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Is there any way Napoleon could have defeated Russia?
Topic Started: Apr 2 2018, 01:39 AM (198 Views)
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Crazy Awesome Legend

In 1812 Napoleon successfully captured Moscow with his army. However the Russian government had fled to Siberia and so no one was around to sign the terms of surrender. After many weeks of occupation the Russians set Moscow on fire and Napoleon had to return home.

Could he have done anything differently to keep Russia under his control?

The answer is probably a resounding no. He didn't invade Russia to conquer it. He was just trying to defeat them in a war over trade embargoes. There's no way he had the man power to keep it occupied. The Russians knew this and they acted accordingly.

But if you have any clever ideas about how he could have won. I'd love to know.


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Southern Gothic
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Dilly Dilly

Avoid the Russian winter at all costs would be my advice.
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Maybe attacking during the spring summer autumn period would be beneficial. Also warm clothes and better overall army management maybe ?

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Crazy Awesome Legend

He invaded them on the 24th of June. It was the journey back to France that decimated his forces, not the invasion.


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Southern Gothic
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Dilly Dilly

Probably needed a better plan for withdraw then. Just flip what Pointer said to focus on the return rather than invasion and it still works out as pretty good advice. Or he just needed to keep his troops there as an occupying force for an indefinite amount of time.

Edit: I'm not as informed on Napoleonic history, so most of what I have to pull from is what I know about Operation Barbarossa by comparison. From what I understand, in WW2 the biggest reason that the Germans were forced to withdraw was due to insufficient supply lines, which had to come through Europe and into Russia to provide for the German Army. The Nazis were then forced to return to Berlin, but the Russians had burned many of the towns and cities that sat along the way back. This essentially forced death upon the Germans on their retreat.

All common sense stuff, but it's easy to project it back onto Napoleon. Since the far more mechanized German Army was unable to provide a proper supply line, France would have had an even more dire problem with it.

My point being that Napoleon either needed to stay in Russia and find a way to occupy the territory or delay his withdraw until the following year. It would have had to be a Summer effort to come back, as with advancing in attack, because the wet seasons in Russia make large parts of the continent impossible to cross.
Edited by Southern Gothic, Apr 2 2018, 11:56 AM.
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Crazy Awesome Legend

He couldn't stay in Moscow any longer than he did because it was literally on fire. He assumed the government would be there to sign a treaty but they were all gone when he arrived. He waited and waited but they never showed.


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Southern Gothic
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Dilly Dilly

Well then I have very well exhausted my opinion on the subject. I'm not sure how one can successfully occupy Russia when they are so willing to go into self-destruct mode every time it happens.

Just speaking off the cuff, Napoleon, with some hindsight, might have done well do employ the same tactic but in an offensive manner, burning the cities first and doing it faster, then getting the hell out. Something similar to what Grant applied when he razed the South.
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Tinny
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Well, I think it comes down to Napoleon capturing the government, rather than simply avoiding winter. As dangerous as wimter is, it's not the be all end all, And I can see a winner campaign ending in victory. However, Napoleon cannot forget Russia's size, which is easier to forget than you think, he needs to keep in mind the tsar can easily evacuate Moscow and just never return if need be, because Russia is big.

I'd also see if I can play the various factions against each other, perhaps the Cossacks may be willing to strike a deal?
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