Okla-homey
6/24/2009, 06:55 AM
June 24, 1812: Napoleon's Grande Armee invades Russia
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/6785/napoleon781366a.jpg
197 years ago today, following the rejection of his Continental System for French adminstrative control of Europe by Czar Alexander I, French Emperor Napoleon orders his Grande Armee, the largest European military force ever assembled to that date, into Russia.
The enormous army, featuring some half million soldiers and staff, included troops from all the European countries under the domination of the French Empire.
During the opening months of the invasion, Napoleon was forced to contend with a bitter Russian army in perpetual retreat. Refusing to engage Napoleon's superior army in a full-scale confrontation, the Russians under Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov burned everything behind them as they retreated deeper and deeper into Russia.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7605/napolgal009.jpg
Kutusov
This Russian tactic, developed by Kutusov, of trading space for time while the invader bleeds himself out in defending repeated small assaults and continually lengthens his line of supply remained in the Russian playbook into WWII when it was used successfully against Hitler.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7449/napoleonm.gif
The map, based on the 1869 chart by Minard, graphically illustrates (both literally and figuratively) how the size of the French army dwindled during the march into Russia and was reduced to almost nothing on the wretched rout back into Poland. The map can be read in several ways. The size of the peach colored bar indicates the relative strength of the French army during the march on Moscow. The black bar shows the dwindling French army during the retreat. In the lower portion of the map, the temperature in degrees Celcius is shown, along with dates during the retreat.
On September 7, the indecisive Battle of Borodino was fought, in which both sides suffered terrible losses.
On September 14, Napoleon entered Moscow intending to find supplies but instead found almost the entire population evacuated, and the Russian army retreated again.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4824/napoleonmoscow.jpg
Napolean entering Moscow
Early the next morning, fires broke across the city, set by Russian patriots, and the Grande Armee's winter quarters were destroyed. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced with the onset of the Russian winter, was forced to order his starving army out of Moscow.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7821/napoleonmoscowscorchede.jpg
During the disastrous retreat, Napoleon's army suffered continual harassment from a suddenly aggressive and merciless Russian army. Stalked by hunger and the deadly lances of the Cossacks, the decimated army reached the Berezina River late in November, but found their way blocked by the Russians.
On November 27, Napoleon forced a way across at Studenka, and when the bulk of his army passed the river two days later, he was forced to burn his makeshift bridges behind him, stranding some 10,000 stragglers on the other side.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7117/napoleonsretreatfrommos.jpg
From there, the retreat became a rout, and on December 8 Napoleon left what remained of his army to return to Paris. Six days later, the Grande Armee finally escaped Russia, having suffered a loss of more than 400,000 of its just over 500,000 men during the disastrous invasion.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9350/napwarandpeace.jpg
One of the world's greatest novels, written about the events of the period
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/6785/napoleon781366a.jpg
197 years ago today, following the rejection of his Continental System for French adminstrative control of Europe by Czar Alexander I, French Emperor Napoleon orders his Grande Armee, the largest European military force ever assembled to that date, into Russia.
The enormous army, featuring some half million soldiers and staff, included troops from all the European countries under the domination of the French Empire.
During the opening months of the invasion, Napoleon was forced to contend with a bitter Russian army in perpetual retreat. Refusing to engage Napoleon's superior army in a full-scale confrontation, the Russians under Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov burned everything behind them as they retreated deeper and deeper into Russia.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7605/napolgal009.jpg
Kutusov
This Russian tactic, developed by Kutusov, of trading space for time while the invader bleeds himself out in defending repeated small assaults and continually lengthens his line of supply remained in the Russian playbook into WWII when it was used successfully against Hitler.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7449/napoleonm.gif
The map, based on the 1869 chart by Minard, graphically illustrates (both literally and figuratively) how the size of the French army dwindled during the march into Russia and was reduced to almost nothing on the wretched rout back into Poland. The map can be read in several ways. The size of the peach colored bar indicates the relative strength of the French army during the march on Moscow. The black bar shows the dwindling French army during the retreat. In the lower portion of the map, the temperature in degrees Celcius is shown, along with dates during the retreat.
On September 7, the indecisive Battle of Borodino was fought, in which both sides suffered terrible losses.
On September 14, Napoleon entered Moscow intending to find supplies but instead found almost the entire population evacuated, and the Russian army retreated again.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4824/napoleonmoscow.jpg
Napolean entering Moscow
Early the next morning, fires broke across the city, set by Russian patriots, and the Grande Armee's winter quarters were destroyed. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced with the onset of the Russian winter, was forced to order his starving army out of Moscow.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7821/napoleonmoscowscorchede.jpg
During the disastrous retreat, Napoleon's army suffered continual harassment from a suddenly aggressive and merciless Russian army. Stalked by hunger and the deadly lances of the Cossacks, the decimated army reached the Berezina River late in November, but found their way blocked by the Russians.
On November 27, Napoleon forced a way across at Studenka, and when the bulk of his army passed the river two days later, he was forced to burn his makeshift bridges behind him, stranding some 10,000 stragglers on the other side.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7117/napoleonsretreatfrommos.jpg
From there, the retreat became a rout, and on December 8 Napoleon left what remained of his army to return to Paris. Six days later, the Grande Armee finally escaped Russia, having suffered a loss of more than 400,000 of its just over 500,000 men during the disastrous invasion.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9350/napwarandpeace.jpg
One of the world's greatest novels, written about the events of the period