There has never been a stronger fortress, there has never been a more desperate defense... But Ishmael was taken! Port Said: who is to blame.

Although some may consider D-Day to be the moment of World War II when the tide turned in the Allies' favor, in reality the Nazis ran out of steam and began to retreat even while Battle of Stalingrad, which occurred more than a year and a half before this event. Without a doubt, the Battle of Stalingrad was the most brutal battle of World War II and the fiercest battle in military history. The result of this battle buried Hitler's dream of a world empire and marked the beginning of the end for the Nazis. Without this battle, the Allied landings in Europe might not have happened at all. Now let's take a closer look at some of the events of this battle.

1. Losses

To fully understand the true scale, cruelty and importance of the Battle of Stalingrad, we must start at the end - with the losses. It was the most bloody battle the entire war, which lasted almost seven months, from mid-July 1942 to February 2, 1943, and in which not only Red Army soldiers and Nazis participated, but also Romanians, Hungarians, Italians, as well as some Russian conscripts. In this battle, more than 840 thousand Axis soldiers died, disappeared or were captured, while the Soviet Union lost more than 1.1 million people. During the battle, over 40 thousand civilians were also killed Soviet population. Stalin himself strictly prohibited evacuation from Stalingrad, believing that Soviet soldiers would fight better knowing that they also had to protect the city's inhabitants.

By comparison, during the Allied landings in Europe and the subsequent invasion of Normandy, about 425 thousand soldiers died or disappeared on both sides. At the same time, in Stalingrad, of the approximately 91 thousand Germans who survived until February 2 and surrendered that day, only about 6,000 returned home at all. The rest died of hunger and exhaustion in Soviet labor camps even ten years after the end of World War II. The Axis forces—about 250 thousand people—trapped in Stalingrad found themselves in the most terrible conditions. With meager supplies and no suitable clothing for the harsh Russian winter, many died of starvation or extreme cold. On both sides, many soldiers were forced to engage in cannibalism to survive. The average life of a recruit in Stalingrad was one day, while a captain could live there for three days. Of course, the Battle of Stalingrad is the bloodiest battle in human history, claiming more lives than many other wars combined.

2. Reason for pride

Today the city is known as Volgograd, but until 1961 it was called Stalingrad in honor of the Soviet leader. So, as you can understand, the city was of great importance to both Hitler and Stalin. Of course, the Germans sought to capture the city not only because of its name, but it had its role here. The main goal of the Battle of Stalingrad was to protect the northern flank of the German army, sent south to Caucasus Mountains towards Baku and other oil-rich areas. Oil was Germany's Achilles heel, so to speak, since more than 75% of the oil came from Romania, whose reserves were already running low by 1941. In this regard, in order to continue the war, the Nazis needed to capture some oil areas. The Nazis called this search for oil “Operation Blau.” She was integral part even more major operation"Barbarossa", the goal of which was the conquest of the Soviet Union.

Inspired initial victories and the rapid movement of the Axis forces across the territory of modern Ukraine and southern Russia, Hitler decided to divide his southern armies. While it northern armies were mainly focused on the siege of Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg) and the capture of Moscow, the southern group of troops was tasked with capturing Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Modern Belarus and Ukraine were important industrial zones for the Soviet Union, and if it had also lost oil fields, he would most likely capitulate. Since the Red Army suffered heavy losses in previous battles, Hitler thought that Stalingrad would be an easy target. By and large, Stalingrad did not have much strategic importance, but Hitler wanted to take the city because of its name. In turn, Stalin, for the same reason, wanted to hold the city at any cost. As a result, Stalin emerged victorious from this battle, which became the first major victory and turning point in World War II. And since this victory took place in a city named after him, it was important means propaganda for Stalin until the end of the war and for the rest of his life.

3. Not a step back!

Signed by Joseph Stalin himself on July 28, 1942, Order No. 227 is better known as the “Not a Step Back!” Order. In the context of the catastrophic situation that arose during the Great Patriotic War, Stalin issued this decree to put an end to the mass desertion and unauthorized and chaotic retreats that had taken place up to that point. The West of the USSR, which included modern Ukraine and Belarus, was the most industrialized part of the country, as well as the so-called breadbasket of the Soviet state. Most of its civilian population lived in these areas, therefore, even despite the vast territory of the USSR, constant retreat was not a way out of the situation. This order meant that no military commander should give any orders for retreat, regardless of the situation, in the absence of corresponding orders from higher command. Violators of this order were subject to trial by a military tribunal.

On each front, including Stalingrad, there should have been penal battalions. These battalions consisted of approximately 800 mid-level commanders with disciplinary problems, as well as ordinary soldiers who were under their command. The latter also included deserters, so-called cowards, or other troublemakers. These battalions were placed in the front ranks and were always sent into the most dangerous battles. In addition, there were also detachments. Each army had to have several such detachments, each with 200 soldiers. Their task was to stand in the rear guard and turn around or kill deserters or those who tried to retreat without appropriate orders. According to rough estimates, 13,500 “traitors to the Motherland” were killed in Stalingrad alone.

4. Tank T-34

Up until 1942, the Soviet Union lagged behind the Germans, as well as their Western allies, in terms of armored vehicles. However, development of the T-34 tank began back in 1939. By June 1941 Eastern Front there were only 1,200 T-34 tanks. However, by the end of the war their numbers had grown to more than 84,000 units. The previous model of the Soviet tank, the T-26, could not compete with the German Panzer III tanks. It moved slower, had weak armor and much smaller firepower. In 1941 alone, the Nazis destroyed more than 20,000 Russian T-26 tanks. But with the advent of the T-34 tank, the situation changed, and the Panzer III tanks were at a disadvantage.

The T-34 tank was not perfect by many standards, but it was nonetheless a weapon to be reckoned with. It was equipped with a V12 engine, which allowed it to reach speeds of up to 48 kilometers per hour, and could also operate in sub-zero temperatures. It also had a 76.2 mm main gun and two machine guns. The T-34 tank had wider tracks than its predecessors and competitors, which made it more maneuverable in the sea of mud in the fall and spring and during heavy snowfalls in the winter. But the most notable thing about the T-34 was its sloped armor, which gave the tank the protection it needed without increasing its overall weight. As the Germans soon learned, most of their shells simply bounced off his armor. The T-34 tank was the main reason for the development of the German Panther tank. In fact, the T-34 tank could be destroyed by throwing a grenade at it with close range or damaging its engine. This could also be done with heavy anti-aircraft artillery.

However, the most important advantage of the T-34 tank was the simplicity and low cost of its mass production. As you might expect, it was awkward and had a lot of imperfections. Many T-34 tanks were sent into battle directly from the factory assembly line. There was one such plant in Stalingrad itself. However, it was designed to be operated by a relatively inexperienced crew. This was precisely the main difference between the T-34 tank and its German counterparts. The first army of T-34 tanks was deployed in the counteroffensive that preceded the Battle of Stalingrad, on the banks of the Don.

As a result of this counter-offensive, the German army suffered heavy losses, and the attack on Stalingrad was delayed by almost three weeks. It also reduced the Nazis' resources and seriously damaged their morale. The Germans did not expect Soviet counter-offensive at this stage of the war, not to mention the appearance of new tanks.

5. Rat War

The attack on Stalingrad began with heavy aerial bombardment, turning the city into piles of charred ruins. An estimated 40,000 soldiers and civilians were killed in the first week of the air attack. Soviet soldiers stubbornly refused to retreat to east side Volga, knowing full well what it would mean for both their war effort and their lives. Civilians, including women and children, dug trenches sometimes ten meters from the Germans. With constant shelling and aerial bombardment, the Battle of Stalingrad soon turned into the “rat war,” as the Germans called it.

