Attack of the Dead Men

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Attack of the Dead Men
Part of Eastern Front World War I
Date August 6, 1915
Location
Osowiec Fortress, Osowiec-Twierdza, Russian Empire (now Poland)
Result
Pyrrhic Russian victory

German forces routed

Russian evacuation on August 21
Belligerents
German Empire Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Paul von Hindenburg Vladimir Karpovich Kotlinsky �
Strength
14 battalions 60�100 men
Casualties and losses
Moderate Heavy

Lieutenant Vladimir Karpovich Kotlinsky, commandant of the Osowiec fortress during

the attack
The Attack of the Dead Men was a battle of World War I that took place at Osowiec
Fortress, in northeast Poland, on August 6, 1915. The incident got its name from
the bloodied, zombie-like appearance of the Russian combatants after they were
bombarded with chlorine gas by the Germans.

Battle
The Germans launched a full frontal offensive on Osowiec Fortress at the beginning
of July; the attack included 14 battalions of infantry, one battalion of sappers,
24�30 heavy siege guns, and 30 batteries of artillery equipped with poison gases
led by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg. Russian defenses were manned by 500
soldiers of the 226th Infantry Regiment Zemlyansky, and 400 militia.

The Germans waited until 4 a.m. on 6 August for favorable wind conditions, when the
attack opened with regular artillery bombardment combined with chlorine gas. The
gas reportedly caused the grass to turn black and leaves to turn yellow.[1] The
Russians either had no gas masks, or had poorly made ones, and most soldiers used
their undershirts as masks, with many soaking them in water or urine. [2] Sub-
Lieutenant Vladimir Kotlinsky, the highest ranking Russian soldier to survive the
initial attack, rallied the other surviving soldiers, and they elected to charge
the advancing German lines.[3]

Over twelve battalions of the 11th Landwehr Division, making up more than 7000 men,
advanced after the bombardment and expecting little resistance. They were met at
the first defense line by a counter-charge made up of the surviving soldiers of the
13th Company of the 226th Infantry Regiment. The Germans became panicked by the
appearance of the Russians, who were coughing up blood and bits of their own lungs,
and the hydrochloric acid formed by the mix of the chlorine gas and the moisture in
their lungs had begun to dissolve their flesh. The Germans retreated, running so
fast they ran into their own traps.[4] The five remaining Russian guns subsequently
opened fire on the fleeing Germans.[5][6][7][8][9] Kotlinsky died later that
evening.
The Russians did not hold the area for much longer. The Germans threatened to
encircle the fortress with the capture of Kovno and Novogeorgiesk. The Russians
demolished much of the fortress and withdrew on 18 August.[6][7]

Legacy
Swedish metal band Sabaton released a song about the incident, titled The Attack of
the Dead Men, on their 2019 album The Great War. [10]