The Russian soldiers, shouting "Ura," charged toward the German lines in dense formations, exuding an unstoppable momentum. However, to the German officers and soldiers, it appeared to be nothing short of a suicidal act.
"Sir, why are the Russians attacking in such tight formations? Don't they realize how deadly machine gun fire can be?" a newly enlisted soldier asked his squad leader with a confused expression.
"Who knows? Maybe the Russians think they can withstand our bullets," a machine gunner joked.
"The Russians not only have outdated equipment but also primitive tactics. Most of their soldiers are barely literate, many having just laid down their farming tools. Their assaults are disorganized, with no formation to speak of. But remember, once you're on the battlefield, there's no room for pity. That misguided compassion will not only get you killed but will also cost the lives of your comrades," the squad leader advised.
The new recruit nodded firmly, understanding the lesson.
"All units, prepare to fire!"
At the command of the frontline officer, the German soldiers began their assault.
"Ratatat!" The general-purpose machine guns roared first, their menacing sound like a saw cutting through wood, sending shivers down the spine. The muzzle flashes lit up the battlefield as scorching bullets sped towards the Russians in their gray uniforms.
Squad-based machine guns soon followed, adding to the ferocity of the German firepower.
Semi-automatic rifles, grenade launchers, and mortars joined in the barrage.
The advancing Russian troops seemed to collide with an invisible wall, immediately brought to a standstill. Under the relentless barrage, they fell in rows, cut down as if they were wheat being harvested.
"Boom! Boom!" Mortar shells and grenade rounds rained down on the Russian ranks, tearing countless soldiers to pieces.
However, it was the machine gun fire that inflicted the greatest devastation. Although only one German infantry division was positioned on the frontline, the number of machine guns they possessed exceeded even what an entire Russian corps or army group could muster. This overwhelming firepower left the advancing Russian troops in dire straits.
In the rear, the Russian generals, observing the battle, were dumbfounded. They had expected the Russian forces to quickly break through the German defenses and capture Tannenberg. But the scene unfolding before them left them all in shock.
"My God! How do the Germans have so many cannons and machine guns on their line? How is their firepower so formidable? Did they deploy all of their 8th Army's machine guns and artillery to Tannenberg?" one Russian general exclaimed in disbelief.
"Damn it, how could this happen? How can the Germans be so strong?" other Russian officers echoed, equally stunned by the sight before them.
All eyes turned to General Samsonov, whose face had turned ashen, his entire body trembling—whether from rage or fear, no one could tell.
After all, it was Samsonov who had confidently vowed to capture Tannenberg by sunset. Now, it seemed utterly impossible.
Samsonov himself felt as though he had become a laughingstock.
"Order the attacking troops to retreat immediately, or they'll all be slaughtered by the Germans," one officer suggested.
The Russian forces, under the Germans' withering fire, were already in disarray. Some soldiers had begun retreating without orders, and the entire scene was descending into chaos.
Meanwhile, the Germans continued to massacre the advancing Russians with their superior firepower. Every moment saw more Russian soldiers fall, their lives extinguished.
"Order the troops to cease the attack," Samsonov finally commanded.
The other Russian generals breathed a collective sigh of relief. They had genuinely feared that Samsonov might stubbornly refuse to order a retreat, which would have led to even more disastrous consequences. No one could imagine the cost in lives had the attack continued.
Upon receiving the order to retreat, the Russian troops fled en masse. They ran faster in retreat than they had advanced, driven by the fear of German bullets and shells raining down behind them. To save their lives, they ran as if their very legs were on fire, and some even discarded their weapons and equipment to lighten their load.
The confidence the Russian troops had gained from their earlier victories—when the Germans had deliberately feigned weakness—had now completely vanished.
Yet despite their retreat, many Russian soldiers still fell under the relentless German fire. The battlefield was littered with Russian corpses, some so mutilated they were unrecognizable, reduced to mere piles of flesh. Severed limbs lay scattered across the field.
When the Russian forces regrouped and counted their numbers, they found that they had lost over 15,000 men, with more than 10,000 wounded. In that brief assault, they had nearly lost two entire divisions. The sheer strength of the German firepower had been devastating.
"General, what should we do now? The Germans' firepower is so overwhelming that we may not be able to break through their defenses and capture Tannenberg," one Russian officer lamented.
"Could this be a trap the Germans set? Perhaps they deliberately showed weakness earlier," another officer suggested.
Samsonov's face darkened, almost as if it had been scorched. Why hadn't anyone voiced such concerns earlier? Now, after their assault had failed and they had been bloodied before the German defenses, these officers suddenly had plenty to say.
"Enough. This is merely a temporary setback. We must not lose heart so quickly. Otherwise, how can we accomplish the task our Commander-in-Chief entrusted to us? The Germans have strong firepower, but we are not weak either. Order the artillery to prepare. In ten minutes, bombard the German positions and destroy their defenses. Then we'll see how they intend to stop us!" Samsonov commanded, unwilling to give up so easily.