The battle for Stalingrad quickly turned into a fierce one. guerrilla warfare, in which countless soldiers on both sides died for every inch of urban territory. Before moving forward, it was necessary to clear every street, every basement, room, corridor or attic from enemy troops. There were cases when in multi-storey buildings the floors were occupied by Germans or Russians in turn. They shot at each other through holes in the floor. Nowhere was safe. Fierce fighting took place in the streets, in trenches, in sewer collectors, in blown-up buildings and even on above-ground industrial pipelines. The Germans' initial advantage in armor and air power diminished in this "rat war", which put the Russians in a more advantageous position.

6. Pavlov's House

Pavlov's house became a symbol representing the Russians' resistance to constant German attacks during the Battle of Stalingrad. It was a four-story apartment building overlooking the “9 January Square.” The house was of great strategic importance for the Russians, as it occupied a very advantageous position, giving its defenders a large 800-meter line of sight to the west, north and south. The house was named after junior sergeant Yakov Pavlov, who became a platoon commander of the 13th Guards rifle division after the death of all senior sergeants. Pavlov's platoon received reinforcements a few days after he began his duties, and its strength grew to 25 men. The platoon also received machine guns, anti-tank rifles and mortars.

Pavlov ordered his men to surround the building with four rows of barbed wire and mines and stationed a man with a machine gun in each window facing the square. Some mortars and anti-tank rifles were placed on the roof of the building. This turned out to be a great advantage, since German tanks trying to drive up to the building were shot down from above with guns. The tanks could not raise their guns to shoot at the roof. However, the Germans stormed the building day and night, trying to capture it once and for all. At the same time, the Russians breached the walls in the basement and connected it to a trench system that brought supplies from the other side of the river. However, water and food supplies were limited.

Under the command of Yakov Pavlov, the platoon resisted German attacks almost two months, from September 27 to November 25, 1942. The commander of the Soviet forces in Stalingrad, General Vasily Chuikov, jokingly said that the Germans lost more soldiers and tanks in the attacks on Pavlov's house than in the capture of Paris.

7. Height 102

Closer to the center of Stalingrad is Mamayev Kurgan, which is a 102-meter-high hill, from which there is a good view of the surrounding city and suburbs, as well as the opposite, eastern, bank of the Volga. And, naturally, fierce battles were fought for him during the Battle of Stalingrad. The first attack on this hill (or Hill 102) took place on September 13, 1942. Before the German advance, the Russians surrounded the hill with trenches lined with barbed wire and mines. However, a day later both the hill and the railway station underneath were captured. More than 10,000 died in this battle Soviet soldiers. And just two days later, the Russians recaptured the hill. In fact, Mamayev Kurgan changed hands 14 times during the Battle of Stalingrad.

By the end of the fighting, the once steep hillsides had been leveled by almost continuous shelling. Throughout the winter there was almost never snow on the hill due to the many explosions. Even in spring, the hill remained black, since grass did not grow on the scorched earth. According to available data, from 500 to 1,250 metal fragments were found on every square meter of the hall. Even today people find shards of metal and human bones on the hillsides. Mamayev Kurgan is also the burial place of more than 35,000 civilians who died in the city, and more than 15,000 soldiers who defended this position. Vasily Chuikov is also buried there. He became the first marshal of the Soviet Union not buried in Moscow. In 1967, a colossal monument 87 meters high, known as “The Motherland Calls,” was also erected on the hill. (For comparison, the Statue of Liberty is only 46 meters tall.)

8. Grain elevator

The southern outskirts of the city mainly consisted of wooden houses. After German air raids dropped thousands of incendiary bombs, these houses were left in heaps of rubble with charred beams and brick chimneys. But among the wooden houses there was a large, concrete grain elevator. The walls of this building were very thick and practically invulnerable to artillery fire. By September 17, the entire area was under German control - with the exception of the elevator and the 52 Soviet soldiers holed up in it. During three days the Germans carried out at least 10 unsuccessful attacks a day.

During the day, the defenders of the elevator fired at the enemy from the roof with machine guns and anti-tank rifles. At night they fought at the base of the tower, repelling attacks German soldiers who were trying to get inside. On the second day I drove up to the elevator german tank with a white flag. Came out of it German officer and, through an interpreter, demanded that the Russians surrender. IN otherwise he threatened to wipe them off the face of the earth along with the grain elevator. The Russians refused to surrender and knocked out a retreating tank with several anti-tank shells.

9. Extraordinary Soviet heroes

Vasily Zaitsev is one of the most notable heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad (if you have seen the film "Enemy at the Gates", this name should be familiar to you, since he is its main character). Being a simple rural boy from the Urals, Zaitsev spent his childhood hunting deer and wolves with his grandfather in the mountains. After the Germans attacked the Soviet Union, Zaitsev volunteered for the front and eventually ended up in Stalingrad. He became the most famous among the snipers who participated in the battle for this city. He took a scope from an anti-tank rifle, mounted it on his Mosin rifle and killed enemy soldiers while hiding behind walls. During the Battle of Stalingrad he killed 225 Germans. He even organized a kind of sniper school, in which he trained 28 snipers.
The 1077th Air Defense Regiment did something similar. When the Germans launched an attack on Stalingrad from the north, the Russians were severely short of troops to repel it. And then the soldiers of this regiment lowered their guns as much as possible and began to shoot at the advancing Germans and held them off in this way for two days. Ultimately, all 37 guns were destroyed, their positions were overrun by the Germans, and the regiment suffered heavy losses. But it was only after the Germans finally overcame the resistance of the 1077th Air Defense Regiment that they learned that it was made up of girls who had barely finished school.

10. Operation Uranus

Operation Uranus was launched in mid-November 1942 and was aimed at encircling the German 6th Army in Stalingrad. Those involved in this operation Soviet forces numbering about a million soldiers, they had to attack from two directions instead of fighting the Germans directly in the city. Soviet troops were supposed to attack the flanks of the German army, which were defended by the Romanians, Hungarians and Italians. They were short of ammunition and men, and the front line was too stretched. The Axis forces did not believe that the Russians were capable of such a powerful offensive and were taken by surprise. Ten days after the start of the offensive, two formations Soviet troops met at Kalach, a city located about 100 kilometers west of Stalingrad, and the 6th Army was completely cut off. The German High Command urged Hitler to allow the army at Stalingrad to retreat and establish contact with supply lines, but Hitler would not hear of it.

With the onset of winter, supplies to the cut-off German army could only be carried out by air. This supply was far from sufficient. At the same time, the Volga froze, and the Russians could easily supply their troops. In December, Hitler ordered the start of Operation Winter Storm, which was an attempt to rescue the encircled army. Special military units were supposed to approach from the west and break through to Stalingrad. However, Hitler forbade the forces in Stalingrad to attack from the east, and the operation failed. By January, the Germans were surrounded by six Soviet armies, and a month later the remnants of the German army surrendered.

But their glory never dies,
Who will die for the fatherland;
She shines so forever
Like moonlight on the sea at night.
Time in the distant past
Their descendants will see the shadows,
Whose spirit was courageous...

G.R. Derzhavin, ode “To the Capture of Izmail”

This assault, this bloody battle shocked Europe, not to mention Sublime Porte. And it was like this...

In the middle of 1790, when Austria withdrew from the war, and Russia finally signed a peace treaty with Sweden, the main stronghold of Sultan Selim III on the Danube remained impregnable fortress Ishmael. The Russian army had been besieging it since October.

The ships of the river flotilla of Major General Joseph de Ribas approached the walls of Izmail. Fighting began with the Turks, who tried to prevent Ribas's plan to land troops and capture the island of Catal. By November 20, De Ribas managed to establish artillery batteries on the island. The shelling of the fortress began both from the island of Chatal and from the ships of the flotilla. A battle ensued, during which the Russian landing force captured the Tabia tower, after which it was forced to retreat. The retaliatory attack of the Turkish landing force on Çatal was repulsed. Turkish fleet near Ishmael managed to be destroyed; Russian ships blocked the Danube.

