I hope you enjoy this compilation of our videos covering Napoleon's invasion of Russia! It's an incredible story - one of the greatest military geniuses in history overseeing one of the greatest military disasters, and a tale full of courage, suffering and endurance on all sides. Many thanks to Terribilita and Cinder Block Publishing for sponsoring this video, check out the book here: www.amazon.com/dp/B085B8KWM4 I'm currently working on the next Napoleon video - a profile of all 26 Marshals of the Empire, updates in the usual places soon.
I wish you'd put in Arabic subtitles, but I consider this video the greatest documentary abou Napoleon's invasion of Russia. ليتكم وضعتم الترجمة العربية ولكن أنا أعتبر هذا الفيديو أعظم وثائقي عن غزو نابليون لروسيا
John Frylock I actually used Epic History videos to teach kids about the Battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars. They absolutely loved it because they’d never seen videos like this before and they loved the art and battlefield animations. Definitely recommend these for educational use.
@@inspire4179 I wish I had you as a teacher then, I wish my history teacher showed us videos like this, I love history but she makes history class is boring 😭
"Russia, 1812. Napoleon invades his former ally with the largest army Europe has ever seen. But for the French emperor, the decisive blow remains frustratingly beyond reach. Russia's resilience is unlike anything he's ever encountered. And as winter closes in, his army begins the most infamous retreat in history." I get chills hearing this opening narrative. The soundtrack, maps, and panning shots of battlefield paintings fill me with grandiose wonder.
I'm so glad you mentioned that not only French soldiers suffered during the winter part of the campaign. In so many documentaries about Napoleonic wars and even WWII you're made to believe that the Russians are some sort of penguins who don't suffer from cold or could walk on the surface of mud and snow... In fact many of Russian soldiers came from southern parts of Russia, which are even warmer than for example Germany or some French regions. And muddy roads, long marches and snow affect the Russians as much as Frenchmen, Germans or anyone else. Very well made documentary guys, it was so exciting to watch! Greetings from Czech Republic!
@@marshalsoult3860 Well, yes 😃 I't allways the same - A: Germans lost WWII because there was a lot of snow in Soviet Union and they had to march in frost. B: But the Soviets were in the same snow and had to march in the same frost as Germans? A: Yeah but.. You know.. Russians are okay with it.. B: So... Russians are something like penguins? A: Yeah, sort of 😀
It makes me happy knowing that children with a passion for history don’t have to wait for uninterested teachers or poorly written school textbooks to learn about this knowledge and can learn FOR FREE because of this channel. I hope you know the service you are doing for society and I thank you for using your time and effort. Legend.
@@gabrielaleactus9932 fully agree. Todays media is designed to keep mankind informed in who has recently had cosmetic surgery and who is changing genders. Facts and important times in history such as this are being removed from the average humans brains to keep them stupid
1. Have I already seen these episodes separately many times? Yes. 2. Will I watch them all again? Yes. 3. Will I come back to this every now and them and bow at this quality content that's available for free? Yes.
If I was in Napoleon´s place, I would kiss Austrias ass so much, that it would become my ally. Then Russia & Britain could go fts. Isn´t hindsightt a b*cth.
I`m 63 and been a history buff since i was 15. I learned very little from this video and probably researched this topic before most of your listeners were even in nappies. BUT.....not only is this the best concise version i`ve ever seen but it also brings the events to life in a way that is simply superb. Fantastic video.
Hitlers' nazi legions would find this out nearly 130 yrs before! I think he invaded Russia with nearly 1/2 million men, but barely 5-10 thousand returned with just the shirts on their backs. Napoleon never recovered from this physical and psychological disaster bestowed upon him and his Grand'e Armee!
I have lost count with how many times I've watched this documentary. It is a masterpiece - brilliant research, wonderful narration and I love how majority of it is clearly shown on a map. Plus the artworks displayed of battles, marches etc are wonderful. Thank you so much. Tertius Fourie. (Bloemfontein, South Africa).
Kutuzov was a smart politician. He deliberately refused the demonstrative defeat and capture of Napoleon in Russia territory realizing that, without Napoleon, Great Britain would become the dominant force in Europe... Kutuzov's strategy was a "police action" to carefully bring the European hooligan (Napoleon) back to Europe from the territory of Russia... Thus, he will maintain the balance of power between France and the United Kingdom, but Kutuzov died early.
Kutuzov was a 'lucky incompetent.' He lost the head-on battle at Borodino, and never won a single battle that was not aided by the cold or circumstances.
It is always funny when the French and the Germans (including all those who helped them) talk about the Russian winter........ As if the cold doesn't affect the Russians.... 😊
@joanne chon We the Russians are not some sort of Northen mutants that "got used to cold". The Logistics is important part of any campaign if not the most important at all. If you fail to support your troops you can loose entire campaign even not loosing any battle. French and Germans failed badly in logistics. Talking about weather is making then not just loosers but idiots that did not know where they were leading their troops.
When Napoleon was sent into exile on St. Helena after the battle of Waterloo, many journalists who interviewed him always asked (paraphrasing) "why didn't you commit suicide after Waterloo?". Eventually he told one journalist who interviewed him "That's not the question I ask myself. I ask, why didn't I commit suicide after Borodino?"
To all the nameless brave soul who fought & died, French & Russian, my greatest respect. And sincere thanks to the channel and narrator for such an amazing work.🙏
Marshall Ney is honestly one of, if not, France's bravest Marshall in their history. He tried everything to protect his men. Many reports & accounts saying that men he commanded supported him so much that he followed every command he gave until to their death.
4:35 Military prowess of both sides Russia's diplomatic victories 7:33 Beginning of invasion 12:10 Cossacks 14:03 Battle of Smolensk 17:46 *Battle of Borodino* 35:25 Losses in the battle 36:35 Moscow burns 40:18 Russia strikes back 46:01 Russian winter takes its toll 51:06 Napoleon retreats to Paris & massive French losses
1:00:46 this was the most shocking and chilling part. Absolutely insane that only 1/12 died in action, while 7/12 died from disease and hunger.... AND TWO SURVIVED. Wow.
The conditions created by war can be more deadly than the battles themselves. According to one statistic, more people died from hunger in World War II than were killed by military action.
Blah blah blah . Let's say that there were no battles at all and Napoleon was defeated by the weather. It is hot in summer, cold in winter. When Napoleon retreated from Russia, his troops built bridges or looked for a ford. What kind of frost can we talk about if there was no ice on the rivers?
Much has already been said about the role of the Russian people and military leaders in the victory over Napoleon, but I would like to draw attention to the fact that one of the main reasons for the defeat of Napoleon was his lack of understanding of the specifics of the war with Russia. He treated the invasion of Russia as another purely European campaign, when the entire war consisted of taking the capital or even several major cities and then followed by the conclusion of peace, surrender. Napoleon expected the same from Russia, which is why he was so insistent on rushing to Moscow, and why he lingered in our capital, waiting for the capitulation. But he did not take into account the scale of our country and if in Europe one city is almost half of the country, in Russia even Moscow is only one of the ordinary cities that has taken on the role of the capital. This error in understanding the Russian mentality led to the collapse of Napoleon, because it overturned all his original plans for the company, making the assault on Moscow completely useless and wasteful.
Another major issue for Napoleon was the lack of consolidated power in Europe. His Empire was already vastly overstretched, with some even issuing the claim of Napoleon's intentions for world domination; it was much easier for Russia to replace it's losses from their own heartland and mass-conscript than it was for Napoleon, who had already mass conscripted soldiers since the French Revolution. French troops also didn't see much of a purpose for the invasion, seeing as their heartland was already secure without any foreign soldier invading France for nearly 20 years; Napoleon's conquests had become ineffective and wasted French resources more often than they were replenished (Manpower, experienced able bodied generals & cavalry) instead opting to replace them with foreign counterparts. Russians however had frequently been in war with the Turks, Swedish and on some occasions even against Napoleon himself. In essence Russia had turned into a second Spain, where smaller armies are defeated and larger ones starve.
Russians are very patriotic and have a massive less centralised rural population to be distributed in its vast realms stretching from poland to alaska at that time
@@davidvasey5065 Except Russia had two capitals. Moscow was the historic capital and for that reason was selected by Napoleon as the target of his march.
The Napoleon had likely suffered a megalomania, - a mental decease, which helped him to rise, but also led to a demise. Typical symptoms are feeling of invincibility, being on the "mission from God", and disregarding external advise. Reminds me our CEO.
History March are to thank for that i highly recommend you watch their videos espicially Hannibal Barca and His Great army series Abselutely Amazing He is truly one of the best Military tacticians ever
In the memoirs of French military leaders and historical works of the 1810s-1830s, "Russian winter" and "General Frost" often appeared as the main reasons for Napoleon's defeat. Napoleon himself and his marshals later searched for "objective" reasons for the defeat, referring to the frost and the wrong, from their point of view, "non-military" warfare, trying to justify the loss of 552 thousand people and over 1200 guns . However, winter came not only not earlier than usual, but even later. The temperature before the battle near Krasnoye (November 15-18) varied from -3 ° С to -8 ° С, and on November 18 a thaw began, which continued until the battle on Berezina (November 26 - 29). And only immediately after the Berezina frost hit below -20 ° С. In 1835, Denis Davydov, a general participant in the war of 1812, spoke out against such a French interpretation of events in his military-historical article "Did Frost Destroy the French Army in 1812?", In which, relying entirely on facts, he showed that the decisive defeat of the French army occurred in relatively mild weather, and frosts came after the Napoleonic army "in the military sense" no longer existed.
