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At the beginning of the Russian 'Autumn Offensive', the Russian 1st Army consisted of 3 corps (3rd, 4th and 20th armies), supported by 5 cavalry divisions and 5th infantry brigades. The 2nd Army consisted of 6 corps (1st, 2nd, 6th, 13th, 15th and 23rd armies, the first two corps were later transferred to the 1st Army) and was supported by 3 cavalry divisions and the 1st Infantry Brigade. With 200,000 and 250,000 troops respectively, these two armies outnumbered the German 8th Army Corps, which confronted them. However, the complete lack of operational readiness of the Russian army before the war was one of the decisive factors in this campaign.

In addition to numbers, the German team was stronger than the Russian team in all aspects. The German army was commanded by General von Prittwitz and consisted of four corps (the 11th, 17th and 20th armies and one reserve corps), various garrisons and the 1st Cavalry Division. The ratio of the strength of the German army to the Russian army was: infantry was 1:17, cavalry was 1:27, and they were at a disadvantage. This numerical disadvantage was fully compensated for by the excellent organization, management and leadership of the German army.

The German 8th Army had four distinguished senior officers, and together they won the battle under the leadership of the steady second commander, General Hindenburg. The chief of staff, Ludendorff, was resolute, confident, intelligent, capable, and energetic; General von Grunacht was a very competent quartermaster minister; General François was a genius and adventurous army commander who achieved the most decisive tactical results; Colonel Max Hoffman of the General Staff was both active and thoughtful, but also fond of pleasure and leisure. He was perhaps the best of them all.

Compared to a high level of German generals. The suzhì of the commander of the Russian army is really low. Although Zhilinsky commanded 1 cavalry division, he spent most of his time as a staff officer, so he did not gain the trust of his subordinates. Rennankampf and Samsonov had earned a high reputation for their excellent command in the Russo-Chinese War, but during that war they quarreled with each other (supposedly at a train station). It has been argued that this is the reason for the lack of cooperation between Lennankampf and another army group commander in this battle.

Zhilinsky ordered the 1st Army to cross the border on 17 August and march on the Insterburg-Angberg line. Rennaikampf was to use most of his cavalry to cut off the German left flank from Königsberg. The general plan of the High Command was for the 1st Army to advance ahead of the 2nd Army in order to attract the Germans, and then for the 2nd Army to attack the German flank and rear. As a result, Samsonov is scheduled to cross the border on August 19. His first target, the Rastenburg-Seburg line, was about 43 kilometres from the border.

Rennankampf crossed the border on 17 August on the appointed date, and soon his 3rd Army came into contact with the German 1st Army. The battle that day was fought near Staruponen, with heavy casualties on both sides. Little progress has been made. On the night of the 17th-18th, the Germans retreated towards Combinen, and the Russian army followed at a slow pace, reaching Combinen on the evening of the 19th. The Germans retreated from here at midnight that day!

At the beginning of the campaign, the commander of the German 8th Army, Prittwitz, and the chief of staff, Waldze, commanded unfavorably, which made it impossible for the Germans to repel the Russian attack. Eventually, Moltke the Younger relieved both of them of their positions. General von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff were replaced as commander-in-chief and chief of staff of the German forces on the Eastern Front, respectively.

Hindenburg and Ludendorff arrived in Marienburg on the afternoon of August 23. The Germans found a piece in the notes of a killed Russian officer, which recorded a detailed plan for the Russian army to launch a concentrated offensive. Hindenburg does not say when this information arrived, but it is speculated that it was received on the occasion of his arrival. It is clear that the acquisition of this information made the German command uncertain about the movements of Rennankampf. Until the 25th. According to an intercepted wireless telegram, the German command clearly understood that Lennenkampf was moving very slowly, so Ludendorff decided to place only 1 cavalry division (1 brigade owed) on its front.

Samsonov's 2nd Army finally dragged across the border on 21 and 22 August, a date well behind schedule. Under the strict orders of Zhilinsky. His troops set off before they could be mobilized. Due to the incomplete transportation facilities, the supply system is disorganized. The soldiers lacked food and had to march on crowded sandy paths, and the situation of the troops was very bad.

And by this time, the Germans had already completed the counterattack and launched a counterattack on August 24! After several days of fierce fighting, the Germans gained the advantage of the battlefield!

