Alexander Samsonov (1859 - August 29, 1914) was a Russian military leader during World War I. 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Missing image Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

He joined the Russian Army at age 18 and fought in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. After the 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 (1904-05). The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in the Russian goal of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea and dominating Constantinople (Istanbul) and the adjacent Turkish Straits. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Boxer forces in Tianjin The Boxer Rebellion (Traditional Chinese: 義和團起義; Simplified Chinese: 义和团起义; pinyin: ) was an uprising against Western commercial and political influence in China during the final years of the 19th century. ... The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of Imperial Russia and Japan in Manchuria and Korea. ...

Through these conflicts Samsonov gained a reputation as an energetic and resourceful leader, but some were critical of 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 men came to blows. After the Russo-Japanese War Samsonov was made Chief-of-Staff of Warsaw Military District and later as military leader in Turkestan. Paul von Rennenkampf (or Pavel Rennenkampf) (1854-1918) was a Russian military leader during World War I. Of Baltic German extraction, he joined the Russian Army at 19 and attended the Nikolaevsky Military Academy in St. ...

With the start of World War I, Samsonov was given 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 advancing from the north east section. However, lack of communication between the two would hinder coordination. East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ...

General (later Field Marshal) Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff, whom were sent 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 Samsonov's Second Army was surrounded at Tannenberg. Paul von Hindenburg President of Germany Paul von Hindenburg (full name Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg) (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) was a German Field Marshal and statesman. ... General Erich Ludendorff Erich Ludendorff (sometimes given incorrectly as Erich von Ludendorff) ( April 9, 1865 – December 20, 1937, Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany) was a German Army officer, noted as a general during World War I. Ludendorff was born in Kruszewnia near Posen, Prussia (now Poznań, Poland). ... Stębark (German:Tannenberg) is a village in Poland. ...

General Samsonov attempted to retreat, but with his army now trapped in a German encirclement, most of his troops were killed or captured. 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 on August 29, 1914. Tsar Nicholas II (18 May 1868 to 17 July 1918)1 was the last crowned Emperor of Russia. ...