Battle of Borodino
Event background
In the early days of the war, the Russian army faced the aggressive offensive of the French army and was forced to retreat and clear the fields along the way to stop the French army from advancing.
On August 16-18, 1812, Russian and French troops fought fiercely in Smolensk. (See Battle of Smolensk) The Russian army could not resist the sharp force of the French offensive, abandoning Smolensk and retreating to Moscow.
On August 29, 1812, the new commander-in-chief of the Russian army Kutuzov arrived at the front and led the army to continue to retreat.
On September 3, 1812, the Russian army pre-selected a position near Borodino to cut off the two main passages from the French army to Moscow. Kutuzov was determined to rely on the position and Napoleon’s army. Have a decisive battle.
Military comparison
Including the reserve stationed east of the Aude River, Napoleon enlisted a total of 265 French infantry battalions, 291 minion infantry battalions, and 130 troops. City artillery, more than 1,000 field artillery, a total of more than 500,000 infantry and artillery and 90,000 cavalry. There are only 270,000 French in this force from almost all European countries, including those recruited from territories occupied by France. Austria and Prussia, which had no choice, sent troops, and the Italian governor Prince Eugene also led 45,000 soldiers to join the army. Napoleon also drew 27,000 from the 243,000 troops trapped in the Iberian Peninsula (many of whom were not French).
The east advance army is divided into 5 main forces. The center is the main assault force personally commanded by Napoleon, supplemented by the Italian army of Prince Eugene and King Jerome Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon (he was censored for his slow movement, and he used it before the Battle of Borodino. Left). There are approximately 380,000 central troops. In addition, there are two flanking forces. Marshal MacDonald led his troops to guard the Baltic Sea coast to the north, and the Austrian army of Field Marshal Prince Schwarzenberg was responsible for covering the southern side of Napoleon. The two troops each had 34,000. Although Napoleon has been constantly recruiting new recruits, this "army" has high morale and strong combat effectiveness.
The Russian army has a brave and well-trained infantry, but the equipment is poor, only equipped with many muskets of different calibers, and is at a disadvantage in firepower. But they firmly believe in Suvorov's famous saying: bayonet is more useful than bullet. The Russian cavalry includes the usual light cavalry regiments, heavy cavalry regiments and dragoons, and their equipment is much better than the French army when they first arrived in Borodino. In addition, the Russian army also has thousands of excellent Cossack cavalry. Although they are not good at fighting, they are good at chasing, guarding and ambushing. The Russian artillery has recently been reorganized and equipped with a number of new weapons. It is huge, including 44 heavy artillery batteries and 58 field artillery batteries. The Russian army also has a capable vanguard, but its rescue methods (like the French army) are extremely primitive, and it is difficult to cope with huge casualties.
Logistics supply
The issue of supply can be said to be the basis for the success or failure of the entire battle. The French army's front line was too long (300 miles), the composition of the troops was complicated, the traffic was difficult, and the terrain was unfavorable. Especially because the French army failed to achieve the goal of quick battle and quick resolution required for this battle, the issue of rations became particularly important.
Napoleon had been considering the invasion of Russia for several months. He established 9 military depots in Danzig, west of the Russian border, and each of them had sufficient food and grass to consume the French army for many days. Transporting these grains and grass to the front line is a squadron (divided into 26 transport teams) consisting of 5,424 horse-drawn carts and 2,400 ox carts. This transportation team needs 200,000 head-pull animals (in addition to 110,000 war horses), and each head-pull animal consumes nearly 20 pounds of feed per day. According to calculations, nearly one-third of the army's food and grass are consumed by the livestock, and it is difficult to maintain a forward army far away from the military station or the supply ground for a long time.
After arriving in Russia, although it was summer, with the exception of a few light fleets, most of the fleets were impassable due to muddy roads, and there were no suitable pastures for grazing. So the French army had to discard and consume a large amount of grain and grass on the spot. In the case of lowering the feed standard, the French army also carried out a forced march. Under such natural disasters, many horses died. Before reaching Werner, the French army had lost 20,000 horses. When plundering everywhere, it was found that the entire village had long been fortified and clear, and all of Napoleon's logistical support plans were in vain.
The Russian army will rob and set fire to all materials before leaving the territory. The French Marshal Murat complained: These very rich areas were completely robbed by the Tsar's soldiers.
In Russian summer, the daytime is extremely hot and the night is wet and cold, followed by heavy rain and sun exposure. The French soldiers fell ill in batches and fell on the Long March. Heatstroke, the soldiers with diphtheria died batch after batch.
On June 24, Napoleon led 300,000 French troops across the Neman River. On August 15, the French army arrived in Smolensk. At this time, Napoleon's army was only half of what he had when he entered Russia.
