The genesis of my trip to northern Poland began with the Battle of Tannenberg. As I have mentioned before, my fascination with the region and battle was the direct result of reading Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s novel, “August 1914” many years ago. Solzhenitsyn’s novelization of the battle was based on factual details, but he went much further. The narrative probes the mindsets of commanders and soldiers. This offers a psychological depth not found in conventional histories of the battle. This proved illuminating, both for the battle and Solzhenitsyn’s work.
Solzhenitsyn is usually associated with either his books on the Gulag or dissident activity and exile abroad. I must confess that I never read more than a few pages of Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago. After reading Anne Applebaum’s exhaustive history, Gulag, I had enough of Soviet penal camps. Solzhenitsyn was never an appealing author nor public figure to me. After getting booted out of the Soviet Union, he came to the United States where he proceeded to level withering criticism at America. Solzhenitsyn seemed to be the quintessential Russian malcontent, perceptive and unlikable. He was an equal opportunity offender who managed to offend the west, Ukrainians and Jews, among others.
Casualty of war – German Imperial soldiers grave in military cemetery at Olsztyn
Downward Spiral – It Only Got Worse
This did nothing to curb my fascination with August 1914. Prior to reading the book, I had no idea about Solzhenitsyn’s interest in the First World War. Specifically, the Battle of Tannenberg. Nevertheless, if not for his lesser-known work, I would not have found myself traipsing around the woods and fields of Warmia looking for the exact spot where General Alexander Samsonov shot himself. My interest – others might call it an obsession – did not stop with Samsonov’s suicide. Tannenberg led me deeper into the downward spiral of the interwar period in the region that is now northern Poland. While reading about that period, I learned about the Tannenberg Memorial.
This led to my travel companion and I wandering around a field where the Memorial once stood. Because of the Memorial’s obliteration everything was left to the imagination. Rather than trying to imagine its architectural footprint, I spent much of the time recalling a photo I had seen of General Paul von Hindenburg’s reburial in August 1934. This was cause for a sinister ceremony celebrating militarism that could have been mistaken for those huge rallies at Nuremberg the Nazis loved to hold. This was not the first, nor would it be the last ginormous get together the Nazis held at the Memorial. This got me thinking about Solzhenitsyn and August 1914 yet again. I started to imagine what the author might have done if he had kept his focus firmly affixed on Tannenberg. Both the battle and its bizarre afterlife at the Memorial.
Solzhenitsyn picked August 1914 for the title and subject of his book because he considered it the crucial turning point in 20th century Russian history. This was for him where the Soviet Union really began. Russian incompetence and defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg helped usher in one of the most murderous eras in human history. The Russian’s devastating defeat was the beginning of the end for Tsarist Russia. This would culminate in the Russian Revolution three years later and the rise of Bolshevism which would lead Russia down a road of misery, much of which was self-inflicted. As for the Germans, their crushing victory at Tannenberg did them little good either. It served to draw them further eastward where they would take and occupy massive swathes of territory. This resulted in very little gain. In the Second World War they would do much the same with catastrophic results.
Turning Points – The Wheels of History
Solzhenitsyn saw the Battle of Tannenberg as a defining event from which everything else flowed for Russia in the 20th century. He would later write three follow up volumes to August 1914 as part of what was known as the Red Wheel cycle. These were given dates for titles: November 1916, March 1917, April 1917. I could not help but think if Solzhenitsyn had been German, he might have stayed with the Tannenberg theme and followed it up with a cycle of novels equally fascinating. These could have been entitled August 1933, August 1934 and August 1939. Each date centering around events at the Tannenberg Memorial in what was then the German province of East Prussia.
The Memorial was one of the longest lasting legacies of the World War I battle. Strangely enough, it became extremely important to the cultivation of German militarism. The Nazis used it to boost their patriotic appeal and project power. On three different occasions ceremonial events held at the Memorial showcased Germany’s descent into Nazism and march toward another world war, one that would finally put an end to the menace of German militarism. The Battle of Tannenberg was as much a turning point for the Germans as it was the Russians. One from which there was no going back.
It is easy to see how the Russian lost the Battle of Tannenberg and their way in the world war. Tannenberg was both cause and catalyst for Tsarist Russia’s failures. Solzhenitsyn chose his subject well. If only he had done the same for the German side. A cycle of novels would start with August 1914 from the German perspective and illuminate the superiority complex that came from that smashing victory. This would be followed by August 1933, centered around a massive rally the Nazis gave at the Tannenberg Memorial on the anniversary of the battle. All the usual suspects were there, including Hitler, Goring, and Goebbels. A year later, the Nazis were back for the internment of Hindenburg. Hitler lauded Hindenburg, going so far as to say that a national resurrection had begun under his presidency. There was a torch light procession, menacing soldiers decked out in military regalia, and thousands of rabid German nationalists in attendance.
Last remains – Pieces of the Tannenberg Memorial
August 1939 – The Final Destination
The final part of this cycle would take place in August 1939, as the Nazis prepared for another massive ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the battle. This one ended up being cancelled following the announcement that Poland had signed a military pact with Great Britain. Just two days after the anniversary of Tannenberg, Germany invaded Poland. The long march to another world war started at Tannenberg and continued with the Memorial. The field in which the Memorial stood may now be empty, the military cemeteries across the surrounding countryside in disrepair, and traces of the battle obscure, but the sinister legacy of Tannenberg lives on. All it takes is a bit of imagination to recapture a picture of that catastrophic past.
Click here for: Fever Dreams – Traveling Tannenberg (Northern Poland & Berlin #36)
Europe Between East And West 