Vasily Alexandrovich Arkhipov(January 30, 1926 - August 19, 1998, Kupavna, Moscow Region) - naval officer, vice admiral (1981).
Biography
Born into a peasant family in the village of Zvorkovo, Kirov District, Moscow Region.
- Father - Alexander Nikolaevich Arkhipov (1889-1960); mother - Maria Nikolaevna, nee Kozyreva (1901-1970).
- Wife - Olga Grigorievna, teacher; married since 1952, in the same year their daughter Elena was born.
Education
Graduated from 9 classes in the village of Klyazma Pushkinsky district Moscow region. In 1942 he entered the 10th grade of the Leningrad Naval Special School, which was evacuated to the Omsk Region, and in December 1942 - to the Pacific Higher Naval School for a preparatory course.
After graduating from the Pacific Higher Naval School, in 1945 he took part in the hostilities against Japan on minesweepers of the Pacific Fleet as a cadet-understudy commander of the BCH-1. After the end of World War II, together with the 3rd year of the school, he was transferred to the Caspian Higher Naval School in Baku, from which he graduated in 1947.
Soviet Navy officer
He served in officer positions on submarines in the Black Sea, Northern and Baltic fleets.
Accident on K-19
In the summer of 1961 he participated in the campaign of the nuclear submarine "K-19" as a backup commander.
On July 4, an accident occurred on a boat that threatened to melt nuclear reactor. During its liquidation, a conflict arose on board the boat - several officers opposed the commander, Captain 2nd Rank Nikolai Zateev, demanding that the boat be flooded and the crew landed on Jan Mayen Island. In this situation, the commander was forced to take drastic measures to prevent a possible riot. Yes, he:
“He ordered the commander of the BCH-2, lieutenant commander Mukhin, to drown the small arms on board, leaving pistols for himself, the first mate Enin, captain 2nd rank Andreev, backup commander captain 2nd rank Arkhipov and lieutenant commander Mukhin, which was immediately executed” .
Thus, Captain 2nd Rank Arkhipov ended up on the side of the commander in this conflict, advocating the maintenance of military discipline on board. The events that took place on the K-19 submarine formed the basis American film"K-19: The Widowmaker" ("K-19: The Widowmaker"). Like other officers on board, Arkhipov received a dose of radiation as a result of the accident.
Involvement in the Caribbean Crisis
Since December 1961 - chief of staff of the 69th brigade of submarines of the Northern Fleet, based in Saida-Guba. On October 1, 1962, as part of Operation Anadyr (during the Caribbean crisis), the brigade was sent to the coast of Cuba, while its command was not given clear instructions regarding the possible use of atomic weapons. On the eve of departure, Arkhipov specifically clarified with the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral V. A. Fokin: “It is not clear, Comrade Admiral, why we took atomic weapons. When and how should we apply it? Admiral V. A. Fokin could not answer this question, and the chief of staff of the Northern Fleet stated that the weapon could be used in the event of an attack on the boat that caused damage to it (“a hole in the hull”) or by special order from Moscow.
Captain 2nd rank Arkhipov participated in the cruise on the submarine "B-59" project 641 ("Foxtrot" according to NATO classification) with nuclear weapons on board, being the senior on board.
On October 27, 1962, a group of 11 US Navy destroyers, led by the Randolph aircraft carrier, surrounded the B-59 submarine near Cuba; in addition, the boat was fired upon by an American aircraft, and according to the Soviet side, depth charges were also used against the boat.
They say [who?] that the commander of the submarine, Captain 2nd Rank Valentin Grigorievich Savitsky, prepared to launch an atomic torpedo in response. However, Arkhipov showed restraint, drew attention to the signals from the American ships and stopped the commander. As a result, the boat responded with the signal "Stop the provocation", after which the aircraft was withdrawn and the situation was somewhat discharged.
ARKHIPOV Vasily Sergeevich
Vasily Sergeevich Arkhipov was born in 1909 in the village of Gubernsky, Argayashsky district. Chelyabinsk region in a peasant family. Russian. IN Soviet Army drafted in 1928. Member of the CPSU since 1931. He went from private to colonel-general of tank troops.
