The Battle of Memel was a major action fought between the German 1st Army and the Russian 2nd Army during the Baltic War. Memel, very close to the border between Germany and Russia, was one of the keys to victory for the German Empire, as designated by General von Hindenburg. The German 1st Army was ordered to take the city and to prevent the Russians from utilizing the port for the Baltic Fleet, along with the city's industrial sector. The Russian 2nd Army, supported by small elements of the 1st Army to the south, and both under the command of General Kornilov, were to defend the city and to not retreat at all cost. However, Kornilov and other Russian generals planned on deploying the reserves of the further-south 7th and 9th Armies in order to bolster the defenses of the Lithuanian city.