FOOTNOTES:
[1] See diagrams on pp. [15] and [18].
[2] See Appendixes No. [I] and [II], in which an analysis of this part of Ludendorf's Memoirs is given.
[3] See Appendixes ["Ludendorf—Samsonov"] and ["Ludendorf—Rennenkampf"] at the end of the pamphlet.
[4] How preposterous is this figure of 1,200,000 men, supposed to have been transferred by the Russians from Galicia to Warsaw, to oppose Ludendorf, may be seen from the fact that only 3 railway lines run from Galicia to Warsaw. It is not difficult to demonstrate that it is impossible to carry 1,200,000 men on 3 railway lines within 2 weeks (the offensive of the Germans against Warsaw began in the first days of October, and the retreat began two weeks later, i. e., when the Russian troops were transferred from Galicia to Warsaw).
One army corps requires 140-150 trains. The best road in Russia can at most carry 52 trains in 24 hours in one direction. Hence, to entrain a corps would require 3 days. Consequently the most that could be entrained within 15 days would be 5 corps to each railway line. Thus, all 3 roads combined might have been able to carry up to 15 corps, but actually, of course, they carried less than that. But even if we allow the computation of 15 corps to stand, we have but 500-600 thousand men, and not 1,200,000 as Mr. Ludendorf unhesitatingly allots.
[5] According to figures submitted in 1916 by the army committee of the German Reichstag, the German army lost during the first 12 months of the War 604 thousand killed, 1,556,000 wounded, and 317 thousand prisoners. This shows that the number of wounded is 2½ times the number of killed.
[6] According to the statistics of the "Copenhagen Society," the French Army lost 1,350,000 in killed, the British—700,000, the Italian—330,000, and each of the remaining Allies—100,000 and less.
Appendix No. I
Ludendorf—Samsonov
1.) A careful perusal of Ludendorf's memoirs brings out the fact that during the first Russian invasion of Eastern Prussia there participated on the German side: the 1st, 17th, 20th and 1st Reserve Corps, the 3rd Reserve Division, the 6th Landwehr Brigade, Goltz's Division, the garrisons of the Vistula fortresses,—Thorn, Kulm and Graudenitz, and a brigade of cavalry. The German forces consisted, therefore, not of two corps numbering 80,000 men but of more than 240,000, not counting the masses of landsturm, which fact Ludendorf carefully conceals.
2.) The Russians, on the other hand, advanced into East Prussia not fully mobilized, as this battle took place twenty-seven days after the War was declared, and the Russian mobilization was only completed three—four weeks later. Samsonov had no six army corps under his command, but only 4 corps: the 1st, the 6th, the 13th and the 15th, and, figuring even at 40,000 men per army corps, this force could not have exceeded 160,000 men.
3.) It can be seen, therefore, that in this battle over 240,000 Germans were opposing 160,000 Russians at most. However, as a matter of positive fact, the attack of the 240,000 Germans was directed against two Russian corps only, the 1st and the 6th, i. e., at only approximately 80,000 men.
4.) A force of Germans, three times as strong, overpowered two Russian corps. During that attack Samsonov and a part of his staff were killed. That, and the disruption of liaison, was the reason reinforcements were not sent up from the other corps and the Germans succeeded in invading the Russian rear (see map No. 1).
5.) The remainder of Samsonov's army, about 80,000 men, became surrounded by 240,000 Germans, and, left without leadership, in the midst of an extremely critical and dangerous operation, on unfamiliar territory, it was shattered. Only under such an unfortunate combination of circumstances could a threefold strong German force win the battle in a tactical sense. But, from the strategic point of view, the Germans lost in this stage of their campaign, as this battle diverted a number of German corps from France and served a purpose of the greatest importance.
The Russian troops are indicated on this map by white squares; the Germans—by black. It can be seen from this map that the army of Gen. Samsonov took up positions from Usdau to Biskofsburg. The Germans attacked his flanks, i. e., Usdau, his left flank, and Biskofsburg, his right. The 1st and 6th Russian Corps were located there, as indicated by the map.
It may be observed from the map that the 1st Corps was attacked by two German corps, one division and the Vistula garrisons, i. e., about 120,000 Germans attacked 40,000 Russians. The 6th Corps at Biskofsburg was put in a similar situation. Under pressure from a threefold stronger German force, the 1st and 6th Corps retreated. Thereupon the Germans fell under Neiderborg and Passenheim upon the rear of Samsonov's remaining troops, the 13th and 15th Corps. These corps were consequently surrounded by this threefold stronger force and were defeated after a heroic fight of three days.
