In short, military leaders played a significant role in the victories and defeats of the First World War. After all, it was they who made the decisions about attacks, retreats, they by and large controlled the destinies of hundreds of thousands of people. Smart and not so smart, tacticians and strategists - each of them made an invaluable contribution to the course of hostilities and the history of the first armed conflict of this scale.
Great Britain
Despite the fact that the British army was not as numerous as the Russian and French in combat operations on the continent, it had commanders who wrote their names in the history of the war.
One of them is John Denton Pinkston French, who led the British Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front of the First World War.
Neither he nor his troops were subordinate to the French command, which often led to inconsistency between the allies.
In the famous Battle of the Marne, he showed unacceptable negligence, which allowed the enemy troops to strike back. He also commanded troops in the equally famous battle of Ypres, in which German troops used chemical weapons for the first time. Having been defeated and suffering huge casualties, D. Frenz was removed from command.
John French was succeeded by Haig Douglas. During his years of command, the English army that fought at the Somme, Passchendaele and the Hundred Days Offensive also suffered huge losses.
He was one of those who actively resisted the creation of a single Franco-English command, because he did not want to lose independence in the conduct of hostilities. However, by the end of the war, he was still forced to completely come under the command of the French command.
Germany
German commanders also played a significant role during the armed conflict and even in the defeat of their own country in the war.
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg became famous as the commander-in-chief who managed to thwart the offensive of the Russian imperial army at Lake Naroch in 1916.
Max Hoffmann went down in history as the developer of the plan for the Battle of Tannenberg, which became one of the saddest pages in the history of the Russian army. He also took an active part in the development of other operations on the Eastern Front of the First World War.
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff - it is believed that it was his adventurous strategy that caused Germany's defeat in the war.
Russia
There were quite a lot of commanders in the Russian army during the First World War. But the most famous (but always the best), briefly speaking, can be called Grand Duke Nicholas (grandson of Nicholas I), A. Brusilov, L. Kornilov, A. Denikin.
At the same time, Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich, who held the post of commander-in-chief at the first stage of the war, showed himself to be a self-confident person, but at the same time he knew little about military affairs. And if at first, “noting the merits” of his relative, the Russian emperor repeatedly awarded Nicholas the Younger, then later, due to his numerous mistakes, he nevertheless removed him from command. The shameful surrender of Warsaw to the enemy and the beginning of the Riga evacuation played a significant role here.
Alexey Brusilov - went down in history as the “savior of the Russian army” during the retreat after the Gorlitsky breakthrough, as well as as the commander who carried out the famous breakthrough in the summer of 1916, which was later named after him.
Many historians and military researchers call him the only general who preserved the honor of his uniform to the end and earned the true respect of his soldiers.
Lavr Kornilov. Many people know this general from the Kornilov rebellion, which he organized against the Provisional Government after the February Revolution. However, few people remember that before that, he showed courage and intransigence in many battles of the First World War. At the same time, following the orders of the higher command, he spared neither himself nor his soldiers. One of his exploits was the capture of the Zboro heights.
Anton Denikin is considered one of the most effective generals of the Russian Imperial Army. He commanded his brigade in the battle of Grodek, under his command the village of Gorny Luzhesk was recaptured from the enemy and directions for the offensive of the Russian army were opened.
He showed himself heroically in the Carpathian operation and many others, for which he was repeatedly awarded highest awards states.
France
Speaking about the French commanders of the First World War, it is briefly worth noting that they were among the best representatives of their Motherland, unconditionally devoted to serving it and their people.
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre - divisional general who led his soldiers to victory on the Marne River in 1914.
Ferdinand Foch - during the war, he commanded first the border corps (participation in the Lorraine operation), then the 9th Army (Battle of the Marne), and Army Group North. In 1917 he was appointed chief of the General Staff. All Allied forces were united under his command. It was largely thanks to him that the Allied forces were able to defeat the Central Powers. It was his signature that stood under the Compiègne Agreement after the surrender of Germany.
A significant contribution to the victory of the Entente was made by Henri Petain, who gained fame after the victory in the Battle of Verdun and Louis d’Espery, who had many victories in the most significant battles of the First World War.
Remembering the heroes of the First World War, we must not forget that among them there were many who later proved themselves in the service in the Red Army. After all, not only Wrangel, Kornilov, Yudenich, Denikin, Kolchak, Markov and Kappel distinguished themselves during the Great War, but also Brusilov, Chapaev, Budyonny, Blucher, Karbyshev, Malinovsky, Zhukov. Leaving outside the scope of this brief sketch of General A.A. Brusilov, who became only a cavalry inspector in the Red Army, let us recall the military exploits during the First World War of those who later became prominent military leaders of the Red Army.
