German propaganda of 1914 — echoed by some popular historians down to the present day - declared the Russian Second Army destroyed. While Samsonov's forces had suffered a catastrophic defeat, they were by no means wiped out and several of the late general's corps maintained considerable fighting power. When German first-line units moved eastward to fight First Army, these troops moved forward to strike the Germans from the rear.

The Russians supposedly wiped out a week and a half earlier caught the Landwehr completely by surprise. The attack crushed the German front line, and 70th Landwehr Brigade fell back in utter rout, retreating a full 33 kilometers back to Ortelsburg through the course of the night. The Russians failed to follow up their success, having lost most of the logistical support, such as it was, in Second Army's bitter defeat. The German army command ordered 3rd Reserve Division to prepare to disengage from the front and return to face the revived Second Army, but only a few Russian cavalry patrols actually pursued the fleeing Landwehr.