German territory. The German military consisted of 166,000 men which was commanded by General Paul Von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff. This was one Germany army known as the German Eight Army. The Russian First Army and the Russian Second Army consisted of 416,000 men together.
The Russian military was commanded and led by General Alexander Samsonor and General Paul Von Rennenkampf (About Education).
There was a lot of military significance that occurred and came from the Battle of Tannenberg. The Germany military was able to gain control over the Russian forces and military. This gave Germany's military more control over Russia as well as a greater chance of winning the battle that was occurring. German leaders had a thorough and great understanding of their militaries capabilities (Sondahl, Birrion). German's military had advanced tactics due to the commanders that they had leading them. The German commanders were very organized with their schedules and concepts of operations which gave them a big advantage in the battle. Having a good understanding over the military is big military significance that occurred during the battle. Germany was able to find weaknesses in Russia's military which was another significance in the military. The ability for Germany to know Russia's weaknesses allowed them to defeat them with ease (Sondahl, Birrion). Military significance came from the results of the battle as well. The Germans were able
to capture equipment from the Russians and transported it back to their country. This allowed Germany to be exposed to different types of equipment which could later on improve the equipment in the German military. The Russians lacked supplies when it came to battle such as medical supplies and weapons. This shortage of equipment gave Germany and advantage in the battle (Sondahl, Birrion). At the end of the battle the Russians suffered more causalities then the Germany military. This caused the Russian military to almost never recover after this battle. Russian armies did not come near German territory after the battle had ended (History Learning Site). This was the first complete victory for Germany of World War I. There were many different types of weapons used throughout the Battle of Tannenberg. Mortars were used which is a short cannon used for firing shells at a high angle. These were useful for shooting upward and from below an object (Dictionary). There were other types of guns and machines used such as machine, support guns, submachine guns, rifles, and handguns. All of these types of weapons allowed for easier killing and a longer shooting range. Land mines were placed in fields and when stepped on would create an explosion killing soldiers. These were helpful when it came to war but if left unknown they could easily kill an innocent person. Other types of weapons that were used in the sense to throw at other soldiers were grenades and flamethrowers (Duffy, Michael). These weapons would be ignited then thrown at the area of people that were targeted to be killed. Grenades and flamethrowers were not always accurate weapons but were able to kill easily if used and thrown accurately.