Alexander Wassiljewitsch Samsonow
Alexander Vasilyevich Samsonov ( Russian Александр Васильевич Самсонов , scientific. Transliteration Aleksandr Samsonov Vasil'evič ; * 2. November . Jul / 14. November 1859 greg. In yekaterinoslav governorate ; † August 17 jul. / 30th August 1914 greg. In Willenberg ) was a general in the Russian Army .
Military career
He finished his training at the cavalry school of the Russian Army in 1877. In 1884, after successfully completing his training, he left the Academy of the General Staff . In the Russo-Japanese War (1904/05) he was the commander of a cavalry division. In 1906 he was appointed Chief of Staff in the Warsaw Military District . From 1909 he was Governor General in Turkestan . There he was mainly occupied with administrative tasks.
At the beginning of the First World War in July 1914, as part of the Russian mobilization, he was given command of the 2nd Army, which was gathering in the Warsaw area . Samsonov, promoted to general of the cavalry , advanced as commander-in-chief of the 2nd ( Narew Army) from the south over the Narew in East Prussia . In the battle of Tannenberg from August 26th to 30th, 1914, most of his troops were surrounded by the German 8th Army under General von Hindenburg and most of them were taken prisoner.
death
After the devastating defeat of his army against the Germans, General Samsonow shot himself in a hopeless situation on August 30, 1914 in the forest near Willenberg .
The body of General Samsonov was initially not recognized by the villagers and so he was buried like all other fallen on the battlefield in a simple soldier's grave. Only later, when the scattered graves were moved to military cemeteries, was he recognized. He was identified by an amulet that he wore around his neck. At the instigation of his wife, his bones were transferred to Russia in 1916 . A small pyramid - the so-called Samsonow stone - was later erected at the site.
literature
- Christian Zentner : The First World War. Data, facts, comments. Moewig, Rastatt 2000, ISBN 3-8118-1652-7
- Aleksandr A. Noskoff: The man who lost Tannenberg; with 15 pictures and 3 map sketches . Vorhut Verlag Otto Schlegel, Berlin 1934, translation from the Russian by Franz Volk.
Web links
- Article Alexander Wassiljewitsch Samsonow in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE) , 3rd edition 1969–1978 (Russian)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Samsonow, Alexander Wassiljewitsch |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Samsonov, Alexandr Wassiljewitsch |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Russian general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 14, 1859 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 30, 1914 |
| Place of death | Willenberg (today Wielbark ) |