Max Hoffmann

As Chief of Operations for the German Eighth Army, Hoffmann played a key role in planning the encirclement of the Russian Second Army at Tannenberg. The battle resulted in the destruction of the Russian army and the capture of its commander, Samsonov. This victory established Hindenburg and Ludendorff's reputations.

Hoffmann helped plan the follow-up battle to Tannenberg, the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. German forces drove the Russian First Army out of East Prussia, inflicting heavy casualties. This cleared German territory of Russian troops and secured the eastern border for the remainder of 1914.

Hoffmann was the chief German military negotiator at Brest-Litovsk. He dictated harsh terms to Soviet Russia, forcing the cession of vast territories including Poland, the Baltic states, and Ukraine. The treaty ended the war on the Eastern Front but was later annulled by the Armistice.