Which field witnessed two patriotic wars. Field of two domestic. Glorious history of Russian troops
The land near Moscow keeps many memorable places associated with the Patriotic War of 1812. These are places of military battles and actions of partisan detachments. Many heroes of 1812 lived here. Here the participants of great events found their last refuge. The Moscow region has become a place of pilgrimage for everyone who studies the events of 1812, who is not indifferent to the memory of heroes. On the land of the Moscow region is the Borodino field, where in 1812 the fate of the Fatherland was decided and where thousands of heroes, "the bravest of the bravest," said goodbye to their lives forever. This is a field of glory, a field of sorrow, a field of valor and courage.This album is dedicated to the historical places of the Moscow region, where material monuments, witnesses of the events that took place 200 years ago, have been preserved.
In the initial period of the war, Russian troops were forced to retreat deep into the country under superior enemy forces. After leaving Smolensk, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army, who decided on a pitched battle.
August 21(according to the old style) the main forces of the Russian army approached the Kolotsk monastery. General A.P. Ermolov recalled that the construction of fortifications under the Kolotsky Monastery had already begun, but it was decided to leave the position, since a more successful one was found 8 versts east near the village. Borodin. On the same day, in the barn behind the monastery, the famous meeting of the commander of the 2nd Russian Western Army, General P.I. Bagration and Lieutenant Colonel of the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment D.V. Davydov, who laid the foundation for the creation of the famous "flying" detachment. Davydov enthusiastically explained to Bagration the benefits of creating "flying" partisan detachments from small parties of Cossacks and cavalrymen. “Besides, Denis Vasilyevich argued, this reappearance of our troops among the villagers scattered by the war will encourage them and turn the military war into a people’s war ...”.
August 22 Russian troops retreated to Borodino. The withdrawal was covered by the rearguard, which on the 23rd held back enemy attacks at the Kolotsk Monastery. In this battle, the famous Cossack commander, Major General I.K., was mortally wounded. Krasnov.
The monastery made a great impression on the French army. One of the participants in the campaign, E. Labom, wrote: “To the right, below us, the Kolotsky Monastery stands out, large towers gave it the appearance of a city. The glossy tiles of its roofs, illuminated by the rays of the sun, shone through the thick dust raised by our numerous cavalry.
From the bell tower of the monastery, Napoleon watched the Russian troops stationed on the Borodino field. There was intensive preparation for the general battle.
Battle of Borodino August, 26th, which was attended by more than 250 thousand troops on both sides, was replete with examples of extraordinary bravery and courage. The French faced fierce resistance from the Russian army: “The desire of everyone,” wrote M.I. Kutuzov, - it was to die on the spot and not yield to the enemy. But, due to heavy losses and lack of reinforcements, M.I. Kutuzov, it was decided to go further to Moscow. Together with the regular troops in the battle of Borodino, the soldiers of the Moscow militia, formed from the inhabitants of the Moscow province: Mozhaysky, Ruzsky, Zvenigorodsky, Serpukhov and many other counties.
On the day of the Battle of Borodino, a French hospital was located in the premises of the Kolotsk Monastery, where there were over 10 thousand wounded. Napoleon's life physician Larrey personally performed more than 200 amputations in this hospital in a day.
At dawn August 27 the Russian army, leaving Borodino, began to retreat to Mozhaisk. Bypassing the city, she took a position near the village of Zhukovo.
“When we came to Mozhaisk, Prince P.A. Vyazemsky, the city seemed to be already deserted: some houses were ruined, windows and doors were smashed out. To cover the retreat, a rearguard was created under the command of Ataman M.I. Platov. The rear guard consisted of Cossacks, units of the 1st Cavalry Corps, three regiments of chasseurs, a cavalry company of the Don artillery and was able to withstand an independent battle for several hours. He departed from the Borodino field shortly before noon on 27 August.
The French were not so active. Only at five o'clock in the evening, the vanguard of the French army, commanded by King I. Murat of Naples, approached Mozhaisk, but he failed to take the city. In the evening, food warehouses were set on fire in Mozhaisk, so as not to leave them to the enemy. Napoleon was forced to stop on the outskirts of the city and spend the night in the village of Uspensky (now Kriushino).
The next morning, the battle flared up with renewed vigor. The fire of the French artillery forced Platov to retreat beyond Mozhaisk, to the village of Modenov. Several thousand wounded remained in the city. Mozhaisk was on fire. Residents left their homes.
August 28 the French emperor, along with the main forces, entered Mozhaisk. He spent three days in the city, sending orders to subordinates and signing important papers. Napoleon wrote to Marshal Victor from Mozhaisk: "The enemy is using all means to prevent us from entering Moscow ... Therefore, from Smolensk we must follow to Moscow in order to reinforce the army." In Mozhaisk, Napoleon awarded Marshal Ney the title of "Prince of Moscow" for the battle near Moscow. Also in late XIX For centuries, the remains of the huge house of the merchant Suchkov on Borodinskaya Street, where Marshal Ney stayed, have been preserved in the city. During the stay of the French, city churches were used as infirmaries and stables.
Napoleon left in Mozhaisk a strong garrison of the Westphalian troops of General Junod, who was stationed in the Luzhetsky monastery. For defense, soldiers pierced more than 200 embrasures in the walls and towers of the monastery fence, some of which have survived to this day.
But the invaders did not live quietly on the Mozhaisk land. The Don Cossacks Bykhalov and Chernozubov, the detachments of Vadbolsky and Benkendorf were actively operating under the city, attacking enemy parties, reconnaissance was carried out by army partisans. A peasant from the Zaretskaya settlement of the village of Goretova, Kondratam Kondratiev, gathered peasants from the surrounding villages and "... courageously struck the French everywhere." Peasant pickets were stationed near the Kolotsky Monastery, commanded by 30-year-old dragoon soldier Yermolai Chetvertakov.
August 30 in the village of Krymskoye, not far from the village of Kubinka, a battle took place between the rearguard of the Russian army under the command of Count M.A. Miloradovich. According to the memoirs of the French themselves, two thousand people died in this battle. Both in Krymskoye and in Kubinka, there were no “silent witnesses” of those events, although, according to the legend of old-timers, the place where the church in Kubinka now stands (built at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries) was called “kalancha”. From the tower built there, Miloradovich watched the actions of the French. In the village of Kubinka, too, there were skirmishes, as a result of which the Russian rearguard lost 15 people. The transitions of the Russian army were very difficult, as evidenced in a letter dated August 30, Miloradovich's adjutant F.N. Glinka “... I can hardly think from an unbearable headache. During all this time, having always had damp earth as a bed, I caught a severe cold in my head. What will happen? God knows!" On August 31, Russian troops left Kubinka. But even after the arrival of the enemy, army partisans of Colonel Vadbolsky, Major Figlev and Yesaul Gordeev acted here.
In Petelin for a few hours August 31 French Emperor Napoleon stopped.
But the most significant place on the way from Mozhaisk to Moscow was the village of Vyazemy, where on August 29 the Russian army arrived and stayed until August 31. From here, from the Golitsyn Palace, M.I. Kutuzov sent four letters one after another to the Governor-General of Moscow, Count F.V. Rostopchin about the organization of the people's militia and the provision of assistance. Here he issued several orders to the army. In Vyazemy, Kutuzov had the idea of leaving Moscow without a fight. The palace housed the main apartment of the army, and the guest wing of the palace was used as a dressing station. Prince P.I. was brought here for dressing. Bagration, B.V. Golitsyna, F.F. Monakhtin and many wounded officers of the Russian army.
On August 31, in the afternoon, the Russian army left Vyazemy and moved towards Moscow. The haste of leaving Vyazem was explained by the fact that Kutuzov received an alarming message about a detour maneuver of the 4th Italian corps of Prince E. Beauharnais through Ruza and Zvenigorod. To repel the enemy, Kutuzov sent a detachment under the command of Major General F.F. to Zvenigorod. Winzingerode. He managed to attack and drive back several regiments of French cavalry. But he was attacked by enemy infantry and artillery. A fierce battle took place on the bridge over the river Storozhka near Savvinskaya Sloboda. The fighting near Zvenigorod continued, according to Kutuzov, for six hours. The forces were unequal: against 20 thousand French troops, about 3 thousand Russians. The Wintzingerode detachment, having inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, was forced to retreat. Not without difficulty, he crossed the Moscow River near the village of Spasskoye on a ferry, which he burned down behind him.