@@haezlitt Not exactly a book recommendation, but I have seen a statistical graph over a time line showing losses of Napoleon's army. In statistics it is always used as a good model to show depletion over time. The title of the graph is 'Losses of Soldiers in Napoleon's army during the Russian Campaign 1813-1814' from the book 'Visual display of Quantitative Information' by Edward R. Tuft. Just google the title of the graph and take a look at it.
What russians. They died also. Too many russians died in the past 220 years! Whole Europe gave its sons to death and perish. If there were less wars in the past 250 years in Europe the continent should be about 1 billion and 300-700 million people
These videos on Napoleon have been utterly fantastic, and I’ve watched them multiple times to help me understand events while reading both Andrew Robert’s biography of Napoleon, and the Russian classic War and Peace. Thank you so much for such well produced, and informative videos!
Astonishing quality, not only of its comprehensive history contents, but because the clearness and beauty of its didactic approach. Honestly, there should be at least some Nobel price to honor and reward the value of documentaries like these ones you are producing. Thank you very much, and congratulations!
Nowadays everyone is talking about the Russian weather and terrain defeated Napoleon, but many people forget that in the 18th century the Russian army was a formidable force second only to the Grand Army, In many battlefields, they can fight the French in blood and no backdown, Even before many European countries learned Napoleon's advantages and began military reform. The same applies to the World War 2， the weather and terrain can slow the invaders down, but it was the Russians themself who really defeated the invaders.
Yet the weather, russian terrain and scortched-earth policy truly defeated the French. Napoleon demolished the russian time and again throughout the Napoleonic wars. The only time the russian army prevailed was with the help of allied armies grossly outnumbering the french. The russian soldiers fought fiercely and bravely, like they always do. I can give you that.
@@mexicomax77 But weather terrain and scorched earth policy are the secondary factors compare to the hard fighting of the army, is impossible for the Russian army to defeat the French without these conditions sure, but without the quality and bravery of the Russian army, the elements mentioned before are nothing. The Russian Tsar will soon seek peace because he knew that the terrain and weather can only slow Napoleon's March, while the scorched earth policy hurts not only the French but also the Russians,. the army is the basis of victory.
@@mexicomax77 During the times when Napoleon retreating from Russia, the Russian army is harassment his army all the time, if they break before Napoleon's retreating, Napoleon's causalities will be far less, and why the Russian army still can fight? cause they fight well in Borodino, it's not a won sure but sometimes it's a victory not to be completely defeated by the enemy, and the result is good。
Slava Shishkin ar beresina its a miracle the French managed to cross the goddamn river so i would count it as a win thanks to the bravest of the braves, Marshal Ney The other 2, i don’t i will need to research.
I really love this documentary, truly an epic work with pure quality content. The narration, the voice, the graphics and the solid knowledge from this video is just so amazing. This help us to have better understanding of the battle and events in the Napoleon invasion to Russia. And this is all for free. Thank you.
In "War and Peace," Leo Tolstoy portrayed Kutuzov as a humble and pious man, kneeling before a church icon, something that Napoleon would never do. Though he falls from grace after his victory, he cares so little for fame that he simply accepts this misfortune. Based on what I've seen here, Tolstoy's admiration is more than justified.
Indeed LOL. The worst part wasn't that both Napoleon & Hilter invaded Russia; it was the fact that they both invaded AND stretched their campaigns into winter, thinking it would be a cakewalk.
not really, At the time of Napoleon he didn't need to attack Russia or Spain at all. Whereas in post-industrial time it was necessary to get the Caucasus to secure fuel, attacking Soviets was a necessity. In fact, Hitler was prepped by the West with the main purpose to attacking the Socialist Danger that was the real enemy of the West. Much like Saddam Hussein decades later would be installed by the CIA in Iraq to launch a decade long invasion of Iran on orders of the US Empire. Which explains why the West supported Germany to get all the lands between Germany and USSR, just to get the 2 next to each other so that they can start fighting. But as Soviet Union became aware that it was alone against the West supporting Germany, it negotiated a necessary temporary non-aggression pact with Germans to buy time to prepare. And as soon as the pact was signed, the West started threatening Germany concerning Poland, which the West previously already wanted to give to the Germans as launching pad to attack USSR. After Germany took Poland, the West declared war but spent weeks convincing Germans to attack Soviet Union, hence the so-called Phony War in history.
MY DEAR GOD, THIS IS AMAZING! The quality is astounding! The music, the effects, the depth, the voice actor, the quotes, all are outstanding! I'm absolutely astonished! It's like I just watched one of the best movies ever! 👍
Everyone who attacked Russia had the same song: “The Russians were helped by “General Frost and General Dirt”, as if the Russians themselves were flying through the air and not freezing... 🤣
Russian word "шаромыжник" (someone who wants a free handout) originated then from the French "cher ami" which the stragglers used when begging for food.
Yep even the emperor himself admitted his over confidence, leading to his loss at Waterloo, his marshals weren’t as loyal and obedient. Napoleon, emperor of the French and liberator of polish, Long live the first emperor of France. 1769-1821
The problem with most great generals is the same quality that makes them great is also what gets them in trouble. Napoleon was a gambler, and while that benefited him in many of his battles, that same trait was going to cause his downfall, sooner or later. Kissinger's book on Metternich and the Congress of Vienna shows how skillfully someone like Metternich could play Napoleon against himself because he understood Napoleon's personality.
Without a doubt the best video of the Napoleonic Wars that I have ever seen. Truly a masterpiece and the prime example of what other history channels should look like. I am grateful to have seen this and other videos made by your channel. Please keep making these videos. Thank you.
This video is a masterpiece. I've studied quite a bit of military history and Napoleon's situation outside Borisov was literally as bad as it gets. The fact he got out of that trap is astonishing. He might be the greatest general of all time.
This video really underscores just how much Napoleon's defeat was caused by the skill of the Russian generals, bravery of the Russian soldiers, and sacrifice of the Russian people rather than the winter weather.
I've probably watch this series a thousand times over the course of the pandemic. I'm not sure which one I've watched the most, probably the retreat one or this one, but one thing is for sure. Epic History TV has been my comfort show / channel during the pandemic that is just really nice and soothing to rewatch / listen to in the background. Bonus: Learning history.
@@ibrahimyange1528 you are right, but Napoleon arrived in Moscow, Hitler with his paranoid ideas not. And this was good, how many people were still killed in Moscow by the Germans troops. The result of aggressive attacks in war was Stalingrad. 😔🤔 Russia and Germany should live in peace ever! No more war never. It brings only death and pain for nothing. World War II costs more than 50 millions of people their live, mostly in Russia...
@@ibrahimyange1528 коренной перелом в Великой Отечественной наступил в 1943 году, после Сталинградской и Курской битвы. Битва под Москвой 1941 года ознаменовалась перехватом стратегической инициативы Красной армией, но к сожалению в 1942 год у советских войск не было опыта проведения крупных наступательных операций, поэтому стратегическая инициатива снова перешла фашистской германии
I Just found a joke about Napoleon's retreat from Russia in an old dutch history book, thought I'd share it here. Napoleon's son to his dad when he returns; "Dad, I can walk!" Napoleon; "me too, real fast."
The maps the narrator the graphics the animations the thumbnail the armies the histories partitions and quotes etc etc THIS WORK IS A MASTERPIECE much love from syria ❤
This must be my 500th time viewing this I absolutely love this channel and this series , napoleononic times was period that never interested me until I saw this amazing channel thank you for helping me fall in love with history again
What Marshal Ney and His Brave Rearguard Been through is absolute Hell , The fact that all Theose Russians and Cossacks Couldn't Stop Him from rejoining the Army , And he Made it with 800 men and Thousands of stragglers is a Great Military feat
@@derpynerdy6294 Yeah but If There would be Wars today it would be the same breed as the cracked battle hardened troops just like anytime , Just like WW1 German Stormtroops , or WW2 German last surviving german troops on the eastern front or the last surviving Red army troops just like Hannibal Elite Libyan troops and Numidian cavalrymen ,or roman legions under ceaser or like Napoleon Royal Guard or The Crusaders or Arabic muslim brave fighter they were all normal breed just like you and me until they were trained for war and suffered and survived much combat
This whole series is some of the finest documentaries I've seen on any platform. As someone whose just recently taken a big interest in the Napoleonic era (as in the last 6-12 months) I feel like I could actually hold my own in a debate now. This particular video was incredibly intense. Having heard a bit about the Russian campaign and retreat I'd of course heard the usual, the numbers died, the winter conditions etc. But this gave so much life to the true scale and the absolute horror of this situation. I found it quite emotional to really see and understand what those people went through. I commend you on telling the story of their final days. After the absolute hell they went through, I feel it is a small but essential service to them that we don't forget or reduce their memory to a few lines of text.