Of the first five Red Marshals (Budyonny, Voroshilov, Tukhachevsky, Egorov and Blyukher), only the “Lugansk mechanic” Kliment Voroshilov did not participate in the battles of the First World War. Future Red Marshal Semyon Budyonny served in the tsarist army from 1903, took part in the Russo-Japanese War, meeting World War I as a senior non-commissioned officer of the 18th Seversky Dragoon Regiment. Budyonny bravely fought with the enemy on the German, Austrian and Caucasian fronts, earning a full St. George's bow for his exploits - St. George's crosses and medals of all degrees. Moreover, Budyonny had the chance to receive the St. George Cross, 4th degree, twice. An honestly deserved reward for the dashing capture of an enemy convoy and the capture of about 200 enemy soldiers, he was deprived of it for assault on a senior in rank. However, Budyonny again earned the “George” 4th degree on the Turkish front for the fact that in the battle for the city of Van, while on reconnaissance with his platoon, he penetrated deep into the enemy’s rear, and at the decisive moment of the battle attacked and captured his battery of three guns. And in 1916, Semyon Mikhailovich earned three St. George Crosses at once, having distinguished himself in battles against the Turks.
Another red marshal also distinguished himself during the First World War - Vasily Blucher. Called to military service Upon mobilization in 1914, Blucher soon established himself as an excellent soldier, earning the St. George Medal in 1915. In the battles on the Dunajets River near Ternopil, Blucher was seriously wounded by shrapnel from an exploding grenade (his left thigh, left and right forearms were damaged, and his hip joint was broken). Doctors removed eight fragments from the brave soldier and with difficulty saved his life (Blücher was twice taken to the morgue as dead). On this World War for Blucher it ended - having received a first-class pension, he was dismissed from the army.
Marshal Alexander Egorov and was actually a career officer in the Russian Army. During World War I, with the rank of captain, he served as a staff officer on assignments from the headquarters of the 2nd Caucasian Cavalry Corps. Egorov also had the opportunity to command a battalion and a regiment; he was wounded and shell-shocked five times. February revolution the future Red Marshal met with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Mikhail Tukhachevsky, having started the war with the rank of second lieutenant of the famous Semenovsky Guards Regiment, took part in battles with the Austrians and Germans as part of the 1st Guards Division on the Western Front. He had the opportunity to become a participant in the Lublin and Lomzhinsk operations. In battles with the enemy, Tukhachevsky was wounded, and for his heroism he earned five orders of various degrees over the course of six months of war. In a battle on February 19, 1915, near the village of Piaseczno near Lomza, his company was surrounded, and he himself was captured. Tukhachevsky tried to escape four times, after which he was sent to a camp for incorrigible fugitives in Bavaria, where he met Charles de Gaulle. The fifth escape attempt was successful - in 1917, through Switzerland, France, England, Norway and Sweden, Tukhachevsky returned to Russia and was enlisted in his native Semenovsky regiment as a company commander.
Commander 2nd rank Mikhail Levandovsky He was also a career officer in the Tsarist Army. He took part in hostilities in East Prussia, Galicia, and near Warsaw. Levandovsky commanded a machine gun company, was awarded five military awards, and was shell-shocked twice. By the beginning of the revolution, he had the rank of staff captain and served as head of a department in the 1st armored automobile division in Petrograd. Commander Jerome Uborevich, who graduated from the Konstantinovsky Artillery School in the spring of 1916, served with the rank of second lieutenant during the First World War as a junior officer of the 15th heavy artillery division.
One of the most legendary red commanders was also a hero of the First World War Vasily Chapaev. Chapaev was called up for military service in September 1914. The future hero arrived at the front in January 1915 as part of the 326th Belgorai Infantry Regiment, distinguishing himself in battles in Volyn and Galicia. Chapaev met February 1917 with the rank of senior non-commissioned officer and with three St. George's crosses and a St. George's medal on his chest.
Future generals and marshals of the Great distinguished themselves in the First World War Patriotic War‒ Karbyshev, Shaposhnikov, Malinovsky, Rokossovsky, Zhukov.
Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov was a career officer in the Tsarist Army and met World War I as an adjutant at the headquarters of a cavalry division with the rank of captain. In 1914, he took part in the division’s combat operations in Poland and was shell-shocked in the head by a shell explosion near Sochaczew. In 1915, Shaposhnikov was promoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to the position of assistant to the senior adjutant of the intelligence department of the army headquarters, and then appointed chief of staff of the Cossack brigade. As the magazine “Russian Invalid” reported, for military services in 1916 Shaposhnikov was awarded the Highest Favor. Boris Shaposhnikov met the October Revolution with the rank of colonel and commander of the Mingrelian Grenadier Regiment.
