What is First Battle of the Masurian Lakes?
[[File:Stab der 8-Armee.JPG|thumb|right|300px|{{Center|German 8th Army [[Staff (military)|staff]] at the First Battle of Masurian Lakes}}]] The '''First Battle of the Masurian Lakes''' was a [[German Empire|German]] [[Offensive (military)|offensive]] on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] during the early part of [[World War I]]. It started on 7 September and ended on 14 September 1914. The battle was the second heavy [[wikt:defeat|defeat]] of a [[Russia|Russian]] [[army]] by the Germans. The first defeat was at the [[Battle of Tannenberg (1914)|Battle of Tannenberg]]. At Masurian Lakes the Germans pushed the Russian [[1st Army (Russian Empire)|1st Army]] back out of Germany. They could not push the Russians back further because of the arrival of the [[Russian Tenth Army]] on the Germans' left flank (side). The Russians suffered a [[wikt:defeat|defeat]] and [[retreat]]ed losing about 125,000 men and 150 guns. == The strategy == [[File:Masurian Lakes Sep1914.jpg|thumb|left|250px|{{Center|The battle of the Masurian Lakes in Sep 1914}}]] [[Paul von Hindenburg]], general of the German Eighth Army, knew the swampy area of [[East]] [[Prussia]] called the [[Masurian Lake District|Masurian Lakes]]. He thought the Russians might attack there so he made plans in case of such an attack.<ref name=Meinecke158> Bruno Meinecke, ' A Modern Cannae', '' The Classical Weekly'', Vol. 18, No. 20 (Mar. 30, 1925), p. 158</ref> At this time of the war, the Germans knew what the Russians were planning because they could read their messages.<ref>''Encyclopedia Of World War I: A Political, Social, And Military History'', eds. Spencer C. Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts (Oxford: Abc-clio, 2005), pp. 305–06</ref> The Russians planned their attack on East Prussia with little [[Military intelligence|intelligence]] of the area. They had no [[rail transport]] to move troops. They failed to plan for enough food and [[ammunition]] and moved only with [[horse]]s and [[infantry]].<ref name=Wolfe337>Bertram D. Wolfe, 'Titans Locked in C