Battlefield environment
On September 4, Kutuzov reported to Alexander I that the position was chosen in the village of Borodino in front of Mozhaisk. The front of the Borodino position is 8 kilometers wide, and the front is on the line of Maslovo, Gorky, Borodino, and Semenovskoye; the right wing is near the village of Maslovo, close to the Moskva River; the left wing It is connected to the Uditsa Forest, which is difficult to pass; the center is backed by the Kurganaya Highlands; there are forests and shrubs in the rear, which are convenient for concealed deployment of troops and maneuvering. The position was constructed with complete fortifications, forcing the French army to engage the Russian army on unfavorable terrain. It is said that Borodino was the position chosen by Leonti Leontijevic Bennigsen on the way to join the main force, and the Russian army therefore abandoned the position previously selected by Barclays staff. Place. This may be the case, because Kutuzov was not in a hurry to fight before the arrival of the 18,000 civilian troops led by General Miraladovich; besides, west of the position selected and rapidly strengthened by the Russians, there must be even if not better. Borodino is more ideal and has the same good position as it. The village of Borodino is located on the north bank of the Kolocha River, on the Novosmolensk Avenue, where the Kolocha River and the Voina River, another small river, converge. There are two other tributaries here. Parallel to the south of the avenue is the Stonyc River, and at a point on the upper reaches of the Voina River that joins the Kolocha River is the Semenovka River. The Kolocha River flows northward from Borodino into the turbulent Moskva River, which is steep and steep on both sides of the basin.
The rightmost wing of the Russian military position was deployed in a ring zone between the Kolocha River and the Moskva River, and the left wing was stationed in the jungle around the village of Udica on the Old Smolensk Avenue. The corner between the Stonyc River and the Semenovka River is a low mountain beam, and its northern end is a small mound, which is very suitable for combat. The Russian army built a fortification here and named it Laevsky Bastion after the commander of the army guarding here. One of the most famous generals. In this battle, he personally led his two sons, 16 and 11 years old, to launch an assault on an artillery company of the French army. The south of the bastion is mainly flat land and marshes, and in some places there are jungles. Some of the small villages here are easy to defend and hard to attack (at least in Semenovskaya Village), and they are destined to become targets for destruction by the French army. But the three small fortifications nearby (called the "Bastion of Bagration") formed the central hub of the left wing. The leftmost position in the jungle is another high ground near the village of Udica. Nearly one mile west of the center of the main defensive position is the Chervaldino Bastion. Kutuzov sent a division to defend here, supported by cavalry and artillery.
Barclays' 1st Army constitutes the right wing of the Russian army. Kutuzov believed that the French army would advance along the Novosmolensk Boulevard, so he deployed heavy troops in this area, but he ignored the central and left-wing positions. Due to the long front, the 2nd Western Army guarding Bagration there was vulnerable. Kutuzov did not occupy the Uditsa Heights, but prepared to let Bagration's 3rd Army fight a large-scale ambush in the jungle on the far left with a high probability of success. Unfortunately, when Bennigsen inspected the position, he gave the 3rd Army commander the opposite order, exposing his troops to the wilderness. Although in general the Russian army occupies a solid natural position and has seized the time to reinforce it as much as possible, the Russian army's left wing may still be outflanked. However, later circumstances showed that Kutuzov was lucky.
Strategic Plan
Just as Barclays (he was not replaced by Kutuzov at the time) was retreating towards Moscow and looking for a foothold, Napoleon was also considering whether to be in Small Lensk set up camp and waited until 1813 to fight again. This is not only beneficial to the supply of troops (although the French army is severely reduced, but the supply is still very tight), but it will also bring other benefits to the French army. However, the purpose of this battle has not been achieved. Alexander has a strong civilian army and time is in his favor. So Napoleon decided to take a risk.
On August 29th, he led his army from Smolensk and marched along the gravel road leading to Moscow, burning, looting, looting, and finally being destroyed.
Kutuzov’s combat attempt is to use active defensive means to kill the enemy as much as possible, change the strength of the enemy and ourselves, and preserve the strength for subsequent engagements and annihilation of the French army.
Napoleon's strategic proposition was to crush the Russian army in a decisive battle. Facing the defense of the Russian army, it was difficult for the French army to outflank the two wings and decided to take a frontal assault in the Battle of Borodino in order to break through the Russian defense line in a narrow area, enter the Russian army's rear, and force the Russian army to the Moskva River. To be annihilated, thus opening the door to Moscow.
The battle process
The battle process
When the Russian army was busy building defensive positions, Napoleon was slowly Assemble the army and prepare to launch a large-scale attack on the left wing of the Russian army. When he drove his horse to observe the terrain, he saw at a glance that the French army had to destroy the Chevaldino Bastion before attacking the main Russian position. He gave this task to the 1st Army (commanded by Marshal Davu) and the 5th Division (commanded by General Kongpan), and sent two cavalry units to support it. Before sunset on the evening of September 5, the battle started, and the two sides fought fiercely until nearly midnight. The Russian army lost about 5,000 men, and the French army suffered slightly fewer casualties.
