The entire biography of mankind is continuously associated with military conflicts, the rise and fall of empires and individual states. The essence of war is the continuation of the same policy, but by violent means. The motives prompting people to take up arms can be very different, and somewhere they fully justify themselves, but the end is always the same - great losses of humanity.
A distinctive feature of the Patriotic Wars is, first of all, justice, when they defend the independence of their land, the integrity of its borders, fighting against foreign invaders.
The term "Patriotic War"
The special value of all peoples within the Russian state is its Fatherland. This is a synonym for the Motherland, but it implies a more sacred understanding: spiritual and moral values, patriotism, a sense of filial duty.
The main role in the perception of the war as domestic was played by the position of the Orthodox Church and Emperor Alexander I in the 19th century. A propaganda campaign was launched: orders, appeal, church sermons, patriotic verses. In journalism, this definition first appeared in 1816 after the publication of the work of the poet F.N. Glinka, who participated in the battles of the Great Patriotic War of 1812.
And in July 1941, the chairman of the USSR State Defense Committee, JV Stalin, again ascertained the threat to the Motherland. Defining the nature of the war in his address, he calls it Patriotic. This war was against Nazi Germany, which invaded the territory of the USSR.
Past events
Not a single state was spared the war. And Russia is no exception. In the era of the great crisis of Moscow Russia in September 1610, Polish troops entered Moscow. Victory in those conditions was possible only through the militia of the entire people, when national interests were placed above internal disagreements and enmity. And in the fall of 1612, with the participation of representatives of all classes, the Russian land was liberated.
The two Great Patriotic Wars of 1812 and 1941, which affected the whole world, were also aimed at defending the Fatherland. Through incredible efforts and sacrifices, the united forces of the people were able to stop the aggressors on their land and drive them out.
It should be noted that in these wars the enemy had a numerical superiority. The 500,000th army of Napoleon was opposed by the 200,000th army of Russian soldiers. And more than 5 million army of the Wermacht and its allies fought back 3 million Soviet soldiers. It is quite expected that at the very beginning of these Patriotic Wars there was an inevitable forced retreat.
And also important is the fact that in both cases the battle of Moscow was a turning point. For the city, which is the heart of the state, they fought to the last.
For a just cause
Victory in the Great Patriotic Wars should be viewed as the result of the unity of the entire society. When they fought not out of fear and not for medals, but out of a sense of duty to the Motherland. When they went to a mortal battle not for glory and profit, but for the life of their relatives, their loved ones. Victory came at a difficult cost: through pain and suffering, deprivation and martyrdom.
The years of the Patriotic War revealed so much courage and heroism of ordinary people! The serf peasant Ivan Susanin saved Tsar Mikhail in 1613, showing the wrong path to the Poles, for which he was chopped to pieces. Or Vasilisa Kozhina, the wife of a village headman in the Smolensk province, resisted the French who came to the village in 1812. And what about the little heroes of the Great Patriotic War of 1941, who by hook or by crook entered the active army: Valery Lyalin, Arkady Kamanin, Volodya Tarnovsky.
Patriotic War of 1812
At the beginning of the 19th century, one of the most significant events in European history was the war Russian Empire against the invading army of Emperor Napoleon I. The reasons for the attack were Russia's unwillingness to participate in the continental blockade of England. By that time, Napoleon had usurped almost all of Europe.
Under pressure from superior enemy forces, the Russian troops retreated inland. The general battle was the battle near the village of Borodino, 125 km from Moscow. It was a battle of attrition for the invaders, with heavy losses on both sides. And although the Russians retreated and surrendered Moscow, which was a strategic decision of the command, the French troops were greatly drained of blood in order to maintain their positions.
The Patriotic War of 1812 was ended in December by the notification of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M.I.Kutuzov about the complete defeat of the enemy. The defeat of Napoleon in this war marked the beginning of the decline of his career.
For the Motherland!
In the XX century, the treacherous attack of Germany marked the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The Soviet leadership believed to the last that Hitler would not dare to violate the non-aggression pact concluded between the USSR and Germany. However, the agreements were violated.
The hostilities covered a huge territory. The Soviet troops were retreating. In December 1941, an important event took place near Moscow: the troops of the Red Army managed to stop and push back the enemy invaders by 250 km. It was one of the largest battles during the Great Patriotic War; more than 7 million people took part in the battle.
The victory at Stalingrad in 1943 was a defining moment in this war, when the Soviet troops moved from defense to offensive. And on May 9, 1945, the act of surrender of Germany was signed in Berlin.
The price of victory
If Napoleon's plans were to humiliate and subjugate Russia, then Hitler's plans were a complete defeat of the Land of the Soviets. As history has shown, for Germany this war was for extermination, for the peoples of the USSR - for survival.
During the Great Patriotic War, there was a massive destruction of Soviet people, atrocities that had not been heard before were terrifying: genocide of the Slavic, Jewish, Gypsy people; medical inhuman experiments on prisoners; the use of children's blood for transfusion into German wounded. There was no limit to the brutality of the occupied territories.
Cities and villages were destroyed, bombed railways and ports, but people did not surrender, having risen as a single giant to defend the Motherland. Even the smallest settlements offered heroic resistance. The years of the Patriotic War were terrible, terrible, but in this hell the courage and unbreakability of the united peoples of the great state were born and tempered.
Outcome
Victories in the Great Patriotic Wars are events of an international scale. At stake was not only the defense of the independence and freedom of their state, but also the liberation of other peoples from the rule of tyranny. The victories won raised the prestige of our country on the world stage - it is becoming one of the leading powers, which we have to reckon with and take into account.
Patriotic wars are difficult pages of history that cannot be forgotten. The losses are calculated in huge numbers: almost 42 million dead - and this is only in 1941-1945. What were the losses in other wars remained unknown.
The Patriotic War of 1812 began on June 12 - on this day, Napoleon's troops crossed the Neman River, unleashing wars between the two crowns of French and Russian. This war lasted until December 14, 1812, culminating in a complete and unconditional victory for the Russian and allied forces. This is a glorious page in Russian history, which we will consider referring to the official history textbooks of Russia and France, as well as to the books of bibliographers Napoleon, Alexander 1 and Kutuzov, who describe in great detail the events taking place at that moment.
➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤The beginning of the war
Causes of the war of 1812
The causes of the Patriotic War of 1812, like all other wars in the history of mankind, must be considered in two aspects - the causes from France and the causes from Russia.
Causes from France
In just a few years, Napoleon radically changed his own view of Russia. If, having come to power, he wrote that Russia was his only ally, then by 1812 Russia had become a threat to France (consider it to the emperor). This was largely provoked by Alexander 1 himself. So, this is why France attacked Russia in June 1812:
- Violation of the Tilsit Agreements: Easing the Continental Blockade. As you know, the main enemy of France at that time was England, against which the blockade was organized. Russia also participated in this, but in 1810 the government passed a law allowing trade with England through intermediaries. In fact, this made the entire blockade ineffective, which completely undermined the plans of France.
