One could find a multitude of similarities between Napoleon’s attack on Russia in 1812 and Germany’s attempt to conquer the Soviet Union in 1941. The similarities range from advances and victories on Russian soil to retreat in bitter cold and eventual defeat for the attacker.
But to understand the world one has to look beneath the surface of a phenomenon and penetrate to its essential truth. A historical study of the two military actions will reveal differences that outweigh the similarities by several magnitudes.
In this essay I will give a short (and condensed) history behind Napoleon’s attack on Russia, then I will show the essential differences with the German attempt, finally I will outline a short and preliminary strategy to successfully attack and conquer Russia (in the winter no less).
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