1. Napoleon’s Russian Campaign

2. Napoleon vs Tsar Alexander

3. Grand Armee Included soldiers from almost every nation of Europe
All were commanded by French Generals
The largest non-French contingent came from Poland

4. Russian Army Soldiers were drafted for 25 years (life!)
No more than 10% survived dreadful conditions and brutal beatings
When drafted, families often treated the event as a funeral
No promotion – officers were nobles
Were immediately shot if they showed any signs of cowardice

5. Vilna

6. Weather changed drastically from dry and hot to freezing cold
Horses died in freezing rain
Supplies sunk in wagons stuck in sandy, waterlogged roads
No supplies were left for them in Vilna
Any peasants still in their homes were subjected to random looting by the Grand Armee

7. Vitebsk

8. 3 months of marching
Weather again was a factor, warm summer days followed by cold nights
Supplies became scarce
Many died of dehydration
Diarrhea was common, and the roadsides became filled with human excrement
Horses developed saddle sores

9. Smolensk

10. This city had no particular importance
Napoleon would have done better to avoid it
Shells fired into the wooden houses of the city set it on fire
Entering the city, the army saw the charred remains of men, women, children and animals

11. Battle of Borodino

12. The French were outnumbered, disorganized
Russians had superior artillery
It became the largest massacre in recorded history until WWI
Total casualties numbered around
In an incredible series of attacks on Russian “redoubts”, the French defeated the Russians who retreated to Moscow

13. Moscow

14. Russians chose not to defend the city, and retreated
They set fire to the buildings, ensuring the French would not have any provisions left for them
Looting was out of control
What little was left meant the French couldn’t remain in Moscow for more than a few weeks

15. Crossing the Berezina River

16. Russians destroyed the pontoon bridge that the French built to cross over
The French rebuilt the bridge
It took days to get about troops and civilians across, they lost people

17. Problems Crossing the Bridge
Some men walked barefoot, their skin and muscle peeling away like layers, leaving the bone exposed
Trestles on the rebuilt bridge continued to break, so travel was interrupted by necessary repairs
Many horses broke legs as they were caught between round logs 
A late Russian attack created panic and masses of people, horses and vehicles converged on the bridges.
Weaker people were trampled “one woman had collapsed, one of her arms hacked off and hung only by a vein, while the other held a baby which had wrapped its arms around its mother’s neck.”

18. Other Problems on the Retreat: Starvation
The dead horses served as meat, as did any cats found along the way
Before the horse was even dead, soldiers would rush upon its fallen carcass and start cutting it up. 
Dead horses are impossible to cut up when they are frozen, so eventually they started slicing chunks off of walking horses in order to get food 

19. Cannibalism
Cannibalism became common – “a group of wounded men were found sitting and lying over the body of a comrade which they had roasted, and the flesh of which they had begun to eat”
Cannibalism grew more widespread – “Russian prisoners threw themselves on the body of a Bavarian who had just died, tear him to pieces with knives and devour the bloody shreds of his flesh.” 
“it was not unknown even for men to gnaw at their own famished bodies” 
However, there were also instances where soldiers clung to human dignity, not sinking to cannibalism

20. Another Major Problem: Frostbite
Most of the soldiers came from warmer climates and wouldn’t recognize the signs or react appropriately rushing to fires to warm frozen parts makes it worse
The affected part would go black 
In improvised footwear, often men would remove frozen cloth and leather from their feet, removing 3 or more toes at the same time, without feeling any pain. Once you lose toes you can’t walk 

21. Frostbite

22. Problem Three: Lice and other diseases
Men would be covered in it – creating horrible itching
As starvation and disease took their toll the desertion rate soared. Most of the deserters were taken prisoner or promptly executed by Russian peasants

23. Napoleon? Blamed many others, including the weather for this defeat
He decided to head back to Paris ahead of the army, to keep his control over Europe
Napoleon was safe from lice and starvation as he always had a regular supply of food & wine, a place to sleep with a camp bed, razors, brushes and other toiletries

24. Statistics
The total number of French troops heading into Russia between June and December was around
Only about of those made it out of Russia in December

25. Statistics
The total number of Russian casualties was estimated at around

26. Later Napoleon said:
"I made a mistake in attacking Russia. I thought the whole world would be with me. Everybody turned against me One shudders when one thinks of such a mass as Russia that one cannot attack either from the side or from the rear She overflows on you if you lose; she retires into the middle of the ice banks if you win, and suddenly comes out again like the head of the Hydra. ... It is not in our province to attempt such a Herculean task, and I tried it stupidly. That I must admit."

27. Did Anyone Learn from Napoleon’s Mistakes?
Napoleon Bonaparte started for Moscow on June 24,
Adolf Hitler started on June 22, 1941.
Both had their units get stuck in the muddy fall
Napoleon stayed in Moscow for nearly six weeks, suffered cold and defeat in the frigid Russian winter
Adolf Hitler had to eventually order all of the skis, ski poles, snowshoes and all furs suitable for military wear in Germany to be shipped to Russia.