The hero of the Great Patriotic War, General Dmitry, was also an officer in the regular army. Karbyshev. Trained as a military engineer, Karbyshev took part in the Russo-Japanese War, took part in the Battle of Mukden, graduating fighting with the rank of lieutenant. From the first days of the Great War, Karbyshev was at the front and fought in the Carpathians as part of the 8th Army of General A.A. Brusilov (Southwestern Front). He was a division engineer of the 78th and 69th Infantry Divisions, then chief of the engineering service of the 22nd Finnish Rifle Corps. At the beginning of 1915, Captain Karbyshev distinguished himself during the assault. For his courage and bravery, Karbyshev, who was wounded in the leg, was promoted to lieutenant colonel and awarded the order St. Anne's. In 1916, he was a participant in the famous Brusilov breakthrough, and in 1917 he led the work to strengthen positions on the border with Romania.
Marshal of Victory Georgy Zhukov was drafted into the cavalry in 1915 and during the war he trained to be a non-commissioned officer. In August 1916, he was enlisted in a dragoon regiment that fought on the Southwestern Front, soon earning two St. George Crosses for his bravery (for capturing a German officer and for being wounded in battle).
A Konstantin Rokossovsky, rightfully considered one of the greatest commanders of the Second World War, in 1914 he volunteered to serve in the 6th squadron of the 5th Kargopol Dragoon Regiment. Already on August 8, 1914, Rokossovsky distinguished himself while conducting mounted reconnaissance near the village of Yastrzhem, for which he was awarded the St. George Cross of the 4th degree and promoted to corporal. In the battle near Ponevezh, Rokossovsky attacked a German artillery battery, for which he was nominated for the St. George Cross, 3rd degree, but did not receive the award. In the battle for the Troskuny railway station, together with several dragoons, he secretly captured a German field guard trench, for which he was awarded the St. George Medal, 4th class. This was followed by the awarding of St. George medals of the 3rd and 2nd degrees.
Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky after crash course After studying at the Alekseevsky Military School, he served in the spring of 1915 with the rank of ensign. He had the opportunity to command the 2nd company, recognized as one of the best in the 409th Novokhopersky Infantry Regiment, and take part in the Brusilovsky breakthrough. At the end of April 1916, he received his first award, the Order of St. Anne, 4th class, with the inscription “For bravery,” and a little later, the Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd class, with swords and a bow. Vasilevsky finished the World War with the rank of staff captain and battalion commander.
Distinguished himself during the First World War and was a marshal Rodion Malinovsky. As a boy, he ran to the front, beginning his service as a carrier of cartridges in the machine gun team of the 256th Elisavetgrad Infantry Regiment. In 1915, Malinovsky received his first “George”. In the battles near Smorgon he was seriously wounded and was in the hospital until February 1916. Having recovered, Rodion, as part of the 1st Brigade of the Expeditionary Force of the Russian Army, left for France, continuing the war with the Germans on the Western Front. Here Malinovsky earned several French military awards, and in 1918, for heroism in breaking through the German defense line, Kolchak’s General Dmitry Shcherbachev nominated him for an award St. George's Cross 3rd degree.
Such Soviet marshals as Fedor Tolbukhin,Ivan Konev,Andrey Eremenko and many other Soviet military leaders. Thus, the Russian Imperial Army raised not only the future heroes of the White movement, but also legendary commanders The Red Army, including the marshals of the Great Victory.
Prepared Andrey Ivanov, Doctor of Historical Sciences
Russian generals of the First World War
Prepared by a student from group R-1411
Yakovleva Victoria
General Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseev was, without a doubt, one of the most outstanding commanders of the First World War. Even before it began, he managed to become famous as a talented military professor, an excellent General Staff officer who participated in the development of plans future war, and also as a hero of the Russo-Japanese War.
In August 1914, with the beginning of the First World War, M.V. Alekseev was appointed chief of staff of the Southwestern Front, which was supposed to act against Austria-Hungary. N.I. became the commander-in-chief of the front. Ivanov is a largely passive person, but as a result a very effective tandem was formed, which successfully existed until the spring of 1915.
By this time the situation had changed to eastern front has changed dramatically. After a major victory in East Prussia, the Germans decided to launch a hasty attack on Warsaw. And here again Alekseev’s strategic talent manifested itself. Thanks to intelligence information, General Alekseev was able to quickly unravel the enemy’s plans and organize the transfer of troops in the right direction to the Middle Vistula.
Note that at this time Russian troops besieged the largest enemy fortress of Przemysl. After the first unsuccessful attempts to take it by storm back in the fall of 1914, the command of the Southwestern Front decided to move on to a methodical siege, starving the enemy to death. The strategy aimed at preserving troops yielded results. After unsuccessful attempt After breaking through, the fortress garrison decided to surrender. On March 22, 1915, the fortress fell. Our trophies included 9 generals, 2,300 officers and 122,800 lower ranks.
