] during the [[Russo-Japanese war]] where Samsonov had publicly quarrelled with Rennenkampf on the landing platform of a railway station, and that the two were mutual lifetime enemies.<ref name=Tuchman-p319>Tuchman, ''Guns of August'', p. 319.</ref> However, the original source of this story is considered to be [[Max Hoffmann]], at that time a colonel on the staff of the German Eighth Army.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tannenberg, wie es wirklich war|last=Hoffmann, Max.|date=1926|publisher=Verlag für Kulturpolitik|oclc=175071485}}</ref> His claim of first hand knowledge of the disagreement is contradicted by the injuries to Rennenkampff at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.russojapanesewar.com/Rennen.html|title=von Rennenkampf, Pavel-Georges Karlovich|date=2011-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927022133/http://www.russojapanesewar.com/Rennen.html|access-date=2020-01-18|archive-date=2011-09-27}}</ref> Hoffman appears to have advanced this story during planning sessions, in support of his argument that Rennenkampf would not come to the aid of Samsonov. He argued that the German Eighth Army was free to use all of its forces in the attack on the Russian Second Army to their south, without fear of a counter-attack from their rear by the Russian First Army.<ref name=Tuchman-p319/>
It is sometimes claimed that the poor coordination between Samsonov and Rennenkampf during the campaign was based on their personal antagonism towards each other. This antagonism is said to have been based on an incident after the [[Battle of Liaoyang]] during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] where Samsonov had publicly quarrelled with Rennenkampf on the landing platform of a railway station, and that the two were mutual lifetime enemies.<ref name=Tuchman-p319>Tuchman, ''Guns of August'', p. 319.</ref> However, the original source of this story is considered to be [[Max Hoffmann]], at that time a colonel on the staff of the German Eighth Army.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tannenberg, wie es wirklich war|last=Hoffmann, Max.|date=1926|publisher=Verlag für Kulturpolitik|oclc=175071485}}</ref> His claim of first hand knowledge of the disagreement is contradicted by the injuries to Rennenkampf at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.russojapanesewar.com/Rennen.html|title=von Rennenkampf, Pavel-Georges Karlovich|date=2011-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927022133/http://www.russojapanesewar.com/Rennen.html|access-date=2020-01-18|archive-date=2011-09-27}}</ref> Hoffman appears to have advanced this story during planning sessions, in support of his argument that Rennenkampf would not come to the aid of Samsonov. He argued that the German Eighth Army was free to use all of its forces in the attack on the Russian Second Army to their south, without fear of a counter-attack from their rear by the Russian First Army.<ref name=Tuchman-p319/>


