#Napoleon #FrenchHistory #RussianInvasion #NapoleonMisconceptions
๐ The Misconception About Napoleon’s Defeat by the Russian Winter
When we think about Napoleon’s defeat in Russia, the common belief is that it was the harsh Russian winter that led to the downfall of his army. However, the reality is quite different and it’s important to debunk this misconception.
## The Truth Behind Napoleon’s Loss
### 1. The Invasion in June
Napoleon launched his invasion of Russia in June, which was a strategic mistake as he underestimated the challenges of the Russian summer. The heat and the difficult terrain took a toll on his army right from the beginning.
### 2. Disease and Starvation
The harsh conditions of the Russian summer led to widespread disease and starvation among Napoleon’s troops. The lack of adequate supplies and the unfamiliar environment contributed to the rapid decline of his army.
### 3. Heat Exhaustion
The extreme temperatures during the Russian summer caused many of Napoleon’s men to suffer from heat exhaustion, further weakening the army and making them more susceptible to illnesses.
### 4. Desertion and Suicide
The desperate situation faced by Napoleon’s troops led to many deserting the army, while others tragically took their own lives rather than continue to suffer in the harsh conditions.
## The Impact of the Russian Summer
The combination of these factors led to the loss of the majority of Napoleon’s troops, not the Russian winter as commonly believed. It’s important to correct this misconception and acknowledge the true reasons behind Napoleon’s defeat in Russia.
๐ How This Misconception Impacts Our Understanding of History
Understanding the true events of Napoleon’s defeat in Russia is important for gaining a more accurate understanding of history. This misconception has colored our perception of the events and it’s crucial to set the record straight.
### 1. Historical Accuracy
By debunking the myth about Napoleon’s defeat, we can strive for a more historically accurate narrative. This allows us to learn from past mistakes and understand the true impact of the Russian campaign on Napoleon’s legacy.
### 2. Lessons for Future Generations
By understanding the real reasons behind Napoleon’s defeat, we can impart valuable lessons to future generations about the consequences of underestimating unfamiliar environments and the importance of strategic planning in military campaigns.
## Conclusion
The idea of Napoleon losing his troops to the Russian winter is a widespread misconception that needs to be corrected. The reality is that it was the challenges of the Russian summer that led to the majority of his army’s downfall, including disease, starvation, heat exhaustion, desertion, and suicide.
Debunking this misconception is crucial for achieving a more accurate understanding of history and learning valuable lessons for the future. It’s important to reframe our perception of Napoleon’s defeat in Russia and acknowledge the true impact of the Russian summer on his campaign.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia
> The 1984 Bananarama hit “Cruel Summer” was ^^^^^^^^^not written as a nod to Napoleon’s disastrous campaign.
Huh, never knew that.
He also had to leave a lot behind as garrison.
>He launched his invasion in June and within two months had lost half of his men.
To lose some of your men is bad, to lose half of them strikes me as carelessness. Though I lost my keys the other day so I can relate.
Moral of the story: don’t invade Russia, unless you’re the Mongol.
Around 30k of those losses were on one day in early September at Borodino.
The French army was initially successful easily defeating the Russian forces at the Battle of Smolensk in August
However the Russians adopted a scorched earth policy burning crops and villages to deprive the French of food and supplies
Obligatory whenever this comes up — often described as the Mona Lisa of data visualizations, Charles Minard famously mapped out the failed invasion in his masterpiece visualization plotting six data points from geography, temperature, army size and more across just two dimensions.
Napoleon left with 422k troops, and returned with 10k. Following the marching vs retreating lines, and the shrinking width of the army size is both shocking, and also reveals the subtle stories of human suffering along the invasion and retreat.
Definitely check it out: (many versions available, I like this one)
https://public.tableau.com/views/NapoleonsMarchingtoRussia1812-1813/Dachboard
Neither Napoleon nor Hitler invaded Russia in winter, say what you will about the guys but neither was a moron (Hitler got whacky towards the end but he was not nuts in 1941).