Hero Title Soviet Union awarded on March 23, 1940 - for courage and courage shown in battles with the White Finns. Member of the Great Patriotic War from first to last day. Guard Colonel, Commander of the 53rd Guards Order of Lenin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Fastovskaya Tank Brigade. On September 23, 1944, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. He was awarded three Orders of Lenin, five Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Kutuzov 2nd class, Order of the Red Star and October revolution, medals.
After studying at the Academy General Staff V. S. Arkhipov held a number of leading positions in the Armed Forces of the USSR. Now a retired Colonel General. Lives in Moscow.
In the village of Gubernskoye, V.S. Arkhipov was given a bronze bust. The pioneer squad of the local school bears his name.
On one of the September days of 1943 in the city of Piryatin, at the headquarters of the 6th Guards Tank Corps, a meeting of the command staff was held. The commander of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, General P.S. Rybalko, reported on the preparation of army troops to force the Dnieper. At the end of the meeting, the corps commander, General M.I. Zinkovich, introduced the commander of the new commander of the 53rd brigade, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel V.S. Arkhipov. The commander warmly congratulated the colonel on his high appointment.
Before leaving for the brigade, Arkhipov assured the commander:
I will do my best to make the 53rd one of the best not only in the corps, but also in the army.
The commander had no doubts that it would be so. Arkhipov was an excellent commander. During the defense of Stalingrad and the defeat of the encircled fascist troops, a separate tank regiment of Major Arkhipov inflicted significant damage on the enemy. Since then, the command has repeatedly set him responsible tasks, and he fulfilled them confidently and creatively.
Arkhipov kept his word. The 53rd, under his skillful command, passed a glorious military path from the banks of the Dnieper to Berlin and Prague without knowing defeat.
On September 22, 1943, after fierce and bloody battles, the 3rd Guards Army reached the Dnieper on a wide front.
Early in the morning, intelligence reported to Colonel Arkhipov: in the Kanev area, the bridge was intact. One of the tank battalions was immediately sent there. The lead tank, despite strong artillery fire from the other side, burst onto the bridge at high speed, and ... the explosion shook the air. The span collapsed with a crash, and the "thirty-four" was swallowed up by the waters of the Dnieper.
The sudden capture of the crossing failed. But it is necessary to overcome the water line, and as soon as possible. The partisans helped. They indicated the approaches to the river and the parking of rafts, boats, ferries, a place convenient for forcing. At night, we managed to transport a tank company with submachine gunners. They took over the bridgehead. The sappers began to build a ferry crossing and restore the bridge. Enemy bombers appeared in the air every now and then. German artillery continuously fired at the crossing.
And brigade commander Arkhipov was already pulling up tank units to the crossing. In the evening, under the cover of aviation, self-propelled guns, artillery pieces, and armored personnel carriers crossed.
Your turn, Vasily Sergeevich, - the corps commander said, shaking hands with Arkhipov. - Is the task clear?
Yasna, Comrade General.
Use the slightest sign of success for a breakthrough. Let's support! Well, as they say, neither fluff nor feathers ...
They go and they go combat vehicles. Under their weight, the bridge creaks and bends. Around torn shells and mines. The brigade commander's tank was the first to reach the opposite bank. When the whole brigade crossed, he reported to the commander:
Everything is fine! Let's get down to business.
So the 53rd ended up on the Bukrinsky bridgehead. Intense battles began with superior enemy forces. The accomplishment of the main task largely depended on the success of Arkhipov's tankers.
The Germans failed to stop Soviet soldiers. Their impulse was so great that, having broken the enemy's defenses, they made a swift two-hundred-kilometer throw at the Lyutezhsky bridgehead and joined the battles for the liberation of Kyiv. For the capture of the city of Fastov, which is west of Kyiv, by the 53rd order Supreme Commander received the honorary name of Fastovskaya.
Having repelled fierce and stubborn counterattacks in the Zhitomir region, the tank units regrouped, replenished with personnel, military equipment, and ammunition.
In the summer of 1944, a grandiose offensive began on all fronts. At the end of July, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian reached the Vistula. One of the first to cross the water barrier was the 53rd Fastovskaya. The crossing was carried out on makeshift rafts and ferries under heavy artillery and aviation fire. The Nazis furiously counterattacked, trying to destroy the paratroopers. In these battles, they used their novelty - tanks with thick frontal armor. The guards bravely entered the battle with the "royal tigers".