=== Battle of Tannenberg ===
=== Battle of Tannenberg ===


Rennenkampf and the Russian First Army were the first to encounter the German Eighth Army, winning the [[Battle of Gumbinnen]]. The defeat led the German High Command to dismiss von Prittwitz and his chief of staff, replacing them with General (later Field Marshal) [[Paul von Hindenburg]] and General [[Erich Ludendorff]].<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', pp. 309-312.</ref> Hindenburg and Ludendorff arrived on the Eastern Front and decided to attack Samsonov's advancing forces with the full weight of the Eighth Army.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p.320.</ref> Hindenburg and Ludendorff were strengthened in making this decision by intercepted Russian wireless communications, which indicated that Rennenkampf and the Russian First Army could not reach the proposed battle in time to be of assistance, and by an intercepted order from Samsonov, showing the movement of his forces.<ref>David Kahn, ''The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing'', 1967, {{ISBN|978-0-684-83130-5}}, Ch. 16.</ref><ref name=Tuchman-p319/> The armies made contact on August 22 and for six days the numerically superior Russians had some success. However, by August 29 the Germans had surrounded Samsonov's Second Army in the woods between [[Allenstein]] and [[Wielbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Willenberg]]. The rout that followed was named the [[Battle of Tannenberg]] by Hindenburg, to compensate for a defeat of the [[Teutonic Knights]] by the [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Kingdom of Poland]] and the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] at the same location five centuries earlier.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 337.</ref>
Rennenkampf and the Russian First Army were the first to encounter the German Eighth Army, winning the [[Battle of Gumbinnen]]. The defeat led the German High Command to dismiss von Prittwitz and his chief of staff, replacing them with General (later Field Marshal) [[Paul von Hindenburg]] and General [[Erich Ludendorff]].<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', pp. 309-312.</ref> Hindenburg and Ludendorff arrived on the Eastern Front and decided to attack Samsonov's advancing forces with the full weight of the Eighth Army.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p.320.</ref> Hindenburg and Ludendorff were strengthened in making this decision by intercepted Russian wireless communications, which indicated that Rennenkampf and the Russian First Army could not reach the proposed battle in time to be of assistance, and by an intercepted order from Samsonov, showing the movement of his forces.<ref>David Kahn, ''The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing'', 1967, {{ISBN|978-0-684-83130-5}}, Ch. 16.</ref><ref name=Tuchman-p319/> The armies made contact on August 22 and for six days the numerically superior Russians had some success. However, by August 29 the Germans had surrounded Samsonov's Second Army in the woods between [[Olsztyn|Allenstein]] and [[Wielbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Willenberg]]. The rout that followed was named the [[Battle of Tannenberg]] by Hindenburg, to compensate for [[Battle of Grunwald|a defeat]] of the [[Teutonic Knights]] by the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] and the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] at the same location five centuries earlier.<ref>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 337.</ref>


=== Retreat and death ===
=== Retreat and death ===
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Samsonov attempted to retreat, but with his army now trapped in a German encirclement, the German forces killed or captured most of his troops. Only 10,000 of the 150,000 Russian soldiers managed to escape the encirclement. At least 92,000 Russian troops were taken prisoner, and between 300 and 500 Russian guns had been captured, out of the Second Army's initial total of some 600. Over 30,000 Russian soldiers were estimated dead or missing.<ref name = Tuchman-p335>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 335.</ref>
Samsonov attempted to retreat, but with his army now trapped in a German encirclement, the German forces killed or captured most of his troops. Only 10,000 of the 150,000 Russian soldiers managed to escape the encirclement. At least 92,000 Russian troops were taken prisoner, and between 300 and 500 Russian guns had been captured, out of the Second Army's initial total of some 600. Over 30,000 Russian soldiers were estimated dead or missing.<ref name = Tuchman-p335>Tuchman, ''The Guns of August'', p. 335.</ref>


Samsonov and a small group of staff officers and men attempted to escape the encirclement, at first on horseback, and then on foot, over swampy ground, in the darkness of the night of August 29. Samsonov repeatedly was heard to say "The [[Nicholas II of Russia|Czar]] trusted me. How can I face him after such a disaster?" They reached the town of [[Wielbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Willenberg]] late at night, but found it was held by the Germans. At approximately 1 a.m. on August 30, Samsonov slipped away from his party into the forest. A shot rang out. The Russians were not able to find his body in the darkness, but were eventually able to make their way to safety.<ref name=Tuchman-p335/>
Samsonov and a small group of staff officers and men attempted to escape the encirclement, at first on horseback, and then on foot, over swampy ground, in the darkness of the night of August 29. Samsonov repeatedly was heard to say "The [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar]] trusted me. How can I face him after such a disaster?" They reached the town of [[Wielbark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Willenberg]] late at night, but found it was held by the Germans. At approximately 1 a.m. on August 30, Samsonov slipped away from his party into the forest. A shot rang out. The Russians were not able to find his body in the darkness, but were eventually able to make their way to safety.<ref name=Tuchman-p335/>


