Russian Surrender At The Second Battle Of Masurian Lakes
A battle in the Masurian Lakes region in East Prussia had taken place in September 1914 and ended in the second major defeat of the Russians by German forces. The German commander Paul von Hindenburg planned an aggressive second assault on the region. Three weeks ago, the German Eighth Army launched a surprise attack against the Russian lines just north of the Masurian Lakes in a blinding snowstorm to begin the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. They attacked the Russian left flank and quickly overwhelmed the Russian lines. The Russian XX Corps retreated into the Augustow forest and managed to hold off the German advance for more than two weeks–long enough for the three remaining Russian corps to escape.
On February 21, 1915 Russian Tenth Army commander General Thadeus von Sievers surrendered to General Hermann von Eichorn of the German Tenth Army ending the Second Battle of Masurian Lakes. Russian losses were 56,000 casualties and an estimated 100,000 more had been taken prisoner many on both sides dying from exposure due to the extreme cold.
Russian prisoners in German captivity – February 1915
