Samsonov stone
The Samsonow Stone is a monument near Wielbark in Poland. It is a reminder of the battle near Tannenberg in East Prussia . The stone column was erected between 1918 and 1920. The memorial was an integral part of every Tannenberg trip and was therefore also associated with the Tannenberg memorial .
background
After the unfavorable outcome of the Battle of Tannenberg, Alexander Wassiljewitsch Samsonow tried to break away with a few loyal officers. The group buried all badges of rank and tried to make their way through the German lines. In the dark of night, Samsonov broke away from the group. His absence was only discovered at dawn. In desperation to face the tsar, and probably also to escape the humiliation of the German captivity, he shot himself on August 30, 1914 in the forest south of Willenberg near the Karolinenhof forestry (today Rokitka). 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, 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 was built at the site. The inscription read:
"General Samsonow, the opponent of Hindenburg in the Battle of Tannenberg, Gef. D. August 30, 1914. "
Under the Polish administration after the Second World War, the plaque disappeared from the pyramid and was only reinserted with an explanatory text in the mid-1990s when there was a sign of change. In the meantime a replica of the old plaque with the original inscription has been installed. In addition, a board with an explanatory text was set up.
literature
- Walter and Johannes Krüger : The Tannenberg National Monument. An explanation from the builders. Südostpreußisches Verkehrsbüro, Allenstein no year (1928).
- Jürgen Tietz : The Tannenberg National Monument. Architecture, history, context. (= Dissertation, Technical University Berlin, 1997) Verlag für Bauwesen, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-345-00673-1 .
- Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Noskov: The man who lost Tannenberg. (Translated by Franz Volk) Vorhut -Verlag, Berlin 1936, OCLC 71727826 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Karl-Bernhard Müller, Michael A. Tegtmeier: Military history travel guide Tannenberg. Verlag Mittler, 2000, p. 105, ISBN 3813207013 .
Coordinates: 53 ° 21 '59.2 " N , 20 ° 51' 49.6" E