A German search party eventually found Samsonov's body in the adjacent forest, a bullet wound in his head and a [[revolver]] in his hand.<ref>[http://www.tannenberg1914.de/4_feldh/sams.htm Biography] {{in lang|de}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201234709/http://www.tannenberg1914.de/4_feldh/sams.htm |date=2008-12-01 }}</ref><ref>[[Alexander Solzhenitsyn]], in ''August 1914'' (1971) which traces the course of the battle, also implies suicide.</ref> The Germans buried Samsonov in Willenberg. In 1916, through the intercession of the [[International Red Cross]], the Germans transferred his body to his widow, who was able to bury him in Russia.<ref name=Tuchman-p335/>
A German search party eventually found Samsonov's body in the adjacent forest, a bullet wound in his head and a [[revolver]] in his hand.<ref>[http://www.tannenberg1914.de/4_feldh/sams.htm Biography] {{in lang|de}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201234709/http://www.tannenberg1914.de/4_feldh/sams.htm |date=2008-12-01 }}</ref><ref>[[Alexander Solzhenitsyn]], in ''August 1914'' (1971) which traces the course of the battle, also implies suicide.</ref> The Germans buried Samsonov in Willenberg. In 1916, through the intercession of the [[International Committee of the Red Cross|International Red Cross]], the Germans transferred his body to his widow, who was able to bury him in Russia.<ref name=Tuchman-p335/>


==Honours==
==Honours==


* [[File:Order of Saint Anne Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] [[Order of Saint Anna|Order of St. Anne]], 4th degree (1877)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] [[Order of Saint Anna|Order of St. Anne]], 4th degree (1877)
* [[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] [[Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)|Order of St. Stanislaus]], 3rd degree (1880)
* [[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] [[Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)|Order of St. Stanislaus]], 3rd degree (1880)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anne Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree (1885)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree (1885)
* [[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|He died in 2020 link=Order of St. Stanislav]] Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd degree (1889)
* [[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|He died in 2020 link=Order of St. Stanislav]] Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd degree (1889)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anne Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree (1892)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree (1892)
* [[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] [[Order of Saint Vladimir|Order of St Vladimir]], 4th degree (1896)
* [[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] [[Order of Saint Vladimir|Order of St Vladimir]], 4th degree (1896)
* [[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] Order of St Vladimir, 3rd degree (1900)
* [[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] Order of St Vladimir, 3rd degree (1900)
* [[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree with swords (1904)
* [[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree with swords (1904)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anne Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] Order of St. Anne, 1st degree (1905)
* [[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] Order of St. Anne, 1st degree (1905)
* [[File:Order of Glory Ribbon Bar.png|30px|link=Golden Sword of St. George]] [[Golden Weapon for Bravery|Golden Sword of St. George]] (1906)
* [[File:Order of Glory Ribbon Bar.svg|30px|link=Golden Sword of St. George]] [[Golden Weapon for Bravery|Golden Sword of St. George]] (1906)
* [[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] Order of St Vladimir, 2nd degree (1906)
* [[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] Order of St Vladimir, 2nd degree (1906)
* [[File:OrderStGeorge4cl rib.png|30px|link=Order of St. George]] [[Order of St. George]], 4th class (1907)
* [[File:RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000.svg|30px|link=Order of St. George]] [[Order of St. George]], 4th class (1907)
* [[File:RUS Imperial Order of the White Eagle ribbon.svg|30x30px]] [[Order of the White Eagle (Russian Empire)|Order of the White Eagle]], with swords (1909)
* [[File:RUS Imperial Order of the White Eagle ribbon.svg|30x30px]] [[Order of the White Eagle (Russian Empire)|Order of the White Eagle]], with swords (1909)
* [[File:Band to Order St Alexander Nevsky.png|30px|link= Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] [[Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky|Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] (1913)
* [[File:Band to Order St Alexander Nevsky.png|30px|link= Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] [[Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky|Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] (1913)
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[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1914 suicides]]
[[Category:1914 suicides]]
[[Category:People from Mala Vyska Raion]]
[[Category:1914 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kirovohrad Oblast]]
[[Category:People from Yelisavetgradsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:People from Yelisavetgradsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Imperial Russian Army generals]]
[[Category:Imperial Russian Army generals]]
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[[Category:Russian military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel killed in World War I]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class]]
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[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel who committed suicide]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel who died by suicide]]
[[Category:Suicides by firearm in Poland]]
[[Category:Suicides by firearm in Poland]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Turkestan]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Nicholas Cavalry College]]

