![]() However, the German 8th army opted to advance to meet the 1st Russian army before linking up with the 2nd army. The two armies intended to meet and then advance to meet the German army and destroy it in a pincer movement. The Masurian Lakes separated the two armies, and the terrain slowed their progress. The Russian 1st Army and the 2nd Army moved across the border into Prussia. They invaded much quicker than Von Moltke had expected, even though the Russians' advance was slow. However, the Germans are taken by surprise by the Russian invasion. The German High Command under Von Moltke the younger order the 8th army to defend East Prussia from any Russian attack. The strategy adopted by the Germans was to invade France and undertake a defensive strategy in the east in 1914. War in the east and the west had long been the nightmare of the German High Command. It was believed that this would allow the western allies to beat back any German invasion of France by forcing Berlin to fight a war on two fronts. ![]() The Tsar would send his armies deep into eastern Germany to relieve pressure on France. ![]() The Russian Tsar had previously agreed that in the event of a German invasion of France, his armies would invade German territory. On the 15th of August 1914, two huge Russian Armies, number over three-quarters of a million men, began their advance into East Prussia, part of the German Reich. The Battle of Tannenberg - History Learning Site Background ![]()
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