The fall of Przemysl was the last major event on the Southwestern Front when Alekseev was chief of staff. Soon he was appointed commander in chief Northwestern Front.
He inherited a very difficult legacy: a high number of troops, a lack of ammunition, low morale after a series of heavy defeats.
Alekseev began putting the troops in order, as well as creating reserves.
Having become the chief of staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Alekseev, in fact, concentrated in his hands all the real control of the Russian armies. The emperor, as a rule, took only a general part in the development of operations, influencing only personnel policy. The chief of staff usually limited himself to general reports, not always devoting the crown bearer to all the details.
The plan for 1916 was developed by Headquarters taking into account the actions of the Allies. It was decided to conduct the main offensive by troops Western Front, while the other fronts were supposed to provide him with maximum assistance. Southwestern Front A.A. Brusilov was ordered to strike at Lutsk. Thus, the original idea of the Brusilov breakthrough was put forward by Alekseev. The offensive began on June 4, and its success exceeded all expectations.
The strategic offensive brought major success only to the Southwestern Front of A.A. Brusilova , but it was in the summer of 1916 that a turning point in the war began in favor of the Entente countries. Many years later, Winston Churchill equated General Alekseev's strategic talents with Marshal Foch and General Ludendorff.
Constant overexertion affected Mikhail Vasilyevich’s health; heart problems forced him to temporarily surrender his post to General I. Gurko and go to Crimea for treatment. In mid-February 1917, he returned to Mogilev, to Headquarters. While still leaving Petrograd, Alekseev saw the first menacing signs of the revolutionary situation. Striving, as a military man, to remain outside of politics, he at the same time understood the inevitability of major changes in the country, hoping that this would benefit the state and the army.
Accepting the overthrow of the monarchy as a fact, Alekseev became Supreme Commander in March. The general hoped that the new rulers of Russia would not affect military discipline. One of his first orders ordered that all left-wing agitators trying to infiltrate the front be caught and tried. However, the policy of the provisional government, which decided to democratize the army (contributing to its collapse), sharply diverged from Alekseev’s aspirations. He also experienced pressure from the Petrograd Soviet, for which he was a reactionary.
Alekseev found a way out in the unity of officers who remained faithful to the ideas of patriotism and service to the Fatherland, beginning to actively engage in the creation of a broad socio-political network that could act as a stabilizing force in the future. In May, he actually created the Union of Army and Navy Officers, but resignation soon followed.
At the end of October in Petrograd, he began to create an underground military organization, the members of which became, as he wrote, “the most solid, durable, reliable and efficient leaders.” After October revolution Alekseev fled to the Don, where, together with L. Kornilov, he began creating the Volunteer Army. Despite certain tensions between its leaders, they managed to divide powers: Lavr Grigorievich was directly involved in military issues, and Alekseev took upon himself political and financial problems.
M.V. Alekseev took part in the First and Second Kuban campaigns of the Volunteer Army. Given the political chaos that arose, the general tried to expand the number of allies and obtain maximum assistance from them for the Volunteer Army, postponing the resolution of major controversial issues for the future.
In the fall of 1918, after drinking a glass of cold water, he became seriously ill and died suddenly.
During the years of great unrest,” General Denikin wrote about Alekseev, “when people changed their moral character, views, orientation, he walked with a firm old man's gait along a straight flinty road. His name was the banner that attracted people of all kinds political views charm of reason, honesty and patriotism."
M.V. Alekseev was buried in the Military Cathedral of the Kuban Cossack Army in Yekaterinodar. During the retreat of the white troops at the beginning of 1920, his ashes were transported to Serbia and reburied in Belgrade.
(28 July 1914 - 11 November 1918). The First World War is one of the most ambitious and tragic events in the history of mankind, which still attracts attention, but the events that took place in those times are not covered anywhere. I compared the completely opposite fates of the two generals: the fate of the brave general and the tragic fate of Alexander Samsonov.
(1853-1926) came from the noble family of the Brusilovs. Born in Tiflis in the family of Russian general Alexei Nikolaevich Brusilov (1787-1859). Mother, Maria-Louise Antonovna, had Polish roots and came from the family of the collegiate assessor A. Nestoemsky.
In 1867 he entered the Corps of Pages. He graduated from it in 1872 and was released into the 16th Tver Dragoon Regiment. In 1873-1878 - regiment adjutant. Participant in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 in the Caucasus. He distinguished himself during the capture of the Turkish fortresses of Ardagan and Kars, for which he received the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd and 2nd degrees, and the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. In 1878-1881 he was the head of the regimental training team.