Latest revision as of 03:53, 21 November 2024

Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov
Born(1859-11-14)14 November 1859
Andreevka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire
Died30 August 1914(1914-08-30) (aged 54)
near Försterei Karolinenhof, Willenberg, East Prussia
(now Karolinka Forestry near Wielbark, Poland)
Cause of deathSuicide
Allegiance Russian Empire
Service / branchRussian Empire Imperial Russian Army
Years of service1877–1914
RankGeneral of the Cavalry
CommandsWarsaw Military District (1906–?)
Second Army (1914)
Battles / wars
AwardsSee Honours

Aleksandr Vasilyevich Samsonov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Самсо́нов, tr. Aleksándr Vasíl’evič Samsónov; 14 November [O.S. 2 November] 1859 – 30 August [O.S. 17 August] 1914) was a career officer in the cavalry of the Imperial Russian Army and a general during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. He was the commander of the Russian Second Army which was surrounded and defeated by the German Eighth Army in the Battle of Tannenberg, one of the early battles of World War I. Ashamed by his loss of the Army, Samsonov committed suicide while retreating from the battlefield.

Early military career

[edit]

He was born in Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire in what is now part of Ukraine. After graduation from the Vladimir of Kiev Cadet Corps and elite Nicholas Cavalry College [ru], he joined the Imperial Russian Army at age 18 as a cornet in the 12th Hussars Regiment.[citation needed]

Samsonov fought in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78.[1] After this war he attended the Nikolaevsky Military Academy in St. Petersburg.[2] On November 4, 1888, he was appointed senior aide to the staff of the 20th Infantry Division, and from July 10, 1885, to February 4, 1889, served as Senior Staff Adjutant to the Caucasus Grenadier Division. From March 11, 1890, through July 26, 1896, he worked at various assignments at the Warsaw Military District. He subsequently became commandant of the Elisavetgrad Cavalry School. During the Boxer Rebellion (1900), Samsonov commanded a cavalry unit. During the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Samsonov commanded a cavalry brigade of the Ussuri Siberian Cossack Division. He was promoted to command all Russian cavalry forces in the First Siberian Army Corps following the Russian defeat at the Battle of Telissu. His forces subsequently protected the Russian flanks at the Battle of Liaoyang.[2] Through these conflicts Samsonov gained a reputation as an energetic and resourceful leader, but some observers criticized his strategic abilities.[citation needed] He had no command experience preparing him to command an army of thirteen divisions.[3]

In 1906, Samsonov became Chief of staff of the Warsaw Military District, and in 1909 was Governor-General of Russian Turkestan and commander of the Turkestan Military District.[2] He was also commander of the Semirechye Cossacks.[citation needed]

The Great War

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Command of the Russian Second Army

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Samsonov at the outbreak of the war

At the start of World War I, Samsonov received the command of the Russian Second Army for the invasion of East Prussia,[1] which was defeated by the German Eighth Army under the command of General Maximilian von Prittwitz.[4] Samsonov advanced slowly into the south-western corner of East Prussia, intending to link up with the Russian First Army, commanded by General Paul von Rennenkampf, which had started advancing into the north-east section of East Prussia.[5] However, lack of communications between the two armies, and with the rear command of the Northwest Army Group, hindered co-ordination.[6]

It is sometimes claimed that the poor coordination between Samsonov and Rennenkampf during the campaign was based on their personal antagonism towards each other. This antagonism is said to have been based on an incident after the Battle of Liaoyang during the Russo-Japanese War where Samsonov had publicly quarrelled with Rennenkampf on the landing platform of a railway station, and that the two were mutual lifetime enemies.[7] However, the original source of this story is considered to be Max Hoffmann, at that time a colonel on the staff of the German Eighth Army.[8] His claim of first hand knowledge of the disagreement is contradicted by the injuries to Rennenkampf at the time.[9] Hoffman appears to have advanced this story during planning sessions, in support of his argument that Rennenkampf would not come to the aid of Samsonov. He argued that the German Eighth Army was free to use all of its forces in the attack on the Russian Second Army to their south, without fear of a counter-attack from their rear by the Russian First Army.[7]

