Napoleon’s Horrific Failure in Russia – primarily due to invade around fall – and being trapped in the Russian winter – even though he had about 600 thousand troops – while Russians about 200 thousand soldiers;
The Russian Campaign, 1812
In 1811, Tsar Alexander I, supposedly allied with Napoleon, refused to be part of the continental blockade of British goods any longer. Napoleon’s edict barring trade with Great Britain was ruining the Russian economy. Tensions quickly escalated; every attempt to negotiate failed.
SOKHOLOV: The Russian army starts to concentrate its forces on the borders. Napoleon went to Kaurakin, the Russian ambassador, and harshly questioned him. “What does this mean? What does Russia want from me? You know it’s easy to start a war but it’s very difficult to finish one.”
On June 24, 1812, ignoring the advice of his closest advisors, Napoleon invaded Russia. Never in living memory had so large an army been assembled — Italians, Poles, German, French — more than 600,000 men from every corner of his empire. Napoleon prophesied the war would be over in twenty days.
WOLOCH: An army of 600,000, it would seem to be absolutely irresistible no matter what happened. He’ll simply pour in enough men to overwhelm the Russians, force them to engage in battle and defeat them.
“I know Alexander,” Napoleon said. “I once had influence over him; it will come back. If not, let destiny be accomplished and let Russia be crushed under my hatred of England.”
HORNE: And Napoleon, once again with this sense of destiny. His star was such that he thought he could defeat Russia — this enormous country.
As the days passed, the blazing heat of the Russian summer began to take its toll. Soldiers fell out from exhaustion, sickness, and desertion — more than five thousand a day. After two months, before Napoleon had fought a single battle, 150,000 soldiers were out of action.
#Napoleon, #history #Russian #Invation #Failure;
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