After the retreat of the Russian troops from Vyazem, the village and the estate were occupied by the French. By the will of fate, Napoleon was located in the same hall of the palace where Kutuzov spent the night. From Vyazem and the village of Borisovka, which at one time was founded by Prince B.V. Golitsyn, Napoleon wrote the last letters to Paris before entering Moscow.
During the stay of the French in Moscow, Vyazemy continued to serve as an important location for enemy units. Many marshals and generals of the French army visited here: L. Danlou-Verdun, Dennier, M. Preising, J.B. Brusier, K.E. Guyot, F.A. Ornano, L-A. Berthier, E. Beauharnais, J-B. Bessieres, F-P. Segur, A. Caulaincourt and others. Their diaries and memoirs, as well as official correspondence, make it possible to reconstruct in sufficient detail what happened in Vyazemy and its environs in September-October 1812.
The owners of Vyazem - brothers, princes Boris and Dmitry Golitsyn, were participants in the Patriotic War. Boris Vladimirovich, lieutenant general, participated in the battle near Smolensk, and during the battle of Borodino was in the retinue of M.I. Kutuzov. On that fateful day, he was shell-shocked and seriously wounded. He died from illness and wounds received in the Battle of Borodino. His younger brother Dmitry Vladimirovich during the Battle of Borodino commanded the 1st and 2nd Cuirassier divisions, whose soldiers showed miracles of heroism. I
Residents of Vyazem were also active participants in the war of 1812. So, the peasant Dmitry Filippovich Kulakov was awarded the insignia of the Military Order for participation in a partisan detachment. In 1912, a chapel was built near the bridge across the Vyazemka River on the Mozhaisk Road in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War, which, unfortunately, was demolished in the 1930s.
Not far from Vyazem, in the village. Perkhushkovo, on September 22, there was a battle of part of the detachment of I.S. Dorokhov, led by the centurion Yudin, with French foragers. Witnesses of these events were the Yakovlev manor house and the Intercession Church, which have survived to this day, built in the 18th century. French artists Adam and Faber du Fort left us sketches of this village in 1812.
The Church of the Icon of the Grebnevskaya Mother of God, built in 1802 at the expense of Countess Elizaveta Vasilievna Zubova in the village of Odintsovo (now the city of Odintsovo), next to which in the village of Mamonovo on the night of August 31 to September 1, the Russian army and then the French.
Further on the path of the two armies lay Moscow. After leaving the ancient capital, Russian troops, making a march maneuver, retreated along the Ryazan road through the village of Zhilino. The foundation of the house where the commander-in-chief stayed has been preserved. Hence, on September 4, M.I. Kutuzov first outlined his plan for a flank march in a report to Emperor Alexander I:
“... the entry of the enemy into Moscow is not yet the conquest of Russia ... Although I do not reject the fact that the occupation of the capital was not the most sensitive wound, but without hesitating between this incident and those events that could follow in our favor with the preservation of the army .. ."
Not far from the village of Chulkovo, located on the Ryazan road, on the right bank of the river. Borovsky mound rises in Moscow. From here in September 1812 M.I. Kutuzov began his famous Tarutinsky march-maneuver. The Russian troops, retreating along the Ryazan road under the cover of the rearguard of the Cossacks, secretly from the enemy turned towards the Tula and Kaluga roads. The unsuspecting French continued to pursue the Cossacks and only a few days later realized that they were on the wrong track. In memory of these events, a stele rises by the road.
Through the city of Podolsk, where the monument to M.I. Kutuzov, the Russian army approached the village of Krasnaya Pakhra. From the events of 1812, fragments of a regular park and a heavily rebuilt church of John the Theologian (XVIII century) remained. After a five-day stay in the village, the army headed for the village of Tarutino in the Kaluga province.
No less interesting was the second stage of the war, which also swept through the land near Moscow. When the French were in Moscow, the Russian army, having received the respite it needed, was successfully preparing in the Tarutino camp to expel the enemy. But the enemy did not stay in Moscow for a long time. Not having received the long-awaited peace, Napoleon decided to leave the Russian capital.
The partisans A.N. were the first to report to Kutuzov about the abandonment of Moscow by Napoleon. Seslavin. In the village of Fominsky (now the city of Naro-Fominsk), he was the first to see the retreating French.
One of the first victories in the Moscow region was the liberation of the city of Vereya in September 1812, in which the French battalion was based under the leadership of Captain Konradi, numbering about 400 people. The French thoroughly fortified the city hill by erecting a parapet with a palisade. The isolated situation of a small detachment provided an excellent opportunity for its liquidation. September 26 Kutuzov gives an order to General I.S. Dorokhov about the capture of Vereya. To accomplish this task, he was allocated: 5 battalions, 13 squadrons, 4 Cossack regiments, 8 guns, approximately 4.5 thousand people, of which more than 2 thousand infantry. By the number and composition, it can be judged that it was a separate army flying detachment, assigned to perform a specific one-time task, after which the infantry should have been returned to the army.
On September 29, early in the morning, Dorokhov launched an assault on the city. In his memoirs, Konradi wrote: “How long I slept, I don’t know. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and in the next moment, a furious turmoil of battle thundered around me. What I foresaw happened. The Russians attacked us, and with such an overwhelming superiority in strength that from the very beginning there was nothing to think about successful resistance ... "In the report, Dorokhov noted:" The courage of the officers and soldiers, the speed of the attack terrified the enemy. All his blows were invalid, driven from the parapet, he sought refuge in the church and houses, where he again began to defend himself.
In this battle, the Westphalians lost about 100 people killed, Russian losses amounted, according to Dorokhov, 30 people. The liberation of Vereya significantly worsened the position of the Westphalian garrisons on the main communication line of the "great army" and expanded the freedom of maneuver of the Russian partisan parties. A joint expedition of a detachment of the regular army and partisans liberated the city of Vereya.
Residents of Vereya and the county distinguished themselves in the creation of peasant partisan detachments. Partisan detachments of elders Nikita Fedorov, Gavrila Mironov, clerks Nikolai Uskov, Alexei Kirpichnikov, Afanasy Shcheglov are known.
Shortly before his death, which followed in Tula on April 25, 1815, I.S. Dorokhov expressed a desire to be buried in Vereya. His ashes rest in the Collegiate Church.
The battle at Tarutino on October 6, and then at Maloyaroslavets, marked the beginning of the victorious counteroffensive of the Russian troops. west. The streets of the city were filled with wagons with property stolen in Moscow, with wounded and sick soldiers. Mozhaisk was destroyed and burned. “The only thing that struck us, writes E. Labom, a participant in the war, was the contrast of the black ruins, from which thick black smoke was coming, with the whiteness of the newly built bell tower. Only she was preserved, and the clock on it continued to beat, although the city no longer existed.
The next day after Mozhaisk, the French passed the Borodino field, where the bodies of those killed in the battle still lay. And then the Kolotsky Monastery appeared. The doctor of the Westphalian troops, Heinrich von Roos, recalled: “The cold night passed ... we slept little, because in the Kolotsky monastery, crowded with troops, it was extremely restless; everyone was preparing for tomorrow's performance, Napoleon also spent the night here ... ".
October 19, pursuing the enemy, the Cossacks M.I. Platov attacked him at the walls of the monastery, capturing more than 100 people, as well as 2 banners. Leaving the monastery, the French buried weapons and shells on its territory. Non-commissioned officer of the Prussian service Friedrich Behm, who went over to the side of the Russian army, indicated the place where weapons were buried, 27 artillery pieces, more than 5 thousand rifles, 500 sabers, etc. In November, General P.P. Konovnitsyn ordered Captain Faustov: "... go to the Kolotsky Monastery and, after separating all the guns buried by the enemy there, report to me about the quantity and quality."
The land near Moscow, for the umpteenth time, saw off the invaders who fled in disgrace to Smolensk, Berezina, their death. In these autumn days, bonfires blazed along the path of the enemy. The peasants of the surrounding villages, by order of the Moscow governor, Count F.V. Rostopchin, burned the bodies of the dead. In the spring of 1813, work was continued. Only in the Mozhaisk district during this time 60 thousand human and 30 thousand horse bodies were burned.
The Mozhaisk shrines suffered greatly from the invasion. Great damage was caused to the unfinished Nikolsky Cathedral: iconostases burned down, “even hanging in a special section of the bell, on the occasion of the unfinished construction of the bell tower on stone pillars, they fell from the fire and were damaged.” However, the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and rich utensils, hidden in a special pantry, have been preserved. In September 1813, the cathedral was transferred from the wife of a war participant, Captain I.P. Tsvilinev 15 items from the church sacristy, recaptured from the enemy. The Kolotsk monastery was also subjected to terrible ruin. The monastery property was plundered, iconostases were burned, all wooden buildings perished in the fire.
