Headstones

Russias Battle of Tannenberg

Kai Henriksen
The French were under attack
The Germans just would not backtrack
The Grand Duke of the Russians
Said Its not up for discussion
And he sent out his troops to push back
Two armies, the First and the Second
To flank them will work they reckoned
The Second will sneak
The First will join midweek
At the Germans they will fire their weapons
Rennenkampf commanded the first
Samsonov, leader of Second he cursed
The two wanted to fight
Each other that might
Be why their coordination was the worst
The Germans had only one army
The Russians were sure theyd be sorry
They outmatched them in number
Their march sounded like thunder
They all started off on their journey
Cryptologists were on either side
The German ones working with pride
They intercepted intel
Which was uncoded as well
With this info their army theyd guide
The Germans heard their mistake
The First army would arrive three days too late
They surrounded the Second
And pointed their weapons

Samsonovs army had met their fate

The battle was only a massacre
If only the First Army was faster
The bullets shot through
Everyone in Samsonovs view
Making him look like an amature

The Germans intercepted their pleas

To the First Army they were on their knees
But the big man said
Retreat and leave them for dead
Rennenkampfs army marched back through the trees
Half the Second Army was captured
The other half was shattered
Samsonov humiliated
His ego deflated
This was everything to him that mattered
Samsonov saw no other way out
The Tzar will hold me responsible no doubt
He grasped his gun
And took one last look at the sun
Samsonov had struck out
The Germans were given more men
They advanced on the First and then
The First army retreated
They knew they were defeated
The Germans had won in the end
Tannenberg the name that by the battle is known
2

From their victory the Russians were thrown

The Russians were beaten
And their forces were weakened
The battlefield filled with headstones