After November 20, there was a lull near Izmail. The siege was organized without forethought: there was no heavy artillery, and the field did not have enough ammunition. Turmoil reigned in the Russian units near Izmail. In addition, the eldest in rank of the Russian generals who came to the Turkish stronghold - General-in-Chief Ivan Vasilyevich Gudovich - did not enjoy sufficient authority to achieve unity of command. Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin and Major Generals Kutuzov and de Ribas, in turn, acted inconsistently, jealously looking at each other...

Frosts were approaching - and the military council decided to lift the siege of the fortress, sending the troops to winter quarters. The path from near Izmail was already difficult because of the lack of roads. However, the commander-in-chief, Prince Tauride, was much more determined than his cousin General Pavel Sergeevich Potemkin or Gudovich. He understood that it was necessary to save the situation, that the time had come to destroy the Turkish stronghold on the Danube. And a new commander-in-chief was sent to Izmail - the famous general-in-chief Suvorov, the most decisive of the Russian commanders.

“Ishmael remains a nest of the enemy. And although communication through the flotilla was interrupted, he still tied his hands for distant enterprises. My hope is in God and in your courage. Hurry up, my dear friend!

Suvorov chose to take the last call literally - he did not have to repeat it twice. General-in-chief Gudovich Potemkin, who was unable to rally the troops, was recalled from near Izmail and sent away from the Danube fortresses - to Kuban, where the stubborn general-in-chief would successfully take Anapa by storm. But is it possible to compare the garrison of Izmail with the pitiful Turkish detachment that defended Anapa? What about the fortifications?..

Byron wrote about the assault on Ishmael:

Suvorov on this day surpassed
Timur and, perhaps, Genghis Khan:
He contemplated the burning of Ishmael
And listened to the cries of the enemy camp;
He composed a dispatch to the queen
With a bloody hand, oddly enough -
Verses: “Glory to God, glory to you! –
He wrote. “The fortress has been taken, and I’m there!”

Of course, this understanding of Suvorov’s military leadership is impoverished by the prejudice of the English lord, who irreconcilably hated imperialism Catherine's Russia, but it is significant that the poet makes the capture of Ishmael one of the central episodes of his main, final poem “Don Juan”. We remember another Suvorov - the one who rode to Izmail on his favorite Don stallion and after great victory abandoned the best trophy horses and left his position riding the same Donetsk horse. We remember Suvorov, who after the victory, turning pale, admitted: “You can only undertake such an assault once in your life.” The garrison of Ishmael numbered more than 35 thousand people, of which 17 thousand were selected Janissaries. Izmail had enough supplies of food and weapons - the Turks were not afraid of an assault - and at the same time they did not suffer from underestimating the enemy, because Suvorov beat them more than once.

The Chief General scrupulously studied intelligence reports on the Izmail fortifications and soon had the opportunity to send an ultimatum to the Turks with a characteristic postscript - personally from Suvorov: “Seraskir, the Chief Officers and the entire Society. I arrived here with the troops. 24 hours to think about surrender and – will; My first shots are already bondage; assault - death. Which I leave to you to consider.” History also remembers the proud, but, as it turned out, overly arrogant answer of Aidos Mehmet Pasha: “The flow of the Danube will soon stop and the sky will fall to the ground before the Russians take Ishmael.” Meanwhile, Russian troops under the leadership of Suvorov were already conducting thorough preparations for the assault. With the appearance of Suvorov under the walls of the fortress, time seemed to speed up - the situation was changing so quickly.

After quick and effective exercises the army believed in its own strength.

From the first hours of Suvorov’s stay near Izmail, he constantly conferred with engineers, with military quartermasters, together with them he analyzed the features of Turkish fortifications and erected training fortifications for the army.

Let's define the Russian forces that were preparing for the assault near Izmail: 33 infantry batteries, 8 thousand dismounted Cossacks, another 4 thousand Black Sea Cossacks, 2 thousand Moldovans, and 11 cavalry squadrons and 4 Don Cossack regiment. All the troops at Suvorov’s hand were no more than 31 thousand people. Mainly the famous Russian infantry. Only two and a half thousand cavalry and Cossacks were recruited.

The fortress was located on the coastal heights of the Danube. Six and a half kilometers of reliable fortifications! A deep ditch, filled with water in the main sections, followed by a steep earthen rampart 6-8 meters high and seven bastions.

It was not for nothing that the fortress was considered impregnable due to its landscape conditions, well-thought-out fortification and powerful garrison. After all, 35 thousand troops, half of which are selected Janissaries, the renowned elite of the Turkish army. There was no shortage of artillery either. Probably nowhere in the world at that time were so many guns concentrated per meter of land - 265. The reserves of shells and provisions were designed for a very long siege, and in December there was no crisis with these necessary resources in Izmail.

The commandant, the three-bunchu seraskir Aidos Mehmet Pasha, had a reputation as a fearless and skilled warrior; his authority among the troops was not questioned. The Tatar cavalry was commanded by the brother of the Crimean Khan Kaplan-Girey, who vindictively hated Russia and completely defeated the Austrian troops near Zhurzha. The order of Sultan Selim III also deserves mention: those who surrendered were awaited the death penalty. As usual, he came to the aid of the Sultan. religious fanaticism. The mullahs skillfully maintained the morale of the troops. Well, the Ottomans fought for their faith, for their sovereign, for their Motherland... Turkish warriors, many of whom already had personal scores to settle with the Russians, were preparing to fight until last straw blood.

It is not easy to fight in winter, and even in the 18th century, when not only cavalry, but also artillery, food, and shells were pulled by horses. Military campaigns rarely dragged on until serious frosts; in winter, the war passed into a quiet stage, and only with the spring sunshine did serious bloody actions resume. But in 1788, Potemkin launched an assault on Ochakov in early December. AND impregnable Ishmael could not be left untouched until spring. There are both tactics and strategy.

On the chilly morning of December 7, 1790, Suvorov draws up an ultimatum to Pasha and the entire garrison of the fortress - here it is, the formidable voice of the empire, which was at the zenith of its glory:

"To the Izmail authorities
December 7, 1790
from General Anshef and Cavalier Count Suvorov-Rymniksky to the Excellent Mr. Seraskir Megamet Pasha Aidozle, commander in Izmail; venerable Sultans and other pashas and all officials.

Starting the siege and assault on Ishmael Russian troops, consisting of a notable number, but, observing the duty of humanity, in order to avert the bloodshed and cruelty that occurs, I let Your Excellency and the venerable Sultans know through this! And I demand the return of the city without resistance. All possible ways will be shown here to benefit you and all residents! Which is what I expect from you in twenty-four hours, a decisive notification from you so that I can take action. Otherwise, it will be too late to help humanity, when not only no one can be spared, but even women and innocent babies from the irritated army, and for that no one like you and all officials must give an answer before God.”

Harsh words of a warrior!

The generals enthusiastically listened to Suvorov’s fiery speech - needless to say, it was not Gudovich... The first, without further ado, was the youngest, Matvey Platov, who voted for the assault. And this fact entered into true legend about the glorious Don Ataman: “We praise Platov the hero, the winner was the enemy!.. Glory to the Don Cossacks!..” Following the Donets, the resolutions were signed by Brigadier Vasily Orlov, Brigadier Fyodor Westfalen, Major General Nikolai Arsenyev, Major General Sergei Lvov, Major General Joseph de Ribas, Major General Lasiy, Major General Ilya Bezborodko, Major General Fyodor Meknob, General Major Boris Tishchev, Major General Mikhaila Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Lieutenant General Alexander Samoilov, Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin. Suvorov tried before the fateful battle (“you can decide on such an assault once in your life”) to bind his commanders together more firmly. It was impossible to flinch.

Rymniksky himself said: “I decided to take possession of this fortress, or die under its walls!”

Under the walls of Izmail, Suvorov conducted extremely hasty, but intense and thoughtful exercises. He spoke a lot with the troops, recalled past victories, so that everyone would be imbued with the importance of the Izmail assault. This is where Suvorov’s folklore reputation was needed - as a charmed sorcerer who neither drowns in water nor burns in fire. Which cannot help but win...
On specially constructed ramparts and in a ditch, soldiers practiced techniques for overcoming these obstacles. Forty assault ladders and two thousand fascines prepared Suvorov for the assault. He himself demonstrated the bayonet strike technique. He demanded persistence from officers in training troops.