The brigade commander himself had a chance to face these heavy vehicles in battle. He quickly figured out their weak point—poor maneuverability due to the enormous weight—and concluded that a frontal attack should be avoided.
We beat simple "tigers" and "panthers," he instructed his guardsmen. - Let's beat the "royal" ones. You have to take advantage of their clumsiness. Try to strike from the flank.
On the site of the brigade (it was on the Sandomierz bridgehead), the Nazis threw several dozen tanks. Arkhipov led the battle himself. Skillfully maneuvering units, he successfully repulsed the attack and then he heard the driver: “Comrade brigade commander, look! At the edge of the forest!
Arkhipov trusted the periscope. Yes, royal. The brigade commander deftly went into the flank of the enemy tank and ordered to hit him. After the third shot, this colossus froze in place, and after the fourth, it was enveloped in smoke.
The example of the commander was followed by other crews. In one of the battles, three "tigers" were knocked out, and one was captured unharmed. Soon he was taken to Moscow for an exhibition of captured equipment.
And single combat with enemy tanks continued. During the battle, leading a brigade, the brave brigade commander often joined the battle himself. So it was this time. His crew began a duel with several tanks at once, they managed to knock out one, but they also opened heavy fire on the brigade commander's car. Suddenly, the tank froze in place, and after the second shell hit the engine compartment, it caught fire.
We are burning! shouted the driver. - Looks like they fought back.
No! Let's fight again! - the brigade commander replied coolly and ordered: - Open the lower hatch, take machine guns!
Shells were exploding all around, automatic bursts pounded on the armor. Arkhipov rushed into the nearest crater, still warm from the explosion. Behind him are the crew members. They opened fire on the enemy infantry. Soon our tanks arrived to the rescue and covered the brigade commander and his comrades with armor.
The fighters and commanders of the 53rd Guards, interacting with other formations, expanded and defended the Sandomierz bridgehead. From him in January 1945 Soviet troops carried out the Vistula-Oder operation, and then the Berlin one.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union V. S. Arkhipov, at the head of the 53rd brigade, fought his way to Berlin and Prague.
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In the UK, a documentary film dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis was shown on television - the film "The Man Who Stopped the Third world war". It is dedicated to the heroic deed of the commander of the Soviet submarine Vasily Alexandrovich Arkhipov. The picture is based on an interview with the surviving participants in the events of late October 1962.
Arkhipov's biography is like a Hollywood script.
In the summer of 1961, he participated in the campaign of the nuclear submarine K-19 as an understudy commander. On July 4, an accident occurred on the boat, threatening an atomic explosion. During its liquidation, a conflict arose on board the boat - several officers opposed the commander, captain of the 2nd rank Nikolai Zateev, demanding to flood the boat and land the crew on Jan Mayen Island. In this situation, commander Zateev was forced to take decisive measures to prevent a possible riot. So, he “ordered the commander of the BCH-2, lieutenant commander Mukhin, to drown the small arms on board, leaving the pistols for himself, the first mate Enin, the captain of the 2nd rank Andreev, the backup commander of the captain of the 2nd rank Arkhipov and the captain Mukhin, which was immediately executed “Thus, the captain of the 2nd rank Arkhipov turned out to be on the side of the commander in this conflict, advocating the maintenance of military discipline on board. The events that took place on K-19 formed the basis of the American film K-19: The Widowmaker ("K-19: The Widowmaker"). Like other officers on board, Arkhipov received a dose of radiation as a result of the accident.
From December 1961, Arkhipov became chief of staff of the 69th submarine brigade of the Northern Fleet, stationed in Saida-Guba. On October 1, 1962, as part of Operation Anadyr (during the Caribbean crisis), the brigade was sent to the coast of Cuba, while its command was not given clear instructions regarding the possibility of using atomic weapons.