Everyone in the world: he finally did; he spread the revolution to all europe and now he can stabilize his empire. Napoleon: Well... I've got other plans.
@Napoleon BonaparteUsing Alexander the Great is a bad example since his empire disintegrated immediately after his death. All his armies led by different generals turned against each other. The Mongols were also more military based than politically based, and how long did they survive or what lasting legacy did they give to the world? An army is made of humans and as such they can mutiny like Alexander's army did. With politics you don't need an army to conquer someone and can still control them.
@joi_is _love333 Dude please tell me what the hell Hannibal could've done politically? The others you're fine with, over-extending an empire is never going to work, i dont think its even possible to consolidate it bit by bit, I suppose we have the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire as examples of a large empire "lasting", but inevitably how is it sustainable?
@@fxllen6159 From what I read, he did use Alexander as an example of WHY an empire crumbles if not stabilized after the death of the person that created it.
@Napoleon Bonaparte To add on to your examples of political stabilization. The Era of politician and diplomat Otto Von Bismarks goal, even though the German state did commit to wars, was overall to stabilize its political and economic position in europe that would help create the German nation that still exist today.
I have rewatched this video many times and it never fails to amaze me, such a high quality series. This video in particular might be my favorite youtube video of all time
I really like how, during the retreat segments, there is a tick-tock sound as the days go by. Really emphasizes how Napoleon was in a race against time that he clearly lost.
Man, youtube is filled with great battle and war documentary channels. For a long time I’ve always wanted to see how these battles I read played out. Thank you do much for producing these animations. Keep up the great work!
Fact 100% 33-я доброво́льческая пехо́тная диви́зия СС «Шарлема́нь» (1-я францу́зская)Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS „Charlemagne" тактическое соединение войск СС нацистской Германии.(фр. Charlemagne)
Ну да, сами поумирали от холода. Русские только смотрели. :) Сделано хорошо: планы, карты... Но, конечно, Ней отступал героически, угробив весь свой корпус, а Багратион просто так (сохранив армию). И за Малоярославец, чтобы разграбить, сжечь и изнасиловать Калугу, франко-итальянцы сражались героически "как львы", а русские ну так себе. Просто Кутузов занял удачную позицию...
When Napoleon invaded Russia, odds seemed overwhelmingly in his favour. He had 650,000 soldiers while Russians had 175,000, a 4:1 advantage. He was leading his army in person - and he had badly beaten Russians before at Austerlitz and at Friedland. Even in terms of population, French Empire surpassed Russia. Besides, the whole of Germany, Low Countries, Italy and Poland - almost all Europe - was allied to Napoleon. Yet Napoleon lost his war. And Russians won. Why? If we believe French propaganda, because in Russia it was cold. If we believe Russian propaganda, because Russians were patriotic. As always, there is a grain of truth - at least as big as a mustard seed - in any propaganda. At some points of the campaign it was actually cold and some Russians did show patriotism. However, many other reasons were more important. 1. Lack of strategic vision on both sides. Napoleon did not really know what was his goal when starting this war. He proclaimed that he wants to push Russia back to Asia and restore Poland-Lithuania but in reality he preferred a new accord with the Czar Alexander. He kept changing plans until it was too late and, instead of working on his own agenda, tried to follow Russian moves in order to discover the Russian strategy and destroy it. Unluckily for him, Russians also lacked strategic vision. When faced with Napoleon’s invasion, Alexander I panicked and adopted a stupid decision suggested by the General Phull to set a fortified camp not very far from the border and give a fight there. When Napoleon’s army marched towards the camp, the General Barclay convinced the Czar to move further inside the country. From that moment on, Barclay retreated towards Moscow. It was not a part of the plan. The whole Russian society was expecting a big battle. But Barclay knew he would lose it - and continued to retreat. Exasperated, Russian nobility pressed the Czar into displacing Barclay and appointing Kutuzov in his place - only to have Kutuzov continue the retreat. Finally, he did give a fight near Moscow - but instead of defending it, he abandoned the old capital to the enemy. Finally, Russians managed to lure French into a trap exactly because they did not have the intention of luring them into a trap. 2. Bad French intelligence, good Russian intelligence. The war took place in the Russian territory. The French did not gather enough intelligence about the country, almost no one knew the language and when given a good advice, they often ignored it. For instance, during a month in Moscow, feeling that the winter is approaching, Poles changed the horseshoes, installing “winter gear”, with calks. The rest of the army laughed at them for doing so. They would not laugh a month later when most horses died. On the contrary, Russian officers often knew French and understood the French way to fight. Russians learned their hard lessons from the campaigns of 1805 and 1806-1807. They knew the favourite tactics of Napoleon and his generals and knew how to avoid them. The same was replicated on the higher level of command. Alexander I and his generals understood Napoleon much better than he understood them. He waited for a month in Moscow hoping that Alexander would propose a peace with him. It was this month that turned his army into an enormous gang of marauders. 3. Bad French logistics and discipline, propensity to plunder. Napoleon failed to adequately supply his army. Already in Poland, the soldiers experienced shortage of food. It became much worse in Russia, as supply lines became extended and were attacked by partisans. Without food, the soldiers could only loot. Pillage started already in Poland and never stopped. Evidently, it alienated locals. The only part of the army adequately supplied was Napoleon’s Guard. And it was the only part of the army that did not frighten the locals. Even when there was enough food for everyone, it was badly distributed. The intendants managed to collect enormous stocks of victuals in Smolensk, Vitebsk and Wilno. But the discipline was lacking: the first soldiers to arrive would often destroy more than eat, opening barrels of wine with shots and killing cows just to eat their tongues and brains, while the rest would rot. This was ultimately the marauding that lost the French army. They pillaged too much in Moscow. They needed horses and carts to get it transported to France. To transport their loot, they would abandon cannons, they would abandon their wounded comrades, they would abandon food. It sounds ugly but it is understandable: most soldiers were poor guys and it was their once-in-the-lifetime chance to enrich themselves. Little did they know that they were leading the whole army to death. Most of the loot, ironically, had to be abandoned at the bank of the Berezina, 700 km after the departure from Moscow. In 1814, Napoleon would expect France to fight against his enemies as strongly as Russians had fought against him. However, during the 1814 Campaign in France, Russians did manage to supply their army with biscuits. The biscuits were of bad quality but protected soldiers from starvation. That’s why Russian soldiers in France behaved much better and did not cause much enmity among the locals. 4. Higher Russian morale. Napoleon’s army was enormous. But most French who were willing to fight had already died in his endless wars. Moreover, half of his army was composed of non-French who did not have much interest to fight for Napoleon. Ok, there were Poles, who would fight for him and could do it. There were also Italians who fought valiantly but it was definitely too cold for them in Russia. But Germans did not appreciate this war. And even most French did not really understand the point of going to war with Russia. When arriving to Moscow, the army hoped the peace would finally be concluded. They had no other desire, they had already endured too many hardships. Yep. Long before any winter. Russians, on the other side, could easily understand why are they fighting, especially after meeting one more company of French foragers. Besides, the higher society, accustomed to Russian victories under Catherine the Great and Paul I, saw the defeats of 1805-1807 and the subsequent Tilsit Treaty as a national humiliation. They wanted to beat the French back, at any cost. As for the Czar Alexander, he knew, after Austerlitz, that he was completely unable to be a military commander, so he mostly stayed clear of purely military matters. However, he also knew he could not cope with the role of Napoleon’s junior partner anymore. 5. Weather The last and the least. Weather. Yes, the French army had been particularly unlucky with the weather. It is true. It was hot when it was bad and it was cold when it was bad. Reminds an old Soviet joke that Soviet agriculture is weak because of four major obstacles - winter, spring, summer and autumn. Contrary to the general idea, Napoleon invaded Russia in summer, not in winter. And it was a particularly hot summer. 60,000 soldiers of the Grande Armée were ill already before entering Russia. After the terrible heat, there were torrential rains, and the resulting mud (yes, Russian roads were not that good) made movement of horses very difficult. And immediately after the rains, the heat (27-30°C) came back. At this point, according to an eyewitness, the soldiers were suffocating from heat and dust, and when they saw water, they precipitated thither with such furore that many drowned while others filled them so immoderately with water that they could not march anymore. This heat would persevere until autumn. When Napoleonic army left Moscow, it was not particularly cold. Yes, the temperature was slightly below 0°C, and poor horses, without winter shoes, broke their legs on ice. But then it became unusually warm - and exactly this circumstance transformed Napoleon’s defeat, already evident, into a catastrophe. If the weather were normal, Napoleon’s army would cross Berezina on foot. But as it was too warm, the river did not freeze and the army had to install pontoon bridges with Russian armies in dangerous vicinity. Many perished in the battle of Berezina. It was after Berezina, when there was no more army but a group of survivors, that it suddenly became too cold. The remnants of the army largely froze to death when trying to reach the cities on the border. That’s how Napoleon’s army got absolutely annihilated.
So, Actually even without the musics and animations just the narrators voice is enough to make you feel in a catastrophy just incredible kudos to you sir!
This is one of the best videos I've ever seen, documentary or otherwise. That intro gives one chills. Imagine being one of those soldiers. LORD. This is what history is about!!