The memory of 1812 lived for a long time among the inhabitants of Mozhaisk, the inhabitants of the Moscow region and all of Russia. This time is also reminiscent of the Russian folk song “The path from Mozhay to Moscow is ruined”, which tells about the devastation of the Russian land by the enemy and its revival.
The war of 1812 scorched numerous villages and villages with its fire. Many estates perished in the fire, were plundered.
The French ruined the estate of the Counts Saltykov Marfino. The main house and two outbuildings were partially destroyed. The fate of the Voronovo estate, which belonged to the Moscow Governor-General Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Rostopchin, is curious. When Kutuzov's army left Moscow, Rostopchin decided to burn down his estate in order to "reveal to the world truly Roman" or, as he was in a hurry to recover, "Russian prowess." On September 19, a fire destroyed not only the magnificent palace, but also the stud farm.
After the end of hostilities, various monuments appeared in a number of villages near Moscow in honor of the victory over the enemy. For example, in 1817 in the Church of the Nativity of the Nativity of the village of Rozhdestveno, Serpukhov district, in memory of the liberation of the Nativity parish
Yes, from the enemy on October 6, 1812, the chapel of St. Thomas the Apostle was consecrated.
In the village of Vasilyevsky, Dmitrovsky district, in 1836, in memory of the Patriotic War of 1812, the Great Vasilyevsky Church was built. This was indicated by an inscription on a wooden cross located on the altar of the main altar.
Finally, in the village of Bolshaya Setun, belonging to the parish of the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the village of Spassky-Manukhin, Moscow District, in 1854, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret, a stone chapel of the Savior Not Made by Hands was built in memory of the war of 1812.
Until the middle of the XIX century. in the Vereisk district, the old estates of the Shcherbatovs were owned by the hero of the wars with Napoleon and the subsequent wars of Russia, Prince Alexei Grigoryevich Shcherbatov. In the village of Plessenskoye, an obelisk was erected to commemorate the war of 1812, which was destroyed in the 1920s.
In Sukhanov, the estate near Moscow of Prince P. Volkonsky, a monument to Alexander I was erected. It was made by engineer M.E. Clark according to the drawing of the architect V.P. Stasov. It was a high (about 10 meters) obelisk, cast iron at the Borisov factory in the Tula province. The monument was painted with light paint and had numerous bronze decorations on the cornice of the pedestal, garlands at the base of the obelisk, torches and laurel wreaths on all sides. The years of the “Napoleonic wars” of 1807, 1812, 1813 and 1814 were listed in the wreaths. On the sides of the pedestal, inscriptions were made in bronze letters: “To Emperor Alexander I”, “Born December 1777 12”, “Reigned 24 years 8 months and 7 days” . Also on the obelisk was written: "Erected by Prince Peter Volkonsky." Topped with a double-headed eagle, the monument stood on a base of two steps. He was in the meadow of Sukhanovskiy Park, not far from the pond. It appears to have been built in the 1830s. At the beginning of the century, the Volkonskys were forced to rent part of the premises to summer residents. Even then, many letters from the inscriptions on the monument were knocked down. By 1926, the obelisk had been toppled. Soon the monument was sent for melting down.
In the village of Ilyinskoye, Krasnogorsk district, there is the estate of the first Moscow governor, boyar T.N. Streshnev, built in the 17th century. In 1783, the estate passed to the Osterman family, whose ancestor was Vice-Chancellor Count Andrei Ivanovich Osterman, a well-known diplomat of the time of Peter the Great. In 1816, a descendant of the latter, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, General A.I. Osterman-Tolstoy almost completely rebuilt the estate, creating a rich and comfortable complex.
Even during his lifetime, the general ordered the sculptor V.I. Demuth-Malinovsky has his tombstone. He made a marble statue depicting the wounded Osterman on the battlefield. He was reclining, leaning on the drum and leaning on his right arm. A clock was mounted in the drum, showing the time the general was wounded. Nearby lay the left hand torn off in the battle near Kulm, pointing with the index finger at the clock. A shako stood at the general's feet. An inscription in Latin was placed on the pedestal: "He sees the hour, but does not know the hour." The general kept this work in his St. Petersburg house, and in Ilyinsky near Moscow he kept a bronze galvanized copy of it.
The next owner of Ilyinsky, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, installed a statue of Osterman-Tolstoy in the center of the manor park in front of the main house of the Ilyinsky estate. In the late 1920s The monument still existed, although it was in a very neglected state. It has not survived to our time.
The Patriotic War of 1812 left a bright mark in the history of the Moscow region, showing the image of fearlessness and heroism, ardent patriotism and love for one's Fatherland.
As a participant in the Battle of Borodino, General M.S. Vorontsov: "The Russian people, to the last man, showed the world that there is no such force in the world that could crush a people who have decided to sacrifice everything better than to submit to foreign power."
The royal word to the Russian people and army! SECOND PATRIOTIC WAR
With calmness and dignity, Our great mother, Russia, met the news of the declaration of war. I am convinced that with the same sense of calm we will bring the war, whatever it may be, to the end.
I solemnly declare here that I will not conclude peace until the last enemy warrior leaves Our land. And to you, the representatives of the troops of the Guards dear to me and the Petersburg Military District, gathered here, in your person, I turn to all the single-begotten, unanimous, strong, like a granite wall, my army and bless it for military labor.
This is interesting - "until the last enemy warrior leaves Our land"
How did the 2nd Patriotic War, or the 1st World War (as we are used to) begin, according to official history?
On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, on the same day the Germans invaded Luxembourg.
On August 2, German troops finally occupied Luxembourg, and an ultimatum was put forward for Belgium to allow the German armies to pass to the border with France. Only 12 hours were given for reflection.
On August 3, Germany declared war on France, accusing her of "organized attacks and aerial bombardments of Germany" and "violation of Belgian neutrality." On August 3, Belgium refused the German ultimatum.
On August 4, German troops invaded Belgium. King Albert of Belgium appealed for help to the guarantor countries of Belgian neutrality. London sent an ultimatum to Berlin: stop the invasion of Belgium, or England will declare war on Germany. After the expiration of the ultimatum, Great Britain declared war on Germany and sent troops to help France.
An interesting story turns out. The king probably would not have thrown words like that - "until the last enemy warrior leaves Our land", etc.
But the enemy, at the time of the speech, had invaded the territory of Luxembourg. What does it mean? Is that what I think, or do you have other thoughts?
Let's see where we have Luxembourg?
Nice deal - Luxembourg is oriented in color with the Netherlands, it turns out that all the land belonged to Russia? Or was it a kingdom of a different kind, World and Global, with Russia as its flagship? And the rest of the countries were not countries, but counties, principalities, regions, or God knows what it was actually called ..
Because the Patriotic War, and the second one (the first one, I think, is 1812) And then after 100 years or so, again - 1914 .. You say - "Nuuuu, you never know what is written in the picture, well now, build a theory out of this? " But no, my friends .. There is not one picture here .. But two .. Or three .. Or thirty-three ..
The question is - who and when began to call the Second Patriotic War, the First World War? If this is being hidden from us (those who are involved in informing the population about the events of history - x / ztoriki), then perhaps there is a reason for this? Will they foolishly do nothing to change the names of historical events? What a bummer..
And there are many such testimonies .. So there is something to hide.! What exactly? Probably the fact that our Fatherland was much wider at that time, so much so that Luxembourg was our territory, and perhaps it was not limited to this. We all know about the global nature of the world in the 19th century - when was this global world divided and severely demarcated?
Who lived in the Russian Empire?
Document: "On the number of measures included in the draft lists of 1904 on the basis of Article 152 military regulations edition of 1897 "Materials of the Samara recruiting presence. According to the materials of the Samara recruiting presence - Germans and Jews - religion. So the state was one, but recently it was divided.
There were no nationalities back in 1904. There were Christians, Mohammedans, Jews and Germans - this is how the masses were distinguished.
In "Saint John" by B. Shaw, an English nobleman says to a priest who used the word "Frenchman":
"Frenchman! Where did you get this word from? Have these Burgundians, Bretons, Picards and Gascons also begun to call themselves French, as ours have taken the fashion to be called English? They speak of France and England as if they were their own countries. Yours, do you understand? What will happen to me and to you if this way of thinking is spread everywhere?” (See: Davidson B. The Black Man's Birden. Africa and the Cigse of the Nation-State. New York: Times B 1992. P. 95).