Although the Russian army fought bravely under the command of Prince Gorchakov (actually the same was true for the French army), Kutuzov shouldn’t agree with Bennigsen’s plan to defend Sheval. Zino Bastion, because it is not only within the effective range of Russian artillery fire, but also has no strategic value. The Russian army lost many elite soldiers and 3 artillery pieces. The left wing of the Russian army mainly relied on the Bagration Bastion. This battle did not change the vulnerable situation of the left wing. On September 6, the Russian army went all out to consolidate the position, and Napoleon was also eager to observe the terrain in more detail and prepare his battle plan.
So, Napoleon moved his headquarters to the flat area north of the Chevaldino Bastion, and carried out reconnaissance on the Russian military positions many times. At that time, he was suffering from a bad cold and cystitis. He was in poor health and the French army's state of warfare could not satisfy him. Except for a slight advantage in military strength (approximately 130,000: 122,000), the French army is no more dominant than the Russian army in other aspects. Since crossing the Neman River, the French army has lost approximately 250,000 people in less than three months. Severe casualties and food shortages could not improve the morale of the French army. The French cavalry was in a particularly disadvantaged situation. It lost a large number of horses and the remaining horses were weak. On the contrary, the Russian army is strong. In addition, the Russian army also has an advantage in the quantity and quality of artillery.
On September 6, Napoleon was scouting the position. Davu stepped forward and asked him to lead his army and Prince Poniatowski’s 5th Polish Army to attack Russia from the flanks. Army left and rear. Davu believes that he can blitz this weak Russian defense zone with only 40,000 people and quickly achieve a decisive victory. This tactic should have been favored by Napoleon, but he rejected this plan of action after some consideration, and advocated the use of a large-scale frontal attack. Longstreet also planned to use the same tactics in the Battle of Gettysburg, but was flatly rejected as well, and for fewer reasons.
The final combat plan was: Davu led the 1st Army to attack the Bagration Bastion (in Napoleon’s impression, there were only two fortification positions instead of 3); in Davu On the left flank, Ney’s 3rd Army, in close cooperation with Juno’s 8th Army, attacked the Russian defense line from the village of Semenovskaya, north of the Laevsky Bastion, with the Guards as the rear unit. In this way, the French army's entire offensive center of gravity was to strike the Russian left and the center on a front of about 1.5 miles. Eugene’s 4th Army and the 1st Army’s 3rd Division fought on the north bank of the Kolocha River. Their mission was to destroy the village of Borodino, and then use three special pontoons to cross the river and march towards the Laevsky Bastion. The cavalry was under the full command of Murat, and he assembled three cavalry corps (1st, 2nd and 4th armies) behind Davout. The only way to attack the Russian army from the right flank was to send Poniatowski’s 5th Army to outflank the Russian left flank along the Old Smolensk Boulevard.
The task of the French artillery (with 587 artillery pieces, but the number of artillery batteries is still insufficient) is to carry out large-scale artillery bombardment on the enemy as soon as the battle begins. The night before the battle began; the French army had deployed two artillery companies on the high ground northeast of Chevaldino, preparing to bombard the Bagration Bastion. Each of these 2 companies has 24 artillery. The Artillery Commander of the 1st Army, General Penetti, drew 62 artillery pieces from the Guards, Desai Division, Compan Division, and Frian Division to reinforce these 2 companies. These artillery was mainly used to suppress the Russian artillery, and General Sorbie (the reserve artillery commanding the Guards) used the Guards' howitzers to blast the Russian trenches. Once the right wing of the French army and the Russian army exchanged fire, the 40 artillery of the 3rd army will open fire at the Laevsky bastion. Artillery will play a pivotal role in combat.
At 6 o'clock in the morning on September 7, Penetti's forces fired at the enemy first, and the battle began. The French attack time was a bit later than originally planned, because the two artillery companies deployed at night had to move positions due to insufficient artillery range. The Russian artillery fired back quickly. The artillery battle lasted intermittently for several hours, and the entire battlefield was filled with smoke and visibility decreased, which increased the difficulty of close combat between the two sides.
As soon as Napoleon's 1st and 3rd armies fired, the leading division of the French army began to attack. Prince Eugene launched an attack on the Barclays forces in Borodino village. The Russian army was repelled and had time to demolish the Kolocha River Bridge in the future; but they quickly regained Borodino village. Then, the Russian army received an order to retreat to the main position, and this time they demolished the Kolocha River Bridge. Prince Eugene left a division and some cavalry in the village. At about 9:30 in the morning, he crossed the pontoon with the rest of his team and attacked the Laevsky Bastion.
At the same time, the 5th Division of the 1st Army led by Compan, with the close cooperation of the 4th Division of Desai, is advancing towards the Bagration Bastion. Napoleon wanted the French army to be invincible,