Every narrator slavishly repeats that Napoleon started"retreating from Russia as winter closed in". Napoleon began his retreat in early October and was out by mid November. Long before the winter closed in.
@joanne chon The first frost hits in early October, with no snow. The snow starts falling by the end of October. But 1812 had abnormally early and harsh winter indeed, with night temperatures occasionally dropping down to -50C. Without a winter clothing that is a certain death in the open field.
@joanne chon news for you: this us wrong. Firstly, Russia is big and tge climate is different from area to area. And secondly, September AND first half of October us quite warm. September can even be really hot, at least in Moscow.
I have no idea where you pulled that idea from, winter began to close in by late October, the weather was inhospitable with frosts and snows by November. This was no bother to the Russians who had winter clothing, unlike the French.
One of the Kutuzov concerns was that if Napoleon died or captured in Russia, the Europian powers would be tempted to finish Napoleon's work. He wanted Napoleon alive and out of Russia in order for Europe to feel threatened by Napoleon and join Russia against France. All and all, he was a good commander with a broader understanding of logistics and politics.
As a Kutusov apologist, Alexander was way more to blame for Austerlitz than Kutusov. Alex's meddling undermined Russian and Austrian defensive cohesion. Even though Kutusov got the blame, Alexander never really inserted himself into command decisions again.
I hope you enjoy this compilation of our videos covering Napoleon's invasion of Russia! It's an incredible story - one of the greatest military geniuses in history overseeing one of the greatest military disasters, and a tale full of courage, suffering and endurance on all sides. Many thanks to Terribilita and Cinder Block Publishing for sponsoring this video, check out the book here: www.amazon.com/dp/B085B8KWM4 I'm currently working on the next Napoleon video - a profile of all 26 Marshals of the Empire, updates in the usual places soon.
Woahh i can barely wait for that great idea for the next vid
Please make a video about Napoleon's Italian and Egyptian campaign.By the way continue the good work.My respect and admiration from Greece.
that's awesome, can't wait to know more about Marshal Ney 👍
I wish you'd put in Arabic subtitles, but I consider this video the greatest documentary abou
Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
ليتكم وضعتم الترجمة العربية ولكن أنا أعتبر هذا الفيديو أعظم وثائقي عن غزو نابليون لروسيا
I've said this before, but no one can invade Russia during the winter. Except, wait for it........... *The Mongols!*
We are so fortunate to be viewing this for no cost
John Frylock I actually used Epic History videos to teach kids about the Battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars. They absolutely loved it because they’d never seen videos like this before and they loved the art and battlefield animations. Definitely recommend these for educational use.
@@inspire4179 Heck Yeah! the slickest presentation and the best history content on TH-cam.
@@inspire4179 I wish I had you as a teacher then, I wish my history teacher showed us videos like this, I love history but she makes history class is boring 😭
These videos are a public service! Great comment!
Yes we are fortunate, but we are also fortunate that we never have to fight like the Battle of Borodino. The casualties were staggering.
"Russia, 1812. Napoleon invades his former ally with the largest army Europe has ever seen. But for the French emperor, the decisive blow remains frustratingly beyond reach. Russia's resilience is unlike anything he's ever encountered. And as winter closes in, his army begins the most infamous retreat in history."
I get chills hearing this opening narrative. The soundtrack, maps, and panning shots of battlefield paintings fill me with grandiose wonder.
I'm so glad you mentioned that not only French soldiers suffered during the winter part of the campaign. In so many documentaries about Napoleonic wars and even WWII you're made to believe that the Russians are some sort of penguins who don't suffer from cold or could walk on the surface of mud and snow... In fact many of Russian soldiers came from southern parts of Russia, which are even warmer than for example Germany or some French regions. And muddy roads, long marches and snow affect the Russians as much as Frenchmen, Germans or anyone else. Very well made documentary guys, it was so exciting to watch! Greetings from Czech Republic!
Absolutely agree with you
penguins? 😂
@@marshalsoult3860 actually, we are bears. polar bears. it's our fur grows inside, that's all.
@@marshalsoult3860 Well, yes 😃 I't allways the same -
A: Germans lost WWII because there was a lot of snow in Soviet Union and they had to march in frost.
B: But the Soviets were in the same snow and had to march in the same frost as Germans?
A: Yeah but.. You know.. Russians are okay with it..
B: So... Russians are something like penguins?
A: Yeah, sort of 😀
@@Petal4822 what kind of nonsense is this ?
It makes me happy knowing that children with a passion for history don’t have to wait for uninterested teachers or poorly written school textbooks to learn about this knowledge and can learn FOR FREE because of this channel. I hope you know the service you are doing for society and I thank you for using your time and effort. Legend.
This channel is a gem.
I hope none of his work gets taken down for bs censorship
@@gabrielaleactus9932 fully agree. Todays media is designed to keep mankind informed in who has recently had cosmetic surgery and who is changing genders. Facts and important times in history such as this are being removed from the average humans brains to keep them stupid
or even worse: TV productions
1. Have I already seen these episodes separately many times? Yes.
2. Will I watch them all again? Yes.
3. Will I come back to this every now and them and bow at this quality content that's available for free? Yes.
Ok ＳＩＭＰ
Berserk bruh
@@berserk6855 will you ever get out of Mom's basement? Not likely.
I watch this every day.
@@MrLimborace damn!
Napoleon: fights 2 fronts
Germany: write that down right now
If I was in Napoleon´s place, I would kiss Austrias ass so much, that it would become my ally. Then Russia & Britain could go fts. Isn´t hindsightt a b*cth.
Germany: *takes drag of cigarette* it will be different this time.
@@Juntasification You kiss poeple too much, that's why you are not a Napoleon.
Germany be like "Hold my Bier"
It's an honor to see you here
Napoleon: I want to make peace and end the war.
Alexander: *Seen*
Napoleon should not be allowed to utter the word 'peace.' He inflicted pain and misery his entire adult life.
lololol
Neopolitan he's a Pinky with a brain
@@brahmburgers was he bullied because of his stature when younger, and then he decided to get his own back at the forfeit of the frenchmen
@@anthonytindle5758 contrary to your belief, Napoleon was pretty average height. The "short Napoleon" joke was British and/or Coalition propaganda
I`m 63 and been a history buff since i was 15. I learned very little from this video and probably researched this topic before most of your listeners were even in nappies. BUT.....not only is this the best concise version i`ve ever seen but it also brings the events to life in a way that is simply superb. Fantastic video.
Ok then. How does one defeat peak strength Russia? Has it ever been done before?
Okay armchair general
@@slamdunktiger Funny I don`t recall saying i was a general just a history buff. You sure you was reading the right comment when you wrote? .
@@soupman9616 No its not. Id say with proper logistics and luck.
@@laurencemoore3042 when a plan for war is based on luck - you're doomed
The Russian capacity for hardship and suffering is immense. Their resilience and fortitude beyond compare.
Built different. Built Russian.
Hitlers' nazi legions would find this out nearly 130 yrs before! I think he invaded Russia with nearly 1/2 million men, but barely 5-10 thousand returned with just the shirts on their backs. Napoleon never recovered from this physical and psychological disaster bestowed upon him and his Grand'e Armee!
@@hugbug4408 you mean after?
@@frog6581 My bad! And fault! Approximately 130yrs. after. Thanx for the correction.
They always had numbers
This was more exciting than a Hollywood movie !
YES!!!!!!!!!!! I"M REALLY ENJOYING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree
The narrator s voice is awfully good.
I think they did make a movie about it she was called Warren peace in the movie wasn’t that bad
It’s an incredible story. It would make a great Band of Brothers / The Pacific type series.
I have lost count with how many times I've watched this documentary. It is a masterpiece - brilliant research, wonderful narration and I love how majority of it is clearly shown on a map. Plus the artworks displayed of battles, marches etc are wonderful. Thank you so much. Tertius Fourie. (Bloemfontein, South Africa).
I worked for Escom and been in Bloemfontein and vierfontein also
@@ottomeyer6928 Dankie, Otto. Mooibly.
@@TFOURIE .see2ssewtDE see
I feel like not many people give Kutuzov the credit that he deserves, what a fantastic leader.
Here, in Russia, he is one of the main national heroes
8 - 0
Kutuzov was a smart politician. He deliberately refused the demonstrative defeat and capture of Napoleon in Russia territory realizing that, without Napoleon, Great Britain would become the dominant force in Europe... Kutuzov's strategy was a "police action" to carefully bring the European hooligan (Napoleon) back to Europe from the territory of Russia... Thus, he will maintain the balance of power between France and the United Kingdom, but Kutuzov died early.
Kutuzov was a 'lucky incompetent.' He lost the head-on battle at Borodino, and never won a single battle that was not aided by the cold or circumstances.
@@jinmo2821you have to be canadian or french,judging by the nonsense you said and the fact that your butt is hurting this bad 😂
Your content is top notch I don’t think I’ve learned more from any other documentary series on Napoleon than I have from your content.
I completely agree with you. But did the politicians learned ?
Germans: Invading Russia doesn’t work does it.
French: At least we took Moscow!
Ottomans: You guys saw Moscow?
🤭🤣😂😆Thank you man! You made my day!