On the eve of departure, Arkhipov specifically clarified with the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral V. A. Fokin: “It is not clear, Comrade Admiral, why we took atomic weapons. When and how should we apply it? Admiral Fokin was unable to answer this question, and the chief of staff of the Northern Fleet stated that the weapon could be used in the event of an attack on a boat that caused damage to it, or on special orders from Moscow.
The captain of the 2nd rank Arkhipov participated in the trip on the submarine B-59 of project 641 (Foxtrot according to NATO classification) with nuclear weapons on board, being the senior on board.
Submariner Arkhipov single-handedly prevented the start nuclear war in the midst of the Cuban missile crisis, but died forgotten and unknown, writes the British newspaper The Daily Mail. Only recently the details of the story with his participation were declassified.
The film by British director Nick Green tells how for 13 days, exactly 50 years ago, the world, with bated breath, followed the confrontation between the USSR and the USA, which were literally on the brink of nuclear war. The culmination of the crisis was the order of the American leadership on a naval blockade of Cuba in order to force the USSR to remove nuclear missiles stationed there from the territory of this country.
In apotheosis cold war and mutual paranoid suspicions, when the slightest provocation could start a war and eventually lead humanity to death, four submarines secretly sailed from the USSR to the shores of communist Cuba.
Only the leadership of the crews of the submariners knew that nuclear weapons were being carried on board the submarine, in terms of damaging potential equal to the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Vasily Arkhipov was one of three senior officers in command of the B-59 (NATO reporting name Foxtrot) submarine.
The submarine was supposed to break through the naval blockade established by the US Navy around the island and deploy a submarine base in Mariel Bay on the northern coast of Cuba.
However, American helicopters, planes and ships were already waiting for Soviet submarines near the island. The command ordered an emergency dive. For several days, the Americans continued to hunt for Soviet submariners. All this time, the sailors remained underwater in cabins in hellish heat up to 60 degrees Celsius, while each crew member relied on only one glass of water per day.
The American military, who had no idea that there were weapons on board the submarines that could instantly destroy the entire US fleet, decided to guard the submerged submarines to the last. To smoke them to the surface, the Americans began to throw depth charges into the ocean.
Under water, everything looked like a combat attack. Since, when sailing from the USSR, three senior officers of the submarine were given permission to use nuclear weapons against the Americans in the event of their unanimous decision on this issue, B-59 captain Valentin Savitsky, being sure that the war had already begun, demanded that the torpedo be launched.
However, Arkhipov showed incredible composure and insisted on abandoning this decision. Then the officer ordered to move away from the coast of the United States and head home. Hours later, US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev reached an agreement that resolved the crisis.
Vasily Arkhipov retired with the rank of Rear Admiral. He passed away in 1999. The details of the campaign of Soviet submarines to the shores of the United States became known only in 2002.
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Caribbean crisis, which brought the world to the brink of a global catastrophe, a closed conference was held in Havana dedicated to this major event in the political history of the last century.
During the conference, it became clear that the world was much closer to nuclear war than was commonly believed. At the conference, documents from the USSR and the USA devoted to these events were discussed, from which the secrecy stamp was removed.
In particular, the previously classified memoirs of Anatoly Dobrynin, the USSR ambassador to the United States, who quoted US Attorney General Robert Kennedy, were discussed.
On October 27, 1962, Kennedy declared that a war would soon break out, "in which millions of Russians and Americans will die." Kennedy, after a spy plane was shot down over Cuban territory, said: "The situation may well get out of hand, and the consequences of this cannot be predicted."
The conference also discussed the secret records of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, which on October 27, 1962 recommended the US leadership to launch an air strike on Cuba and launch an armed invasion of the island.
The closed conference was attended by Cuban President Fidel Castro, former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and a number of other figures from the administration of John F. Kennedy, who was US President in 1962. One of the organizers of the conference, Thomas Blanton of George Washington University, said that "a guy named Arkhipov saved the world."
After the end of the Caribbean crisis, Arkhipov continued to serve in his former position. In November 1964 he was appointed commander of the 69th Submarine Brigade. Then he commanded the 37th submarine division.
In December 1975, with the rank of rear admiral, he was appointed head of the Caspian Higher Naval School named after S. M. Kirov. He was in this position until November 1985. February 10, 1981 he was awarded military rank Vice Admiral.
