The First World War in Poland 1914-1915

The First World War in Poland 1914-1915

Tannenberg, The Masurian Lakes and Beyond

Military History and Battlefield Tours

The First World War in Poland 1914-1915

Tannenberg, The Masurian Lakes and Beyond

Military History and Battlefield Tours

Your Holiday Essentials

Summer 2026
(7 Days)

Activity Level: 2

Incl. travel from UK: N/A

Use the button below to register your interest in this tour

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Tour Introduction

The northern half of Poland is a region that was the scene of major fighting during 1914 and the first half of 1915 and yet in Britain and Western Europe the Eastern Front campaign is somewhat forgotten and overlooked. The terrain over which it was fought suffered greatly during the 20th century and continues to do so to this very day. In particular, the ravages of the Second World War have obscured battlefields that were bitterly fought over during the First World War: but the topography has changed little and there are sufficient vestiges and vantage points to provide insightful platforms for narrative, analysis and discussion. As we travel through rolling farmland, past a multitude of inter-connected lakes, waterways and isolated forests all of which shape the battlefield, we will follow the routes of the armies, explore 19th Century fortresses that resisted modern 20th Century artillery, discover the sites of POW camps, reveal small poignant forgotten cemeteries that somehow survived subsequent Soviet rampage and occupation and visit at other places of relevance.

Background

Following the surprise success of the Russian 1st Army in East Prussia at the outbreak of the war, the Germans called upon the ageing Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg with General Erich Ludendorff, as his able Chief of Staff, to address the growing crisis. Under this new leadership a series of well planned and executed offensives saw the misfortunes of the German army reversed. The most well-known action was the Battle of Tannenberg (26th – 30th August 1914) in which the German 8th Army destroyed the Russian 2nd Army. This was swiftly followed by another crushing victory at the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (9th – 14th September 1914). The second battle in February 1915 would eventually push the Russians out of East Prussia entirely. German forces then invaded Russian Poland seizing Warsaw on 5th August 1915, the advance requiring the capture of the huge fortress complex of Modlin. But not all forts fell so easily, as the Russian garrison at Osowiec held out for 11 months despite the Germans’ use of heavy artillery and poison gas.

Highlights

  • With Head of First World War & Early 20th Century Conflict at the Imperial War Museum Alan Wakefield
  • Tour forgotten WW1 POW camps
  • The battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival
Fly from London and/or start tour in Warsaw. Travel to our hotel in Olsztyn (3 nights)

Day 2: Grunwald and Tannenberg
Visit the Grunwald Battlefield where on 15th July 1410 the Teutonic Knights were decisively defeated by the Polish-Lithuanian alliance. Here we look at the link between this medieval battle and the German victory of 1914. We then travel to the site of the Denkmal (memorial) to discuss the Hindenburg – Ludendorff command team before visiting the only surviving remnant of the Denkmal, the Lion Memorial sculpture in Olstynek. We then head for the villages of Orlowo (Orlau) and Lyna (Lahna) to see where the Russian advance was blunted on 23rd August by Von Scholtz’s 20th Corps. We conclude this day on the German right covering the advance of the German 1st Corps from the Seeben Heights at Zabiny through Uzdowo (Usdau) and on to Nidzica (Neidenburg), which took place between 26th and 28th August and proved crucial to German victory.

Day 3: Tannenberg
We cover the fight for Biskupiec (Bischofburg) on 26th August between the Russian 6th Corps and Mackensen's 17th Corps and Von Below’s 1st Reserve Corps, and the subsequent German advance to Szczytno (Ortelsburg). We then move to Wielbark (Willenberg) where on 30th August, Mackensen’s troops joined hands with Francois 1st Corps, encircling the bulk of the Russian 2nd Army. A visit to the village of Muszaki (Muschaken) allows a discussion on the destruction of the Russian 2nd Army. The day concludes with a visit to the Samsonov Memorial, located close to the position where the commander of the Russian 2nd Army committed suicide following the loss of his forces.

Day 4: First Masurian Lakes
We travel from Olsztyn towards the Masurian Lakes battlefields. Our first destination is Fort Boyen: this 19th Century German fortress played a key role in the 1914 battles in East Prussia, including its being the launch point for Mackensen’s 17th Corps during the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (2nd – 14th September 1914). After a tour of the fortress, we move on to Pozezdrze (Possessern) where Mackensen achieved a decisive breakthrough in the centre of the Russian 1st Army’s front. We conclude the day at Orzysz (Arys), liberated on 8th September 1914 during the First Masurian Lakes battle as part of the advance of Francois 1st Corps against the Russian 22nd Corps. Success here opened the road to Lyck (Elk) and threatened the southern flank of Rennenkampf’s Russian 1st Army. Check-in to our hotel in Elk for two nights.

Day 5: the Second Masurian Lakes
We begin the day with visits to the German battlefield cemeteries at Grabnik and Talusy where we discuss the opening rounds of the Second Masurian Lakes battle (7th – 18th February 1915) and the German 8th Army’s capture of Lyck (Elk). We then travel east to cover the culmination of the battle at Augustowo Forest: here the German 8th and 10th Armies attempted the encirclement and destruction of the Russian 10th Army.

Day 6: Modlin and Warsaw
Visit to Modlin (Nonogeorgievsk), the Russian fortress complex located at the convergence of the Vistula and Narew rivers. Here we cover the role of fixed fortifications in Russian war planning and the capture of the fortress by German forces under General Hans von Beseler in August 1915. We then drive into Warsaw and visit the Powazki Cemetery, which contains graves associated with the First World War, Polish-Soviet War 1919-1921 and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Overnight in Warsaw

Day 7: Bolimov and Home
We visit the village of Bolimov, west of Warsaw, where on 31st January 1915 the German 9th Army under Mackensen unleashed the first significant use of gas during the First World War. Continue to Warsaw Airport where our tour ends or catch return flights to London.

Recommended Reading List

Photo Gallery

  • Tannenberg Lion, Olsztynek
  • Tannenberg Denkmal, Sudwa, Olsztynek
  • Stalag XXA, Fort XI, Toruń
  • PiłaSchneidemühl POW cemetery
  • Orlau Cemetery
  • Nidzica Castle
  • General Samsonov's Memorial

Your Holiday Essentials

Summer 2026
(7 Days)

Activity Level: 2

Incl. travel from UK: N/A

Use the button below to register your interest in this tour

click here to register your interest

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