Atlas of Battles

battle, major, First World War

Battle of Gumbinnen

Battle of Gumbinnen was a battle fought on 20 August 1914 at Gusev, in what is now Russia. It was part of the WWI Eastern Front, which ran from 1914 to 1918. The recorded result: Russian victory. Recorded strength: 74,400 men; 224 machine guns and 408 guns against 63,800 total; 252 machine guns and 408 guns.

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East Prussia, August 17 – 23, 1914
East Prussia, August 17 – 23, 1914. Department of Military Art and Engineering, at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought20 August 1914
WhereGusev, Russia54.600N, 22.200E
OutcomeRussian victory
BelligerentsGerman EmpireagainstRussian Empire
Casualties and losses14,607and18,839; Another estimate: 19,665 men, including 9,500 captured
Part ofWWI Eastern Front1914 to 1918

Where it sits in the WWI Eastern Front

Battle of Łódź, 1914Russian invasion of East Prussia, 1914Battle of Kraśnik, 1914Battle of Rawa, 1914Battle of Krzywopłoty, 1914Battle of Bzurą 1914, 1914Battle of Stallupönen, 1914Battle of Gumbinnen, 1914Battle of Komarów, 1914Battle of Gnila Lipa, 1914Battle of Augustów, 1914Battle of Kraków (1914), 1914Battle of Limanowa, 1914Carpathian Front, 1914second battle of Krakow, 1914Battle of Bolimów, 1915Battles of Przasnysz, 1915Battle of Konary, 1915Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive, 1915Narew Offensive, 1915Siege of Novogeorgievsk, 1915Siege of Kovno, 1915Sventiany Offensive, 1915Battle of Ustechko (1916), 1916Brusilov Offensive, 1916Second Battle of Ķekava, 1916Baranovichi Offensive, 1916Kerensky Offensive, 1917Battle of Toboly, 1917Battle of Zborov, 1917Battle of Riga, 1917Battle of Jugla, 1917Battle of Moon Sound, 1917Battle of Rarańcza, 1918Battle of Bakhmach, 1918Battle of Kaniów, 191819141918Battle of Gumbinnen, 1914
36 placed engagements of the WWI Eastern Front in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date20 August 1914
PlaceGusev, Russia
54.600N, 22.200E
KindBattle, First World War
Strength74,400 men; 224 machine guns and 408 guns63,800 total; 252 machine guns and 408 guns
Casualties and losses14,60718,839; Another estimate: 19,665 men, including 9,500 captured
Commanders
Battle of GumbinnenBattle of GumbinnenBattle of StallupönenBattle of Gross-JägersdorfBattle of FilipówFirst Battle of the Masurian LakesSecond Battle of the Masurian LakesBattle of FilipówFirst Battle of the Masurian LakesKaliningradKaunasHrodnaKlaipėdaSovetskElblągPanevežys100 km54.600N, 22.200E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Gumbinnen
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Gumbinnen today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-07-10. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 48 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 35 to 86 m, 51 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 39% grassland, 32% tree cover, 15% cropland.

grassland: 39%tree cover: 32%cropland: 15%built-up: 13%grassland 39%tree cover 32%cropland 15%built-up 13%
west to east, 10.0 km39 to 67 mnorth to south, 10.0 km43 to 65 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1914

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: GER 8TH ARMYDefender: RUS 1ST ARMY
Strength120,000150,000
Casualties20,000 (16.7%)20,000 (13.3%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1055
Outcomedrawn
Duration1 day
Front width64 km64 km
Attacker advanced8 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 279), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Gumbinnen is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 350 in present-day Russia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q145588, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Gumbinnen, revision 1380801480, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.