справедливости ради, нужно сказать, что крымские татары, союзники османской империи, сожгли москву в 1571 году
Mongols: Which town was Moscow? They all look the same when they were all burnt to the ground.
Swedes: We have heard of this legendary city...
Poles: We thought Moscow was like free Airbnb until the owner kicked us out.
@@GingerSpy2
OOF😂
Barclay was brilliant. What a stellar stratagem. Those scorched Earth retreats mopped the floor with Napoleon's army.
He doesn't get the credit, what he deserve. ☹️
Not a new thing though, that strategy was used against the Swedish forces a hundred years earlier
It’s admirable how he swallowed his pride and sacrificed so much. It’s an ability I admire Russians for.
It is always funny when the French and the Germans (including all those who helped them) talk about the Russian winter........ As if the cold doesn't affect the Russians.... 😊
Indeed. forget unfortunate civilians that had to tolerate
Invaders behavior..
Generalle..Frio...and General Frost equal for everyone.
They knew about the winters . . . but they weren't prepared for it in terms of cold-weather clothing and equipment.
Markus Santos which makes them incompetent in winter warfare
@Zeljko Trifunovic who they?
@joanne chon We the Russians are not some sort of Northen mutants that "got used to cold". The Logistics is important part of any campaign if not the most important at all. If you fail to support your troops you can loose entire campaign even not loosing any battle. French and Germans failed badly in logistics. Talking about weather is making then not just loosers but idiots that did not know where they were leading their troops.
Napoleon - "they'll do what we want if we take their biggest city"
Alexander - "how about we burn it down ourselves then ignore you"
Russian Winter enters playing the Coffin Dance song.
St. Petersburg was the biggest city.
Russians are Sassy😂
Boyar St. Petersburg was the capital not the biggest city.
Alexander -" Welcome and don' leave alive"....
When Napoleon was sent into exile on St. Helena after the battle of Waterloo, many journalists who interviewed him always asked (paraphrasing) "why didn't you commit suicide after Waterloo?".
Eventually he told one journalist who interviewed him "That's not the question I ask myself. I ask, why didn't I commit suicide after Borodino?"
He did try to poison himself at his corners Maths college or something (?)
@Jack Tangles He had a Staff and plenty of visitors....read up.
@@robertgiles9124 Not sure about "many". There was apparently a lack of women at St Helen,, so he had to sleep with his general's wife.
I would have retreated west after Borodino. That makes me a better military strategist than Napoleon.
Kek, I've read Las Cases, O'Meara, General Bertrand, the Generals Gourgaud and Montholon, and no one talk about that. You're fake news.
To all the nameless brave soul who fought & died, French & Russian, my greatest respect.
And sincere thanks to the channel and narrator for such an amazing work.🙏
Epic History, Napoleon would have awarded you a Légion d'honneur from his own chest for the quality of this Documentary!
Outstanding!
Genuinely one of the best history channels I’ve come across. Spend months in anticipation for the next video and they never disappoint
Yepp, he needs about a month to create a video
Marshall Ney is honestly one of, if not, France's bravest Marshall in their history. He tried everything to protect his men. Many reports & accounts saying that men he commanded supported him so much that he followed every command he gave until to their death.
Bravest of the brave. Not the smartest of the smart. During the failed Calvary charges at Waterloo. Costing the battle
@@asullivan4047 you really have zero knowledge on history
@Vodal_Kressh it's true though. Ney did in fact blunder at Waterloo.
@@asullivan4047 As said by Napoleon "Ney is a great marshall commanding a army under 10000 men." He had big problems when commanding bigger armies.
"Marshall" is a name. "Marshal" is the rank.
4:35 Military prowess of both sides
Russia's diplomatic victories
7:33 Beginning of invasion
12:10 Cossacks
14:03 Battle of Smolensk
17:46 *Battle of Borodino*
35:25 Losses in the battle
36:35 Moscow burns
40:18 Russia strikes back
46:01 Russian winter takes its toll
51:06 Napoleon retreats to Paris & massive French losses
1:00:46 this was the most shocking and chilling part. Absolutely insane that only 1/12 died in action, while 7/12 died from disease and hunger....
AND TWO SURVIVED. Wow.
The conditions created by war can be more deadly than the battles themselves. According to one statistic, more people died from hunger in World War II than were killed by military action.
Actually only about 1/10 survived (60k out of 660k)
In all Napoleonic wars, an estimated 2/3 of soldiers that died, died from ilness, the rest in combat and from wounds.
@@guarana6245 the 60-80k survivor number is for Russian campaign.
Blah blah blah . Let's say that there were no battles at all and Napoleon was defeated by the weather. It is hot in summer, cold in winter. When Napoleon retreated from Russia, his troops built bridges or looked for a ford. What kind of frost can we talk about if there was no ice on the rivers?
51:04 "This is beginning to be very serious." - Napoleon to General Gaulaincourt 23rd November, near Orsha.
No shit Sherlock.
Napo : " see you guy's, i'm heading for Paris...bonne chance ! "
Imagine being in that area during that time. It would have been bad worse n bloody freezing.
And the winner of the funniest and truest comment goes to you Mr Snape.
No shit Napoleon* lol
Much has already been said about the role of the Russian people and military leaders in the victory over Napoleon, but I would like to draw attention to the fact that one of the main reasons for the defeat of Napoleon was his lack of understanding of the specifics of the war with Russia. He treated the invasion of Russia as another purely European campaign, when the entire war consisted of taking the capital or even several major cities and then followed by the conclusion of peace, surrender. Napoleon expected the same from Russia, which is why he was so insistent on rushing to Moscow, and why he lingered in our capital, waiting for the capitulation. But he did not take into account the scale of our country and if in Europe one city is almost half of the country, in Russia even Moscow is only one of the ordinary cities that has taken on the role of the capital. This error in understanding the Russian mentality led to the collapse of Napoleon, because it overturned all his original plans for the company, making the assault on Moscow completely useless and wasteful.
Another major issue for Napoleon was the lack of consolidated power in Europe. His Empire was already vastly overstretched, with some even issuing the claim of Napoleon's intentions for world domination; it was much easier for Russia to replace it's losses from their own heartland and mass-conscript than it was for Napoleon, who had already mass conscripted soldiers since the French Revolution.
French troops also didn't see much of a purpose for the invasion, seeing as their heartland was already secure without any foreign soldier invading France for nearly 20 years; Napoleon's conquests had become ineffective and wasted French resources more often than they were replenished (Manpower, experienced able bodied generals & cavalry) instead opting to replace them with foreign counterparts. Russians however had frequently been in war with the Turks, Swedish and on some occasions even against Napoleon himself. In essence Russia had turned into a second Spain, where smaller armies are defeated and larger ones starve.
Russians are very patriotic and have a massive less centralised rural population to be distributed in its vast realms stretching from poland to alaska at that time
@@davidvasey5065 Except Russia had two capitals. Moscow was the historic capital and for that reason was selected by Napoleon as the target of his march.
Yeah... he could listen to ours Poniatowski and let war on area around Volhynia with great amounts of grain supllies
The Napoleon had likely suffered a megalomania, - a mental decease, which helped him to rise, but also led to a demise. Typical symptoms are feeling of invincibility, being on the "mission from God", and disregarding external advise. Reminds me our CEO.
This is by far the best napoleonic documentary i have ever seen.
Thank you
Hitler did not subscribe, did not push the bell button, did not like history.
What a silly man tsk tsk
Hitler, sounds like a name a dictator would use
Actually Hitler was obsessed with Napoleon and the Russian campaign
@@jordanromanelli6822 well.. If he wanted to emulate him, gg, well done 😂 mission accomplished.
Adored Napoleon so
51:02
*Napoleon* : "This is beginning to be very serious"
*everyone who died from Russians and winter* : "No shit"
really nice documentary, just goes to show how strong & resilient Russians have been throughout history!
Отличный, выдержанный обзор кампании 1812 года. Восхитительно!
I like how he is showing the battles on the map makes it so much easier to understand and interesting instead of just talking
Yeah, the author took so much efforts on making it!
History March are to thank for that i highly recommend you watch their videos espicially Hannibal Barca and His Great army series Abselutely Amazing He is truly one of the best Military tacticians ever
In the memoirs of French military leaders and historical works of the 1810s-1830s, "Russian winter" and "General Frost" often appeared as the main reasons for Napoleon's defeat. Napoleon himself and his marshals later searched for "objective" reasons for the defeat, referring to the frost and the wrong, from their point of view, "non-military" warfare, trying to justify the loss of 552 thousand people and over 1200 guns . However, winter came not only not earlier than usual, but even later. The temperature before the battle near Krasnoye (November 15-18) varied from -3 ° С to -8 ° С, and on November 18 a thaw began, which continued until the battle on Berezina (November 26 - 29). And only immediately after the Berezina frost hit below -20 ° С. In 1835, Denis Davydov, a general participant in the war of 1812, spoke out against such a French interpretation of events in his military-historical article "Did Frost Destroy the French Army in 1812?", In which, relying entirely on facts, he showed that the decisive defeat of the French army occurred in relatively mild weather, and frosts came after the Napoleonic army "in the military sense" no longer existed.
So the vast majority of the french soldiers didn't die because of very frosty temperatures in russia?