It is difficult to say why the Turks did not dare to attack the extended Russian positions. Perhaps Aidos-Mekhmet was counting on stalling for time, and Suvorov managed to get ahead of a possible attack, quickly moving from reconnaissance to an attack. But Suvorov was ready to repel massive Turkish attacks.

It was clear, frost-free, southern December days with cold, damp mornings. At dawn on December 10, Rtishchev’s artillery began shelling the fortress, firing from the river from rowing ships. The Turkish artillery responded precisely: thus, a Russian brigantine with two hundred sailors on board was blown up. At three o'clock in the morning a signal flare cut across the night sky. However, for reasons of conspiracy, signal flares had been launched in the Russian camp for several nights, confusing the Turks. But that night Aidos-Mehmet knew from the defectors that the assault had begun.

The troops moved to the assault, according to the disposition. At half past five in the morning the attack began. The right-flank group was commanded by Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin. Suvorov psychologically prepared Potemkin for the assault and instilled in him confidence in his abilities. Potemkin's troops (7.5 thousand people) attacked the fortress from the West in three columns. The first column of Major General Lvov consisted of two battalions of Phanagorians (Suvorov’s favorites went ahead in all battles!), a battalion of Belarusian rangers and one hundred and fifty Absheronians. The column was to attack the urkpeleniya near the Tabiyah tower. Workers walked ahead with picks and shovels: they had to break down the walls, clearing the way for the army. Those who knew no fear, looked death in the face! The second column of Major General Lassi included three battalions of the Yekaterinoslav Jaeger Corps and 128 riflemen. The third column of Major General Meknob included three battalions of Livonian rangers and moved towards the Khotyn Gate. Each column had a reserve, and there was a general reserve for the entire Potemkin detachment: cavalry regiments, which were supposed to break into the fortress in their turn after taking the Khotyn and Bros gates. The left wing, under the command of Lieutenant General Samoilov, was the most numerous - 12,000 people, of which 8,000 were dismounted Don Cossacks. Three columns of this group, which attacked the fortress from the northeast, were commanded by brigadiers Orlov, Platov and Major General Kutuzov. The first two columns consisted of Cossacks. Kutuzov’s column included three battalions of Bug rangers and 120 selected riflemen from the same Bug corps. Kutuzov had two battalions of Kherson grenadiers and a thousand Cossacks in reserve. The column was heading to attack the Kiliya gates.

The third group, which attacked Izmail from the south, from the island of Chatal, was commanded by Major General Ribas. Ribas's troops numbered 9,000 people, 4,000 of them were Black Sea Cossacks. The first column was commanded by Major General Arsenyev, who led the Primorsky Nikolaev Grenadier Regiment, a battalion of the Livonia Jaeger Corps and two thousand Cossacks into battle. The column was supposed to help Kutuzov's column in the battle for the new fortress. The second column of Ribas was commanded by Brigadier Chepega; the column included infantrymen of the Aleksopol regiment, 200 grenadiers of the Dnieper Primorsky regiment and a thousand Black Sea Cossacks. The third column of Ribas's group was commanded by Second Major of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment Morkov, who would receive the rank of brigadier for the assault on Izmail. With him were 800 grenadiers of the Dnieper regiment, 1000 Black Sea Cossacks, a battalion of Bug and two battalions of Belarusian rangers. He was to support General Lvov with a landing party in the battle for Tabia.

Along tied ladders, over bayonets, over each other's shoulders, Suvorov's soldiers overcame the walls under deadly fire, opened the gates of the fortress - and the battle moved to narrow streets Ishmael.
During the assault, the columns of generals Lvov and Kutuzov especially distinguished themselves. General Lvov received a painful wound. His assistant, Colonel Lobanov-Rostovsky, was also wounded. Then the commander of the Phanagorians, Suvorov’s favorite, Colonel Zolotukhin, took command of the assault column. Suvorov and Kutuzov, about whom Alexander Vasilyevich said: “In Izmail, he was my right hand on the left flank,” led the soldiers with their personal example of military courage.

Suvorov orders Orlov's column to be reinforced with troops from the general reserve - the Voronezh Hussar Regiment. He added two squadrons of the Seversky Carabiniers to the Voronezh troops. However, a quick breakthrough did not work out: the Turks managed to concentrate numerous forces in the area of the Bendery Gate and the bastion, and the Cossack units had already suffered considerable losses. Suvorov was convinced that an onslaught was needed here and again showed the ability in time, at a critical moment, having assessed the risks, to introduce an additional reserve into battle. He throws the entire reserve of the left wing of Suvorov’s army to the Bendery Gate - it was cavalry. The chief general adds Donskoy to them Cossack regiment from the general reserve. A flurry of attacks, horse trampling, mountains of wounded - and the bastion was taken.

When forward battalion, in which Platov was walking, approached the fortress, the Cossacks stopped in confusion in front of a flooded ditch. Brigadier Platov, remembering the lessons of Suvorov, was the first to enter ice water, waist-deep in water, overcame the fortress moat under fire, commanded: “Follow me!” - and the battalion followed the example of the commander. At thirty he was in his prime physical strength and was already skilled, fired Cossack chieftain. For such miracles to become reality, you need enormous trust in the troops to the commander, the authority of the officer.

There were street battles ahead, in which Platov, who had caught the courage, was still just as lucky. A considerable part of the Russian losses during the assault on Izmail were dead and wounded Cossacks. The dismounted Donets were poorly equipped for the assault. But Suvorov hoped for their prowess, and there was no one to replace the Cossack forces, and an attack was necessary.

The Russian cavalry entered the open gates of the fortress. Orlov’s column, together with the column of Major General Meknob, cleared the important northern section of Izmail’s fortifications from the Turks. Now they acted coherently and were able to repel counterattacks of the Turks, continuing to occupy inch by inch the impregnable stronghold - Ishmael.

In the evening, the last defenders of the fortress begged for mercy. A unique assault on the fortress resulted in destruction enemy army. During disarmament, a huntsman jumped up to the seraskir and tried to snatch a dagger from his belt. The Janissary shot at the ranger, but hit a Russian officer... The Russians assessed this shot as a treacherous violation of the terms of surrender: after all, the Turks asked for mercy. A new bayonet strike destroyed almost all the Turks, Aidos-Mehmet also died from wounds...

Finally, the last Janissaries, led by Muhafiz Pasha, who fought in Tabia, surrendered to the mercy of the victors. Last defender and the fortresses capitulated at 16.00. The attack hardened the troops, who remembered the two unsuccessful assaults on Ishmael. According to the military traditions of that time, Suvorov gave the city to the victors for three days to plunder. Alas, this time the officers were unable to restrain the soldiers from cruel atrocities. And in Izmail there was something to profit from! The Turks brought merchant warehouses from the surrounding territories occupied by Russian troops to the fortress. Particularly successful participants in the assault enriched themselves by a thousand or two chervonets - a fantastic profit! Suvorov himself refused the trophies and did not even accept the excellent horse that the soldiers brought to him. Once again the Phanagorians did not disappoint Suvorov’s expectations. Of these, Suvorov ordered to form the main guard of the conquered fortress.

Yes, such an attack can only be undertaken once in a lifetime... Ten thousand Russians died in fierce battles, including 400 officers out of 650 who participated in the assault. Eloquent numbers - such fearlessness reigned in the hearts of Suvorov’s students. Twenty-seven thousand Turks were destroyed, the remaining ten thousand were captured. According to legend, only one Turk remained alive and was not captured! He dove into the Danube, grabbed a log, and, unnoticed, reached the shore. It was rumored that it was he who brought the news of the Izmail disaster to the Turkish authorities.
The next day, Suvorov was preparing for a prayer service and dictated a message to Potemkin:

“Most Serene Prince! Your Majesty! Forgive me for not writing this myself: the smoke hurts my eyes... Today we will have a thanksgiving prayer service at our new Spiridonius. It will be sung by the Polotsk priest, who was with the cross before this brave regiment. The Phanagorians and their comrades will go home from here today...” The Polotsk priest is none other than Father Trofim Kutsinsky. It was he who celebrated the prayer service after the Victory.