"In 1830, Stendhal spoke of the terrible triangle between the cities of Bordeaux, Bayonne and Valence, where "people believed in witches, could not read and did not speak French." Flaubert, walking through the fair in the commune of Rasporden in 1846, as exotic bazaar, described a typical peasant he met on the way: "... suspicious, restless, dumbfounded by any phenomenon incomprehensible to him, he is in a hurry to leave the city" ""
D. Medvedev. France of the 19th century: the country of savages (instructive reading)
So what was it about - "until the enemy leaves our land"? And where is she, this "our land"? It is known that during this war the soldiers did not want to fight - they met on neutral territory and "fraternization"
"Brotherhood" on Eastern Front began already in August 1914, and at the beginning of 1916, hundreds of regiments already participated in them from the Russian side, writes Interpreter.
On the eve of the new, 1915, year, sensational news spread around the world: on the Western Front great war began a spontaneous truce and "fraternization" of the soldiers of the warring British, French and German armies. Soon the leader of the Russian Bolsheviks, Lenin, declared "fraternization" at the front as the beginning of "the transformation of the world war into civil war"(note!!!)
Among these news about the Christmas truce, scant information about "fraternization" on the Eastern (Russian) front was completely lost.
"Brotherhood" in the Russian army began in August 1914 on the Southwestern Front. In December 1914, on the North-Western Front, cases of already massive "fraternization" of soldiers of the 249th Infantry Danube and 235th Infantry Belebeevsky regiments were noted.
How can this be among multilingual peoples? How are they supposed to understand each other?
One thing is clear - people were driven to slaughter by their leaders, governments, who received an assignment from a certain "center" .. But what kind of "center" is this?
It was the destruction of the people. Read the titles settlements on the territory of Germany .. We rightfully considered this land to be ours !!!
Read it, and you will immediately understand "what" Emperor Nicholas II was talking about when he said "Our land" I mean myself, or the society he leads (this is a question of a different nature) All this was "Our Land" (in addition to the Benelux countries - Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, etc.) It turns out, if you follow the logic (why was it necessary to hide the name of the Second Patriotic War?), then the goal-setting was precisely the concealment of the Global (at that time) World, the Fatherland, which this war "finished off"? Did the states in their present form form quite recently? Even during the Great Patriotic War, the Nazis, in turn, considered our territory as theirs, and the population as their citizens - they behaved as if they had equal rights with the Bolsheviks, at least. They thought so .. Yes, and part of the population was quite loyal, especially at the beginning of the war ..
So what was it - again "cabal"?
Who constantly pushes our peoples against each other, and has a triple benefit from this?
Time of Troubles If we go back to the times of unrest (17th century), or, rather, after it ended, then several foreign princes and even the King of England Jacob (with what such joy?) Claimed the Russian throne, but the Cossacks managed to "shove through" their candidate - Mikhail Feodorovich, which was very dissatisfied with the rest of the applicants - It turns out they had equal rights. . ? And the Polish Tsarevich Vladislav never recognized Michael as king, not showing due respect, according to etiquette, calling him illegally elected, considering his rights to the Moscow throne more solid ..
How this connects with the legend of the Russian kingdom, as well as other individual states, I cannot understand.
(wiki) According to the well-known Soviet historian, Professor A. L. Stanislavsky, a well-known specialist in the history of Russian society of the 16th-17th centuries, the key role in the accession of Michael, instead of foreign princes and King of England and Scotland, Jacob I, who wanted to be elected by the nobility and boyars , the Great Russian Cossacks, who then united with the Moscow common people, played, the liberties of which the tsar and his descendants subsequently took away in all possible ways. The Cossacks received a grain salary, and they feared that the bread that was supposed to go to their salary would instead be sold by the British for money around the world ..
That is, the Cossacks-Great Russians "stirred" fearing that English king, sitting on the Moscow throne, will take away their grain salary, and the very fact that an Englishman will rule in Russia why did not bother them !? Was it normal, okay? I wonder why the Cossacks did not participate in the wars waged by Russia? The army of Michal Feodorych was half. . . . Foreign, German!! S. M. Solovyov. Works in 18 volumes. Book V. History of Russia since ancient times, volumes 9-10.
But we have seen that in addition to hired and local foreigners, during the reign of Michael there are regiments of Russian people trained in a foreign system; Shein near Smolensk had: hired many German people, captains and captains and soldiers on foot; Yes, with them were Russian people with German colonels and captains, children of boyars and all sorts of ranks, people who were written for military doctrine: with the German colonel Samuil Charles Reiter, nobles and children of boyars from different cities were 2700; Greeks, Serbs and Voloshan fodder - 81; Colonel Alexander Leslie, and with him his regiment of captains and majors, all sorts of clerks and soldiers - 946; with Colonel Yakov Sharl - 935; with Colonel Fuchs - 679; with Colonel Sanderson - 923; with Colonels - Wilhelm Keith and Yuri Mattheison of the initial people - 346 and ordinary soldiers - 3282: German people from different lands who were sent from Embassy order- 180, and all hired Germans - 3653;
Yes, with the colonels of the German Russian soldiers, who are in charge of the foreign order: 4 colonels, 4 large regimental lieutenants, 4 majors, in Russian large regimental watchmen, 2 quartermasters and captains, in Russian large regimental roundabouts, 2 regimental quartermasters, 17 captains , 32 lieutenants, 32 ensigns, 4 people of regimental judges and clerks, 4 wagon officers, 4 priests, 4 court clerks, 4 professional officers, 1 regimental Nabatik, 79 Pentecostals, 33 ensigns, 33 watchmen over a gun, 33 company borrowers, 65 German capors, 172 Russian caporals, 20 German guards with a flute, 32 company clerks, 68 Russian guards, two German undersized children for interpretation; total German people and Russian and German soldiers in six regiments, and Poles and Lithuanians in four companies 14801 people ...
Well, okay - let's see the photos From the beginning of the 19th century .. Opposite ends of the world - from Vietnam to South Africa and Indonesia - what ends, it would seem! But no - the same architecture, style, materials, one office built everything, globalization, however .. In general, there are a small fraction of photos, for overclocking, and at the end of the post, there is a link for more, for those who can’t stop right away)) for the stopping distance for the sake of for .. even at the beginning of the 20th century the WORLD WAS GLOBAL !!!
Kyiv, Ukraine 
Odessa, Ukraine 
Tehran, Iran
Hanoi, Vietnam
Saigon, Vietnam
Padang, Indonesia
Bogota, Colombia
Manial, Philippines
Karachi, Pakistan
Karachi, Pakistan
Shanghai, China
\
Shanghai, China
Managua, Nicaragua
Kolkata, India
Calcutta, India
Kolkata, India
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Seoul, Korea
Seoul, Korea
Melbourne, Australia
Brisbane, Australia
Oaxaca, Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico
Toronto, Canada
Toronto, Canada
Montreal, Canada
Penang Island, Georgetown, Malaysia
Lstrov Penang, Georgetown, Malaysia
Penang Island, Georgetown, Malaysia
Phuket, Thailand
COLUMNS
Sub.Brussels, Belgium
London
Kolkata, India
Vendôme column. Paris
Chicago
Thailand
"ANTIQUITY"
This list must also include all the destroyed cities, which the manipulator has assigned the status of ancient Greek and ancient Roman. It's all nonsense. They were destroyed 200-300 years ago. Just because of the desertification of the territory, life on the ruins of such cities, basically, did not resume. These cities (Timgad, Palmyra and the like ..) were destroyed by a low air explosion, an unknown, terrible WMD .. Look - the top of the city was completely demolished .. And where are the debris? But this is up to 80% of the destroyed array! Who, when and where, and most importantly - with what, removed so much construction debris?
Timgad, Algeria, Africa
The most interesting thing is that the entire territory with a diameter of 25-30 km from the conditional city center is littered with ruins - a real metropolis of the type of modern .. If Moscow is already 37-50 km. in diameter .. That is, it becomes clear that the cities were destroyed by low air explosions of enormous destructive power - ALL THE TOP PARTS OF THE BUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED ..
Here you can clearly see both the territories of the city center covered with sand, and the mainland - even the pits of former reservoirs (greenish) are the remnants of the former luxury .. Palm trees grew here (hence the name - Palmyra) and so on and so forth ... It was an earthly paradise for enlightened people.. In the photo above, I deliberately placed photographs of objects in their locations in order to clearly demonstrate their remoteness from the center of Palmyra (let it be, for example, an amphitheater) and this is about 30 km in diameter ..