After leaving the reserve, he lived in the dacha village of Kupavna (a microdistrict of the city of Zheleznodorozhny since 2004) in the Moscow Region. He was chairman of the council of veterans of the city of Zheleznodorozhny. He was buried in the cemetery of this city.
In 2003 he was posthumously awarded the National Prize of Italy - the Rotondi Prize. "Angels of Our Time" for stamina, courage, endurance, shown in extreme conditions. In January 2005 this award was presented to his widow.
During the Caribbean crisis of 1962, the composure and endurance of the captain of the II rank Vasily Arkhipov prevented nuclear disaster... This is told in a docudrama by British director Nick Green.
The Caribbean crisis of 1962 is considered the most dangerous period of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA. The confrontation between the two superpowers reached a critical point when the American leadership began a naval blockade of Cuba in order to force the USSR to remove medium-range R-12 missiles stationed there from the territory of this country. The situation escalated to the limit, and any armed incident could serve as a pretext for starting a nuclear war.
During the crisis, a detachment of four submarines was stationed off the coast of Cuba, armed with nuclear-tipped torpedoes capable of destroying the American fleet.
American warships and aircraft patrolled the Atlantic Ocean off the Cuban coast to detect submarines of a potential enemy. Soviet submarines were forced to go deep under water. To force them to rise to the surface, the Americans began to drop explosive cartridges into the water, which they informed Moscow about. But they did not know that Moscow at that moment had no connection with its submarines. And they did not know that they had nuclear weapons on board.
Soviet sailors drew information about what was happening in the world, based only on what they themselves could observe. And they saw that they were “surrounded” by the American fleet, that they were fired upon every ascent to the surface and bombarded with explosive cartridges every time they dive ...
In an extreme case, the commander of each submarine could issue an order for the use of nuclear weapons by Soviet submarines without coordination with the center. This required a consensus decision. three people. On the B-59 submarine, these people were boat commander Valentin Savitsky, deputy commander for political affairs Ivan Maslennikov, and chief of staff of the submarine brigade, captain of the 2nd rank Vasily Arkhipov.
Moscow did not contact the submarine commanders for 2 weeks so as not to put American ships on their trail, so they did not know anything about how the Caribbean crisis was developing. Valentin Savitsky, having heard, as it seemed to him, the sound of bombs exploding around the entire perimeter of the boat, decided that the war had already begun, and decided to launch a torpedo from nuclear warhead, knowing full well that this means death for him and his entire team: "We will blow them up, we will all die, but we will sink all their ships." However, Vasily Arkhipov, as a senior officer on board the boat, showing remarkable restraint and composure, did not allow him to do this.
Vasily Arkhipov, who retired with the rank of Vice Admiral, died in 1999. For many years, the details of the campaign of Soviet submarines to the shores of the United States were kept secret. This case was told only in 2002, during a conference in Havana dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Former US Secretary of Defense McNamara, based on declassified American documents, admitted that the start of a nuclear war was much closer than many thought. Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive, clarified what McNamara meant: "A man named Vasily Arkhipov saved the world's peace."
Vasily Alexandrovich Arkhipov(January 30 - August 19, Kupavna, Moscow Region) - Vice Admiral Navy THE USSR (). Member of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Biography
Born into a peasant family in the village of Zvorkovo, Kurovsky District, Moscow Region.
- Father - Alexander Nikolaevich Arkhipov (-); mother - Maria Nikolaevna, nee Kozyreva (-).
- Wife - Olga Grigorievna, teacher; married since 1952, in the same year their daughter Elena was born.
Education
Soviet Navy officer
He served in officer positions on submarines in the Black Sea, Northern, and Baltic fleets.
Accident on K-19
The captain of the 2nd rank Arkhipov participated in the trip on the submarine B-59 of project 641 (Foxtrot according to NATO classification) with nuclear weapons on board, being the senior on board.
Claim [Who?] that the commander of the submarine, Valentin Grigoryevich Savitsky, prepared to launch a response nuclear torpedo. However, Arkhipov showed restraint, drew attention to the signals from the American ships and stopped Savitsky. As a result, the boat responded with the signal "Stop the provocation", after which the aircraft was withdrawn and the situation was somewhat discharged.