- Dynastic marriage rejections. Napoleon aspired to marry the imperial court of Russia in order to become the "anointed of God." However, in 1808 he was denied marriage to Princess Catherine. In 1810 he was denied marriage to Princess Anna. As a result, in 1811 the French emperor married an Austrian princess.
- Transfer of Russian troops to the border with Poland in 1811. In the first half of 1811, Alexander I ordered to transfer 3 divisions to the Polish borders, fearing a Polish uprising, which could be transferred to Russian lands. This step was regarded by Napoleon as aggression and preparation for war for Polish territories, which by that time were already subordinate to France.
Soldiers! A new, second in a row, Polish war begins! The first ended in Tilsit. There Russia promised to be an eternal ally for France in the war with England, but she broke her promise. The Russian emperor does not want to give explanations for his actions until the French eagles cross the Rhine. Do they think that we have become different? Are we not the winners of Austerlitz? Russia presented France with a choice - shame or war. The choice is obvious! Let's go forward, let's cross the Neman! The second Polish howl will be glorious for French arms. It will bring a messenger to Russia's disastrous influence on European affairs.
So a war of conquest began for France.
Reasons from Russia
On the part of Russia, there were also good reasons for participating in the war, which turned out to be a liberation for the state. The main reasons are the following:
- Large losses of all strata of the population from the rupture of trade with England. The opinions of historians on this point differ, since it is believed that the blockade did not affect the state as a whole, but exclusively its elite, which, as a result of the lack of the possibility of trade with England, was losing money.
- France's intention to recreate the Rzeczpospolita. In 1807, Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw and sought to recreate the ancient state in its true size. Perhaps this was only in the event of the seizure of its western lands from Russia.
- Violation of the Peace of Tilsit by Napoleon. One of the main criteria for signing this agreement is that Prussia should be cleared of French troops, but this was never done, although Alexander 1 constantly reminded of this.
For a long time France has been trying to infringe on the independence of Russia. We always tried to be meek, believing so to deflect her attempts to capture. With all our desire to keep the peace, we are forced to gather troops to defend the Motherland. There are no opportunities for a peaceful solution to the conflict with France, which means that there is only one thing left - to defend the truth, to defend Russia from invaders. I do not need to remind generals and soldiers of courage, it is in our hearts. The blood of victors, the blood of the Slavs flows in our veins. Soldiers! You defend the country, defend religion, defend the fatherland. I'm with you. God is with us.
The balance of forces and means at the beginning of the war
The crossing of Napoleon across the Niemen took place on June 12, having at his disposal 450 thousand people. By the end of the month, another 200,000 people joined him. Considering that by that time there were no large losses on the part of both sides, then the total number of the French army at the time of the outbreak of hostilities in 1812 was 650 thousand soldiers. It is impossible to say that the French made up 100% of the army, since the combined army of almost all European countries (France, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Prussia, Spain, Holland) fought on the side of France. However, it was the French who formed the basis of the army. These were proven soldiers who won many victories with their emperor.
Russia after mobilization possessed 590 thousand soldiers. Initially, the army was 227 thousand people, and they were divided along three fronts:
- Northern - First Army. Commander - Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly. Population - 120 thousand people. They were located in the north of Lithuania and covered St. Petersburg.
- Central - Second Army. Commander - Peter Ivanovich Bagration. Population - 49 thousand people. They were located in the south of Lithuania, covering Moscow.
- Southern - Third Army. Commander - Alexander Petrovich Tormasov. Population - 58 thousand people. They were located in Volhynia, covering the attack on Kiev.
Also in Russia, partisan detachments were actively operating, the number of which reached 400 thousand people.
The first stage of the war - the offensive of Napoleon's troops (June-September)
At 6 o'clock in the morning on June 12, 1812, a Patriotic war began for Russia with Napoleonic France. Napoleon's troops crossed the Niemen and headed inland. The main direction of the strike was supposed to be in Moscow. The commander himself said that "if I capture Kiev, I lift the Russians by the legs, capture St. Petersburg, I will take it by the throat, if I take Moscow, I will strike the heart of Russia."
The French army, commanded by brilliant commanders, was looking for a general battle, and the fact that Alexander 1 divided the army into 3 fronts was very beneficial to the aggressors. However, at the initial stage, Barclay de Tolly played a decisive role, who gave the order not to engage in battle with the enemy and to retreat inland. This was necessary in order to combine forces and also to bring up reserves. Retreating, the Russians destroyed everything - they killed cattle, poisoned the water, burned the fields. In the literal sense of the word, the French moved forward through the ashes. Later, Napoleon complained that the Russian people were waging a dastardly war and were not behaving according to the rules.
North direction
Napoleon sent 32 thousand people led by General MacDonald to St. Petersburg. The first city on this route was Riga. According to France's plan, MacDonald was to capture the city. Connect with General Oudinot (he had 28 thousand people at his disposal) and go further.
The defense of Riga was commanded by General Essen with 18 thousand soldiers. He burned everything around the city, and the city itself was very well fortified. MacDonald by this time captured Dinaburg (the Russians left the city at the beginning of the war) and did not conduct further active actions. He understood the absurdity of storming Riga and waited for the arrival of artillery.
General Oudinot occupied Polotsk and from there tried to separate Wittgenstein's corps from Barclay de Tolly's army. However, on July 18, Wittgenstein struck an unexpected blow at Oudinot, who was saved from defeat only by the corps of Saint-Cyr that had arrived in time. As a result, equilibrium was achieved and no more active offensive operations were carried out in the northern direction.
South direction
General Runier with an army of 22 thousand people was supposed to act in the southern direction, blocking the army of General Tormasov, preventing it from joining with the rest of the Russian army.
On July 27, Tormasov surrounded the city of Kobrin, where the main forces of Ranye gathered. The French suffered a terrible defeat - 5 thousand people were killed in the battle in 1 day, which forced the French to retreat. Napoleon realized that the southern direction in the Patriotic War of 1812 was in danger of failure. Therefore, he transferred the troops of General Schwarzenberg there, numbering 30 thousand people. As a result, on August 12, Tormasov was forced to retreat to Lutsk and take up defenses there. In the future, the French did not undertake active offensive actions in the southern direction. The main events took place in the Moscow direction.
The course of events of the offensive company
On June 26, the army of General Bagration moved out of Vitebsk, the task of which Alexander I put into battle with the main forces of the enemy in order to wear them out. Everyone realized the absurdity of this idea, but only by July 17, the emperor was finally dissuaded from this venture. The troops began to retreat to Smolensk.
On July 6, the large number of Napoleon's troops became clear. To prevent the Patriotic War from dragging on for a long time, Alexander 1 signs a decree on the creation of a militia. Literally all the inhabitants of the country are enrolled in it - there are about 400 thousand volunteers in total.
On July 22, the armies of Bagration and Barclay de Tolly united near Smolensk. The command of the combined army was assumed by Barclay de Tolly, who had 130,000 soldiers at his disposal, while the vanguard of the French army numbered 150,000 soldiers.