Battle of Tannenberg

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Rennenkampf and the Russian First Army were the first to encounter the German Eighth Army, winning the Battle of Gumbinnen. The defeat led the German High Command to dismiss von Prittwitz and his chief of staff, replacing them with General (later Field Marshal) Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff.[10] Hindenburg and Ludendorff arrived on the Eastern Front and decided to attack Samsonov's advancing forces with the full weight of the Eighth Army.[11] Hindenburg and Ludendorff were strengthened in making this decision by intercepted Russian wireless communications, which indicated that Rennenkampf and the Russian First Army could not reach the proposed battle in time to be of assistance, and by an intercepted order from Samsonov, showing the movement of his forces.[12][7] The armies made contact on August 22 and for six days the numerically superior Russians had some success. However, by August 29 the Germans had surrounded Samsonov's Second Army in the woods between Allenstein and Willenberg. The rout that followed was named the Battle of Tannenberg by Hindenburg, to compensate for a defeat of the Teutonic Knights by the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the same location five centuries earlier.[13]

Retreat and death

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Samsonov attempted to retreat, but with his army now trapped in a German encirclement, the German forces killed or captured most of his troops. Only 10,000 of the 150,000 Russian soldiers managed to escape the encirclement. At least 92,000 Russian troops were taken prisoner, and between 300 and 500 Russian guns had been captured, out of the Second Army's initial total of some 600. Over 30,000 Russian soldiers were estimated dead or missing.[14]

Samsonov and a small group of staff officers and men attempted to escape the encirclement, at first on horseback, and then on foot, over swampy ground, in the darkness of the night of August 29. Samsonov repeatedly was heard to say "The Tsar trusted me. How can I face him after such a disaster?" They reached the town of Willenberg late at night, but found it was held by the Germans. At approximately 1 a.m. on August 30, Samsonov slipped away from his party into the forest. A shot rang out. The Russians were not able to find his body in the darkness, but were eventually able to make their way to safety.[14]

A German search party eventually found Samsonov's body in the adjacent forest, a bullet wound in his head and a revolver in his hand.[15][16] The Germans buried Samsonov in Willenberg. In 1916, through the intercession of the International Red Cross, the Germans transferred his body to his widow, who was able to bury him in Russia.[14]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b Barbara Tuchman, The Guns of August (New York: Random House Trade Paperback, 2014 (first published 1962, Macmillan Publishing)), p. 295.
  2. ^ a b c Kowner, Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War, pp. 341–42.
  3. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August, p. 314.
  4. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August, p. 297.
  5. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August, pp. 294-295.
  6. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August pp. 292, 295, 296, 323, 325.
  7. ^ a b c Tuchman, Guns of August, p. 319.
  8. ^ Hoffmann, Max. (1926). Tannenberg, wie es wirklich war. Verlag für Kulturpolitik. OCLC 175071485.
  9. ^ "von Rennenkampf, Pavel-Georges Karlovich". 2011-09-27. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  10. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August, pp. 309-312.
  11. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August, p.320.
  12. ^ David Kahn, The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing, 1967, ISBN 978-0-684-83130-5, Ch. 16.
  13. ^ Tuchman, The Guns of August, p. 337.
  14. ^ a b c Tuchman, The Guns of August, p. 335.
  15. ^ Biography (in German) Archived 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in August 1914 (1971) which traces the course of the battle, also implies suicide.

Bibliography

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  • Connaughton, R.M (1988). The War of the Rising Sun and the Tumbling Bear—A Military History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–5, London, ISBN 0-415-00906-5.
  • Jukes, Geoffry. The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. Osprey Essential Histories. (2002). ISBN 978-1-84176-446-7.
  • Warner, Denis and Peggy. The Tide at Sunrise, A History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. (1975). ISBN 0-7146-5256-3.