6.) It must be added that the entire population of East Prussia was armed, and scouting was very difficult. The Russians knew nothing about the enemy, while the latter was fully informed by the inhabitants concerning the Russians and knew every step these were making. That is why the German attack came as a surprise.
7.) The assertion that Rennenkampf had 400,000 men and intentionally did not come to Samsonov's aid is a downright misstatement. This can be seen from the fact that the battle, which was begun on August 27, was lost in 18 hours, on the morning of August 28, and Rennenkampf, who with small forces was within three days' marching distance from Samsonov—40 miles—could not have arrived in time, particularly when we consider that he had to overcome on his way fortifications and barbed-wire defenses manned by landsturm and by cavalry.
8.) Ludendorf's assertion that Rennenkampf's force consisted of 24 divisions, almost 400,000 men, is an obvious falsehood. A single army is never made up of more than six army corps, for facility and expediency in commanding, and this is a basic rule in military organizations. Ludendorf knows this very well, but it appears that he consciously misstated the truth in this case as well.
9.) In reality Rennenkampf's army consisted of eight divisions or four army corps,—the 2nd, the 3rd, the 4th and the 20th, and of six cavalry divisions. Altogether his force consisted of about 160,000 men. The bulk of his infantry could not have reached the front at that time, as it was necessary to organize the rear and to coordinate the railway movement in Prussia, as the Russian rail gauge is much wider than that adopted by the German railway system. Rennenkampf's front, therefore, was occupied largely by cavalry, supported only in section by weak detachments of infantry.
10.) Rennenkampf could not have aided Samsonov even if he had known his situation, because he was already at a distance of 90 miles from his own railway lines, and Ludendorf himself admits that it is not possible to operate safely further than 80 miles from one's railroads. Rennenkampf's army, therefore, without provisions and ammunition, had to wait until its rear was made secure and was unable to move further.
Appendix No. II.
Ludendorf—Rennenkampf
His second battle—with Rennenkampf—Ludendorf describes with a similar distortion of facts. On this occasion he goes so far as to assert that Rennenkampf had not 400,000 men but 600,000, and he states at the same time that Rennenkampf was a traitor because he retreated too soon. As we have already seen, Rennenkampf had only about 160,000 men, and he was reinforced by one more corps, the 22nd,—about 40,000 additional men; therefore his army could not have exceeded 200,000 men. Ludendorf places his own army at 300,000 men, much less, of course, than his actual strength, but even at that rate he attacked 200,000 Russians with 300,000 German troops, outnumbering his adversary one and a half times.
That accounts for the ease with which Ludendorf was able to throw 200,000 men into the frontal attack and still was able to send up 100,000 men to get into Rennenkampf's rear (see map No. 2). Rennenkampf's troops were kept engaged for seven days in repulsing Ludendorf's attacks upon their front, and he had no troops left with which to parry the attack on his rear. When the Germans invaded the Russian rear and were threatening to cut off the Russian main line of retreat, the Vershbolovo-Kovno Railroad, Rennenkampf was compelled to retreat so as not to be cut off. In fact, had Rennenkampf not retreated at that time, he would have committed the same act of treason that Marshal Bazaine was guilty of in 1870, when he, under similar circumstances, did not consent to escape from the steadily closing-up iron ring of Germans and was finally captured with his entire army. Rennenkampf gave orders to retreat only when the Germans were firing at the city of Gumbinnen and at his rear railway lines. This was not too soon by any means, but may have been rather a little late.
Rennenkampf's troops are indicated between Welau and Ingenburg (white square). Opposite them is the German army (black square).
Rennenkampf had 4 corps,—less than 160,000 men. He was attacked frontally also by 4 corps which engaged all his effectives. Meanwhile two German corps (the 17th and the 1st) that remained free began invading his rear (these corps are indicated in black). When these two corps approached Gumbinnen, they found themselves in a position to cut Rennenkampf off from his only road, the Insterburg-Kovno railway. Rennenkampf had no men to oppose these troops with, as all his units were fighting at the front line of Welau-Ingenburg. Rennenkampf was therefore compelled to retreat in order not to be cut off.
The 22nd Corps did not even succeed in getting near Rennenkampf, and was halted by the Germans fifty miles away from the field of battle. Rennenkampf had, therefore, not 200,000 men to Germany's 300,000, but only 160,000,—about one-half. The cause of the defeat of Rennenkampf was that that military operation had been calculated for the combined armies of Samsonov and Rennenkampf, and was a risky undertaking at that. When Rennenkampf was left alone, this operation was as a matter of course doomed to defeat, and it required the tenacity of Rennenkampf to have offered the obstinate resistance that he did in this battle.