On July 25, a council of war was held in Smolensk, at which the question of accepting a battle was discussed in order to launch a counteroffensive and defeat Napoleon with one blow. But Barclay spoke out against this idea, realizing that an open battle with the enemy, a brilliant strategist and tactician, can lead to a grandiose failure. As a result, the offensive idea was not implemented. It was decided to retreat further - to Moscow.
On July 26, the retreat of troops began, which General Neverovsky was supposed to cover, occupying the village of Krasnoe, thereby closing the bypass of Smolensk for Napoleon.
On August 2, Murat with a cavalry corps tried to break through the defense of Neverovsky, but to no avail. In total, more than 40 attacks were undertaken with the help of cavalry, but they failed to achieve the desired.
August 5 is one of the important dates in the Patriotic War of 1812. Napoleon began an assault on Smolensk, capturing the suburbs in the evening. However, at night he was driven out of the city, and the Russian army continued its massive retreat from the city. This caused a storm of discontent among the soldiers. They believed that if they managed to knock the French out of Smolensk, then it was necessary to destroy it there. They accused Barclay of cowardice, but the general implemented only one plan - to wear down the enemy and take a decisive battle when the balance of forces was on the side of Russia. By this time, the French had all the advantage.
On August 17, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov arrived in the army, who assumed command. This candidacy did not raise questions, since Kutuzov (a student of Suvorov) was highly respected and was considered the best Russian commander after the death of Suvorov. Arriving in the army, the new commander-in-chief wrote that he had not yet decided what to do next: "The question has not yet been resolved - either to lose the army, or to give up Moscow."
On August 26, the Battle of Borodino took place. Its outcome still raises many questions and controversy, but there were no losers then. Each commander solved his problems: Napoleon opened his way to Moscow (the heart of Russia, as the emperor of France himself wrote), and Kutuzov was able to inflict heavy damage on the enemy, thereby making the initial turning point in the battle of 1812.
September 1 is a significant day, which is described in all history textbooks. A council of war was held in Fili, near Moscow. Kutuzov gathered his generals to decide what to do next. There were only two options: to retreat and surrender Moscow, or after Borodino to organize a second general battle. Most of the generals, on the wave of success, demanded a battle in order to defeat Napoleon in the shortest possible time. Opponents of such a development of events were Kutuzov himself and Barclay de Tolly. The military council in Fili ended with Kutuzov's phrase “As long as there is an army, there is hope. We will lose the army near Moscow - we will lose not only the ancient capital, but also the whole of Russia ”.
September 2 - following the results of the military council of generals, which took place in Fili, it was decided that it was necessary to leave the ancient capital. The Russian army retreated, and Moscow itself, before the arrival of Napoleon, according to many sources, was subjected to terrible looting. However, this is not even the main thing. Retreating, the Russian army set fire to the city. Wooden Moscow burned down to almost three quarters. Most importantly, literally all food stores were destroyed. The reasons for the Moscow fire lie in the fact that the French did not get anything that the enemies could use for food, movement or in other aspects. As a result, the troops of the aggressors found themselves in a very precarious position.
Second stage of the war - Napoleon's retreat (October - December)
Having occupied Moscow, Napoleon considered his mission completed. The commander's bibliographers later wrote that he was faithful - the loss of the historical center of Russia would break the victorious spirit, and the leaders of the country had to come to him with a request for peace. But that didn't happen. Kutuzov settled down with an army 80 kilometers from Moscow near Tarutin and waited until the enemy army, deprived of normal supplies, weakened and itself would bring a radical change to the Patriotic War. Without waiting for a peace proposal from Russia, the French emperor himself took the initiative.
Napoleon's desire for peace
According to Napoleon's original plan, the capture of Moscow was to play a decisive role. Here it was possible to deploy a convenient foothold, including for a hike to St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia. However, the delay in moving around Russia and the heroism of the people, who fought literally for every piece of land, practically thwarted this plan. After all, a trip to the north of Russia in winter for the French army with irregular food supplies was actually equal to death. This became clear by the end of September, when it started to get colder. Subsequently, Napoleon wrote in his autobiography that his biggest mistake was the campaign to Moscow and the month he spent there.
Realizing the gravity of his situation, the French emperor and commander decided to end the Patriotic War of Russia by signing a peace treaty with her. Three such attempts have been made:
- September 18. Through General Tutolmin, a message was transmitted to Alexander 1, which said that Napoleon honored the Russian emperor and offered him peace. Russia is only required to give up the territory of Lithuania and again return to the continental blockade.
- September 20th. Alexander 1 received a second letter from Napoleon offering peace. The terms offered are the same as before. The Russian emperor did not respond to these messages.
- The 4th of October. The hopelessness of the situation led to the fact that Napoleon literally begged for peace. Here is what he writes to Alexander 1 (according to the famous French historian F. Segur): “I need peace, I need it, no matter what, only save honor.” This proposal was delivered to Kutuzov, but the emperor of France did not receive a response.
The retreat of the French army in autumn and winter 1812
It became obvious to Napoleon that he would not be able to sign a peace treaty with Russia, and it was folly to stay in Moscow for the winter, which the Russians retreating and burned. Moreover, it was impossible to stay here, since the constant raids of the militia caused great damage to the army. So, for a month, while the French army was in Moscow, its number decreased by 30 thousand people. As a result, it was decided to retreat.
On October 7, preparations began for the retreat of the French army. One of the orders in this regard was to blow up the Kremlin. Fortunately, this venture failed. Russian historians attribute this to the fact that, due to high humidity, the wicks got wet and out of order.
On October 19, Napoleon's army began to retreat from Moscow. The purpose of this retreat was to reach Smolensk, as it was the only major nearby city with significant food supplies. The road went through Kaluga, but this direction was blocked by Kutuzov. Now the advantage was on the side of the Russian army, so Napoleon decided to bypass. However, Kutuzov foresaw this maneuver and met the enemy army at Maloyaroslavets.
On October 24, the battle of Maloyaroslavets took place. During the day, this small town crossed 8 times from one side to the other. At the final stage of the battle, Kutuzov managed to occupy fortified positions, and Napoleon did not dare to storm them, since the numerical superiority was already on the side of the Russian army. As a result, the plans of the French were thwarted, and they had to retreat to Smolensk along the same road along which they went to Moscow. It was already scorched earth - no food and no water.
The retreat of Napoleon was accompanied by heavy losses. Indeed, in addition to clashes with the army of Kutuzov, we also had to deal with partisan detachments, which daily attacked the enemy, especially its rear units. The losses of Napoleon were terrible. On November 9, he managed to capture Smolensk, but this did not make a radical change in the course of the war. There was practically no food in the city, and it was not possible to organize a reliable defense. As a result, the army was subjected to almost continuous attacks by militias and local patriots. Therefore, Napoleon stayed in Smolensk for 4 days and decided to retreat further.