Since 1883, he served in the Officer Cavalry School: adjutant, assistant chief (since 1890), head of the riding and dressage department; head of the dragoon department (since 1893). From November 10, 1898 - assistant head, from February 10, 1902 - head of the school. Brusilov became known not only in Russia, but also abroad as an outstanding expert in cavalry riding and sports. Major General (1900). K. Mannerheim, who served at school under his command before the Russo-Japanese War, recalled: “He was attentive, strict, demanding subordinate manager and gave very good knowledge. His military games and exercises on the ground were exemplary and extremely interesting in their development and execution.” He was seriously involved in the occult, constantly emphasizing “his purely Russian, Orthodox convictions and beliefs.”
During the First World War, A. A. Brusilov was the commander of the 8th Army in the Battle of Galicia. On August 15-16, 1914, during the Rohatyn battles, he defeated the 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army, capturing 20 thousand people. and 70 guns. On August 20, Galich was captured. The 8th Army takes an active part in the battles of Rava-Russkaya and the Battle of Gorodok. In September, he commanded a group of troops from the 8th and 3rd armies. From September 28 to October 11, his army withstood a counterattack by the 2nd and 3rd Austro-Hungarian armies in battles on the San River and near the city of Stryi. During the successfully completed battles, 15 thousand enemy soldiers were captured, and at the end of October his army entered the foothills of the Carpathians.
At the beginning of November 1914, having pushed back the troops of the 3rd Austro-Hungarian Army from positions on the Beskid ridge of the Carpathians, he occupied the strategic Lupkovsky Pass. In February 1915, in the battle of Boligrod-Liski, he thwarted the enemy’s attempts to release his troops besieged in the Przemysl fortress, taking 30 thousand people prisoner. In March, he captured the main Beskydy ridge of the Carpathian Mountains and by March 30 completed the operation to cross the Carpathians.
In the summer and autumn of 1915, at the personal request of A. A. Brusilov, repeated attempts were made to expand the scale of deportations of the local German population in geographical and numerical terms, west of Sarn, Rovno, Ostrog, Izyaslav.
In June 1916, he carried out a successful offensive of the Southwestern Front, the so-called Brusilov breakthrough, using a previously unknown form of breaking through a positional front, which consisted of a simultaneous offensive of all armies. The main blow, in accordance with the plan developed by Brusilov, was delivered by the 8th Army under the command of General A. M. Kaledin in the direction of the city of Lutsk. Having broken through the front on the 16-kilometer Nosovichi-Koryto section, the Russian army occupied Lutsk on May 25 (June 7), and by June 2 (15) it defeated the 4th Austro-Hungarian Army of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand and advanced 65 km.
The summer offensive of the Russian army was part of the general strategic plan Entente for 1916. As part of this plan, Anglo-French troops were preparing an operation on the Somme. In accordance with the decision of the conference of the Entente powers in Chantilly (March 1916), the start of the offensive on the Russian front was scheduled for June 15, and on the French front - on July 1, 1916.
The main blow was supposed to be delivered by the forces of the Western Front (Commander General A.E. Evert) from the Molodechno region to Vilna. Most of the reserves and heavy artillery were transferred to Evert. Another part was allocated to the Northern Front (Commander General A.N. Kuropatkin) for an auxiliary attack from Dvinsk - also on Vilna. The Southwestern Front (Commander General A.A. Brusilov) was ordered to attack Lutsk-Kovel, on the flank of the German group, to meet the main attack of the Western Front.
The result of the Brusilov breakthrough and the operation on the Somme was the final transfer of strategic initiative from the Central Powers to the Entente. The Allies managed to achieve such interaction that for two months (July-August) Germany had to send its limited strategic reserves to both the Western and Eastern Fronts.
Since 1920, A. A. Brusilov has been the commander of the Red Army. Since 1921, Aleksey Alekseevich was the chairman of the commission for organizing pre-conscription cavalry training; since 1923, he was attached to the Revolutionary Military Council for particularly important assignments. In 1923-1924 - cavalry inspector.
A. A. Brusilov died on March 17, 1926 in Moscow from pneumonia at the age of 72 years. He was buried with full military honors at the walls of the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Convent. The grave is located next to the grave of A. M. Zayonchkovsky
Considering the fate of the brave General A.A. Brusilov, I wanted to compare it with another hero of the First World War, A.V. Samsonov, man tragic fate that time.
The tragic fate of General Samsonov, commander of the 2nd Army, is one of the most dramatic pages of the First World War. Carrying out his military duty with his army, doomed to severe defeat, he chose to commit suicide.
His associate Colonel A. Krymov wrote about Alexander Vasilyevich: “He was a noble man, of which there are few. A purely Russian, fatherland-loving officer... Alexander Vasilyevich with a fatal shot took upon himself the courage to answer for everyone. The Fatherland and the top leadership remained unsullied..."