Compare buildings. Their design and original functionality is identical:
Lebanon, Baalbek
Orthodox Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. Sevastopol
Old Museum in Kerch
Walhalla, Germany
Temple of Poseidon, Italy
Parthenon, USA
Temple of Apollo at Delphi
Temple of Theseus in Vienna, Austria
Temple of Hephaestus in Athens
Paris, Madeleine Church, 1860
Temple of Garni in Armenia
Today I continue to post photos taken during the holiday on Borodino field in 2010.
Borodino field- this is the field of Russian glory. Currently, Borodino - a memorial of two Patriotic wars - is a holy place for every Russian person. In the first of them, in 1812, the fate of the peoples of not only Russia, but also Europe was decided. Its participants left a lot of memories about the Battle of Borodino. And almost 130 years later, history repeated itself. Fierce battles of the most terrible and bloody war of the last century, the Great Patriotic War, took place here. The battles at Borodino will forever remain associated with glory Russian weapons.
On the Borodino field, next to the monuments to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, there are pillboxes, communication channels, mass graves of Red Army soldiers - monuments associated with the events of the Great Patriotic War. On the Borodino field you feel the continuity of the heroic traditions of the Russian army, you are filled with pride for the military glory of the soldiers of Russia.
During the holiday Kutuzov M.I. circles the troops
It was here, on the Borodino field, at the beginning of September 1812 that a grandiose battle took place, in which the Russian army under the command of M.I. Kutuzov met in a fierce confrontation. and the Grand Army of the French Emperor. The Battle of Borodino was one of the largest battles of its time. More than 250 thousand people at 1200 artillery pieces.
October 15, 1941 stubborn battles went on in the area of Borodino station, the villages of Doronino, Shevardino, and the next day - already in the center Borodino field. Despite the fact that the Germans captured Mozhaisk on October 18, 32nd the division, thanks to the valor of courage, courage and heroism of our soldiers, managed to detain the enemy at this turn for almost a week.
In Russia, the most popular military-historical reconstruction of the Patriotic War of 1812 Every year the number of military-historical clubs increases and their ranks are replenished with people who are passionate about history. There is a recreation of the battles of the Second World War, Russian and European battles of the Middle Ages.
Military-historical reconstruction of battles most often takes place on historical battlefields. This hobby enables modern people to look at the past of their own country through the eyes of people who lived at that time, allows them to fully experience their history, to feel the continuity of generations.
In addition, military history clubs participate in various educational programs, hold demonstration performances, including in educational institutions, with their help and with the direct participation of documentary films.
Borodino is a monument not only to grief and sorrow for the dead, but also greatest monument Russian prowess and glory. In the anniversary year of 1837, Voeikova E.F. in the name of the heir to the throne, Alexander Nikolaevich, a part of the estate in the village of Borodino was acquired. The wooden manor house of the Voeikovs was rebuilt into the Tsar's Traveling Palace. There were hung portraits of the heroes of Borodin, engravings telling about the most important battles of the Patriotic War of 1812.
An important step in perpetuating the memory of the heroes of Borodin was the opening on August 26, 1839 of the Main Monument to Russian Soldiers on the Raevsky Battery, the reburial of the ashes of Bagration P.I. and related maneuvers of the Russian troops. In the same year, on the site of the modern museum building near the Raevsky battery, a stone, iron-roofed “invalid house” was built, in which retired non-commissioned officers of the guards regiments Vladimir Stepanov and Ivan Nikiforov settled. Their duties included "supervision of order and cleanliness at the Borodino monument."
A copy of the plan of the Battle of Borodino from the Military Topographic Depot was kept in the house. On the opening day of the Main Monument, a Book was opened to record visitors to the Borodino field. Participants in the celebrations of 1839 were the first to leave their autographs in it.
On February 11 (24), 1903, at the initiative of the employees of the Borodino station, a museum of 1812 was opened in the station building. A stage in the development of the Borodino memorial was 1912, the year of the centenary of the Patriotic War of 1812. At that time, 35 monuments were opened on the field of Russian glory with funds collected mainly from the soldiers and officers of the Russian army. For this anniversary, the Maslovsky fortifications, the Shevardinsky redoubt, the left one, were restored for the first time.
In the center of the field, on the site of the “invalid house”, a building was built, which housed the relics of 1812. In the 1920s, exhibits stored in the museum at the Borodino station, in the Travel Palace in the village of Borodino and the Spaso-Borodino Monastery were transferred there.
It is interesting to note that in preparation for the celebration of the centenary of the Patriotic War of 1812, on the eve of this most important event for Russia, in 1911, an imperial order was sent from St. Petersburg to the provinces to find contemporaries and participants in those days. From the office of the Tobolsk governor, it was duplicated in cities and counties: “By the order of the governor ... it is proposed to find participants or eyewitnesses of the glorious events of the Patriotic War ... who are proposed to be sent to Moscow to participate in the celebration.”
Surprisingly, the Yalutorovsk mayor sent a telegram: “I inform Your Excellency that a participant in the events of 1812 lives in the city - Pavel Yakovlevich Tolstoguzov". Further it was reported that the participant of the Battle of Borodino Tolstoguzov P.Ya. - 117 years old, but the old man is "comparatively vigorous", although "he is deaf and does not see well", but "has a clear memory". The archive also preserved a photograph of the veteran, captured together with his 80-year-old wife by a specially sent photographer.
Unfortunately, the ending of this story is sad: Tolstoguzova P.Ya. they began to prepare for a trip to the celebrations in Moscow, but he did not wait for this hour - he died. Whether from excitement, or from old age. And it is not known how the 117-year-old long-liver would endure a long journey, although in 1912 the first train arrived in Yalutorovsk from Tyumen and the northern wing of the Trans-Siberian Railway started working ...
She left her terrible mark on the Borodino field The Great Patriotic War: darkened pillboxes, anti-tank ditches, graves of Soviet soldiers. After 1941, Borodino became memorial of two patriotic wars.
In order to preserve the unique monument of Russian military history On May 31, 1961, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, the Borodino field was declared the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve with an area of 109.7 square meters. kilometers. On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of Borodino, the Main Monument to Russian Soldiers was recreated, and the main work on the restoration of the Spaso-Borodino Monastery was completed.
The Borodino field is not only a part of the territory, but also a reminder to everyone of the military glory of Russian soldiers who defended their homeland not only in the 19th, but also in the 20th century. What does it represent many years after the great victories of our compatriots? The Borodino field, whose photos simply cannot convey the grandeur of this historical place, every Russian should visit at least once in his life.
General information
Many young people who are fond of the glorious history of our state know the Borodino field very well. Even many foreigners know where the place of the battle of the previously invincible French army of Napoleon and the Russian army is located. This is due to the great significance of this bloody battle that took place during the Patriotic War of 1812. It largely changed the course of history not only for the Russian Empire, but also for Europe.
The Borodino field is a large area, spread out to the west of the city of Mozhaisk. It is located on the site of a rural settlement. It has a corresponding name - Borodino. This settlement belongs to the Moscow region. It was built near the village of Borodino. It was this place that was destined to become a monument to the glory and unbending spirit of Russian soldiers.
The museum-reserve, so called - "Borodino field", is a memorial of two Patriotic wars. It is known in many countries of the world. It is considered the oldest museum created on the battlefields. The territory of the reserve is 110 square meters. km. There are more than 200 memorable places, obelisks and monuments on it. Some of the most famous of them are the command posts of Napoleon and M. I. Kutuzov, a memorial complex, monuments at the places of stay of Russian troops.
Glorious history of Russian troops
On the territory of the modern settlement on August 26 (September 7 according to the new style), 1812, a battle of grandiose significance took place between the French army of Napoleon and the Russian troops. But not only this Battle of Borodino is a source of pride for local residents. In 1941-1942. on this territory was the advanced line of defense of Moscow.
The map of the Borodino field is replete with various signs denoting certain memorable places. The main events of the French-Russian battle took place between two. The most important military facilities were located on this territory:
Bagration's (Semenov's) flushes;
Shevardinsky redoubt;
Rayevsky battery.
Results of the battle
According to historians, 120,000 Russian soldiers and 135,000 Frenchmen took part in the Battle of Borodino. The Russians had 624 guns, while their opponents had 587. The battle began with the capture by the French of the village of Borodino, where the Russian troops had been before them. The main events of the battle began at 5 o'clock in the morning, on the left flank of the Russian army. In this place, near the Semenovsky ravine, there were many hours of fierce battles. Flushes have changed hands many times. The ground was completely covered with the corpses of soldiers and horses. In this battle, the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Western Army, P.I. Bagration, was mortally wounded. The French were then able to capture the fleches.