On August 29 and 30, the three German armies launched a powerful offensive against the center of the Russian army, mercilessly driving them to the front of François's troops, who were waiting for them. François's corps had blocked the retreat of the Russian army along the Neidenburg-Villeenberg line. The Russian Second Army was fiercely attacked by the Germans, and after two days of hard fighting, the Russian Second Army was annihilated. In this battle, the Germans captured 920,000 prisoners, killed 70,000 Russian soldiers, captured and destroyed all Russian artillery and transports, and they themselves suffered only 150,000 casualties.

Instead of trying to support the defeated Samsonov, Rennankampf continued to move slowly and listlessly on the Welau-Gherdown-Angerberg front. His end is also coming. He was later driven out of East Prussia at the Battle of Lake Masuri and lost about 60,000 soldiers and 150 artillery pieces.

The consequences of the fiasco of the Russian army's 'autumn offensive' were very severe. The rapid collapse of the Russian 2nd Army caused a great shock to the Entente, and at the same time let the Entente know that it would be very difficult to defeat Germany, at least at a huge price!

When Russia launched the 'Autumn Offensive', the United States also received a request for help from France, and at the same time, Britain also demanded that the United States fulfill its treaty obligations and send troops to the war!

The demands of France and Britain have made it very difficult for the United States. The general mobilization of the United States was in full swing, and a large number of young people were drafted into the army. However, the United States does not want to apply their military power to the European theater, they face a powerful threat from China!

On August 12, the French ambassador to the United States once again asked to meet with US President Taft, but he still did not receive a satisfactory answer!

"Gentlemen, the French ambassador has just left here, and the French have suffered a crushing defeat in the border battle that has just ended. France wanted the U.S. Army to send an army to the war against Germany. What do you think? President Taft asked.

"Your Excellency the President, our mobilization has not yet been completed, and until the threat to us from China is resolved, we cannot disperse our forces to Europe!" US Secretary of War Jacob M. Dickinson was the first to object. Although, the plan of the US Army is to mobilize two million troops. But he was not confident that he could hold off a Chinese attack with two million troops. Therefore, he was adamantly opposed to sending limited forces to Europe.

"Your Excellency, I am also against it. China is our worst enemy! Vice President James Sherman also said!

"What about other people's opinions?" President Taft continued to ask.

As a result, almost everyone's opinion was that the opposition troops went to Europe, and in the eyes of the Americans, the war in Europe had little to do with the United States, and the reason why the United States joined the Entente was to deal with China. At present, the Chinese do not seem to have a tendency to attack, and the United States should seize the time to accumulate combat strength instead of intervening in the European war!

"Then, Your Excellency, you reply to the French and British governments that the United States will do its best to hold China down so that China will not have the energy to intervene in the European theater. I think this is our greatest contribution to this war! President Taft said!

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Secretary of State Filand C Knox said.

"Gentlemen, the Chinese have not yet joined the war, but I can sense that their attack is coming soon. There is no doubt that we will be the first target of the Chinese, so what should we do? President Taft asked. China is too threatening to the United States, threatening the west coast of the United States from the Hawaiian Islands or attacking the hinterland of the United States from Mexico. China's naval bases in Colombia and Ecuador pose a serious threat to the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal, and China's foothold in the Lesser Antilles threatens U.S. interests in the Caribbean. If the United States wants to expand outward, it must first break the blockade set by the Chinese around the United States!

"Your Excellency President, the Navy believes that we cannot wait for the Chinese to attack us first, but should take the initiative!" First of all, the military base of the Chinese on Guadeloupe must be destroyed. Our battleships tried to enter the Pacific Ocean through the Guò Panama Canal several times, but they were discovered by Chinese warships, and thus were intercepted by the main forces of the Chinese Pacific Fleet. These warships are stationed in Guadeloupe. In addition, the Chinese military bases in Colombia and Ecuador must be destroyed so that the Panama Canal threat can be guaranteed. The main force of the navy will be able to defend the west coast if it enters the Pacific Ocean through the Guò Panama Canal! "said the Minister of the Navy, Georg von Lengelkemeyer.

"You mean that we are going to start a war with the Chinese first? But is the navy capable of defeating the Chinese navy? The Chinese' 'Tang-class' battleships are already in service, and our 'Pennsylvania-class' battleships are still on the slipway! President Taft asked!