Crossing the Berezina river
The French were heading for the Berezina River (in modern Belarus) to force the river and go to the Neman. But on November 16, General Chichagov captured the city of Borisov, which is located on the Berezina. The position of Napoleon became catastrophic - for the first time an opportunity to be captured was actively looming for him, since he was surrounded.
On November 25, on the orders of Napoleon, the French army began to imitate the crossing south of Borisov. Chichagov bought into this maneuver and began the transfer of troops. At that moment, the French built two bridges across the Berezina and began the crossing on November 26-27. Only on November 28, Chichagov realized his mistake and tried to give battle to the French army, but it was too late - the crossing was completed, albeit with the loss of a huge number of human lives. While crossing the Berezina, 21 thousand Frenchmen died! The "Great Army" now numbered only 9 thousand soldiers, most of whom were already incapable of combat.
It was during this crossing that unusually severe frosts set in, to which the French emperor referred to, justifying the huge losses. In the 29th bulletin, which was published in a newspaper in France, it was said that the weather was normal until November 10, but after that very severe cold came, for which no one was ready.
Crossing the Neman (from Russia to France)
The crossing of the Berezina showed that Napoleon's Russian campaign was over - he lost the Patriotic War in Russia in 1812. Then the emperor decided that his further stay with the army did not make sense, and on December 5 he left his troops and went to Paris.
On December 16, in Kovno, the French army crossed the Niemen and left Russian territory. Its population was only 1600 people. The invincible army, which inspired fear throughout Europe, was almost completely destroyed by Kutuzov's army in less than 6 months.
Below is a graphical representation of Napoleon's retreat on the map.
Results of the Patriotic War of 1812
The Patriotic War of Russia with Napoleon was of great importance for all countries participating in the conflict. Largely thanks to these events, the undivided domination of England in Europe became possible. Such a development was foreseen by Kutuzov, who, after the flight of the French army in December, sent a report to Alexander 1, where he explained to the ruler that the war must be ended immediately, and the pursuit of the enemy and the liberation of Europe would play into the hands of strengthening the power of England. But Alexander did not listen to the advice of his commander and soon began a trip abroad.
Reasons for Napoleon's defeat in the war
Determining the main reasons for the defeat of the Napoleonic army, it is necessary to dwell on the most important, which are most often used by historians:
- A strategic mistake of the Emperor of France, who sat in Moscow for 30 days and was waiting for the representatives of Alexander I with pleas for the conclusion of peace. As a result, it began to get colder and run out of provisions, and the constant raids of partisan movements brought a turning point in the war.
- Unity of the Russian people. As usual, the Slavs rally in the face of great danger. So it was this time. For example, the historian Lieven writes that the main reason for the defeat of France lies in the massive nature of the war. Everyone fought for the Russians - both women and children. And all this was ideologically based, which made the morale of the army very strong. The emperor of France did not break him.
- The reluctance of Russian generals to accept a decisive battle. Most historians forget about this, but what would have happened to Bagration's army if he had accepted a general battle at the beginning of the war, as Alexander 1 really wanted? 60 thousand army of Bagration against 400 thousand army of aggressors. It would be an unconditional victory, and after it they would hardly have time to recover. Therefore, the Russian people must express their gratitude to Barclay de Tolly, who, by his decision, gave the order to retreat and unite the armies.
- The genius of Kutuzov. The Russian general, who was well trained by Suvorov, did not allow a single tactical miscalculation. It is noteworthy that Kutuzov never managed to defeat his enemy, but managed to tactically and strategically win the Patriotic War.
- General Frost is being used as an excuse. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that the frost had no significant effect on the final result, since at the time of the onset of anomalous frosts (mid-November) the outcome of the confrontation was decided - the great army was destroyed.
Date of publication or update 01.11.2017
Patriotic wars in the history of Russia.
Every June for us, Russians, smells more of gunpowder smoke, burning fires, than flowering meadows and the honey scent of lindens. The genetic memory of the people forever linked June with the two most terrible foreign invasions on our land. The whole country freezes on June 22, on the Day of Remembrance, when we bow our heads to those who, without sparing their belly, defended the independence of the Fatherland.
What does the history of these two great wars teach us? What is their commonality and what is the difference? What are their consequences: immediate and distant? Why only we call these wars Patriotic - this term is not known in the West, and you will not find its translation in any dictionary.
The invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte's army began on June 24, 1812, and the troops of Hitlerite Germany crossed our borders on June 22, 1941. Almost day after day, both times at dawn. Napoleon I and Adolf Hitler alike believed that this was the best day to attack Russia. Daylight hours are the longest, the roads are dry, suitable for fast marches, there is enough time before the winter cold to complete the campaign in a few months. "Blitzkrieg" (blitzkrieg) beckoned to both strategists.
Napoleon I, like Hitler, at the time of the beginning of their campaigns against Russia, were undoubtedly the most outstanding and successful politicians in the world, where Europe was the main and dominant center. It is not important for us now that Napoleon, through the efforts of his apologists, is still considered a great political figure, and Hitler became the personification of evil. For us, they are both criminals who wanted the death of the Russian state and the enslavement of the Russian people. Before the aggression against Russia, the entire continental Europe lay humbly at the feet of these conquerors.
Both World Wars were not wars between two states. They were frontal battles of the entire united Western Europe with Russia. In Napoleon's Great Army, only half of the soldiers and officers were French, the rest were from other European countries. It is hard to understand that countries such as Austria and Prussia, for whose independence the Russians shed blood in the fields of Austerlitz, near Friedland and Preussisch Ellau, provided Bonaparte with 50 thousand soldiers to march on Russia and undertook to provide supplies for his army.
And Hitler brought Italians, Finns, Romanians, Hungarians, Spaniards ("Blue Division") and "various other Swedes" under the guise of volunteer units and formations to our borders.
The only formal "ally" of Russia - England - sat, as always, on his island in the so-called "brilliant isolation", waiting for the end of the clash of the two colossi.
In both World Wars, the decisive factor in victory was the Russian (in the broad sense of the word) people, their readiness to endure enormous difficulties and overcome obstacles at the expense of incredible tension of spirit. L. Tolstoy in "War and Peace" spoke about the "club of the people's war." Stalin expressed the same idea in the famous toast to the Russian people at a reception in honor of the front commanders in 1945. In all the failures (political or military), we can easily find and see the mistakes and mistakes of specific responsible persons, but the people as a whole turned out to be worthy of great victories. Of course, we were helped by the immensity of our geographic spaces, and the harsh climate for the newcomers, and the unusual off-road for them. The German politician Bismarck was right when he said: "Russia is great: the more you eat, the more you have!"
Both World Wars ended the same way: Russian troops defeated the conquerors, paraded through the streets of their capitals. Hitler committed suicide, Napoleon went into exile on the island of Elba. As a result of these victories, Russia has become an influential world power.
In Europe, post-war peace and security began to be guaranteed by the Holy Union of European monarchs, among whom Emperor Alexander I occupied an undoubtedly dominant position. In 1945, the United Nations and the Security Council took it upon themselves to maintain a peaceful post-war order. Russia (then the USSR) became a permanent member of the Security Council with a veto.