Just as fierce was the battle for which was at the center of the Russian positions. During the bloody battle, in which thousands of soldiers died on both sides, the Russian soldiers showed their indomitable will to win. Despite the fact that the French were able to capture the Russian fortifications in the center and on the left flank, Napoleon faltered from such determination of the enemy to fight to the death and retreated to his original positions.
The battle of Borodino is considered the bloodiest in the history of one-day battles. It killed 45,000 Russians and about 40,000 French. At the same time, on both sides there were losses not only of soldiers, but also of officers. In this battle, 23 Russian and 49 French generals were killed, which greatly weakened Napoleon's previously invincible army.
The meaning of the battle of Borodino
The battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest in the history of the Russian army. It was described with great accuracy in L. Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. The result of this battle was the flight of Napoleon. He not only left captured Moscow, but also lost his army of many thousands and France.
Foundation of the museum
In 1837 Russian emperor Nicholas I acquired part of the estate in the village of Borodino in the name of his son Alexander. An important step in preserving the memory of the heroes of the Russian army was the opening on August 26, 1839 of a monument to Russian soldiers, which is located on the Rayevsky battery, and the reburial of the ashes of Bagration P.I. Later, a museum dedicated to one of the greatest battles in history was founded on this territory Russian Empire. A general inspection of the field can be made from a high mound, which is located outside the village of Gorki. It was on it that on the day of the battle there was an observation post of M.I. Kutuzov. According to an old legend, at the beginning of the battle, an eagle flew over the commander-in-chief, predicting victory for the Russians. It was this bird that was erected on the obelisk located on this mound.
In 1912, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the battle, 33 monuments to various divisions, regiments, corps, companies and batteries were erected at the site of the battle. All of them are located on mounds of different sizes, on the banks of streams and on the slopes of ravines. Most of the monuments were built with donations from officers and soldiers who served in military units that inherited the names of the units that fought at Borodino.
Monuments of Borodino
Visitors to the Borodino field have the opportunity to see more than 50 beautiful monuments at once, and how outstanding military leaders, and ordinary Russian soldiers. All of them make us proud of our ancestors, instill a sense of patriotism in every person. The main monuments of the Borodino field:
Obelisk to Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov, created by the famous architect Vorontsov-Velyaminov.
Bagration flashes.
dead French soldiers.
Rayevsky battery.
Russian soldiers.
Utitsky Kurgan (Mount Gardens).
7th Infantry Division.
Nezhinsky Dragoon Regiment.
Field horse artillery.
2 Cuirassier divisions.
Volyn regiment.
Grave of General Bagration.
Lithuanian regiment.
Shevardinsky redoubt.
3rd Infantry Division of General Konovnitsyn P.P.
. "The Height of Roubaud".
24 infantry divisions.
Moscow and Smolensk militias.
Finnish regiment.
3 Cavalry Corps and 1 Horse Battery.
12th Infantry Division.
2 Cavalry Battery of the Artillery Brigade Captain Raal F.F.
Near the highway that connects the village of Borodino with the museum, there is a T-34 tank on a pedestal. This monument is dedicated to the soldiers of the 5th Army who defended Moscow in 1941. The bunker of the Mozhaisk fortified area, built in 1941, is marked with a commemorative sign.
mass graves
In addition to monuments and obelisks, on the territory of the reserve there are several mass graves in which Russian and French soldiers who died in the year of the Battle of Borodino are buried. Near the monument to Bakhmetev's division are the burial places of Russian officers who gave their lives in that battle. On the territory of the museum-reserve there is a mass grave of soldiers who died in the Utitsky forest. A memorial sign was erected on it in 1962. At the same time, in the place where the flashes of Bagration were located, the remains of the soldiers of both armies were discovered. After a solemn reburial, it was opened. In 1912, at the place where Napoleon's command post was located, the only monument to the dead French was erected. It bears the inscription: "To the dead of the great army."
Also on the field there are burials of Soviet soldiers of 1941-1942, which are located almost next to other memorial signs installed in honor of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. So, near the Borodino station there is a mass grave of Soviet soldiers of the 5th Army.
Military History Museum
The Borodino field, in the center of which the Military History Museum is located, attracts hundreds of tourists every day. The main building was built in 1912, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the world-famous battle that turned the tide of the war of 1812. It houses a rich exposition showing the descendants of glorious warriors how the Battle of Borodino took place.
Architectural and memorial complex
On the site where one of Bagration's flashes once stood, today a beautiful architectural and memorial complex rises. It includes:
Spaso-Borodino Monastery, the construction of which was carried out in 1830-1870.
Spassky Church.
Kolotsky monastery, which housed the headquarters of Kutuzov M.I.
Church of the Nativity, dating from the end of the 17th century.
The Spaso-Borodino Monastery was founded by Margarita Mikhailovna Tuchkova at the place where her husband, General A. A. Tuchkov, died. In her house in 1994 a small exposition was created, located in 3 rooms. It tells about the life of this glorious couple and the history of the founding of the monastery. In the main room there is a memorial to General Tuchkov.
Modern life of the museum-reserve
On the territory of the Borodino field there is a settlement "Doronino", which is an interactive museum of military and peasant life. Its main feature is that all buildings, objects, things and interior details are real.
Other expositions of the museum
One of the most popular expositions of the museum-reserve is the "Military Gallery". It is located in the refectory of the Church of the Spaso-Borodino Monastery. The battle on the Borodino field was very large-scale, so the exhibition features more than 70 portraits of officers of the Russian army, which includes many famous and little-known generals. More than a third of these commanders were wounded or shell-shocked in battle. The battle on the Borodino field is very authentically reflected in various layouts and stands.
Orthodox festival and reconstruction of battles
Since 2005, the Borodino field has become the venue for the International Youth Festival "Brothers". Many patriotic clubs participate in reconstructions that recreate the battles of the Patriotic Wars of 1812 and 1941. Every year, all large quantity various organizations are actively involved in them. This hobby gives modern people the opportunity to look at historical events their Motherland through the eyes of the people who participated in them. Such a rapprochement with the past allows you to fully experience your history and the continuity of generations. Members of military history clubs take an active part in many educational programs, in demonstration performances, and make documentaries.
How to get to the museum
Many wish to visit the Borodino field. How to get to it from Moscow? Getting to the museum-reserve is not at all difficult. You can get here:
By bus running along the intercity route No. 457 "Moscow-Mozhaisk". You can take it at the stop near the metro station "Park Pobedy". Then you should go to the stop "Borodino".
By train you can get from the Belorussky railway station to the Borodino station, and then you need to walk about 3 km to the museum itself. Travel time is about 3 hours.
The museum-reserve accepts both group excursions and ordinary tourists. Experienced museum staff will help with the choice of the route through the territory of the Borodino field and the architectural and memorial complex. They will tell about any moments of one of the greatest battles in the history of our Motherland.
In the village of Borodino there is a cafe "Mozhayskoye rancho", where tourists can relax and eat.
"Through the flying smoke..." Borodino 200 years later.
Reuters photo
One of the most famous sights in Paris is the Les Invalides located in the very center of the city. And it was built by the decision of the Sun King Louis XIV in the 17th century. Veterans who were maimed and wounded in numerous wars waged by France then lived out their lives here, including veterans of the Napoleonic wars.
Les Invalides is considered the pantheon of French military glory. At the end of the 19th century, an artillery museum was created within its walls, then a historical museum. And since 1905 it has been a single Museum of the Army. We agreed to visit him together with a Russian soldier of the French Foreign Legion, originally from a former republic Soviet Union. Let's call him Oleg. We met him by chance while walking around the city.
– Oleg, do you know that this is the tomb of Napoleon?
“I hear it for the first time,” Oleg answered. “Neither I nor our guys have ever been here.
The next day, Oleg, already in civilian clothes, was waiting for us at the entrance.
AT THE TOMB OF NAPOLEON
In December 1840, 25 years after the expulsion of Bonaparte and 19 years after his death, his ashes were solemnly transported to Paris and reburied in Les Invalides. Why here? In the spring of 1821, having experienced an exacerbation of a mysterious illness in exile, Napoleon bequeathed to be buried in Paris in a church with a gilded dome. And so that at the same time he looked at the river and was visible from everywhere. Such a cathedral was found in the House of Invalids. The ashes of Napoleon I rest here in coffins made of tin, mahogany, lead, oak and ebony (black African) wood placed inside each other. Surprisingly, the sarcophagus was presented to France by the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, brother of the winner of Napoleon - Alexander I.
