Battle of Gumbinnen
Gusev (formerly Gumbinnen), Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia
What happened
The Russian First Army under Paul von Rennenkampf fought the German Eighth Army under Maximilian von Prittwitz, with August von Mackensen. In the opening weeks of the First World War, Russian forces invaded the German province of East Prussia. The Germans attacked near Gumbinnen on 20 August. One German corps did well, but Mackensen's corps was pushed back by Russian artillery and retreated in disorder.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a Russian victory that shook the German command. Prittwitz said he would retreat and was replaced by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff.
What came next
Prittwitz had planned to retreat to the Vistula River. After the Second World War, Gumbinnen was renamed Gusev, after a Red Army captain killed nearby in January 1945.
Did you know?
Prittwitz was the first army commander of the First World War to be removed from his post.
Timeline
- 1732Protestant refugees from Salzburg resettle the area.
- 20 August 1914Russia wins at Gumbinnen.
- 22 August 1914Hindenburg and Ludendorff take command.
- 19 April 1945Captain Sergei Gusev is named a Hero of the Soviet Union.