https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.6144
The author investigates the importance of military maneuvering on the example of the Battle of Tannenberg which took place in August 1914 in southern East Prussia. The battle is regarded as the only military engagement during World War I that relied on classical tactics comparable to the Battle of Cannae. General Hindenburg who commanded the 8th Army and his staff carried out a flanking maneuver which forced the Russians to fight under adverse conditions. The Germans took advantage of the local terrain, which enabled them to allocate small defense units to sites that were difficult to cross and to concentrate their forces on a bilateral maneuver. Operational defense tactics contributed to the success of the flanking maneuver, and they enabled centralized troops to strike in the final phase of the battle, thus outflanking Russian corps and forcing them to surrender. For this reason, the battle is often regarded as a prime example of military conflict where the defending forces’ unrivalled knowledge of own terrain led to the demise of the enemy who had neglected reconnaissance operations.
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