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Though much of the broken I and VI Corps, being already partially driven from the field, would in fact be able to escape on the 29th, there was little chance of retreat for the XIII and XV Corps in the center. Below had succeeded in breaking through at Allenstein, and with Mackensen was able to link up with François near Neidenburg, effectively surrounding those two corps. Martos' and Klyuev's men desperately floundered through the forests and swamps inside the pocket, looking for an open path to escape, but there were few passable roads, and on all of these the Germans had already posted machine guns to mow down anyone in sight. Moreover, the troops had run completely out of food, in some cases for several days, and were growing physically incapable of further resistance. Through the day and night more and more of them were rounded up; Martos and Klyuev were themselves captured, and by the following morning, except for a final attack by a regrouped portion of the Russian I Corps, all fighting was at an end.  

Though much of the broken I and VI Corps, being already partially driven from the field, would in fact be able to escape on the 29th, there was little chance of retreat for the XIII and XV Corps in the center. Below had succeeded in breaking through at Allenstein, and with Mackensen was able to link up with François near Neidenburg, effectively surrounding those two corps. Martos' and Klyuev's men desperately floundered through the forests and swamps inside the pocket, looking for an open path to escape, but there were few passable roads, and on all of these the Germans had already posted machine guns to mow down anyone in sight. Moreover, the troops had run completely out of food, in some cases for several days, and were growing physically incapable of further resistance. Through the day and night more and more of them were rounded up; Martos and Klyuev were themselves captured, and by the following morning, except for a final attack by a regrouped portion of the Russian I Corps, all fighting was at an end.  

Samsonov himself had also been trapped in the surrounded pocket. Rather than face the shame either of being taken prisoner or of telling [[Tsar Nicholas II]] that he had lost his army, the general walked into the forest about 1:00 a.m. on the 30th and shot himself. His body was later discovered by the Germans and returned to Russia.

Samsonov himself had also been trapped in the surrounded pocket. Rather than face the shame either of being taken prisoner or of telling [[Czar Nicholas II]] that he had lost his army, the general walked into the forest about 1:00 a.m. on the 30th and shot himself. His body was later discovered by the Germans and returned to Russia.

 

 

Tannenberg is often considered one of the most complete tactical victories scored by either side in the First World War. The Russian Second Army was virtually destroyed as a result of the battle: out of an initial strength of about 180,000 men, about 92,000 had been captured and anywhere between 30,000 and 78,000 killed or wounded. Some 350 pieces of artillery were also taken by the Germans. Losses were proportionally highest in the XIII and XV Corps, from which together fewer than 2200 men escaped, including a single officer of the entire XV Corps. By comparison, out of about 150,000 Germans engaged at Tannenberg, only about 12-14,000 became casualties.

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