Alexander Samsonov
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Aleksandr Vassilievich Samsonov (November 2, 1859 – August 29, 1914) served as a Russian military commander during World War I.
He joined the Russian Army at age 18 and fought in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. After this war Samsonov attended the Nikolaevsky Military Academy in St. Petersburg. He commanded a cavalry unit during the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905).
Through these conflicts Samsonov gained a reputation as an energetic and resourceful leader, but some observers criticised his strategic abilities. After the Battle of Mukden in 1905 he accused General Paul von Rennenkampf of failing to assist him during the fighting and the two came to blows. After the Russo-Japanese War Samsonov became (in 1906) Chief-of-Staff of the Warsaw Military District and later an administrator in Turkestan.
At the start of World War I Samsonov received the command of the Russian Second Army for the invasion of East Prussia. He advanced slowly into the south-western corner of East Prussia, intending to link up with General Rennenkampf's forces, which had started advancing from the north-east section. However, lack of communication between the two would hinder co-ordination.
General (later Field Marshal) Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff, who arrived on the Eastern Front to replace General Maximilian von Prittwitz, engaged Samsonov's advancing forces. They made contact on August 22 and for six days the Russians, possessing numerical superiority, had some successes. However, by August 29 the Germans had surrounded Samsonov's Second Army at Tannenberg.
General Samsonov attempted to retreat, but with his army now trapped in a German encirclement, the German Eighth Army killed or captured most of his troops - see Battle of Tannenberg. Only 10,000 of the 150,000 Russian soldiers managed to escape the cordon. Shocked by the disastrous outcome of the battle and unable to face reporting the scale of the disaster to Tsar Nicholas II, Samsonov committed suicide by a shot to the head near Willenberg on August 29 or August 30, 1914.
