The Russian First Army was a World War I Russian field army that fought on the Eastern Front for two years.
The First Army, commanded by General Paul Rennenkampf, invaded East Prussia at the outbreak of war in 1914 along with the Second Army commanded by General Alexander Samsonov. After declaring war on the German Empire, the Russian Empire had been able to mobilize very quickly. All Russian forces were put under the command of Grand Duke Nikolai and his Quartermaster General Yuri Danilov.
The invading forces made a determined and speedy attack on East Prussia. However, the First and Second Armies were stopped by the German Eighth Army, led by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and his Chief of Staff, General Erich Ludendorff. The German and Russian armies met at Tannenberg, where the Second Army was encircled and suffered complete destruction. Both the First and Second Armies suffered terrible casualties in one of the most comprehensive German victories of World War I.
The First Army also suffered defeat at the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes in September 1914, which led to Rennenkampf's dismissal and replacement by Litvinov. First Army served under Northwestern front for the remainder of the war. Litvinov was replaced by Sokovnin in April 1917. Vannovski replaced Sokovnin in July and the army's final commander, von Notbek, took over in September 1917.
At the Battle of Tannenburg (1914), the First Army consisted of the following units:
II Corps (transferred from the Second Army, 22 August)
26th Infantry Division (101st «Permskii» Infantry Regiment, 102nd «Viatskii» Infantry Regiment, 103rd «Petrozavodskii» Infantry Regiment, and 104th «Ustiuzhskii» Infantry Regiment of General Prince Bagrat)
43rd Infantry Division (169th «Novo-Trokskii» Infantry Regiment, 170th, 171st, and 172nd Regiments)
III Corps
25th Infantry Division (97th «Lifliandskii» Infantry Regiment of General-Field Marshal Count Sheremetev, 98th «Iurevskii» Infantry Regiment, 99th and 100th Regiments)
27th Infantry Division (105th, 106th «Ufimskii» Infantry Regiment, 107th «Troitskii» Infantry Regiment, and 108th «Saratovskii» Infantry Regiment)
IV Corps
30th Infantry Division (117th «Iaroslavskii» Infantry Regiment, 118th «Shuiskii» Infantry Regiment, 119th «Kolomenskii» Infantry Regiment, and 120th «Serpukhovskii» Infantry Regiment)
40th Infantry Division (157th «Imeretinski!» Infantry Regiment, 158th «Kutaisskii» Infantry Regiment, 159th «Guriiskii» Infantry Regiment, and 160th «Abkhazskii» Infantry Regiment)
XX Corps
28th Infantry Division (109th «Volzhskii» Infantry Regiment, 110th «Kamskii» Infantry Regiment, 111th «Donskoi» Infantry Regiment, 112th «Ural'skii» Infantry Regiment)
29th Infantry Division (113th «Starorusskii» Infantry Regiment, 114th «Novotorzhskii» Infantry Regiment, 115th «Viazemskii» Infantry Regiment, and 116th «Maloiaroslavskii» Infantry Regiment)
Unattached units included:
56th Infantry Division (221st, 222nd, 223rd, and 224th Regiments)
1st Guard Cavalry Division (His Majesty's Cuirassier Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Kirasirskii Ego Velichestva Polk), Her Majesty's Cuirassier Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Kirasirskii Eia Velichestva Polk), His Majesty's Cossack Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Kazachii Ego Velichestva Polk), and Ataman Cossack Guards Regiment of H. I. H. the Tsesarevich (Leib-Gvardii Atamanskii Ego Imperatorskago Vysochestva Naslednika TSesarevicha Polk)
2nd Guard Cavalry Division (Horse-Grenadier Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Konno-Grenaderskii Polk), Her Majesty's Lancer Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Ulanskii Eia Velichestva Gosudaryni Imperatritsy Aleksandry Feodorovny Polk), Dragoon Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Dragunskii Polk), His Majesty's Hussar Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Gusarskii Ego Velichestva Polk), His Majesty's Lancer Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Ulanskii Ego Velichestva Polk), Grodno Hussar Guards Regiment (Leib-Gvardii Grodnenskii Gusarskii Polk).
1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Cavalry Division, 3rd Cavalry Division, 5th Rifle Brigade, 1st Independent Cavalry Brigade, and 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade
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