In a later letter to Potemkin, Suvorov will tell about his feat in more detail - and the priest fully deserved such attention in the correspondence of two great Catherine eagles: “Polotsk infantry regiment priest Trofim Kutsinsky, during the assault on Izmail, encouraging the soldiers to fight bravely with the enemy, preceded them in the most brutal battle. The Cross of the Lord, which he carried in his hands as a sign of victory for the soldiers, was pierced by two bullets. Respecting his fearlessness and zeal, I dare to ask for a cross on his neck.”

We were undoubtedly talking about the Cross of St. George. But the statute of the order did not say a word about priests, and there were no precedents for such an award! And the status of the regimental priest was not secured by law. In short, a legal incident occurred. And yet, the empress did not leave Father Trofim without a reward; she found, as we would say today, a compromise option. He was awarded a pectoral cross with diamonds on a St. George ribbon. At the request of Catherine, the priest of the Polotsk infantry regiment was elevated to the rank of archpriest.

Albeit a stretch, but he is considered the first priest - Knight of St. George. And this happened largely thanks to Suvorov’s fatherly attentiveness to his “miracle heroes.” And Suvorov was even more in awe of the priesthood. After all, the entire Suvorov science of winning is permeated with faith in victory, since the defense of the Fatherland was perceived as a divinely inspired service: “Die for the House of the Mother of God, for Mother, for the Most Serene House! The Church prays to God. Whoever remained alive, to him honor and glory! And, after such a sermon, the basics of soldier science: “A soldier must be healthy, brave, firm, decisive, truthful, pious. Pray to God! Victory comes from Him! Miracle heroes! God guides us, He is our general!”

A true patriot is one who knows or at least strives to know real story of his country, and not a false chronology of continuous victories.

In general, only a person who has no brain at all can assume that the Russian army was invincible and legendary throughout its history.

Elementary logic dictates that this simply cannot be.

Even the ancients said that almost every major victory begins with defeat. And if in the history of Russian weapons there were firsts, then there were second ones. Here are the loudest of them.

1. In 1382, 2 years after the victory of Dmitry Donskoy in the Battle of Kulikovo, Khan Tokhtamysh struck back: he plundered and burned Moscow.

A.M. Vasnetsov. Defense of Moscow from Khan Tokhtamysh, XIV century. 1918

In general, the story of the Mongol yoke is the biggest black spot on military pride Great Russians. How it was possible for 300 years, unlike Europe, to tolerate the occupation of some nomads is now difficult for patriots to explain.

The big history of Iga also has its own local mysteries. How was it possible to remain under the rule of the Tatars for another 100 years after the victory on the Kulikovo Field? Apparently, either the battle was not so large-scale, or it did not decide anything, or it did not happen at all.

2. In 1558 - 1583, the Livonian War with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden and Denmark

Ivan IV the Terrible waged this war for a quarter of a century, and it ended with his complete defeat. Russia practically lost access to the Baltic Sea, was devastated, and the north-west of the country was depopulated. Also in the 17th century, Russia lost one war to Poland (1609-1618) and two to Sweden (1610-1617 and 1656-1658).

3. Prut campaign, 1710-1713

In the XVIII, after the victory in Battle of Poltava in 1709, Peter I set out on the inglorious Prut campaign to pursue Charles XII, who fled to the Danube possessions of the Ottoman Empire.

The campaign turned into a lost war with the Turks of 1710-1713, during which Peter I, instead of capturing the Swedish king, miraculously avoided being captured, and Russia lost access to Sea of Azov and the newly built southern fleet. Azov was again captured by the Russian army only a quarter of a century later under Empress Anna Ioannovna.

Russia, before winning Patriotic War 1812 " Great Army” and reach Paris, was defeated in the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 and actually lost the subsequent war with Napoleon of 1806-1807, which ended for Russia in the humiliating Peace of Tilsit.

5. Crimean War 1853-1856

In the book Crimean War: The Truth Behind the Myth, historian Clive Ponting notes that the Crimean War pitted three terrible armies against one more or less tolerable one - the French.

In his opinion, Russia had the greatest and least effective force: “the troops consisted mainly of slave soldiers armed with best case scenario 18th century guns that fired at a quarter the distance and half the speed of Anglo-French barrels.”

The tactics were also at least half a century old, the specialist adds: the troops were led by a field marshal, 72-year-old Ivan Paskevich, a veteran of the war with Napoleon (1812).

As a result of the war, about a million Russians died, many times more than the Allies. The treaty subsequently pushed the empire even further away from its Mediterranean ambitions - after Crimea, the West destroyed the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

6. Battle of Tsushima 1905.

Naval battle in May 1905 near the island of Tsushima - Russian 2nd fleet squadron Pacific Ocean under the command of Vice Admiral Rozhdestvensky suffered crushing defeat from Imperial Navy Japan under the command of Admiral Heihachiro Togo.

Video: The Japanese are still proud of their victory over the Russians at Tsushima

The battle became decisive naval battle Russo-Japanese War 1904-05. As a result, the Russian armada was completely defeated. Most of the ships sank or were sunk by the crews of their ships, some capitulated, some were interned in neutral ports, and only four managed to reach Russian ports.

7. Defeats in the First World War

Patriotic demonstration in 1914.

We used to not like to remember the First World War, except perhaps about the successful Brusilov breakthrough in the summer of 1916. And this is no coincidence, because the Russian army was plagued by defeats in that war.

The most famous of them, perhaps, is the defeat of the Russian armies in East Prussia in August 1914 (one of the best novels by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “August the Fourteenth,” was written about this), although General Denikin, for example, called the retreat from Galicia in the summer of 1915 the greatest tragedy of the Russian army in the First World War.

After the Bolsheviks came to power, the Red Army won the civil war. But in the war with Poland in 1920, it lost miserably. The march on Warsaw turned into a “miracle on the Vistula” - an unexpected defeat of the army of the future Soviet Marshal Tukhachevsky by the troops of the Polish Marshal Pilsudski.

8. Day of the “holiday” - February 23, 1918

In February 1917, on the eve of the revolution, Russian empire was a participant in the First World War and was preparing to attack Germany with the arrival of spring. The outbreak of the coup averted these plans, as well as the chances of a decent exit from the war - the Bolsheviks, dissatisfied with the defeat, seized power by force in October 1917 and the country entered the stage of civil war.

In this situation, the army began to disintegrate, tired of the already protracted war. The enemy did not fail to take advantage of this. On February 18, 1918, German and Austro-Hungarian troops launched an attack on the scattered and outnumbered troops, but the tired Russians responded only with panicked flight and desertion.

The newspaper Delo Naroda wrote in February 1918: “Narva was taken by a very small detachment of Germans, only about 40 people, who arrived on motorcycles at 8 o’clock in the morning. The flight from the city began the day before, around 12 noon. The soldiers and committees were the first to flee, leaving everything to the mercy of fate. However, some managed to sell the government property remaining from the theft.”

9. Winter war with Finland (1939-40)

(Finnish propaganda leaflet)

In 1939, the Soviet leadership wanted to gain control over Finland in order to create buffer state. The Finns, naturally, were against it. The desire for independence turned out to be stronger than Stalin’s plans: a people of 4 million defeated an army of 5 million.

According to most historians, the USSR's strategy was based on murderous self-confidence - the army invaded Finland completely unprepared for a long polar war. Ironically, “General Moroz” in this case defeated the Russians, who were proud of the harsh climate.

In addition, there was a lot of simple military nonsense - Soviet tanks painted black were clearly visible in the snowy landscapes of Suomi, and many soldiers were dressed in khaki suits, and often did not have winter clothes.

Being in a noticeable minority, the Finns sneered: “So many Russians! Where are we going to bury them? As a result of the disastrous war for Moscow, Finland lost about 26 thousand soldiers, the Union - about 70-100 thousand (historians' estimates differ).

10. Summer-autumn 1941

The “brilliant” strategist Stalin, who had been preparing for war since 1929, but for some reason shot the command staff of the Red Army the day before, put almost the entire economy of the USSR to work for the war, but, as it turned out later, never created an economic base for the defense of the country, managed to the first months of the war to lose almost the entire army, navy and aviation of the USSR and half European territory Soviet Union.

During the summer-autumn of 1941, the Red Army went through a series of difficult setbacks, flowing into one another, before managing to stop the Wehrmacht advance near Moscow in early December.

End of June 1941 - defeat near Minsk, more than four hundred thousand losses.

In September - the Kiev cauldron, which could have been avoided if we had retreated across the Dnieper in time. Another seven hundred thousand killed, wounded, and captured.

By September 1941, the number of soldiers who were captured by the Germans was equal to the ENTIRE PRE-WAR REGULAR ARMY.

11. Operation Mars, 1942

Concept Soviet operation Mars appeared at the end of September 1942 as a continuation of the first Rzhev-Sychevsk operation (July 30 - September 30). His task is to defeat the 9th German Army, which formed the basis of Army Group Center, in the area of Rzhev, Sychevka, Olenino, Bely.

By the fall of 1942, the Red Army had leveled the front, pushing the Germans back from Moscow, but a potential abscess remained in the line, threatening Moscow. Operation Mars was supposed to cut off the “neck” of this protrusion.

The Germans chose to strengthen their positions instead of attacking. On the day the operation began, heavy snowfall and fog prevented aviation and artillery from attacking the “strongholds” of the Nazi army. In the chaos, the Soviet army missed the German positions, as a result, the deployments of the Germans and the Soviets were mixed. The Nazi counterattack cut many supply lines and cut off communications between field commanders.

Despite numerous losses - both tanks and soldiers - the commander of the operation, Georgy Zhukov, tried for another three weeks to equal the successes of the “competitor operation” at Stalingrad. As a result, in a month Soviet army The Germans lost about half a million soldiers killed, wounded and captured, about 40 thousand.

12. Huge losses in World War II

“Falled in World War II” - interactive documentary about the price paid for this war in the lives of people, and about the decline in the number of victims in conflicts after the Second World War.

The fifteen-minute data visualization delivers a cinematic narrative that brings new drama to audiences of this pivotal moment in world history.

The film makes especially obvious the tragic proportions between the losses of the USSR in comparison with other countries participating in this war.

The film is accompanied by a sequential commentary, which at key moments can be paused to study the numbers and graphs in more detail.

A separate story is the human losses in the USSR during the Second World War. Such a huge number of lives lost, according to various estimates up to 30 million over 4 years of war, even in the event of a military victory, dealt such a blow to the country that it ultimately lost all subsequent historical competition with developed countries.

13. Korean War

In 1950, when North Korea with the support of the USSR and China, began a war against South Korea, trying to establish a communist regime throughout the peninsula.

The USSR did not officially participate in the war, but provided assistance to the Kim Il Sung regime with money, weapons, military advisers and instructors.

The war is essentially over political defeat Moscow - In 1953, after Stalin's death, the new Soviet leadership decided to stop intervening in the conflict, and Kim Il Sung's hopes of reuniting the two Koreas under his rule were dashed.

14. War in Afghanistan, 1979-1989

The USSR was actually defeated in Afghan war 1979-1989. Having lost almost 15 thousand people, the Soviet Union was forced to withdraw troops from Afghanistan without achieving its goals.

They wanted to sovietize Afghanistan, almost make it the sixteenth republic of the USSR, they fought for almost ten years, but they were never able to defeat the “miners and tractor drivers” - illiterate Afghan farmers who, instead of hoes, picked up their grandfather’s rifles from the time of the Anglo-Afghan wars at the end XIX – early XX centuries (however, over time they also had American “Stingers”).

But the main thing is that the war in Afghanistan was the last blow to the USSR, after which it could no longer exist.

15. Defeat in the Cold War with the USA

The USSR lost to the United States in the arms race, straining under the unbearable burden of military spending due to an ineffective state economy, and collapsed in 1991.

16. The storming of Grozny and the Chechen wars

On the eve of the operation, Russian General Pavel Grachev boasted: “Give me a detachment of paratroopers, and we will deal with these Chechens in a couple of hours,”

It turned out that Russia ultimately needed 38 thousand soldiers, hundreds of tanks and almost two years to suppress the Chechen militias. As a result, Moscow de facto lost the war.

It included not only the unsuccessful assault on Grozny in 1994-1995, but also the defeat of Russian troops in August 1996, when armed forces Chechen separatists Grozny, Gudermes, Argun were captured, and Moscow was forced to sign the Khasavyurt Peace Treaty, which was humiliating for it. First Chechen War was lost.

Battle of Gettysburg

For an ordinary person, any collision that leads to the death of loved ones is terrible tragedy. Historians think big and among all the bloody battles in human history, they single out 5 of the largest.

The Battle of Gettysburg, which took place in 1863, was undoubtedly a terrible battle. The Confederate forces and the Union army faced off as opponents. The collision resulted in the deaths of 46,000 people. The losses of both sides were almost equal. The outcome of the battle cemented the Union's advantages. However, the price paid for success in the civil war on American soil was incredibly expensive. The battle lasted for 3 days, until complete victory army led by General Lee. This battle ranks 5th on the list of the bloodiest in history.

Battle of Cannes

In 4th place is the Battle of Cannae, which took place in 216 BC. Rome confronted Carthage. The number of victims is impressive. About 10,000 Carthaginians and approximately 50,000 citizens of the Roman Empire died. Hannibal, the Carthaginian commander, made an incredible effort, leading a huge army through the Alps. Subsequently the feat ancient commander repeated the Russian commander Suvorov. Before the decisive battle, Hannibal defeated the armies of Rome at Lake Trasimene and Trebia, deliberately drawing Roman troops into a planned trap.

Hoping to break through the middle of the Carthaginian army, Rome concentrated heavy infantry in the central part of the troops. In contrast, Hannibal concentrated his elite troops on the flanks. Having waited for a breakthrough in their ranks in the center, the Carthaginian warriors closed their flanks. As a result, the Roman soldiers were forced to continue moving, pushing the front ranks towards certain death. Carthage's cavalry closed the gap in the central part. Thus, the Roman legionaries found themselves in a tight deadly loop.

3rd place goes to the battle that took place on July 1, 1916, during the 1st World War. The Battle of the Somme on Day 1 resulted in 68,000 deaths, of which Britain lost 60,000. This was just the beginning of a battle that would continue for months. In total, about 1,000,000 people died as a result of the battle. The British planned to wipe out the German defenses with artillery. It was believed that after a massive attack, British and French forces would easily occupy the territory. But, contrary to the expectations of the allies, the shelling did not lead to global destruction.

The British were forced to leave the trenches. Here they were met by heavy fire from the German side. Britain's own artillery also complicated the situation, pouring volleys into its own infantry. Throughout the day, Britain managed to capture several minor objectives.

The Battle of Leipzig, where Napoleon's troops confronted Russia, Austria and Prussia, took place in 1813. French losses amounted to 30,000 people, the Allies lost 54,000. This was the largest battle and the largest defeat of the great French emperor. At the beginning of the battle, the French felt great and held the advantage for 9 hours. But, after this time, the numerical advantage of the allies began to take its toll. Realizing that the battle was lost, Bonaparte decided to withdraw the remaining troops across the bridge, which was to be blown up after the retreat French army. But the explosion came too early. A huge number of soldiers died after being thrown into the water.

Stalingradskaya

The most terrible battle in history is Stalingrad. Nazi Germany lost 841,000 soldiers in the battle. USSR losses amounted to 1,130,000 people. The months-long battle for the city began with a raid German aviation, after which Stalingrad was largely destroyed. The Germans entered the city, but they had to participate in fierce street battles for almost every house. Germany managed to capture almost 99% of the city, but it was impossible to completely break the resistance of the Soviet side. The approaching frosts and the attack of the Red Army, launched in November 1942, turned the tide of the battle. Hitler did not allow the troops to withdraw and as a result, in February 1943 they were defeated.

It doesn't matter what bloody battles result. The reason may be a clash of religious beliefs, territorial claims, political shortsightedness. God grant that mistakes are not repeated.

Capture of Ishmael. More than 220 years have passed, but Russia has not forgotten that heroic assault. “The glory of those who die for the Fatherland does not die,” said Derzhavin after the capture of Izmail.

The Russo-Turkish War entered into decisive stage. It was necessary to confirm the victory, to arm the diplomats with such arguments against which the Ottomans would certainly give up...

The Sultan's stronghold on the Danube remained an impregnable fortress with a huge garrison armed to the teeth - Izmail. This is not just a fortress - but an army, provided with everything necessary, hidden in the fortification. Invulnerable army!

The Turkish fleet near Izmail was destroyed; Russian ships blocked the Danube. After November 20, there was a lull near Izmail. The siege was organized without forethought: there was no heavy artillery, and the field did not have enough ammunition. Turmoil reigned in the Russian units near Izmail. In addition, the eldest in rank of the Russian generals who came to the Turkish stronghold - General-in-Chief Ivan Vasilyevich Gudovich - did not enjoy sufficient authority to achieve unity of command. Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin and Major Generals Kutuzov and de Ribas, in turn, acted inconsistently, jealously looking at each other...

Frosts were approaching - and the military council decided to lift the siege of the fortress, sending the troops to winter quarters. The path from near Izmail was already difficult because of the lack of roads. However, the commander-in-chief, Prince Tauride, was much more determined than his cousin General Pavel Sergeevich Potemkin or Gudovich. He understood that it was necessary to save the situation, that the time had come to destroy the Turkish army on the Danube. And a new commander-in-chief was sent to Izmail - the famous general-in-chief Suvorov.

Potemkin cried: “Ishmael remains the nest of the enemy. And although communication through the flotilla was interrupted, he still tied his hands for distant enterprises. My hope is in God and in your courage. Hurry up, my dear friend! Suvorov chose to take the last call literally - he did not have to repeat it twice. General-in-chief Gudovich Potemkin, who was unable to rally the troops, was recalled from near Izmail and sent away from the Danube fortresses - to Kuban, where the stubborn general-in-chief would successfully take Anapa by storm. But is it possible to compare the garrison of Izmail with the pitiful Turkish detachment that defended Anapa? What about the fortifications?..

Byron wrote about the assault on Ishmael:

Suvorov on this day surpassed

Timur and, perhaps, Genghis Khan:

He contemplated the burning of Ishmael

And listened to the cries of the enemy camp;

He composed a dispatch to the queen

With a bloody hand, oddly enough -

Verses: “Glory to God, glory to you! -

He wrote. “The fortress has been taken, and I’m there!”

Of course, this understanding of Suvorov’s military leadership is impoverished by the prejudice of the English lord, who fiercely hated the imperialism of Catherine’s Russia, but it is significant that the romantic poet makes the capture of Ishmael one of the central episodes of his main, final poem. We remember another Suvorov - the one who galloped up to Izmail on his favorite Don stallion and, after a great victory, abandoned the best trophy horses and left his position riding the same Donetsk stallion. We remember Suvorov, who after the victory, turning pale, admitted: “You can only undertake such an assault once in your life.” The garrison of Ishmael numbered more than 35 thousand people, of which 17 thousand were selected Janissaries. Izmail had enough supplies of food and weapons - the Turks were not afraid of an assault - and at the same time they did not suffer from underestimating the enemy, because Suvorov beat them more than once.

Suvorov was besieging the fortress with thirty thousand troops and intended to settle the matter by attack. Considering the powerful fortifications of the Turkish stronghold and 250 enemy guns, “arithmetically” the assault was doomed to failure. But Suvorov, having arrived near Izmail, wasted no time and began training soldiers in conditions close to combat. The officers had to forget Gudovich's orders... The General-in-Chief scrupulously studied intelligence reports on the Izmail fortifications and soon had the opportunity to send the Turks an ultimatum with a characteristic postscript - personally from Suvorov: “Seraskir, the Chief Officers and the entire Society. I arrived here with the troops. 24 hours of reflection for surrender and - will; My first shots are already bondage; assault - death. Which I leave to you to consider.” History also remembers the proud, but, as it turned out, overly arrogant answer of Aidos Mehmet Pasha: “It would be more likely for the Danube to stop flowing and the sky to fall to the ground than for the Russians to take Ishmael.” Meanwhile, Russian troops under the leadership of Suvorov were already conducting thorough preparations for the assault. With the appearance of Suvorov under the walls of the fortress, time seemed to speed up - the situation was changing so quickly. After quick and effective exercises, the army believed in its own strength.

Let's define the Russian forces that were preparing for the assault near Izmail: 33 infantry batteries, 8 thousand dismounted Cossacks, another 4 thousand Black Sea Cossacks, 2 thousand Moldovans, and 11 cavalry squadrons and 4 Don Cossack regiments. All the troops at Suvorov’s hand were no more than 31 thousand people. Mainly the famous Russian infantry. Only two and a half thousand cavalry and Cossacks were recruited.

The citadel with the impressive stone Bendery bastion rose to the north. On the banks of the Danube, the fortress was defended by artillery batteries, which made an attack by the Russian flotilla impossible. From the west and east the fortress was protected by lakes - Kuchurluy, Alapukh, Katabukh. The approaches to the fortress gates (their names remained in history - Brossky, Khotyn, Kiliya, Bendery) were shot through by artillery batteries. Fortifier de Lafitte-Clove knew his business. It was not for nothing that the fortress was considered impregnable due to its landscape conditions, well-thought-out fortification and powerful garrison. After all, 35 thousand troops, half of which are selected Janissaries, the renowned elite of the Turkish army. There was no shortage of artillery either. Probably nowhere in the world at that time were so many guns concentrated per meter of land - 265. The reserves of shells and provisions were designed for a very long siege, and in December 1990 there was no crisis with these necessary resources in Izmail. The commandant, the three-bunchu seraskir Aidos Mehmet Pasha, had a reputation as a fearless and skilled warrior; his authority among the troops was not questioned. The Tatar cavalry was commanded by the brother of the Crimean Khan Kaplan-Girey, who vindictively hated Russia and completely defeated the Austrian troops near Zhurzha. The order of Sultan Selim III also deserves mention: those who surrendered were subject to the death penalty. As usual, religious fanaticism came to the aid of the Sultan. The mullahs skillfully maintained the morale of the troops. Well, the Ottomans fought for their faith, for their sovereign, for their Motherland... Turkish warriors, many of whom already had personal scores to settle with the Russians, were preparing to fight to the last drop of blood.

It is not easy to fight in winter, and even in the 18th century, when not only cavalry, but also artillery, food, and shells were pulled by horses. Military campaigns rarely dragged on until serious frosts; in winter, the war passed into a quiet stage, and only with the spring sunshine did serious bloody actions resume. But in 1788, Potemkin launched an assault on Ochakov in early December. And the impregnable Ishmael could not be left untouched until spring. There are both tactics and strategy.

"To the Izmail authorities

from General Anshef and Cavalier Count Suvorov-Rymniksky to the Excellent Mr. Seraskir Megamet Pasha Aidozle, commander in Izmail; venerable Sultans and other pashas and all officials.