But with all the variety of similarities in the Patriotic Wars we have experienced, we must not forget about the serious differences between them. Very often, propaganda clichés hammered into the heads of the media distort the historical truth. I well remember how journalists, wanting to belittle Hitler, wrote that he "compared to Napoleon is nothing more than a kitten next to a lion." To this day, the Fuhrer is presented as a demoniac maniac, cruel, but narrow-minded. But how, then, a sane person can explain to himself that the Patriotic War of 1812 ended in 6 months, and the Great Patriotic War lasted almost 8 times longer, almost four years.
Why in the war against Napoleon we lost 210 thousand soldiers and militias, and for the victory over the hordes of Hitler we paid with the lives of 25-27 million people. How did it happen that in Paris in 1812 our Cossacks were greeted with flowers, and in the encircled and doomed Berlin in 1945 fifteen-year-olds beat our tanks with "Faust-cartridges" from the cellars. It is impossible to paint a portrait of Hitler primitively and thereby belittle the value of our Great Victory.
The main slogan of the Patriotic War of 1812 was "For God, Tsar and Fatherland!" In the second World War II the slogan sounded: “For the Motherland! For Stalin!" There was no place for God in 1941-1945. An atheist Red Army soldier and a Russian Orthodox soldier differ significantly from each other in moral and ethical staunchness and combat capability. The conviction that death in battle with the enemy is not the final phase of being, but only the transition to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven strengthens the spirit of the warrior. In the second half of the Great Patriotic War, the authorities began to understand the meaning of the words of A. Suvorov: “We are Russians. God is with us!"
The role of Orthodoxy in the war of 1812 was also emphasized by the monuments erected in honor of the victory over Napoleon. The main ones were the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and the Alexander Column on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, crowned with the figure of an angel holding a cross in his hands. It is worth recalling that according to the rescript of Emperor Alexander I, it was the holiday of the Nativity of Christ that became Victory Day, celebrated as such until 1917. Unfortunately, Russia's victories in the Patriotic Wars had a number of similar negative consequences for our country. Europe has become wary and suspicious of Russia's sharply increased authority and political weight. In both cases, a kind of cold war began. In the nineteenth century, it bore the character of numerous literary libels.
In France, in 1825, A. Rabbet's book "Review of Russian History" appeared, where not only our history, but also the national traits of the Russian people were vilified. Two years later, a book by a certain Jacques Ancelo, "Six Months in Russia," was published, which spoke of our inability to govern independently, the barbarism of the Russians, etc. In 1829, a book by the French officer Victor Magnier appeared in Paris, who was an instructor in Turkish army, taken prisoner by the Russians and spent some time in Russia. It fell with streams of false and dirty fabrications against our army. Interestingly, the Russian officer Yakov Tolstoy, who was then in France, not only publicly exposed the slanderer, but also challenged him to a duel, which he cowardly refused.
The history of the Cold War, announced in February 1946 by Winston Churchill in his speech in the American town of Fulton, is well known. It did not confine itself to the literary and journalistic war, but spread to the economy, humanitarian ties, etc. An "iron curtain" was erected around our country - by the way, this term was coined in the West.
The victorious euphoria and the sharp rise in Russia's status in the world after the Patriotic Wars to a certain extent contributed to the growth of conservative sentiments in society. In Western Europe, the evolution of the political system in the post-Napoleonic period is characterized by democratization, the transformation of absolute monarchies into constitutional ones. In Russia, this process stalled, especially after the speech of the Decembrists in 1825. Moreover, the Russian army has repeatedly acted as an instrument for suppressing revolutionary uprisings in Europe. Our troops under the command of Field Marshal I. Paskevich defeated the military formations of the Polish insurgents in 1830, and in 1848, at the request of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, defeated the Hungarian rebels, which the Austrians could not cope with on their own.
Russia (then the USSR) became the same conservative force in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe after the Great Patriotic War. The suppression of the Berlin uprising in 1953, the defeat of the rebellion in Hungary in 1956 - an operation carried out by the united forces of the Warsaw Pact, in 1968-1969. a revolt in Czechoslovakia was prevented in order to prevent the collapse of the socialist system in that country.
The political and social stagnation that took shape after the victorious Patriotic Wars inevitably transformed into scientific, technical and economic stagnation. Conservatism is especially dangerous in production, in the evolution of tools. How not to recall at the same time the immortal "Lefty" N. Leskov, who just after the war with Napoleon visited England and ordered, according to the "English" experience, to stop cleaning rifle barrels with brick powder, because this makes the barrel width larger, and the range of the bullet and aiming drops sharply.
We will not get away from recognizing the fact that we entered the Patriotic War of 1812 with such weapons that were in no way inferior to the weapons of Napoleon's army, and in some ways superior, especially in artillery. But 40 years later, already in the Crimean War, we faced an enemy who was better armed than the Russian army. Our sailing fleet was no longer suitable for naval battles, the armies of the British and French were armed with rifled weapons ("fittings"), and our soldiers had mostly smooth-bore guns of the old models. The shameful defeat forced us to take seriously the reforms of the social (abolition of serfdom) and military character.
A similar situation developed after the 1945 Victory. We ended the Great Patriotic War with the most advanced weapons at that time. The USSR created the best tank in the world - the T-34, excellent fighter aircraft, rocket artillery, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, etc. But after many years of stagnation, Soviet troops in Afghanistan no longer had weapons that would meet the requirements of modern warfare. They did not have electronic countermeasures, we suffered huge losses from portable anti-aircraft missiles, armored forces were not suitable for fighting the Mujahideen detachments.
All these shortcomings were fully manifested in the years of the Chechen wars. All independent observers note that the armament of the Russian army is mainly outdated equipment from the 60s-70s of the last century. Modern types of weapons are available in piece copies and do not affect the combat effectiveness of the armed forces as a whole. Having never bought weapons abroad, today's Russia is acquiring ships in France, armored vehicles in Italy, and equipment in other countries.
One gets the impression that the political leaders of Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries did not turn out to be strategically sagacious enough to properly assess the results of the victorious Patriotic Wars, lost enormous political advantages over a relatively short historical time, and turned out to be unprepared to face the new challenges of the time. As a Russian, I am ashamed to realize that the defeated Napoleonic France, 40 years later, defeated Russia in the Crimean campaign and dictated to us the humiliating conditions of the Paris Peace. But many military historians are embarrassed to call the Crimean War a war, they consider it a simple landing operation. And it is even more bitter to realize that after so many sacrifices and the Great Victory in 1945, 45 years later, my country received humiliating humanitarian aid from Germany to save its population from hunger.
The paradox is that the Russian people, invincible in wars, suffer fatal failures in a peaceful life, in peaceful competition with their yesterday's opponents. The people are not at all to blame for these failures, but the demand from politicians should be different.