@@davidhimmelfahrt3732 heat also killed, and so did disease, like typhus. Ot was always a big killer in military campaign
Any book recommendations?
@@haezlitt Not exactly a book recommendation, but I have seen a statistical graph over a time line showing losses of Napoleon's army. In statistics it is always used as a good model to show depletion over time. The title of the graph is 'Losses of Soldiers in Napoleon's army during the Russian Campaign 1813-1814' from the book 'Visual display of Quantitative Information' by Edward R. Tuft. Just google the title of the graph and take a look at it.
I mean its classic.
You lose - blame the weather, the gods, anything
You win - ah yes its our military genius
The war was heartbreaking, only the Russians' hearts were unbreakable.
What russians. They died also. Too many russians died in the past 220 years! Whole Europe gave its sons to death and perish. If there were less wars in the past 250 years in Europe the continent should be about 1 billion and 300-700 million people
@@KristianHilfcould we imagine.. Globalists wouldnt have a reason to bring millions of non europeans just to 'work' and 'support' economical growth.
These videos on Napoleon have been utterly fantastic, and I’ve watched them multiple times to help me understand events while reading both Andrew Robert’s biography of Napoleon, and the Russian classic War and Peace. Thank you so much for such well produced, and informative videos!
Astonishing quality, not only of its comprehensive history contents, but because the clearness and beauty of its didactic approach. Honestly, there should be at least some Nobel price to honor and reward the value of documentaries like these ones you are producing. Thank you very much, and congratulations!
Nowadays everyone is talking about the Russian weather and terrain defeated Napoleon, but many people forget that in the 18th century the Russian army was a formidable force second only to the Grand Army, In many battlefields, they can fight the French in blood and no backdown, Even before many European countries learned Napoleon's advantages and began military reform. The same applies to the World War 2， the weather and terrain can slow the invaders down, but it was the Russians themself who really defeated the invaders.
Yet the weather, russian terrain and scortched-earth policy truly defeated the French. Napoleon demolished the russian time and again throughout the Napoleonic wars. The only time the russian army prevailed was with the help of allied armies grossly outnumbering the french.
The russian soldiers fought fiercely and bravely, like they always do. I can give you that.
@@mexicomax77 But weather terrain and scorched earth policy are the secondary factors compare to the hard fighting of the army, is impossible for the Russian army to defeat the French without these conditions sure, but without the quality and bravery of the Russian army, the elements mentioned before are nothing. The Russian Tsar will soon seek peace because he knew that the terrain and weather can only slow Napoleon's March, while the scorched earth policy hurts not only the French but also the Russians,. the army is the basis of victory.
@@mexicomax77 During the times when Napoleon retreating from Russia, the Russian army is harassment his army all the time, if they break before Napoleon's retreating, Napoleon's causalities will be far less, and why the Russian army still can fight? cause they fight well in Borodino, it's not a won sure but sometimes it's a victory not to be completely defeated by the enemy, and the result is good。
@@mexicomax77 Vazma, Krasnoe and Beresina.
Slava Shishkin ar beresina its a miracle the French managed to cross the goddamn river so i would count it as a win thanks to the bravest of the braves, Marshal Ney
The other 2, i don’t i will need to research.
I really love this documentary, truly an epic work with pure quality content. The narration, the voice, the graphics and the solid knowledge from this video is just so amazing. This help us to have better understanding of the battle and events in the Napoleon invasion to Russia. And this is all for free. Thank you.
Thanks
In "War and Peace," Leo Tolstoy portrayed Kutuzov as a humble and pious man, kneeling before a church icon, something that Napoleon would never do. Though he falls from grace after his victory, he cares so little for fame that he simply accepts this misfortune. Based on what I've seen here, Tolstoy's admiration is more than justified.
120 years later, German repeated the Napoleon's fatal mistake
Right...they never learn
The only difference btw Hitler and Napoleon is Napoleon took a nap and a walk in the Kremlin.
And Napoleon himself repeated Charles XII's fatal mistake. Russia is just too big and megalomaniacs never learn from or listen to history
@@delo.9999 It's not the same. Napoleon made a dicisin to invade whereas Hitler had no choice
Check your history Hitler had a pack with Russia 🇷🇺 see Poland
And 129 years later, a guy in Germany copied the same homework but with only little changes, and suffered the same fate.
Indeed LOL. The worst part wasn't that both Napoleon & Hilter invaded Russia; it was the fact that they both invaded AND stretched their campaigns into winter, thinking it would be a cakewalk.
@@vasred4265 never continue an invasion of russia during it's favorite season
not really, At the time of Napoleon he didn't need to attack Russia or Spain at all. Whereas in post-industrial time it was necessary to get the Caucasus to secure fuel, attacking Soviets was a necessity. In fact, Hitler was prepped by the West with the main purpose to attacking the Socialist Danger that was the real enemy of the West. Much like Saddam Hussein decades later would be installed by the CIA in Iraq to launch a decade long invasion of Iran on orders of the US Empire.
Which explains why the West supported Germany to get all the lands between Germany and USSR, just to get the 2 next to each other so that they can start fighting.
But as Soviet Union became aware that it was alone against the West supporting Germany, it negotiated a necessary temporary non-aggression pact with Germans to buy time to prepare. And as soon as the pact was signed, the West started threatening Germany concerning Poland, which the West previously already wanted to give to the Germans as launching pad to attack USSR. After Germany took Poland, the West declared war but spent weeks convincing Germans to attack Soviet Union, hence the so-called Phony War in history.
@@heftarc3290 I have never looked at it this way, It makes a lot of sense
Yes he copied mistakes of napoleons 😄😄😄
MY DEAR GOD, THIS IS AMAZING! The quality is astounding! The music, the effects, the depth, the voice actor, the quotes, all are outstanding! I'm absolutely astonished! It's like I just watched one of the best movies ever! 👍
I know
Everyone who attacked Russia had the same song: “The Russians were helped by “General Frost and General Dirt”, as if the Russians themselves were flying through the air and not freezing... 🤣
Russian word "шаромыжник" (someone who wants a free handout) originated then from the French "cher ami" which the stragglers used when begging for food.
cool, reminds me of the french word "bistro"
Интересная подробность! Вспоминается невольно история про "Голубцы".
@@boss180888 французское "бистро" От русского "быстро".так русские офицеры и казаки поторапливали официантов в ресторанах Парижа, когда туда пришли.
the greatest military generals in history always fall for their over confidence due to their multiple successes
Yep even the emperor himself admitted his over confidence, leading to his loss at Waterloo, his marshals weren’t as loyal and obedient.
Napoleon, emperor of the French and liberator of polish, Long live the first emperor of France.
1769-1821
Marshal Murat vive l’empereur!!!
@@TropicalAsian-1000 Napoleon,france saddist,and military thieves.
Died marshal Wellington seems a good counterpoint to this
The problem with most great generals is the same quality that makes them great is also what gets them in trouble. Napoleon was a gambler, and while that benefited him in many of his battles, that same trait was going to cause his downfall, sooner or later. Kissinger's book on Metternich and the Congress of Vienna shows how skillfully someone like Metternich could play Napoleon against himself because he understood Napoleon's personality.
I can't say how many times I've watched/listened to Ney's rear guard action. The narration and soundtrack gives me goosebumps.
Without a doubt the best video of the Napoleonic Wars that I have ever seen. Truly a masterpiece and the prime example of what other history channels should look like. I am grateful to have seen this and other videos made by your channel. Please keep making these videos. Thank you.
This video is a masterpiece. I've studied quite a bit of military history and Napoleon's situation outside Borisov was literally as bad as it gets. The fact he got out of that trap is astonishing. He might be the greatest general of all time.
I have always been a really big history buff, but I have never really studied Napoleon. These videos are fantastic.
This videos are gold. I need to rewind sometimes because I am so impressed by the quality of this content. Thank you!
"One must never ask more from fortune than she can grant" - Napoleon Bonaparte.
Yet he keeps asking.
@joanne chon especially if you were never lose
I think that quote was from after Russia so then it would make sense for him to say that
napoleon recognised his mistakes and admits failure hence why he made that quote
@@derpynerdy6294 There's one thing better than admitting you've done something stupid. Not do something stupid.
@@Belisarius1967
people make mistakes its bound to happen.
i do stupid stuff, you did stupid stuff, he did stupid stuff.
This video really underscores just how much Napoleon's defeat was caused by the skill of the Russian generals, bravery of the Russian soldiers, and sacrifice of the Russian people rather than the winter weather.
Oh shut up. Napoleon lost because of miscalculation. Russia was totally defeated. Russia is the luckiest country in existence.
@@foreverraining1522 The chess game only ends when u capture the King
@@foreverraining1522 Russia didn't suffer a single decisive defeat in the entire campaign
@@foreverraining1522 imagine being this dumb and this salty xD
If 'pathetic' needed a new definition, youd be it.
@Forever Raining your fanatism surpasses your ignorance snd stupidity, nothing personal!!!
I've probably watch this series a thousand times over the course of the pandemic. I'm not sure which one I've watched the most, probably the retreat one or this one, but one thing is for sure. Epic History TV has been my comfort show / channel during the pandemic that is just really nice and soothing to rewatch / listen to in the background.