Alexander Vasilievich Samsonov came from a middle-income family. He received his military education at the Kiev Military Gymnasium and at the Nikolaev Cavalry School, from which he was graduated in 1877. As an 18-year-old cornet, he was sent to the 12th Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment and with it participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877 - 1878.
Having received combat training, through honest and zealous service he achieved the right to enter the Academy of the General Staff and in 1884 he successfully graduated from it. Upon graduation, he served in various military headquarters. From 1896 to 1904 he was the head of the cadet cavalry school in Elizavetgrad (Kirovograd) in southern Ukraine. Colonel Samsonov’s service record is against the question: “Does he, his parents, or, when married, his wife have real estate, ancestral or acquired?” - it read: “Does not have.” At the age of 45, Alexander Vasilyevich married the daughter of a landowner from the village of Akimovka, Ekaterina Alexandrovna Pisareva.
As a cavalry commander, Major General Samsonov participated in Russian-Japanese war 1904 - 1905, first led the Ussuri Cavalry Brigade, then the 1st Siberian Cossack Division. Near Wafangou and Liaoyang, near the Shahe River and near Mukden, he led his horsemen into hot battles, and experienced both the joy of victory and the bitterness of heavy defeats. For military merits, Alexander Vasilyevich was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree and other orders, a golden saber with the inscription: “For bravery,” and received the rank of lieutenant general.
In the summer of 1914, straight from the Caucasus, where Samsonov and his family were on vacation, he headed to Warsaw to take command of the 2nd Army. On July 19 (August 1, New Style) the First World War began.
In Warsaw, Samsonov met with the commander of the Northwestern Front, Ya. Zhilinsky, who briefed him on the plan for upcoming actions. The 2nd Army was entrusted with the task, in cooperation with the 1st Army of General P. Rannenkampf, to carry out the offensive East Prussian operation. There was practically no time for its preparation: its urgency was dictated by the request for help from France, which had suffered a powerful blow from the German army. According to the plan of the operation, developed at Headquarters under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, the 1st and 2nd armies were to defeat the German 8th Army, concentrated in East Prussia.
Samsonov was ordered to move from the Narew River (in Poland) bypassing the Masurian lakes to the north, Rannenkampf - from the Neman to the west. The army of Rannenkampf was the first to come into contact with the enemy; on August 4, it defeated the advanced German corps at Stallupenen; on the 7th, in the oncoming battle at Gumbinnen-Goldap, it forced the main forces of the 8th German Army to retreat. On the same day, Samsonov’s army, after an accelerated march, having covered more than 80 kilometers along sandy roads in three days, crossed the border of East Prussia. Samsonov reported to the front commander Zhilinsky: “It is necessary to organize the rear, which has not yet received organization.
The country is devastated. Horses have been without oats for a long time. There is no bread. Delivery from Ostroleka is not possible.” But the front commander, despite the lagging rear and scanty information about the enemy’s plans, every day demanded Samsonov to speed up the movement towards the enemy, the 2nd Army occupied intermediate settlements, and Samsonov, sensing a trap, asked the higher command for permission to deploy the army with a ledge to the northwest. After three days of negotiations with the front headquarters, he finally received such permission, but was obliged, on the instructions of Zhilinsky, to send the right-flank 6th Corps to the north.
This led to the separation of the corps from the main forces of the army. In addition, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the left flank 1st Corps was stopped at Soldau and also broke away from the 13th, 15th and 23rd Corps operating in the center. The situation was aggravated by weak enemy intelligence and a breakdown in communications in the army, since the Germans, while retreating, disabled the telephone and telegraph network. The transmission of radio messages was regularly monitored by the enemy, who thus knew about the Russian plans of action.
Having left a barrier of two divisions against the 1st Army, the command of the German 8th Army, using railways, transferred its main forces and received reserves against Samsonov’s army. On August 13, the 2nd Army encountered unexpectedly strong German opposition. On this day, the right-flank 6th Corps was defeated near Bischofsburg and began to retreat. The next day, the left flank 1st Corps retreated south of Soldau almost without a fight; Having learned about this, Samsonov was beside himself with indignation and removed the corps commander Artamonov from his post. The position of the 13th, 15th and 23rd Corps, fighting the Germans in the center and experiencing severe enemy pressure, became threatening.
Worried about their fate, Alexander Vasilyevich arrived on the front line on August 15 - at the headquarters of the 15th Corps of General Martos. He still had hopes for a successful breakthrough of the corps to the north, towards Rannenkampf, and that the 1st Army had already begun active actions in the rear of the pressing Germans, but they were not destined to come true (then Rannenkampf would long be haunted by rumors about his criminal slowness). Having arrived at the front line and making sure that the enemy’s advance could no longer be stopped, Samsonov had the opportunity to go back, but did not do so. A sense of duty and the old traditions of the Russian army - Zorndorf, Smolensk, Sevastopol, Port Arthur, and the need to die with bones did not allow him to abandon those who fought.
