Battle Of Augustów (1914)
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The Battle of Augustów, also known as the First Augustow Operation, was a conflict on the Eastern Front during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. It took place between the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
and the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
in September 1914.


Prelude

Following the retreat of the Russian 2nd Army after the
Battle of Tannenberg The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 23 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russ ...
, Russian forces found themselves defending the perimeter of Augustów. The 10th Army established positions along the banks of the
Neman Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...
river. Due to the outbreak of the battle for Warsaw, the command of the
Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...
decided to conduct an operation to secure the rear of the main army. The Russians brought in reserves from the 10th Army, consisting of 9 infantry divisions and 1.5 cavalry divisions. They faced General Schubert's 8th Army, which included 7 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry division, and Landwehr units. Overall, the forces were roughly equal in size.


Battle

Fighting erupted against the German 8th Army on 12 September as German forces attempted to capture the Osowiec fortress, while other units launched attacks on
Druskininkai Druskininkai (; also see other names) is a spa city on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai is known for being a spa resort since the 19th century. Name The exact origi ...
. The fighting lasted for three days and yielded no significant benefits for the Germans. Meanwhile, the Russians capitalized on their defensive success and launched a counteroffensive on 15 September. German units attempting to ford the Neman River were overwhelmed, and the battle moved into the Augustów forests. The German units were partially blocked, and the 3rd Siberian Corps advanced to their rear, where the Germans suffered significant losses, with some forces being defeated and others captured. On 18 September, a counter bayonet battle took place, during which Russian General Stelnitsky personally led the infantry into action, achieving complete success. The Germans retreated after losing 600 soldiers, while Russian casualties amounted to only 16. Subsequent fighting was limited to German attempts to cross the Neman, which ended in complete failure, and artillery duels, in which the Russians emerged victorious. According to one report in the ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'', approximately 20,000 German bodies were seen floating down the Neman River. The Germans retreated eight miles, pursued by Russian Cossack soldiers, leaving behind wounded troops, weapons, munitions, and supply convoys. General Flug corroborated these accounts, stating that German losses were at least as great as those of the Russians. 10-я армия в сентябре 1914 г. С. 256 The Russians captured significant trophies, including 22 guns, several dozen ammunition boxes, a few vehicles, and 3,000 German prisoners. This victory allowed the Russians to recover from their earlier setbacks at the start of the war. The situation had dramatically reversed: the Russian 10th Army completely defeated the German 8th Army and advanced into East Prussia, occupying several key cities.


Aftermath

The battle concluded with a significant operational victory for Russia. The skillful actions of the Russian command pinned down elements of the German 8th Army, contributing to the victory at the Battle of Warsaw and facilitating the invasion of East Prussia. This success also bolstered the positions of the Northwestern Front. The exact German losses remain unknown but were reportedly extremely high. According to accounts from participants, "The Neman was red with blood after the battle," and "The entire German retreat path was littered with their corpses."


References


Sources

* * 10-я армия в сентябре 1914 г. // Военный сборник — Кн. V. — Белград, 1924. — С. 232—260; * *


Notes

Battles of World War I involving Germany Battles of World War I involving Russia Battles of the Eastern Front (World War I) {{Poland-battle-stub