Bonus: Learning history.
plandemic, say it correctly
Absolutely love this era of war history not recent enough to be spoilt by news and not old enough to have unreliable sources
Borodino was the end for Napoleon, Stalingrad for Hitler.
Hitler lost in Moscow before he did in Stalingrad. Stalingrad was in fact one of the last liberated cities in the USSR
@@ibrahimyange1528 you are right, but Napoleon arrived in Moscow, Hitler with his paranoid ideas not. And this was good, how many people were still killed in Moscow by the Germans troops. The result of aggressive attacks in war was Stalingrad. 😔🤔 Russia and Germany should live in peace ever! No more war never. It brings only death and pain for nothing. World War II costs more than 50 millions of people their live, mostly in Russia...
@@matthiasmoeser2652 Most States were still in their early development that's why there was a lot of Waring. Also massive ideological shifts too
As a history buff I can say that both were turning points.
@@ibrahimyange1528 коренной перелом в Великой Отечественной наступил в 1943 году, после Сталинградской и Курской битвы. Битва под Москвой 1941 года ознаменовалась перехватом стратегической инициативы Красной армией, но к сожалению в 1942 год у советских войск не было опыта проведения крупных наступательных операций, поэтому стратегическая инициатива снова перешла фашистской германии
I Just found a joke about Napoleon's retreat from Russia in an old dutch history book, thought I'd share it here.
Napoleon's son to his dad when he returns; "Dad, I can walk!"
Napoleon; "me too, real fast."
Beautiful.
Latin Frenchs against Slavs... damn its so sexy
You guys do absolutely amazing work, super high quality, detailed, amazing stuff.
The maps the narrator the graphics the animations the thumbnail the armies the histories partitions and quotes etc etc THIS WORK IS A MASTERPIECE much love from syria ❤
This must be my 500th time viewing this I absolutely love this channel and this series , napoleononic times was period that never interested me until I saw this amazing channel thank you for helping me fall in love with history again
the scale of suffering of these soldiers is epic, you have to be superhuman to survive that
They got what they looked for, is that simple!
No one accounts for the many women and children camp followers! What happened to them?
Marshal Davout was the real OG here. That man was insanely battlefield minded, almost like he had a 5,000 foot view of the battles he was fighting.
What Marshal Ney and His Brave Rearguard Been through is absolute Hell , The fact that all Theose Russians and Cossacks Couldn't Stop Him from rejoining the Army , And he Made it with 800 men and Thousands of stragglers is a Great Military feat
@@cheriefsadeksadek2108
a different breed unlike us men today 😂
@@derpynerdy6294 Not really hardest times always make the hardest of men fighting desperately ;) always remember that
@@cheriefsadeksadek2108
I know that, that's why I said a different breed
@@derpynerdy6294 Yeah but If There would be Wars today it would be the same breed as the cracked battle hardened troops just like anytime , Just like WW1 German Stormtroops , or WW2 German last surviving german troops on the eastern front or the last surviving Red army troops just like Hannibal Elite Libyan troops and Numidian cavalrymen ,or roman legions under ceaser or like Napoleon Royal Guard or The Crusaders or Arabic muslim brave fighter they were all normal breed just like you and me until they were trained for war and suffered and survived much combat
This is what the History Channel should’ve become! Great stuff.
This whole series is some of the finest documentaries I've seen on any platform. As someone whose just recently taken a big interest in the Napoleonic era (as in the last 6-12 months) I feel like I could actually hold my own in a debate now.
This particular video was incredibly intense. Having heard a bit about the Russian campaign and retreat I'd of course heard the usual, the numbers died, the winter conditions etc. But this gave so much life to the true scale and the absolute horror of this situation. I found it quite emotional to really see and understand what those people went through. I commend you on telling the story of their final days. After the absolute hell they went through, I feel it is a small but essential service to them that we don't forget or reduce their memory to a few lines of text.
For some reason I just became super interested in Napoleon as well
just found out am to be a dad I hope my kid likes history girl or boy.
I hope they born healty :D
929danny
Congrats 🥳
Congratulations
Is your kid a skilled rider yet?
Good luck man . Hope they are healthy :]
Everyone in the world: he finally did; he spread the revolution to all europe and now he can stabilize his empire.
Napoleon: Well... I've got other plans.
@Napoleon BonaparteUsing Alexander the Great is a bad example since his empire disintegrated immediately after his death. All his armies led by different generals turned against each other. The Mongols were also more military based than politically based, and how long did they survive or what lasting legacy did they give to the world? An army is made of humans and as such they can mutiny like Alexander's army did. With politics you don't need an army to conquer someone and can still control them.
@joi_is _love333 Dude please tell me what the hell Hannibal could've done politically? The others you're fine with, over-extending an empire is never going to work, i dont think its even possible to consolidate it bit by bit, I suppose we have the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire as examples of a large empire "lasting", but inevitably how is it sustainable?
*The European monarchs had others plans
@@fxllen6159 From what I read, he did use Alexander as an example of WHY an empire crumbles if not stabilized after the death of the person that created it.
@Napoleon Bonaparte To add on to your examples of political stabilization. The Era of politician and diplomat Otto Von Bismarks goal, even though the German state did commit to wars, was overall to stabilize its political and economic position in europe that would help create the German nation that still exist today.
This documentary is perfect in every aspect .superb music , excellent narrator just so entertaining!
I have rewatched this video many times and it never fails to amaze me, such a high quality series. This video in particular might be my favorite youtube video of all time
Borodino, the greatest set piece battle untill Kursk,
I literally watched all three TODAY! Amazing work
truly appreciated the fantastic detailed history warfare lecture video!
I really like how, during the retreat segments, there is a tick-tock sound as the days go by. Really emphasizes how Napoleon was in a race against time that he clearly lost.
Some shortcuts :)
Napoleon Invades Russia 0:46
Battle of Borodino 20:06
Retreat from Moscow 36:27
Napoleon : spent all his arms and resources and take Moscow at all costs to finally ask
Napoleon : Can you make peace now
Alexander I : seen
Man, youtube is filled with great battle and war documentary channels. For a long time I’ve always wanted to see how these battles I read played out. Thank you do much for producing these animations. Keep up the great work!
Exactly, it's like they put on screen what I always wanted
Fun fact. In ww2 there was also a battle for borodino. And french ss was participating in it. If you want more search it up.
Fact 100% 33-я доброво́льческая пехо́тная диви́зия СС «Шарлема́нь» (1-я францу́зская)Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS „Charlemagne" тактическое соединение войск СС нацистской Германии.(фр. Charlemagne)
This content is so articulate and well-made; you've set such a high standard for the content creator community!
I was just reading War an Peace and you upload it here. Thanks alot!!
"Rule 1, on page 1 of the book of war, is: "Do not march on Moscow"." -Bernard Montgomery
Unless you're Batu Khan and the mild Russian winter is tshirt weather...
@Sue Martino How so?
@@Khan-ib5lo
`till they were shot down by MIG-31!Remember?
@Power and Wisdom There's truth in that. But on their day, there was no negotiating with the hordes...
Everyone has their day.
@@shaunvduke batu khan invaded Russia when it wasn't an organized state or empire so it doesn't really count
正在读《战争与和平》看了这个战争解析视频，对整体理解全书描写与战争相关的故事有极大的帮助作用。感谢制作出如此精美的视频。
То им жарко, то холодно) знакомая песня..
Плохие танцоры . Все им яйца мешают .
Stolica Peterburg a voina i za Moskvi???
)))) песняры ещё те
Хоть ролик то смотрел? Нормальная документалка, не пизди тут
Ну да, сами поумирали от холода. Русские только смотрели. :)
Сделано хорошо: планы, карты... Но, конечно, Ней отступал героически, угробив весь свой корпус, а Багратион просто так (сохранив армию). И за Малоярославец, чтобы разграбить, сжечь и изнасиловать Калугу, франко-итальянцы сражались героически "как львы", а русские ну так себе. Просто Кутузов занял удачную позицию...
When Napoleon invaded Russia, odds seemed overwhelmingly in his favour. He had 650,000 soldiers while Russians had 175,000, a 4:1 advantage. He was leading his army in person - and he had badly beaten Russians before at Austerlitz and at Friedland. Even in terms of population, French Empire surpassed Russia. Besides, the whole of Germany, Low Countries, Italy and Poland - almost all Europe - was allied to Napoleon.
Yet Napoleon lost his war. And Russians won. Why?
If we believe French propaganda, because in Russia it was cold.
If we believe Russian propaganda, because Russians were patriotic.
As always, there is a grain of truth - at least as big as a mustard seed - in any propaganda. At some points of the campaign it was actually cold and some Russians did show patriotism. However, many other reasons were more important.
1. Lack of strategic vision on both sides.
Napoleon did not really know what was his goal when starting this war. He proclaimed that he wants to push Russia back to Asia and restore Poland-Lithuania but in reality he preferred a new accord with the Czar Alexander. He kept changing plans until it was too late and, instead of working on his own agenda, tried to follow Russian moves in order to discover the Russian strategy and destroy it. Unluckily for him, Russians also lacked strategic vision.