The retreat of the flanking corps of the 2nd Army allowed the Germans to cut off the three Russian corps' path back, and they were soon surrounded. The army headquarters, led by Samsonov, breaking out of the encirclement, moved in the direction of Yanov. Alexander Vasilyevich was in a difficult moral state. According to the testimony of the chief of staff, General Postovsky, Samsonov said more than once on the 15th and 16th that his life as a military leader was over. After a short night halt in the forest on August 17, when the headquarters officers moved on on foot, Alexander Vasilyevich unnoticed went deep into the forest, and his shot was heard there... Despite the search, his body was never found, and besides, it was necessary to escape pursuit.
Time puts everything in its place. Memory of generals A.A. Brusilov and A.V. Samsonov continues to live. And it’s not their fault, but the misfortune that, accustomed to living according to the laws of honor, they could not understand in time that in new Russia, which they tried to honestly serve, these laws are not accessible to everyone.
Considering the fates of the two generals, I was surprised at how different and opposite in character the heroes of the undeservedly forgotten, erased from our historical memory and from the history of that war, which turned out to have the most tragic consequences for Russia, could be.
But, no matter what, they will remain heroes in our hearts.
I should remember them like I remember yesterday
Their feat was brave for us, for me.
They fought for clear skies,
So that we never know war.
(N. A. Samotsvetov)
Samotsvetov N., student of Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 10 in Vyazma
Samocvetov N., student school No. 10 Vyazma
annotation
This article is dedicated to life path generals of the First World War.
This article is devoted to life path generals of the First World War.
Key words: First World War, generals, A.A. Brusilov, A.V. Samsonov.
Keywords: First World War, generals, AA Brusilov, AV Samsonov.
Interregional scientific and practical conference: “Centenary of the First World War: results, lessons, prospects”, Vyazma: branch of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education “MGIU” in Vyazma, 2013 – 143 p.
By the beginning of 1914, two opposing alliances were quite firmly established in the world - the Entente and the Triple Alliance. The Allies of the Entente were initially France, Russia and England, and somewhat later they were joined by America and Italy, as well as a number of small states of the European and American continents.
In the outbreak of the war, which in historical sources was called the First World War, people continued to play a large role, primarily eminent and experienced military leaders, on whose decisions millions of lives depended. It should be noted that there were experienced commanders on both sides of the conflict, but the Entente military leaders, as the victorious side, should be given Special attention, dividing them according to the countries they represented.
French soldiers and officers have long been famous for their intelligence, courage and devotion; traditionally, people promoted to the highest officer ranks of the French army are the best representatives of their Fatherland. It is to such people that one should include Divisional General Joseph Joffre, Marshals of France Ferdinand Foch Henri Petain and Louis d'Espere.
Joseph Joffre- a man of outstanding abilities and no less outstanding aspirations, winner of the Battle of the Marne in 1914. Joseph Jaffre was born in January 1852, and became known as a participant in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 and campaigns to conquer African and Asian lands, turning them into colonies of France. Being an excellent soldier, he managed to rise to the rank of Chief of Staff, becoming a member of the Supreme Military Council, and then heading it. From 1911 to 1914, Joffre served as Commander-in-Chief of the entire French army, and after the end of the war he became a diplomat. Died in France in 1931.
Ferdinand Foch- Marshal of France, born in October 1851, went through the whole thorny and difficult path from a soldier to the Commander-in-Chief, the son of an ordinary official who never thought about a military career. At the beginning of the war, he commanded the border corps that took part in the Lorraine operation, as well as the 9th Army, which took part in the famous Battle of the Marne. Since 1915, Foch led the Army Group North, and in 1917 received the post of Chief of the General Staff, a year later becoming the commander-in-chief of all Allied forces, thanks to which, in general, they won a victory. It was this man who put his signature on the famous Compiegne Agreement, symbolizing the end of the First World War. In Russia, Foch became known as one of the initiators of foreign intervention, which became a real disaster for the country, and also as the only person who did not believe in the peaceful intentions of Germany, which was forced to agree to peace at Versailles.
Henri Petain- Marshal of France, born in April 1956, became a military man in his early youth, on the fields of the First World War he became famous as the winner of the Battle of Verdun in 1916, for which he received the Order of St. George, 4th degree, from the Russian Emperor, later known as a traitor to France and an accomplice of fascist regime, which somewhat diminished, but did not destroy, his services to his Motherland during the First World War.