Not so long ago I had a chance to get acquainted with materials related to medical care of the top officials of the Russian state. It was striking that in the personal medical file of Emperor Nicholas I, back in the distant pre-revolutionary times, sheets were torn out concerning last days life of the emperor. This gave rise to a number of speculations about the reasons for his death. The option of the emperor's voluntary departure from life under the influence of defeats in the Crimean War was not ruled out. Now nobody will solve the riddle of the torn sheets.
The politicians guilty of the destruction of historical Russia, first of all M. Gorbachev and B. Yeltsin, tediously kept repeating their historical contribution to the country's renewal. They argued with maniacal tenacity and assert that their activities should have led to the all-round prosperity of the Russian state. Such blatant deception is difficult to find in world history.
This self-esteem of leaders is the cause of national disasters.
Finally, the time has come to look for an explanation for the very term "Patriotic War", which is not found in the history of other countries and is difficult to translate into foreign languages. The Patriotic War means a national liberation war against a foreign invasion in the name of saving your state and your people. The main and characteristic feature of the Patriotic War is the participation of all the people in it, united in their desire to defeat the enemy. In World Wars, not only regular troops take part, but also army units abandoned in the enemy's rear, and partisan formations from the civilian population. In such wars, the regular army receives human reinforcements in the form of the people's militia. All estates, classes and social strata of the population are fighting against the enemy. "Everything for the front, everything for Victory!" - this was the main state slogan during the Great Patriotic War.
VM Molotov, speaking on June 23, 1941, for the first time in Soviet times used the word "patriotic". He said: "The Red Army and all our people will once again lead the victorious Patriotic War for the Motherland, for honor, for freedom." On the same day, the newspaper Pravda published a full page article under the heading "The Great Patriotic War." I. Stalin in his speech on July 3, 1941 used the phrase "All-People's Patriotic War."
Patriotic wars left in the history of our people examples of immense bravery of the sons of Russia, collective courage, endurance and invincibility. The heirs of the creators of victories should not only grieve at the memorial "eternal fires", but, rolling up their sleeves, rallying together, begin to dismantle the ruins of the dilapidated historical Motherland, rebuild the building of the Fatherland.
Nikolay Sergeevich Leonov
Magazine "Russian House", No. 6 2012
The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941, the day when the German fascist invaders and their allies invaded the USSR. It lasted four years and became the final stage of the Second World War. In total, about 34 million Soviet soldiers took part in it, more than half of whom died.
Causes of the Great Patriotic War
The main reason for the outbreak of World War II was the desire of Adolf Hitler to lead Germany to world domination by capturing other countries and establishing a racially pure state. Therefore, on September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, then Czechoslovakia, starting the Second World War and conquering more and more territories. The successes and victories of Nazi Germany forced Hitler to violate the non-aggression pact concluded between Germany and the USSR on August 23, 1939. He developed a special operation called "Barbarossa", which involved the capture Soviet Union in short time. This is how the Great Patriotic War began. It took place in three stages
Stages of the Great Patriotic War
Stage 1: June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942
The Germans captured Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus and Moldavia. Troops moved inland to capture Leningrad, Rostov-on-Don and Novgorod, but the main goal of the Nazis was Moscow. At this time, the USSR suffered heavy losses, thousands of people were taken prisoner. On September 8, 1941, the military blockade of Leningrad began, which lasted 872 days. As a result, the Soviet troops were able to halt the German offensive. The Barbarossa plan failed.
Stage 2: 1942-1943
During this period, the USSR continued to build up its military power, industry and defense grew. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Soviet troops, the border of the front was pushed back to the west. The central event of this period was the greatest Battle of Stalingrad in history (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943). The aim of the Germans was to capture Stalingrad, the great bend of the Don and the Volgodonsk isthmus. During the battle, more than 50 enemy armies, corps and divisions were destroyed, about 2 thousand tanks, 3 thousand aircraft and 70 thousand vehicles were destroyed, German aviation was significantly weakened. The victory of the USSR in this battle had a significant impact on the course of further military events.
Stage 3: 1943-1945
From defense, the Red Army gradually went over to the offensive, moving towards Berlin. Several campaigns were implemented aimed at destroying the enemy. A partisan war broke out, during which 6,200 detachments of partisans were formed, trying to independently fight the enemy. The partisans used all available means, including clubs and boiling water, set up ambushes and traps. At this time, the battles for the Right-Bank Ukraine, Berlin, take place. The Belarusian, Baltic, Budapest operations were developed and put into operation. As a result, on May 8, 1945, Germany officially declared defeat.
Thus, the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War was in fact the end of the Second World War. The defeat of the German army put an end to Hitler's desires to gain dominion over the world, universal slavery. However, victory in the war came at a heavy price. Millions of people died in the struggle for the Motherland, cities, villages and villages were destroyed. All the last funds went to the front, so people lived in poverty and hunger. Every year on May 9, we celebrate the Day of the Great Victory over fascism, we are proud of our soldiers for giving life to future generations, ensuring a bright future. At the same time, the victory was able to consolidate the influence of the USSR on the world arena and turn it into a superpower.
Briefly for children
More details
The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) is the most terrible and bloody war in the entire USSR. This war was between two powers, the mighty power of the USSR and Germany. In a fierce battle, over the course of five years, the USSR nevertheless defeated its opponent worthily. Germany, when attacking the union, hoped to quickly capture the entire country, but they did not expect how powerful and selenium the Slavic people were. What has this war led to? First, let's look at a number of reasons, why did it all start?
After the First World War, Germany was greatly weakened, the strongest crisis overcame the country. But at this time, Hitler came to rule and introduced a large number of reforms and changes, thanks to which the country began to flourish, and people showed their confidence in him. When he became a ruler, he pursued a policy in which he informed people that the nation of Germans is the most excellent in the world. Hitler was fired up with the idea to recoup the First World War, to lose for that terrible one, he had an idea to subjugate the whole world. He started with the Czech Republic and Poland, which later grew into World War II.
We all remember very well from history textbooks that before 1941 an agreement was signed not to attack the two countries, Germany and the USSR. But Hitler did attack. The Germans had a plan called "Barbarossa". It clearly stated that Germany must capture the USSR in 2 months. He believed that if at his disposal all the strength and power of the strange, then he could fearlessly enter the war with the United States.
The war began so lightning fast, the USSR was not ready, but Hitler received not what he wanted and expected. Our army put up a lot of resistance, the Germans did not expect to see such a strong opponent in front of them. And the war dragged on for 5 long years.
Now let's analyze the main periods during the entire war.
The initial stage of the war is June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942. During this time, the Germans captured most of the country, as well as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldavia, Belarus. Further, the Germans already had Moscow and Leningrad before their eyes. And they almost succeeded, but the Russian soldiers turned out to be stronger than them and did not allow them to capture this city.
To their great regret, they captured Leningrad, but what is most surprising, the people living there did not let the invaders into the city itself. The battles for these cities took place until the end of 1942.