Also to those who say only the Mongols can invade Russia and win, Poland and Germany have done it too.
I hear spring and fall though… Real nice
The best (and only) [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NYhTwLCT-Q) I know about Napoleon’s invasion of Russia
We’ve paid in hell since Moscow burned
As Cossacks tear us piece by piece
Our dead are strewn a hundred leagues
Though death would be a sweet release
Done with Bonaparte
Mark Knopfler
Napoleon was one of the greatest military minds in history, at least in his early career before he let power and control consume him.
“Get a life” – Ridley Scott
To quote the Princess Bride, “He committed the first classic blunder: Never get involved in a land war in Asia.”
This means that the old phrase โnever invade Russia in winter,โ is Russian disinformation, designed to lure people into Russia in Summer!
Were you there?
Ah yes the type of turn that ruins my entire game of risk lol. Amass the biggest army on the board with some strategically timed trade ins, and then move into Asia to secure some more cards. Get bogged down and lose too many troops in Irkutsk or some shit
always suspicious of brand new accounts posting stuff closely related to a newly released blockbuster film.
Oh so that whole meme of “Haha Napoleon should’ve packed winter coats” should instead be “Haha Napoleon should’ve packed water and bathing suits”?
Prior to the discovery/invention of antibiotics, the majority of soldiers died from disease instead of combat. Grab a bunch of people from large distances away from each other and put them all together and they’re sure to get each other sick.
Waitโฆ So that 4 hour long turd of a movie about Napoleonโs love live was a bunch of complete steaming shit?!?
What most people seem to miss is that the winter doesn’t necessarily spell defeat for an invading army, but it absolutely exacerbates existing issues (logistics, morale, etc.). In fact, for centuries, most nations avoided fighting in the winter altogether.
well okay then OP, tell us, what’s the best season to invade russia ?
Actually, Napoleon lost half his viewers because of multiple sex scenes where joaquin Phoenix says, “Mama” in a baby voice.
That was no invasion.
As with all wars before, the idea was to win a couple battles … to force the tsar to come back to his mind and apply the Tilsit treaty he signed.
Or surely the russian great nobles will soon organize a coup.
I can’t believe my social studies class lied to me.
Bro was NOT built for this
Everyone also forgets the failed seals on his rations that caused them to have bad food. Canning was a new method of food preservation at the time.
Half? I thought he went there with 500k and got back with 10%. Anyone?
Huh TIL The Joker used the Brooklyn Stairs way to Heaven technique.
Fun fact. Fewer than 10% of his troops will die in combat, but half of them would die to Typhus, a disease caused by bacteria that were spread by lice. The solution was unknown at the time, but actually very simple. If they had just routinely boiled their clothing every few days, it would have killed the lice, and hundreds of thousands of them would have survived.
It’s reminiscent of his campaign in Egypt, where many of his soldiers died due to lack of water on his retreat from Acre. The solution there would have been equally simple. If they had simply dug down 10-12 feet into the sand, they would have hit the water table, and found perfectly filtered and drinkable water anywhere they went.
And when it was all over, France had lost too many men to run the farms, and its people starved.
Yep, this is true for most actually. Russian Winter isn’t the problem, its the Russian summer that follows that’s the real problem. Its now standing theory that the best time to invade Russian actually is in Winter.
Ground is compact, there’s few disease spreading species around, you are as provisioned as you ever will be at the start of the campaign so you won’t take as much attrition to winter if it came at the end of the campaign in the following year.
So if you start the offensive in Winter, you will have the supplies to deal with it, then can be ready to deal with Russian summer or if you’re lucky, the campaign is already over by summer. What you don’t want to be doing, is still fighting the war in the following winter, because that can be a pretty harsh gambit.
The movie sucked, by the way.
AFAIK in historical times – before understanding of sanitation (so up to late 1800s) – a LOT more troops died due to surrounding factors (infection, disease, malnutrition) then died in battle