Attack of the Dead Men

Peering through the small visors of their gas masks the soldiers made their way through the ruined fortress. The green cloud of chlorine gas was starting to dissipate and the bodies of dead Russian soldiers were becoming clearer. Marching deeper into the fortress something gut wrenching happens, the dead begin to rise again. 

Outer wall of Osowiec Fortress, Courtesy of tripadvisor

Osowiec Fortress 

When most people think of World War One they generally imagine the mud and endless trenches on the Western Front, but much of the heaviest fighting was done on the Eastern Front between Russia and Germany. Knocking out Russia was one of Germany’s main goals of the war since Russia was seen as a great threat to their power. A large obstacle that stood in their way however was Osowiec Fortress, one of Russia's Westernmost forts. Located in modern day Poland this fortification forced Germany to keep soldiers in the area instead of sending them where they were needed elsewhere. It also hindered the German advance into Russia making the fall of Osowiec crucial to their plans. 

The fort itself was not heavily defended, with only a few companies of soldiers occupying it at a time. However it was easily defensible. Outside of the fortress were two defensive lines set up to stop an enemy attack before it even reached the fort. The first line was made up of a shallow trench network with barbed wire at the front. If the first line fell then they were to retreat to the second which had much deeper trenches as well as more barbed wire and areas for machine gun emplacements. If an enemy force made it through these two then they would have to face the tall walls and battlements that made up the forts outer defenses. Here Russian soldiers could easily shoot down at advancing enemy forces from a relatively safe position. If the attackers made it inside then they would have to fight in deadly close quarters combat. This layered defense system is what made it easy for such few soldiers to hold the fort. 

In September of 1914 the Germans launched their first attack on Osowiec Fortress. The German 8th Army attacked with 40 infantry battalions (over 10,000 soldiers), far superior numbers to the few hundred defending Russians. A massive frontal assault was launched but they were repelled by Russian artillery. A few months later they would try again. 

German heavy siege cannon, Courtesy of We Are the Mighty

On February 3 another frontal assault was launched, Germany again had numerically superior forces. Heavy fighting ensued for five days before the first defensive line was broken and the Russians were forced to fallback. The second line of defenses was attacked but German forces withdrew after only two days. On February 13 heavy artillery was brought up and the fort experienced an absolutely hellacious bombardment, for an entire week 360 shells would hit the fort every four minutes. When the barrage was over more than 250,000 shells from heavy siege cannons had descended on the fort and over 1 million shells from lighter artillery had fallen upon it. The defending Russians suffered heavy casualties and many of the inner buildings collapsed, but the Kaiser’s forces still could not break through. 

The Legendary Attack 

At the beginning of July the Germans launched another attack. This time they only had 14 battalions but they now brought along sappers and a special weapon. The German leader, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, knew that the Russians gas masks could not stand up to chlorine gas and planned on using this advantage to finally take the fortress. As the Germans set up for the assault they waited for the right time to launch their new weapon on the 500 Russian soldiers and 400 militiamen defending the fort. 

Chlorine gas is particularly nasty as it targets soft tissue such as the eyes, esophagus, and lungs. Once it mixes with the moist skin it forms an acid that eats away at the flesh. There is no cure for it and the only thing that can be done is flush the chlorine out of ones system and then attempt to heal whatever the acid damaged. 

Chlorine gas, courtesy of the BBC

On August 6, after waiting several days for favorable wind conditions the Germans launched 30 canisters of chlorine gas at the fort. A greenish yellow cloud seeped out and quickly spread throughout the area. Tree leaves turned yellow, the grass turned black, and the men outside of the fort died quickly as the gas entered their respiratory system and dissolved their lungs. Those inside the fort watched as their comrades fell and attempted to put on their gas masks, but they were of little use. The gas spread into the fort and the Russian defenders slowly began to take in the toxins, inhaling a lower concentration than the ones outside they would take longer to die. As they struggled to breathe and coughed up blood the Germans outside donned their gas masks and began entering the fortress. As all this happened 100 badly wounded Russian soldiers prepared to make their stand. 

Painting by Vasily Nesterenko

The Germans made it over the wall and started marching into the inner fortifications. They were met by a gruesome sight. Lead by Second Lieutenant Vladimir Kotlinsky 60 Russians with bloody rags wrapped around their face like a sadistic mummy and others spewing blood from their mouths and coughing up pieces of their own lungs charged the attackers. Some of the invading troops fired at the “dead men” but the Russians attacked their poisoners with such ferocity that eyewitnesses said nothing could stop them. Panicked both by the terrifying bloody spectacle and the Russians willingness to keep fighting, the superior German forces quickly retreated from the fort. Some were so startled they dropped their rifles and machine guns, leaving them behind in the panic. As they ran out some Germans were so shaken that they caught themselves up in their own barbed wire. Kotlinsky’s counter attack afforded two more Russian companies to move up and retake the fort before the Germans could regroup and enter once more. 

Aftermath

Later that evening Lieutenant Kotlinsky and many others died from their wounds but their actions were not in vain. Osowiec Fortress held for several more days helping to cover and protect any retreating Russian forces in the area and further hamper the German’s plans. On August 22 the soldiers of the fort surrendered and marched out peacefully, but they held on long enough for the Tsar’s forces to regroup and form new defensive plans. 

Listen to the song that inspired this article:

Personal Thoughts 

This is an incredible story that I did not know about before Sabaton released their newest album and when I heard their song about it I knew I had to do an article about the attack. I do wonder if the Germans had taken the fortress in 1914 or even in early 1915 had things been different. Speed is what the Germans needed to win the war, especially before Russia could expand their railway system. If they gained a few months and were able to make it further into the Russian interior then I imagine it would have had a huge impact on the war, though there are many other factors to take into account which are too numerous to list here. 

When researching this article I looked up the effects of chlorine gas and I got sick to my stomach just imagining what it does to a person. That is some nasty stuff and I can only imagine how those Russian soldier felt coughing up pieces of lung and blood, that’s just a terrible way to die. At least the soldiers in the outer walls died pretty quickly but  being inside and breathing it in knowing you’re going to die eventually would just be awful.

Sources

Cover image courtesy of Rock Cafe

https://www.rbth.com/history/328908-russian-attack-of-dead

https://www.wearethemighty.com/watch/that-time-russian-troops-repelled-germans-with-just-their-mangled-faces

https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/chlorine/basics/facts.asp

Book, Verdun 1916: The Renaissance of the Fortress by Kaufman