The end of 1943, the beginning of 1943, was very difficult for the German army and at the same time happy for the Russians. The Soviet army launched a counteroffensive, the Russians began to slowly but surely recapture their territory, and the invaders and their allies slowly retreat to the west. Some of the allies were destroyed on the spot.
Everyone remembers perfectly well how the entire industry of the Soviet Union switched to the production of military supplies, thanks to which they were able to repulse the enemies. The army grew from retreating to attackers.
The final. 1943 to 1945. The Soviet soldiers gathered all their strength and began to recapture their territory at a high pace. All forces were directed towards the occupiers, namely Berlin. At this time, Leningrad was liberated, and other previously occupied countries were recaptured. The Russians were decisively marching towards Germany.
The last stage (1943-1945). At this time, the USSR began to take its land piece by piece and move towards the invaders. Russian soldiers conquered Leningrad and other cities, then they proceeded to the very heart of Germany - Berlin.
On May 8, 1945, the USSR entered Berlin, and the Germans announced their surrender. Their ruler could not stand it and left on his own.
And now the worst thing about the war. How many people died for the fact that we would now live in the world and enjoy every day.
In fact, history is silent about these terrible numbers. For a long time the USSR concealed the number of people. The government hid data from the people. And people then understood how many died, how many were taken prisoner, and how many missing people to this day. But after a while, the data still surfaced. According to official sources, up to 10 million soldiers died in this war, and about 3 million were in German captivity. These are terrible numbers. And how many children, old people, women died. The Germans shot everyone mercilessly.
It was a terrible war, unfortunately it brought a lot of tears to families, the country was in ruin for a long time, but slowly the USSR was getting back on its feet, post-war actions subsided, but did not subside in the hearts of people. In the hearts of mothers who did not wait for their sons from the front. Wives who remained widows with children. But what a strong Slavic people are, even after such a war, they rose from their knees. Then the whole world knew how strong the state is and how strong in spirit people live there.
Thanks to the veterans who defended us when they were very young. Unfortunately, at the moment there are only a few of them left, but we will never forget their feat.
Report on the Great Patriotic War
On June 22, 1941, at 4 a.m. Germany attacked the USSR without first declaring war. Such an unexpected event briefly put the Soviet troops out of action. The Soviet army met the enemy with dignity, although the enemy was very strong and had an advantage over the Red Army. Germany had a lot of weapons, tanks, planes, when the Soviet army was just moving from cavalry protection to weapons.
The USSR was not ready for such a large-scale war; many of the commanders at that time were inexperienced and young. Of the five marshals, three were shot and recognized as enemies of the people. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was in power during the Great Patriotic War and did everything possible for the victory of the Soviet troops.
The war was cruel and bloody, the whole country began to defend the Motherland. Everyone could join the ranks of the Soviet army, the youth created partisan detachments and tried to help in every way. All men and women fought for the protection of their native land.
The struggle for Leningrad lasted 900 days, residents who were in the blockade. Many soldiers were killed and taken prisoner. The Nazis created concentration camps where they mocked and starved people. The fascist troops hoped that the war would end within 2-3 months, but the patriotism of the Russian people turned out to be stronger, and the war dragged on for 4 long years.
In August 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad began, lasting six months. The Soviet army won a victory and captured more than 330 thousand Nazis. The Nazis could not come to terms with their defeat and began an offensive on Kursk. 1,200 vehicles took part in the Battle of Kursk - it was a massive battle of tanks.
In 1944, the troops of the Red Army were able to liberate the Ukraine, the Baltic States, Moldavia. Also, Soviet troops received support from Siberia, the Urals and the Caucasus and were able to drive off enemy troops from their native lands. Many times the Nazis wanted to lure the troops of the Soviet army into a trap by cunning, but they did not succeed. Thanks to the competent Soviet command, the plans of the Nazis were destroyed and then they used heavy artillery. The Nazis launched into battle heavy tanks such as: "tiger" and "panther", but despite this the Red Army gave a worthy rebuff.
At the very beginning of 1945, the Soviet army broke into German territory and forced the Nazis to admit defeat. On May 8-9, 1945, the Act of surrender of the forces of fascist Germany was signed. Officially, May 9 is considered Victory Day, and is celebrated to this day.
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Already in Moscow, that this war would turn out for him not a brilliant victory, but a shameful flight from Of Russia maddened with horror soldiers of his once great army, which conquered all of Europe? In 1807, after the defeat of the Russian army in the battle with the French at Friedland, Emperor Alexander I was forced to sign the unprofitable and humiliating peace treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon. At that moment, no one thought that in a few years the Russian troops would drive the Napoleonic army to Paris, and Russia would take a leading position in European politics.
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Causes and course of the Patriotic War of 1812
Main reasons
- Violation by both Russia and France of the terms of the Tilsit Treaty. Russia sabotaged the continental blockade of England, which was unfavorable for itself. France, in violation of the treaty, deployed troops in Prussia, annexing the Duchy of Oldenburg.
- The policy towards European states pursued by Napoleon without taking into account the interests of Russia.
- An indirect reason can also be considered the fact that Bonaparte twice tried to marry the sisters of Alexander the First, but both times he was refused.
Since 1810, both sides have been actively pursuing preparation to war, accumulating military forces.
The beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812
Who, if not Bonaparte, who conquered Europe, could be sure of his blitzkrieg? Napoleon hoped to defeat the Russian army even in border battles. In the early morning of June 24, 1812, the French Grand Army crossed the Russian border in four places.
The northern flank under the command of Marshal MacDonald advanced in the direction of Riga - St. Petersburg. Main a group of troops under the command of Napoleon himself moved towards Smolensk. South of the main forces, the offensive was developed by the corps of Napoleon's stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais. The corps of Austrian General Karl Schwarzenberg was advancing on the Kiev direction.
After crossing the border, Napoleon failed to maintain a high rate of advance. It was not only the huge Russian distances and the famous Russian roads that were to blame. The local population gave the French army a slightly different reception than in Europe. Sabotage the supply of food from the occupied territories became the most massive form of resistance to the invaders, but, of course, only the regular army could provide serious resistance to them.
Before joining Moscow the French army had to participate in nine major battles. In a large number of battles and armed clashes. Even before the occupation of Smolensk, the Great Army lost 100 thousand soldiers, but, in general, the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812 was extremely unfortunate for the Russian army.
On the eve of the invasion of the Napoleonic army, Russian troops were dispersed in three places. The first army of Barclay de Tolly was at Vilna, the second army of Bagration was near Volokovysk, and the third army of Tormasov was in Volyn. Strategy Napoleon's idea was to defeat the Russian armies separately. Russian troops begin to retreat.
Through the efforts of the so-called Russian party, instead of Barclay de Tolly, MI Kutuzov was appointed to the post of commander-in-chief, who was sympathetic to many generals with Russian surnames. The retreat strategy was not popular in Russian society.
However, Kutuzov continued to adhere to tactics digression chosen by Barclay de Tolly. Napoleon sought to impose on the Russian army the main, general battle as soon as possible.
