Everything about Pavel Rennenkampf totally explained
Paul von Rennenkampf (or Pavel Karlovich Rennenkampf) (
April 17,
1854 in
Estonia -
1 April 1918 in
Taganrog) was a
Russian
general who served in the
Imperial Russian Army for over 40 years, including during
World War I.
Of
Baltic German extraction, he joined the Russian Army at 19 and attended the Nikolaevsky Military Academy in
St. Petersburg from 1879 to 1882. Enjoying a rapid ascent in the army, he was appointed to the
General Staff, in 1882, after graduation and reached the rank of
Major-General by 1900.
Rennenkampf commanded a cavalry unit during the
Boxer Rebellion in 1900-01, and was responsible for the capture of
Tsitsihar and
Kirin. He also participated in the
Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, but was criticised for his campaign in north-eastern
Korea. After the
Battle of Mukden in 1905, General
Alexander Samsonov accused Rennenkampf of failing to assist him during the fighting and the two came to blows.
After the Russo-Japanese War, Rennenkampf restored part of his reputation dealing with revolutionaries in
Siberia. His harsh suppression of
Chita Republic was a good promotion further. Afterwards he was appointed Chief-of-Staff of the Vilno Military District.
At the start of World War I, Rennenkampf was given command of the Russian First Army for the invasion of
East Prussia, advancing from the North East. His behaviour during the
Battle of Tannenberg, particularly his failure to coordinate with Samsonov's Second Army, resulted in much criticism from sector commander
Yakov Zhilinski and attempts by some members of the military high command to have him removed from command.
After relative success at the
Battle of Gumbinnen in mid-August, failure at the
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes that same month, which forced a Russian withdrawal from East Prussia, and at the
Battle of Łódź in November 1914 led to Rennenkampf's dismissal amid recriminations of incompetence and even treason (due to his heritage). Rennenkampf gave his resignation on October 6, 1915, was arrested during The
February Revolution of 1917 and imprisoned in the
Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. He was set free after
October Revolution and moved to the city of
Taganrog on
Azov Sea coast, where he lived illegally under the fake name of Greek citizen
Mandusakis, was discovered by the
Bolsheviks on March 16, 1918. The Bolsheviks approached him and offered a command in the
Red Army to serve during the
Russian Civil War. He refused the offer and was promptly arrested and executed on
1 April 1918.
The general's personal belongings and art objects that he collected during his travels across
China are now displayed in the
Alferaki Palace in
Taganrog.
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