In 1914 during World War I the German Army under the command of General Paul von Hindenburg won an important victory over the Russian Imperial forces invading East Prussia in the Battle of Tannenberg . The combat lasted from 26 to 30 August and actually included a wide range of battlegrounds centered on Olsztynek , then known as '' Hohenstein '' . It was , however , named after nearby '' Tannenberg '' by the victorious Germans at Hindenburg 's request , for propaganda purposes and to cast it as a kind of revenge for the medieval defeat . In World War II , the Tannenberg myth lent the name to the German '' Operation Tannenberg '' extermination actions directed at the Polish people , while the Battle of Tannenberg Line refers to an Eastern Front campaign which took place in Estonia
Operation Tannenberg
Operation Tannenberg
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