Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
World War I
The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg

World War I
World War I


The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg
Print The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.09

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    humiliation, contend, mobilize, ally, suicide, resistance, commander, fatal, successful, retreat, defeat, attack, attempt, ensure, remain, effect
     content words:    Schlieffen Plan, General Alexander Samsonov, East Prussia, General Maximilian Prittwitz, General Samsonov, Marne River, Great Britain


The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg
By Jane Runyon
  

1     When the Germans decided to attack much of Europe to begin a world war, they really didn't think they would have much trouble with Russia. According to the Schlieffen Plan, if the Germans were to take control of France quickly, the British and Russians would not be very willing to continue a battle. They believed that if they were to attack France, it would take six weeks before Russia would be able to mobilize an army to put up any resistance. The plan made a lot of sense on paper. Putting the plan into action would be another story.
 
2     The Russian army was mobilized a lot faster than the Germans had expected. The Germans were quite correct, however, in how long it took the Russians to go anywhere. The man who took charge of the Russian army was General Alexander Samsonov. He planned to march his men into East Prussia in order to meet and defeat the Germans. When the German commander, General Maximilian Prittwitz, saw that the large Russian army was ready for battle much sooner than they expected, he called for an immediate retreat. He was replaced by two German generals for making such a decision. The German and Russian forces met on August 22, 1914, near Tannenberg. The Russians outnumbered the Germans and were able to win a few skirmishes in the first couple of days. After six days of fighting, the Germans were able to completely surround the Russian army.
 
3     General Samsonov attempted to retreat from the Germans, but he was not successful. The German army destroyed the Russian army. Of the 150,000 Russian soldiers who began the battle, only 10,000 were able to escape. The Germans captured 92,000 Russians and killed almost 50,000 more. Rather than face the humiliation of such a devastating defeat, General Samsonov committed suicide. This part of the Schlieffen Plan was working well for the Germans.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


Feedback on The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg
Leave your feedback on The Russian Defeat at Tannenberg   (use this link if you found an error in the story)



World War I
             World War I


Social Studies
             Social Studies


    United States History and Theme Units  
 
    American Government  
 
    Ancient America  
 
    Ancient China  
 
    Ancient Egypt  
 
    Ancient Greece  
 
    Ancient India  
 
    Ancient Mesopotamia  
 
    Ancient Rome  
 
    Biographies  
 
    Canadian Theme Unit  
 
    Country Theme Units  
 
    Crime and Terrorism  
 
    Economics  
 
    European History: 1600s-1800s  
 
 
    Explorers  
 
    Famous Educators  
 
    Geography  
 
    Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series  
 
    History of Books and Writing  
 
    History of Mathematics  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
    Inventors and Inventions  
 
    Middle Ages  
 
    Renaissance  
 
    World Religion  
 
    World War I  
 
    World War II  
 
    World Wonders  
 


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper