 Ramba uchinyora ndima iyi - Pakatanga Hondo Yenyika I Hoffmann akava mukuru mukuru wokutanga weGerman Eighth Army, aiva nebasa rokudzivirira muganhu wavo wokumabvazuva pakurwiswa neRussia. Chikamu chikuru cheuto reGermany, chichitevera Schlieffen Plan, chakanga chichiedza kuwana rukundo runogumisa kumadokero kupfurikidza nokubvisa France muhondo. Kuunganidzwa kweRussia kwakanga kwatanga muchivande pamberi pekuziviswa kwehondo, saka pakutanga kupfuura zvaitarisirwa Mauto Ekutanga eRussia akapinda muEast Prussia mhiri kwemuganhu wayo wekumabvazuva, Mauto Echisere akavarwisa pasina kubudirira pa Hondo yeGumbinnenmusi wa20 August 1914. Ipapo vakanzwa kuti Hondo Yechipiri yeRussia yakanga ichiswedera kumuganhu wavo wokumaodzanyemba kumadokero. Kuti arege kuparadzaniswa nomugwagwa mukuru weEighth Army, Maximilian von Prittwitz, akavhunduka, akasarudza kudzokera shure pamusoro peRwizi rweVistula, achisiya East Prussia iri mumaoko evavhozhokeri. Nokukurumidza akafungazve uye panzvimbo pezvo akasarudza kutamisa chikamu chikuru chemauto ake kuti avharire Mauto echipiri eRussia kuti asvike kuVistula, asi iye nemukuru wake wevashandi vakanga vatobvisirwa basa vachitsigira Paul von Hindenburg naErich Ludendorff. Hoffmann aiziva Ludendorff zvakanaka nemhaka yokuti vakanga vave vari vavakidzani muchivako chimwe chete muBerlin kwamakore anoverengeka. 