Question by MUKUND: for what reason did field marshall ”mikhail kutuzov” surrender moscow to napolean during the war ?
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Answer by Randal
Within two weeks Kutuzov decided to give major battle on approaches to Moscow. Two huge armies clashed near Borodino on 7 September 1812 in what has been described as the greatest battle in human history up to that date, involving nearly a quarter of a million soldiers. The result of the battle was inconclusive, with a third of the French and half of the Russian army killed or wounded. After a conference at the village of Fili, Kutuzov fell back on the strategy of his predecessor: withdraw in order to save the Russian army as long as possible.
This came at the price of losing Moscow, whose population was evacuated. Having retreated along the Kaluga road and replenished his munitions, he forced Napoleon into retreat in the Battle of Maloyaroslavets. The old general’s cautious pursuit evoked much criticism, but ultimately only a small remnant (93,000 of the 690,000 men) of the Grand Army returned to Prussian soil alive. Hence the Russian general’s caution was thoroughly vindicated.
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Hs evacuation and then withdraw from Moscow, served to save the Russian army as long as possible. They ended up counter-attacking and reduced the retrating Grand Army of Napoleon to less than 15% of its pre-invasion strength!
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krk says
Kutuzov saw his army was ready to fight to the last soldier. But a sober minded glance at the alignment of forces prompted an idea of retreat. He decided to surrender Moscow without a battle so as to save his forces for a longer war against Napoleon. He knew, he told his generals, that some of them would disagree with him but Czar Alexander I and the whole of the nation had empowered him to give orders and he was ordering a retreat. He compared Napoleon to a mighty torrent of water whose flow the Russians were yet unable to stop, and Moscow — to a sponge that would absorb the French troops. As long as it had an army, Russia could hope for a good end to the war but, Kutuzov told his generals, an end to the army spelled an end to Moscow and Russia