Louis d'Esperey- a hereditary military man, whose record includes many significant victories - such as the battle at the crossing of the Meuse and the Battle of the Marne. The marshal was born in May 1956, took part in many military conflicts before and after the First World War, is known in Russia as a participant in foreign intervention, commanding the allied forces that landed in Crimea and Novorossiya.
Famous Russian commanders of the First World War
Russia, drawn into the war against its own will, provided its Entente allies with the best soldiers and commanders-in-chief, thanks to whose activities France and England lost a minimum of soldiers and resources, while Russia suffered colossal losses. So, among the outstanding Russian military leaders who took part in the First World War, the following individuals can be noted:
Grand Duke Nikolay- grandson of Emperor Nicholas I, from 1914 to 1915 he held the post of Commander-in-Chief of all Russian armies, where he showed himself to be a man with little knowledge of military affairs, capricious, self-willed and prone to making rash decisions that cost the Russian army dearly. And although history places Prince Nicholas on a pedestal of honor, it should be noted that pogroms in German settlements, devastation and disorder in the army should be attributed to him. He was more of a petty general than a great commander in chief, deserving of the honorary titles and awards given to him. After the shameful surrender of Warsaw to the enemy and the beginning of the evacuation of Riga from command, he was removed and sent in a civilian capacity to the Caucasus, with the aim of organizing administration there. After the start of the revolution, the Grand Duke went into exile, where he died.
Alexey Brusilov- general of the Russian army from the cavalry, born in August 1853, nobleman. From the beginning of the First World War, he commanded the 8th Army, sent to organize resistance to the Austrians advancing on all fronts. He is known as the savior of the Russian army retreating after the Gorlitsky breakthrough in the spring of 1915, and also as the person who carried out the so-called Brusilovsky breakthrough in the summer of 1916, as a result of which the Russians managed to defeat the formations of the Austro-Hungarian army. It is Brusilov who can be considered the only general who, having gone through the entire war, managed not only to preserve the honor of his uniform, but also to earn the respect and love of the soldiers, while the command awarded the valiant general the St. George's Arms, inlaid with precious stones. Brusilov perceived the coming Revolution with great enthusiasm, supported the Red movement and throughout his life he provided assistance to the Bolsheviks. The great Russian general died at the age of 72 in 1926, being at that time known not only as a military leader, but also as a memoirist.
Lav Kornilov. Few people know, but the general who raised the famous Kornilov rebellion against the Provisional Government during the years of the revolution was also one of the significant persons who took part in the First World War. Lavr Georgievich Kornilov was a hereditary Cossack; at the beginning of the war, he was entrusted with command of the 48th Infantry Division, which was part of the army corps under the command of Brusilov. During the war, Kornilov proved himself to be a brave and unforgiving commander, who did not spare either his own or his soldier’s life to carry out orders. The feat that glorified the name of the general during the First World War was the capture of the well-fortified heights of Zboro, which opened the way to Hungary for the Russian armies. In the spring of 1915, Kornilov was captured by Austria, from where he could escape only in the middle of summer next year. Upon returning from captivity, the general received the Order of St. George from the hands of the emperor, although, in the opinion of many of his enemies, he did not deserve it, since he destroyed the entire division entrusted to him, nicknamed “Steel” for its indestructibility in battle. After Russia's withdrawal from the war, Kornilov acted as one of the initiators of the White movement, being killed by a grenade thrown through the window of his room on March 31, 1918.
British commanders-in-chief during the First World War
The British army practically did not participate in the land war on the European front, but, nevertheless, competent commanders-in-chief stood out among the British at that time, whose name should not be forgotten even today. So, during the First World War in Great Britain the following persons stood out, claiming to be the first persons of the warring ally in the Entente:
Douglas Haig- English field marshal, a nobleman bearing the title of earl and viscount, who glorified himself with such famous European battles as the battle of the Somme, Passchendaele and the Hundred Days Offensive of the Allied army. During the war, he commanded the 1st English Army and the English Expeditionary Forces in France, and was known as the commander under whom the British lost large quantity fighters. At the end of the war, he reported directly to Foch himself. He ended his days peacefully on his own estate.
John French- Field Marshal of Great Britain, known for the fact that during the First World War he had his own powers, not subordinate to any of the Allied commanders, receiving orders directly from the British government. He commanded expeditionary forces, acted in the Western European theater of operations, took part in the Battle of the Marne, where he proved himself the best side, showing careless slowness, which allowed the enemy to gather forces for a counterattack. He also became famous for his participation in the Battle of Ypres, where chemical weapons were used for the first time in the world, he was defeated, losing most of the soldiers, for which he was removed from command and replaced by the more competent and accommodating Douglas Haig. He ended his life peacefully, while retired and writing memoirs.
Thus, the First World War brought into the political arena many ambitious and promising Russian, English and French commanders, many of whom lived long and difficult life, ending with participation in World War II.