When faced with Napoleon’s invasion, Alexander I panicked and adopted a stupid decision suggested by the General Phull to set a fortified camp not very far from the border and give a fight there. When Napoleon’s army marched towards the camp, the General Barclay convinced the Czar to move further inside the country. From that moment on, Barclay retreated towards Moscow. It was not a part of the plan. The whole Russian society was expecting a big battle. But Barclay knew he would lose it - and continued to retreat. Exasperated, Russian nobility pressed the Czar into displacing Barclay and appointing Kutuzov in his place - only to have Kutuzov continue the retreat. Finally, he did give a fight near Moscow - but instead of defending it, he abandoned the old capital to the enemy.
Finally, Russians managed to lure French into a trap exactly because they did not have the intention of luring them into a trap.
2. Bad French intelligence, good Russian intelligence.
The war took place in the Russian territory. The French did not gather enough intelligence about the country, almost no one knew the language and when given a good advice, they often ignored it. For instance, during a month in Moscow, feeling that the winter is approaching, Poles changed the horseshoes, installing “winter gear”, with calks. The rest of the army laughed at them for doing so. They would not laugh a month later when most horses died.
On the contrary, Russian officers often knew French and understood the French way to fight. Russians learned their hard lessons from the campaigns of 1805 and 1806-1807. They knew the favourite tactics of Napoleon and his generals and knew how to avoid them.
The same was replicated on the higher level of command. Alexander I and his generals understood Napoleon much better than he understood them. He waited for a month in Moscow hoping that Alexander would propose a peace with him. It was this month that turned his army into an enormous gang of marauders.
3. Bad French logistics and discipline, propensity to plunder.
Napoleon failed to adequately supply his army. Already in Poland, the soldiers experienced shortage of food. It became much worse in Russia, as supply lines became extended and were attacked by partisans. Without food, the soldiers could only loot. Pillage started already in Poland and never stopped. Evidently, it alienated locals. The only part of the army adequately supplied was Napoleon’s Guard. And it was the only part of the army that did not frighten the locals.
Even when there was enough food for everyone, it was badly distributed. The intendants managed to collect enormous stocks of victuals in Smolensk, Vitebsk and Wilno. But the discipline was lacking: the first soldiers to arrive would often destroy more than eat, opening barrels of wine with shots and killing cows just to eat their tongues and brains, while the rest would rot.
This was ultimately the marauding that lost the French army. They pillaged too much in Moscow. They needed horses and carts to get it transported to France. To transport their loot, they would abandon cannons, they would abandon their wounded comrades, they would abandon food. It sounds ugly but it is understandable: most soldiers were poor guys and it was their once-in-the-lifetime chance to enrich themselves. Little did they know that they were leading the whole army to death. Most of the loot, ironically, had to be abandoned at the bank of the Berezina, 700 km after the departure from Moscow.
In 1814, Napoleon would expect France to fight against his enemies as strongly as Russians had fought against him. However, during the 1814 Campaign in France, Russians did manage to supply their army with biscuits. The biscuits were of bad quality but protected soldiers from starvation. That’s why Russian soldiers in France behaved much better and did not cause much enmity among the locals.
4. Higher Russian morale.
Napoleon’s army was enormous. But most French who were willing to fight had already died in his endless wars. Moreover, half of his army was composed of non-French who did not have much interest to fight for Napoleon. Ok, there were Poles, who would fight for him and could do it. There were also Italians who fought valiantly but it was definitely too cold for them in Russia. But Germans did not appreciate this war. And even most French did not really understand the point of going to war with Russia. When arriving to Moscow, the army hoped the peace would finally be concluded. They had no other desire, they had already endured too many hardships. Yep. Long before any winter.
Russians, on the other side, could easily understand why are they fighting, especially after meeting one more company of French foragers. Besides, the higher society, accustomed to Russian victories under Catherine the Great and Paul I, saw the defeats of 1805-1807 and the subsequent Tilsit Treaty as a national humiliation. They wanted to beat the French back, at any cost. As for the Czar Alexander, he knew, after Austerlitz, that he was completely unable to be a military commander, so he mostly stayed clear of purely military matters. However, he also knew he could not cope with the role of Napoleon’s junior partner anymore.
5. Weather
The last and the least. Weather. Yes, the French army had been particularly unlucky with the weather. It is true. It was hot when it was bad and it was cold when it was bad. Reminds an old Soviet joke that Soviet agriculture is weak because of four major obstacles - winter, spring, summer and autumn.
Contrary to the general idea, Napoleon invaded Russia in summer, not in winter. And it was a particularly hot summer. 60,000 soldiers of the Grande Armée were ill already before entering Russia. After the terrible heat, there were torrential rains, and the resulting mud (yes, Russian roads were not that good) made movement of horses very difficult. And immediately after the rains, the heat (27-30°C) came back. At this point, according to an eyewitness, the soldiers were suffocating from heat and dust, and when they saw water, they precipitated thither with such furore that many drowned while others filled them so immoderately with water that they could not march anymore.
This heat would persevere until autumn. When Napoleonic army left Moscow, it was not particularly cold. Yes, the temperature was slightly below 0°C, and poor horses, without winter shoes, broke their legs on ice. But then it became unusually warm - and exactly this circumstance transformed Napoleon’s defeat, already evident, into a catastrophe. If the weather were normal, Napoleon’s army would cross Berezina on foot. But as it was too warm, the river did not freeze and the army had to install pontoon bridges with Russian armies in dangerous vicinity. Many perished in the battle of Berezina.
It was after Berezina, when there was no more army but a group of survivors, that it suddenly became too cold. The remnants of the army largely froze to death when trying to reach the cities on the border. That’s how Napoleon’s army got absolutely annihilated.
What a thorough analysis.
Napoleon: *invades Russia because of their continued trade with England*
Russia: *So you have chosen death!*
No it was actually
Russian trade with England
Napoleon : SO YOU HAVE CHOSEN DEATH
So, Actually even without the musics and animations just the narrators voice is enough to make you feel in a catastrophy just incredible kudos to you sir!
This is the best thing ever! The narration, quality, absolute satisfaction! Watching this over and over, amazing!
This is what I'm waiting for. I Love this masterpiece!
Thank You
Guys, this has been an amazing series. Thank you for producing this. Very well done and well deserved congratulations!
Napoleon himself should have watched it. That kind of great work you did. Thank you Epic history TV.
The best Napoleon campaign doc i've watched, thanks a lot for this!
This is one of the best videos I've ever seen, documentary or otherwise. That intro gives one chills. Imagine being one of those soldiers. LORD. This is what history is about!!
Every narrator slavishly repeats that Napoleon started"retreating from Russia as winter closed in". Napoleon began his retreat in early October and was out by mid November. Long before the winter closed in.
and yet somehow YOUR book of factual information, not "slavish" like so many, is not available yet?
@joanne chon The first frost hits in early October, with no snow. The snow starts falling by the end of October. But 1812 had abnormally early and harsh winter indeed, with night temperatures occasionally dropping down to -50C. Without a winter clothing that is a certain death in the open field.
@joanne chon news for you: this us wrong. Firstly, Russia is big and tge climate is different from area to area. And secondly, September AND first half of October us quite warm. September can even be really hot, at least in Moscow.
Another couch potato 🥔 wanna be lol 😂
I have no idea where you pulled that idea from, winter began to close in by late October, the weather was inhospitable with frosts and snows by November. This was no bother to the Russians who had winter clothing, unlike the French.
Masterfully done!!!
THE BEST NAPOLEONIC DOCUMENTARY
One of the Kutuzov concerns was that if Napoleon died or captured in Russia, the Europian powers would be tempted to finish Napoleon's work. He wanted Napoleon alive and out of Russia in order for Europe to feel threatened by Napoleon and join Russia against France.
All and all, he was a good commander with a broader understanding of logistics and politics.
Ерунда
Кутузов был ничтожнество
When the Russians don't surrender after you take moscow:
New Objective: S U R V I V E
It wasn’t even capital city back then, which is even funnier.
@@kirillassasin Napoleon with full seriousness waited for surrender letter in Kremlin. What a moron.
This guy was seriously very very stupid to even the most average pro gamer.
Because Russians have the mentality of step people.
xD
I'm here because I'm going to start reading War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy and was looking for background information. Thank you for this amazing video!
35:46 "One of Russia's legendary ravening heroisms. My profound gratitude to Epic History TV for uploading such inspirational documentary🌷!"
Oh my oh my, a new masterpiece? You spoil us, mister! I'll definitely reserve an hour today to enjoy this to the fullest.
Amazing documentary.
At points, I can almost feel like an eye witness of these historical events.
Your channel is absolutely unbelievable. I cannot wait until you cover Napoleons generals. You guys are heroes. I am off to donate!
As a Kutusov apologist, Alexander was way more to blame for Austerlitz than Kutusov. Alex's meddling undermined Russian and Austrian defensive cohesion. Even though Kutusov got the blame, Alexander never really inserted himself into command decisions again.
As an African in the US, the narrator deserves all. Respect 🙏🏾
I failed to see the connection between you being African living in the US and the narrator.
Great. Now learn about Haiti’s history, after this evil tyrant.
@@Jean_Jacques148 no one cares about Haitian history