The exposition contains Napoleon's hat, a sword and the Order of the Legion of Honor. A number of exhibits are connected with the aggressive campaign of the Napoleonic army in Russia in 1812. But at the same time, there is no word about how this trip ended.
But what a good start. In June 1812, a “great” army of “twelve languages” was deployed on the Russian border against Russia. It was called so because in its ranks, in addition to the French, there were representatives of almost all European countries conquered by that time by Napoleon. These were soldiers of the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Naples, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, the Austrian Empire, Denmark, as well as the Spaniards and the Portuguese. The number of enemy forces, together with reserves, reached 678 thousand people. But 448,000 enemy soldiers and officers crossed the border. It was from June to December 1812 that they fought on the territory of Russia.
The Napoleonic armada was opposed by the Russian army of 590 thousand people. However, for strategic reasons, a little over 200 thousand could be put up against the enemy. Moreover, the Russian forces, divided into three parts, were dispersed at a fairly significant distance from each other. They were commanded by Generals Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, Pyotr Bagration and Alexander Tormasov. Emperor Alexander I was at the headquarters of the army of Barclay de Tolly.
But back to the aforementioned Parisian exposition. What surprised me was the approach of its organizers to that war and to its climax - the Battle of Borodino. From school times, we remember that it broke out two centuries ago - on August 26 (September 7), 1812, near the village of Borodino near Moscow, 120 km west of Moscow. By the beginning of the battle, the Russian army under the command of Mikhail Kutuzov had 120 thousand people and 640 guns, the French, led by Emperor Napoleon - 130-135 thousand people and 587 guns. Such forces have never been seen on the battlefield before.
The battle of Borodino is the most fierce and bloody in the Patriotic War of 1812. This is a symbol of the greatness of the Russian spirit and a subject of our national pride. The Russians and the French, in fierce battles that lasted 15 hours, lost about 40 thousand people that day. The French army proved worthy of opponents, but was never able to defeat the Russians. Therefore, one could speak only of a partial tactical success of Napoleon in this pitched battle.
However, in the same museum in the Les Invalides in Paris, the outcome of the Battle of Borodino is presented as an unconditional victory for the French. This is also evidenced by the inscription on the famous Arc de Triomphe in the very center of Paris, where the victories of the Napoleonic army are stamped with gold. Such is the approach of the French side. In fact, the main event of the Patriotic War of 1812 - the Battle of Borodino - became a harbinger of the coming defeat of the interventionists in Russia and the liberation of Europe. After all, it was here, on the Borodino field, that Napoleon's military successes ended.
But the wise and far-sighted Kutuzov understood that the time for the counteroffensive had not yet come. On September 13 (1), 1812, he gave his troops the order to retreat. It was decided to leave Moscow without a fight. Then many perceived this abandonment of the ancient Russian capital to the enemy as the most tragic page of the war of 1812. But Mikhail Illarionovich took full responsibility for the decision made. There is not even a hint that he wanted to share this responsibility with the king. There just wouldn't be time for that!
However, in a letter dated September 8, 1812 to Count Peter Tolstoy, Alexander I laments: “Apparently, the enemy has been let into Moscow. Although I have not had any reports from August 29 to this date from Prince Kutuzov, but by a letter from Count Rostopchin dated September 1, I informed through Yaroslavl that Prince Kutuzov intends to leave Moscow with the Army. The reason for this incomprehensible determination remains completely hidden to me ... ”(The spelling of the original has been preserved. And Vladislav Kozlov, a historian and art historian near Moscow, acquainted me with this letter. The letter is kept in his personal collection.)
Kutuzov's decision was, however, due to his far-sighted conclusion: the bloodless Napoleonic army, finding itself in Moscow burned by the fire of war, would be doomed. In fact, Napoleon brought only 138 thousand to Moscow, which sealed his fate. This, in particular, is evidenced by the monuments on the famous Borodino field and the exposition in the museum building - one of the most interesting domestic cultural objects on military-historical issues. The official name of the complex is the Borodino Field State Military Historical Museum-Reserve. This oldest museum in the world deployed directly on the battlefield has been operating since 1839. There are more than fifty thousand exhibits in its funds.
The main attraction of the memorial complex was and is the battlefield itself. Its unique natural and historical landscape of 110 sq. km - with forests, copses, streams and ravines - well preserved and maintained in exemplary condition. In 1995, the museum-reserve was included in the State Code of Especially Valuable Objects of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.
In 1912, large-scale celebrations of the centenary of the historic battle took place here, near Borodino. Then, in all of Russia, five long-livers were found - participants in the battle of Borodino. It is amazing, but true: as the newspapers wrote, the youngest was 120 years old, one - 136! All five were presented with the uniforms of the regiments in which they fought. The emperor congratulated everyone, army units with the banners of 1812 marched in front of them. Borodino residents were given expensive gifts.
But if we know about the history of the Patriotic War and the Battle of Borodino in 1812 from childhood, then the events that unfolded here during another Patriotic War - 1941-1945 are much less known. Here, by the way, the French also fought - soldiers of the French Legion in the ranks of the Wehrmacht. In the autumn of 1941, the German command specifically sent them to where, in 1812, Napoleon's soldiers entered into a fierce battle against the heroes of Kutuzov. But we'll talk about that later...
So the Borodino field was destined to enter the military chronicle of the world and national history. Abundantly drenched in the blood of Russian soldiers who fought here in two Patriotic wars, it became a symbol of the valor and glory of Russian weapons.
AND AGAIN SHEVARDINSKY REDOUBTS AND RAYEVSKY'S BATTERY...
Hitler's troops, breaking through in the autumn of the 41st to Moscow, considered Mozhayskoye to be one of the main directions of its capture. But even in the summer, the construction of the fortifications of the Mozhaisk Defense Line (MLO) began on the outskirts of Moscow in the directions: Volokolamsk-Mozhaisk-Kaluga. The center of this line was Mozhaisk and the 36th Mozhaisk fortified area, which passed directly through the legendary Borodino field.
The Mozhaisk fortified area was defended by the 5th Army under the command of Major General Dmitry Lelyushenko. But it was going through the stage of formation, and there were few units in the army. Therefore, its main strike force became the 32nd Red Banner Rifle Division under the command of Viktor Polosukhin. In some publications, it is called Siberian. But it is not so. She was stationed at Far East, in Primorye, and from there was transferred to Moscow. But in the ranks of the formation there were many fighters called up from Siberia. And Siberians are a special people. The commander, 37-year-old Colonel Polosukhin, was also from Siberia. The division gained combat experience even before the war, participating in 1938 in battles with the Japanese near Lake Khasan. For which she received the Order of the Red Banner. This formation and some units of the Moscow Military District attached to it met the enemy offensive on the 45-kilometer front of the Mozhaisk line of defense. It was to be defended by four divisions. But it was the 32nd division that was destined from October 12 to 17, 1941 to conduct heavy defensive battles directly on the Borodino field.
On October 12, 1941, the commander of the 5th Army, General Dmitry Lelyushenko, and a member of the Military Council of the Army, Brigadier Commissar Pavel Ivanov, arrived at the Borodino station to meet the fighters and commanders of the division. Arrived on time - just started unloading. Here is how Lelyushenko told about his first meeting with the Far East:
“I breathed easier. The mood of the Far East was the most combative. In the cars they sang “Glorious Sea, Sacred Baikal”, “Across Valleys and Hills” ... From the report of the division commander, Colonel Viktor Ivanovich Polosukhin, it was clear that the division was ready to fulfill any combat missions. Immediately, Polosukhin was instructed to take up defensive positions on the Borodino field by morning; we subordinated the 230th regiment and cadets to him.
A few hours later, the 20th Tank Brigade of Colonel T.S. Orlenko arrived. I heard about his glorious military deeds at the very beginning of the war in the Baltic states, where he commanded the 22nd Panzer Division. The 20th brigade was fully equipped with tanks and weapons, its personnel had already been in battle. As already decided, she was left in reserve so that she would be ready to operate in the Borodino field area together with the 32nd Infantry Division.
The command post of Polosukhin was equipped not far from the barrow, where in 1812 the famous Raevsky battery stood. And no matter how busy the division commander was in those hot days, he considered it necessary to come to the Borodino Museum, where some of the employees still remained. Viktor Ivanovich made a brief but very symbolic entry in the visitor's book: “I came to defend the Borodino field. Polosukhin. The commander and his fighters kept their word ...
