Tannenberg
ist R.C.: Gross-Audowohnen.
nth A.C.: North of Darkehmen, Gumbinnen—Stalluponen.
20th A.C. : Darkehmen, half-way to Wirballen—Lake Wyschtyt.
I7th A.C. : Due north of Rominten Woods towards Wyschtynice.
ist A.C.: Due south-east of Rominten Woods towards Mariampol.
8th and ist Cavalry Divisions : In advance of the ist A.C. towards the Wirballen-Kovno road.
These movements did not turn out quite as I had hoped. Friend and foe were difficult to distinguish. Our own columns occasionally fired on one another. The troops made too vigorous frontal attacks, and did not await the co-operation of neighbouring columns. But the most serious difficulty was caused by the fact that on September nth the nth A.C, thought it was being attacked by a very superior force. This was quite conceivable and had to be taken into account. Under the existing conditions as regards the strength of the two forces, the front line required the close tactical support of the enveloping Corps. We had therefore to decide to bring the I7th and ist A.C. further north than was originally intended. After a few hours the belief of the nth Army Corps proved to be unfounded. But the order had already been given to the enveloping wing. Later, the Corps were again diverted to their original route, but by then at least half a day had been lost.
The 8th Army did magnificent work. The whole advance, which covered well over one hundred kilometres in four days, was a brilliant victorious march for these troops, exhausted as they were by continuous fighting and strain of every kind. This applied more particularly to the original units of the 8th Army ; the Guard R.C. and the nth A.C. had fought valiantly in the West at Namur, but they had certainly had an easier time hitherto.
The results of the battle were not so obvious as those of Tannenberg. There were no operations in the enemy's rear, for they were not possible. The enemy did not make a stand, but withdrew, so that they could only be forced back still further
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