Starting the siege and assault of Ishmael by Russian troops, consisting of a notable number, but, observing the duty of humanity, in order to avert the bloodshed and cruelty that occurs, I let Your Excellency and the venerable Sultans know through this! And I demand the return of the city without resistance. All possible ways will be shown here to benefit you and all residents! Which is what I expect from you in twenty-four hours, a decisive notification from you so that I can take action. Otherwise, it will be too late to help humanity, when not only no one can be spared, but even women and innocent babies from the irritated army, and for that no one like you and all officials must give an answer before God.”

Harsh words of a warrior!

The generals enthusiastically listened to Suvorov’s fiery speech - needless to say, it was not Gudovich... The first, without further ado, was the youngest, Matvey Platov, who voted for the assault. And this fact became part of the true legend about the glorious Don ataman: “We praise Platov the hero, the winner was the enemy!.. Glory to the Don Cossacks!..”. Following the Donets, the resolutions were signed by Brigadier Vasily Orlov, Brigadier Fyodor Westfalen, Major General Nikolai Arsenyev, Major General Sergei Lvov, Major General Joseph de Ribas, Major General Lasiy, Major General Ilya Bezborodko, Major General Fyodor Meknob, General Major Boris Tishchev, Major General Mikhaila Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Lieutenant General Alexander Samoilov, Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin. Suvorov tried before the fateful battle (“you can decide on such an assault once in your life”) to bind his commanders together more firmly. It was impossible to flinch. Rymniksky himself said: “I decided to take possession of this fortress, or die under its walls!”

On specially constructed ramparts and in a ditch, soldiers practiced techniques for overcoming these obstacles. Forty assault ladders and two thousand fascines prepared Suvorov for the assault. He himself demonstrated the bayonet strike technique. He demanded persistence from officers in training troops.

at three o'clock in the morning a signal flare cut across the night sky. However, for reasons of conspiracy, signal flares had been launched in the Russian camp for several nights, confusing the Turks. But that night Aidos-Mehmet knew from the defectors that the assault had begun. The troops moved to the assault, according to the disposition. At half past five in the morning the attack began. The right-flank group was commanded by Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin. Suvorov psychologically prepared Potemkin for the assault and instilled in him confidence in his abilities. Potemkin's troops (7.5 thousand people) attacked the fortress from the West in three columns. The first column of Major General Lvov consisted of two battalions of Phanagorians (Suvorov’s favorites went ahead in all battles!), a battalion of Belarusian rangers and one hundred and fifty Absheronians. The column was to attack the urkpeleniya near the Tabiyah tower. Workers walked ahead with picks and shovels: they had to break down the walls, clearing the way for the army. Those who knew no fear, looked death in the face! The second column of Major General Lassi included three battalions of the Yekaterinoslav Jaeger Corps and 128 riflemen. The third column of Major General Meknob included three battalions of Livonian rangers and moved towards the Khotyn Gate. Each column had a reserve, and there was a general reserve for the entire Potemkin detachment: cavalry regiments, which were supposed to break into the fortress in their turn after taking the Khotyn and Bros gates. The left wing, under the command of Lieutenant General Samoilov, was the most numerous - 12,000 people, of which 8,000 were dismounted Don Cossacks. Three columns of this group, which attacked the fortress from the northeast, were commanded by brigadiers Orlov, Platov and Major General Kutuzov. The first two columns consisted of Cossacks. Kutuzov’s column included three battalions of Bug rangers and 120 selected riflemen from the same Bug corps. Kutuzov had two battalions of Kherson grenadiers and a thousand Cossacks in reserve. The column was heading to attack the Kiliya gates.

During the assault, the columns of generals Lvov and Kutuzov especially distinguished themselves. General Lvov received a painful wound. His assistant, Colonel Lobanov-Rostovsky, was also wounded. Then the commander of the Phanagorians, Suvorov’s favorite, Colonel Zolotukhin, took command of the assault column. Suvorov and Kutuzov, about whom Alexander Vasilyevich said: “In Izmail, he was my right hand on the left flank,” led the soldiers with their personal example of military courage.

Vasily Orlov's column found itself in a difficult position during the storming of the Bendery Gate bastion. They walked on the walls, and the Cossacks climbed up the stairs from the ditch to attack the bastion, when the Turks launched a powerful counterattack. A large detachment of Turkish infantry, emerging from the dissolved Bendery Gate, struck the Cossacks on the flank, cutting Orlov’s column. The Don Cossack Ivan Grekov, respected by Suvorov, stood in the first ranks of those fighting, encouraging them to fight. Suvorov, despite the fuss of the assault, did not lose the threads of the multi-layered operation and received information about the events at the Bender Gate in time. The chief general realized that the Ottomans here had the opportunity to push back the attacking column, break through the Russian attack, and reinforce their foray with fresh forces. Suvorov orders Orlov's column to be reinforced with troops from the general reserve - the Voronezh Hussar Regiment. He added two squadrons of the Seversky Carabiniers to the Voronezh troops. However, a quick breakthrough did not work out: the Turks managed to concentrate numerous forces in the area of the Bendery Gate and the bastion, and the Cossack units had already suffered considerable losses. Suvorov was convinced that an onslaught was needed here and again showed the ability in time, at a critical moment, having assessed the risks, to introduce an additional reserve into battle. He throws the entire reserve of the left wing of Suvorov’s army at the Bendery Gate - it was cavalry. To these the general-in-chief adds the Don Cossack regiment from the general reserve. A flurry of attacks, horse trampling, mountains of wounded - and the bastion was taken.

Ataman Platov led five thousand soldiers on the attack. With such an impressive column, the Cossack had to climb the ramparts along the ravine and break into the New Fortress under fire. In the battle on the fortress wall, Major General Bezborodko, who commanded two Cossack columns - Platov and Orlov, was wounded. Platov took command. He quickly repelled the attack of the Janissaries, destroyed the enemy battery, capturing several cannons. With battle, the Cossacks broke through to the Danube, where they joined forces with the river landing force of General Arsenyev. When the leading battalion, in which Platov was walking, approached the fortress, the Cossacks stopped in confusion in front of a flooded ditch. Brigadier Platov, remembering the lessons of Suvorov, was the first to enter the icy water, waist-deep in water, overcome the fortress moat under fire, and commanded: “Follow me!” - and the battalion followed the example of the commander. At thirty years old, he was in the prime of his physical strength and was already a skilled, fired Cossack chieftain. For such miracles to become reality, you need enormous trust in the troops to the commander, the authority of the officer.

In the evening, the last defenders of the fortress begged for mercy. The unique assault on the fortress resulted in the destruction of the enemy army. During disarmament, a huntsman jumped up to the seraskir and tried to snatch a dagger from his belt. The Janissary shot at the ranger, but hit a Russian officer... The Russians assessed this shot as a treacherous violation of the terms of surrender: after all, the Turks asked for mercy. A new bayonet strike destroyed almost all the Turks, Aidos-Mehmet also died from wounds...

Finally, the last Janissaries, led by Muhafiz Pasha, who fought in Tabia, surrendered to the mercy of the victors. The last defenders and fortresses capitulated at 16.00. The attack hardened the troops, who remembered the two unsuccessful assaults on Ishmael. According to the military traditions of that time, Suvorov gave the city to the victors for three days to plunder. Alas, this time the officers were unable to restrain the soldiers from cruel atrocities. And in Izmail there was something to profit from! The Turks brought merchant warehouses from the surrounding territories occupied by Russian troops to the fortress. Particularly successful participants in the assault enriched themselves by a thousand or two chervonets - a fantastic profit! Suvorov himself refused the trophies and did not even accept the excellent horse that the soldiers brought to him. Once again the Phanagorians did not disappoint Suvorov’s expectations. Of these, Suvorov ordered to form the main guard of the conquered fortress.

In his reports after the victory, Suvorov told Potemkin in detail about who showed himself heroically during the assault - from soldier to general. I had to dictate: after the bloody assault, the sixty-year-old general’s eyes hurt severely from the smoke. There is much that will interest a historian in these detailed reports, but most of all we remember one phrase - the commander’s confession:

“There has never been a stronger fortress, there has never been a more desperate defense... But Ishmael was taken!” Couldn't have said it better.