Our troops were opposed by the forces of the 40th motorized corps. It consists of a fully equipped 10th Panzer Division, as well as a selected SS motorized division "Das Reich" and the 7th Infantry Division. They advanced along the Minsk highway. The advanced units of the enemy in front of the line of defense of the 32nd division appeared on the evening of October 12. Fire met the enemy personnel of the combat guard of the 2nd battalion on the 125th km of the Minsk highway near the village of Yelnya. Having failed here, the command of the SS division transferred its strikes to the neighboring sectors of the defense, north and south of Yelnya, bypassing our troops, and already in the rear intended to break out onto the Mozhaisk highway.
On October 13, the SS tried to break through to the Borodino station. fighting deployed all over the front. From October 13 to 14, soldiers of the 17th and 322nd rifle regiments with attached units fought in the Rogachevo-Yelnya sector. Only in the battle for Rogachevo, the 2nd battalion of the 322nd regiment lost a third of its personnel. The soldiers of the 17th regiment who survived the battles for Yelnya withdrew to the village of Artemki. Here, from them, as well as cadets of the military-political school, the 12th separate reconnaissance brigade, a combined detachment was formed under the command of Major Pavel Vorobyov. He was supported by artillery fire from the 154th howitzer regiment of the 32nd division, commanded by Major Chevgus. The enemy repeatedly tried to capture the village and break through the Minsk highway.
The last reserve was thrown into battle: a detachment of border guards, two anti-tank artillery regiments, and a division of Katyushas. After that, the enemy deployed his attacks in the direction of the village of Shevardino - the station of Borodino - the village of Semenovskoye, trying to break through our defenses in the center. The detachment of Pavel Ivanovich Vorobyov held the village of Artemki until October 18, being already behind enemy lines, but was forced to leave the village and leave the encirclement.
On October 15, Captain Shcherbakov's battalion and units of the 230th Reserve Training Regiment held the defense near the village of Doronino and the Shevardino redoubt, famous from the war of 1812. The artillery of the 133rd Light Artillery Regiment supported our fighters. During the day, the enemy attacked the positions of the battalion three times, but to no avail. For steadfastness and courage in the battles at the Shevardinsky Redoubt, Captain Shcherbakov was awarded the order Lenin. On the same day, the commander of the 5th Army, Dmitry Lelyushenko, was wounded. The army was led by Major General Leonid Govorov.
On October 16, there were stubborn battles in the center of the Borodino field. South-east of the Raevsky battery, the division of the 133rd artillery regiment of Captain Zelenov occupied positions, in which the crew of Sergeant Alexei Russkikh fought and showed courage. Five enemy tanks were hit. The commander of the Russian calculation was killed. Only gunner Fyodor Chikhman remained alive at the gun. The artilleryman's right arm was torn off by a fragment of a shell, but, acting with one hand, the hero knocked out another enemy tank. Chikhman survived and was later awarded the Order of Lenin for his courage and heroism. On the same day, October 16, a report was sent from the headquarters of the 40th German motorized corps: "The 32nd rifle division, which does not give in to panic, was met in the defense of the Russians."
On October 17, the actions of the division of Captain Zelenov were supported by the infantry of the 322nd and 230th regiments, but as a result of the enemy’s offensive from the village of Semenovskoye, the division was surrounded in the area of the village of Gorki. On the night of October 18, the division made its way through the encirclement and went to the area of the village of Aksanovo. The enemy, continuing the offensive, broke through to the Mozhaisk highway. In the evening of the same day, the remnants of the 322nd regiment under the command of Captain Shcherbakov received an order from the division command to engage the enemy in the Novaya Derevnya area. It was held by a German infantry battalion with tanks.
From the memoirs of the head of the political department of the 32nd division, Yakov Efimov: “The attack of the battalion was so swift and simultaneous from all sides that the Germans came to their senses and began to resist only when grenades, bottles with combustible mixture and scribbled bursts of machine guns. The houses and cars on fire lit up the village, and Shcherbakov saw how many Nazi warriors jumped out of the burning huts in their underwear and, hit by bullets, fell ... Only tanks, in which, apparently, the crews remained overnight, jumped out into the middle of the street and, towers, fired in all directions, hitting with their fire not so much our fighters lying near the houses, but their cars and the Nazis running towards them from all sides.
On October 17, the Germans managed to break through defensive lines divisions, and they were dissected. The army headquarters was transferred from Mozhaisk to Pushkino, closer to Moscow. Parts of the left wing of the 5th Army retreated to Kubinka. The surviving parts of the right flank retreated to Ruza ...
In the battles on the Borodino field, many fighters and commanders distinguished themselves. “The battalion of the 322nd joint venture under the command of Captain Shcherbakov fought heroically, which in only one battle near Rogachevo destroyed up to 1000 Nazis and 21 enemy tanks. Being wounded, the commander did not leave the fighters on the battlefield, he remained in the ranks. Commissar of the 17th joint venture, battalion commissar Mikhailov, died a heroic death. In the battles for the village of Artemki, Major Vorobyov, who commanded the consolidated detachment, fought heroically with the Nazis. Many fascist tanks were destroyed by well-aimed artillery fire of the 154th howitzer artillery regiment under the command of Major Chevgus and military commissar Chekanov. This is an entry from the formation's war log.
The main result of those hardest battles was that the 32nd division managed to stop the Nazis and hold out at this line for almost a week, giving the command the opportunity and time to pull up reserves and organize a new line of defense in the direction of Zvenigorod-Naro-Fominsk, which eventually became insurmountable for enemy.
There is evidence that the subordinates of Colonel Polosukhin used extraordinary methods of armed struggle. We are talking about the so-called fire shaft. From improvised means, mainly from straw and brushwood, the fighters built a wide barrier half a kilometer long. When german tanks and the infantry went on the attack, the defenders set fire to it. The tanks had to turn around. Thus, they exposed their sides, where the armor was thinner than the front, to the well-aimed fire of our anti-tank guns.
"FRENCH AND GERMANS DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS"
The feat of the soldiers of the 32nd division was highly appreciated by Georgy Zhukov: “Almost 130 years after the campaign of Napoleon, this division had to cross arms with the enemy on the Borodino field - the field that has long become our national shrine, the immortal monument of Russian military glory. The soldiers of the 32nd Infantry Division did not lose this glory, but increased it.”
December 5, 1941 throughout Western Front our troops went on the offensive. 5th Army - again at the Mozhaisk line. After fierce fighting, units of the 82nd motorized rifle division under the command of Major General Nikolai Orlov, the 50th and 108th rifle divisions reached Mozhaisk on January 17, 1942. The three-day assault on the city was crowned with its liberation. It was January 20th. The next day, during a swift counteroffensive, the 82nd motorized rifle division liberated the Borodino field. Unfortunately, the wonderful commander of the 32nd division, Viktor Ivanovich Polosukhin, died. This happened on February 18, 1942, near the village of Ivanniki, Mozhaisk district, Moscow region. He was buried with honors in Mozhaisk.
During the temporary occupation of Borodino, many monuments on the field of Russian glory were damaged, the Borodino Museum was burned down. Fortunately, on the very eve of the battles of 1941, the exhibits of the museum were taken out and preserved. In 1944 they were returned. After the war, granite steles were installed on the mass graves of the Red Army soldiers. But to this day, in the course of search work on the Borodino field, there are unaccounted for burials. The remains of the heroes of Borodin are interred with military honors. According to Alexander Gorbunov, deputy director of the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve, in a number of cases the search engines managed to establish their names.
In traditional holidays “Moscow is behind us. 1941" is attended by veterans who fought on the field of Russian glory in 1941-1942, military historical clubs, representatives of modern Russian army, clergy. On the historical field, episodes of battles are recreated using equipment, weapons and fortifications. People get acquainted with the exposition of the museum, which presents combat reports, reports, weapons, personal belongings, letters, documents, photographs of combatants. Children's holidays have also become traditional. For example, the military-historical holiday "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", which takes place on the last Sunday of May.
Then the guests go to the monuments of military glory of 1812 and 1941. One of them is the famous “thirty-four”, installed on a pedestal in the center of the Borodino field, near the famous Raevsky battery. These realities of two battles on the same field, and by and large - two Patriotic Wars are perceived as a striking symbol of the connection of times, names and generations.
As for the French legion, which fought in the autumn of 1941 in the ranks of the Nazi units on the Borodino field, it was completely defeated. Only a few "legionnaires" were captured.
We told about all this to our French friend Oleg, with whom we walked together through all the museum halls of the Parisian Invalides. “I want to come to Moscow after the service, to visit the Borodino field,” Oleg said, saying goodbye to us. “After all, neither I nor the French know about it at all. And the current Germans are unlikely. ”