The main battles of the Patriotic War of 1812
A bloody battle for Smolensk became a rehearsal for a general battle. Bonaparte, hoping that the Russians will concentrate all their forces here, prepares the main blow, and pulls an army of 185,000 to the city. Despite Bagration's objections, Bucklay de Tolly decides to leave Smolensk. The French, having lost more than 20 thousand people in battle, entered the burning and destroyed city. The Russian army, despite the surrender of Smolensk, retained its combat capability.
News about surrender of Smolensk overtook Kutuzov not far from Vyazma. Meanwhile, Napoleon advanced his army towards Moscow. Kutuzov found himself in a very serious situation. He continued to retreat, but before leaving Moscow, Kutuzov had to give a general battle. The protracted retreat left a depressing impression on the Russian soldiers. Everyone was eager to give a decisive battle. When a little more than a hundred miles remained to Moscow, on the field near the village of Borodino, the Great Army collided, as Bonaparte himself later admitted, with the Invincible army.
Before the start of the battle, Russian troops numbered 120 thousand, the French were 135 thousand. On the left flank of the formation of the Russian troops were Semyonov flashes and parts of the second army Bagration... On the right - the battle formations of the first army of Barclay de Tolly, and the old Smolensk road was covered by the third infantry corps of General Tuchkov.
At dawn, September 7, Napoleon inspected the positions. At seven o'clock in the morning, the French batteries signaled the start of the battle.
The severity of the first blow was borne by the grenadiers of the major general Vorontsov and 27th Infantry Division Nemerovsky near the village of Semyonovskaya. The French broke into Semyonov's flushes several times, but left them under the pressure of Russian counterattacks. During the main counterattack, Bagration was mortally wounded here. As a result, the French managed to capture the flushes, but they did not get any advantages. They failed to break through the left flank, and the Russians retreated in an organized manner to the Semyonov ravines, taking a position there.
A difficult situation developed in the center, where the main blow of Bonaparte was directed, where the battery fought desperately Raevsky... To break the resistance of the defenders of the battery, Napoleon was already ready to bring his main reserve into battle. But this was prevented by Platov's Cossacks and Uvarov's cavalrymen, who, on the orders of Kutuzov, made a rapid raid into the rear of the French left flank. This halted the French advance on the Rayevsky battery for about two hours, which allowed the Russians to pull up some reserves.
After bloody battles, the Russians in an organized manner withdrew from the Raevsky battery, and again took up defenses. The battle, which had been going on for twelve hours, gradually subsided.
During Borodino battle the Russians lost almost half of their personnel, but continued to hold positions. Twenty-seven of the best generals were lost to the Russian army, four of them were killed and twenty-three were wounded. The French lost about thirty thousand soldiers. Of the thirty French generals who were out of action, eight were killed.
Brief results of the Borodino battle:
- Napoleon was unable to defeat the Russian army and achieve the complete surrender of Russia.
- Kutuzov, although he greatly weakened Bonaparte's army, could not defend Moscow.
Despite the fact that the Russians were not formally able to win, the Borodino field has forever remained in Russian history a field of Russian glory.
Having received information about the losses at Borodino, Kutuzov realized that the second battle would be disastrous for the Russian army, and Moscow would have to be abandoned. At a military council in Fili, Kutuzov insisted on the surrender of Moscow without a fight, although many generals were against it.
September 14 Russian army left Moscow. The Emperor of Europe, watching the majestic panorama of Moscow from Poklonnaya Gora, was waiting for the city delegation with the keys to the city. After military hardships and hardships, Bonaparte's soldiers found in the abandoned city long-awaited warm apartments, food and valuables that Muscovites did not have time to take out, who for the most part left the city with the army.
After widespread robberies and looting fires started in Moscow. Due to dry and windy weather, the whole city was on fire. For security reasons Napoleon was forced to move from the Kremlin to the suburban Petrovsky Palace, on the way, getting lost, he almost burned down himself.
Bonaparte allowed the soldiers of his army to plunder what was not yet burned. The French army was distinguished by a defiant disdain for the local population. Marshal Davout made his bedroom in the altar of the Archangel Church. Kremlin Assumption Cathedral the French used it as a stable, and in Arkhangelskoye they organized an army kitchen. The oldest St. Danilov monastery in Moscow was equipped for a slaughterhouse.
This behavior of the French to the depths of the soul angered the entire Russian people. All were burning with revenge for the desecrated shrines and the desecration of the Russian land. Now the war has finally acquired its character and content. domestic.
Expulsion of the French from Russia and the end of the war
Kutuzov, withdrawing troops from Moscow, made maneuver, thanks to which the French army lost the initiative before the end of the war. The Russians, retreating along the Ryazan road, were able to march onto the old Kaluga road, and consolidated themselves near the village of Tarutino, from where they were able to control all directions leading from Moscow to the south through Kaluga.
Kutuzov foresaw that it was kaluga a land untouched by war, Bonaparte will begin his retreat. All the while Napoleon was in Moscow, the Russian army was replenished with fresh reserves. On October 18, near the village of Tarutino, Kutuzov attacked the French units of Marshal Murat. As a result of the battle, the French lost more than four thousand people and retreated. Russian losses amounted to about one and a half thousand.
Bonaparte realized the futility of his expectations of a peace treaty, and the very next day after the Battle of Tarutino, he hurriedly left Moscow. The great army now resembled a barbarian horde with looted property. Having made complex maneuvers on the march to Kaluga, the French entered Maloyaroslavets. On October 24, Russian troops decided to drive the French out of the city. Maloyaroslavets as a result of a stubborn battle, he passed from hand to hand eight times.
This battle marked a turning point in the history of the Patriotic War of 1812. The French had to retreat along the ruined old Smolensk road. Now, once the Great Army considered its successful retreats to be victories. The Russian troops used the tactics of parallel pursuit. After the Vyazma battle, and especially after the battle near the village of Krasnoye, where the losses of Bonaparte's army were comparable to its losses at Borodino, the effectiveness of such tactics became obvious.
In the territories occupied by the French, active partisans... Bearded peasants, armed with pitchforks and axes, suddenly emerged from the forest, which led the French into a daze. The elements of the people's war captured not only the peasants, but all the estates russian society... Kutuzov himself sent his son-in-law, Prince Kudashev, who headed one of the detachments, to the partisans.
The last and decisive blow was dealt to Napoleon's army at the crossing over the Berezina river... Many Western historians consider the Berezinsky operation to be almost a triumph of Napoleon, who managed to save the Great Army, or rather, its remnants. About 9 thousand French soldiers were able to cross the Berezina.
Napoleon, who, in fact, did not lose a single battle in Russia, lost campaign. The Great Army ceased to exist.
Results of the Patriotic War of 1812
- In the vastness of Russia, the French army was almost completely destroyed, which influenced the balance of power in Europe.
- The self-awareness of all strata of Russian society has grown unusually.
- Russia, emerging victorious from the war, strengthened its position in the geopolitical arena.
- The national liberation movement intensified in european countriesconquered by Napoleon.