According to the memoirs of a participant in these events, retired second-rank captain Vadim Pavlovich Orlov, events developed less dramatically - the commander lost his temper, but two other officers, including Arkhipov, calmed him; according to other sources, only Arkhipov was against it. In any case, Arkhipov's role as senior on board was key to the decision.
During a conference in Havana on October 13, 2002, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Caribbean crisis, Robert McNamara stated that nuclear war was much closer to its beginning than previously thought. One of the organizers of the conference, Thomas Blanton of George Washington University, said that "a guy named Arkhipov saved the world."
Continued service in the Navy
After the end of the Caribbean crisis, Arkhipov continued to serve in his former position. In November, he was appointed commander of the 69th Submarine Brigade. Then he commanded the 37th submarine division.
In December, with the rank of rear admiral, he was appointed head of the Caspian Higher Naval School named after S. M. Kirov. He held this position until November. February 10, 1981 he was awarded the military rank of Vice Admiral.
last years of life
After retiring, he lived in holiday village Kupavna (Microdistrict of the city of Zheleznodorozhny since 2004) of the Moscow Region. He was chairman of the council of veterans of the city of Zheleznodorozhny. He was buried in the cemetery of this city.
Awards
Filmography
see also
- Petrov, Stanislav Evgrafovich - prevention of nuclear war in 1983.
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An excerpt characterizing Arkhipov, Vasily Alexandrovich
Napoleon, having cut the armies, moves inland and misses several cases of battle. In the month of August he is in Smolensk and thinks only about how he can go further, although, as we now see, this forward movement is obviously fatal for him.The facts clearly show that neither Napoleon foresaw the danger in moving towards Moscow, nor did Alexander and the Russian military leaders then think about luring Napoleon, but thought about the opposite. The lure of Napoleon into the interior of the country did not happen according to anyone's plan (no one believed in the possibility of this), but came from a complex game of intrigues, goals, desires of people - participants in the war, who did not guess what should be, and what was the only salvation of Russia. Everything happens by accident. The armies are cut at the start of the campaign. We try to unite them with the obvious goal of giving battle and holding the enemy’s advance, but also this desire for unity, avoiding battles with the strongest enemy and involuntarily retreating under acute angle, we bring the French to Smolensk. But it’s not enough to say that we are withdrawing at an acute angle because the French are moving between both armies - this angle is becoming even sharper, and we are moving even further because Barclay de Tolly, an unpopular German, is hated by Bagration (who has to become under his command ), and Bagration, commanding the 2nd Army, tries not to join Barclay for as long as possible, so as not to become under his command. Bagration does not join for a long time (although this is the main goal of all commanding persons) because it seems to him that on this march he puts his army in danger and that it is most advantageous for him to retreat to the left and south, harassing the enemy from the flank and rear and completing his army in Ukraine. And it seems that he invented it because he does not want to obey the hated and junior rank German Barclay.
The emperor is with the army to inspire it, and his presence and ignorance of what to decide on, and a huge number of advisers and plans destroy the energy of the actions of the 1st army, and the army retreats.
It is supposed to stop in the Dris camp; but unexpectedly Pauluchi, aiming for the commander-in-chief, with his energy acts on Alexander, and the whole plan of Pfuel is abandoned, and the whole thing is entrusted to Barclay. But since Barclay does not inspire confidence, his power is limited.
The armies are fragmented, there is no unity of the authorities, Barclay is not popular; but from this confusion, fragmentation and unpopularity of the German commander-in-chief, on the one hand, indecisiveness and avoidance of battle (which could not be resisted if the armies were together and Barclay were not the head), on the other hand, more and more resentment against the Germans and arousal of the patriotic spirit.
Finally, the sovereign leaves the army, and as the only and most convenient pretext for his departure, the idea is chosen that he needs to inspire the people in the capitals to initiate a people's war. And this trip of the sovereign and Moscow triples the strength of the Russian army.
The sovereign leaves the army in order not to hamper the unity of power of the commander in chief, and hopes that more decisive measures will be taken; but the position of the commanders of the armies is still more confused and weakened. benigsen, Grand Duke and a swarm of adjutant generals remain with the army in order to follow the actions of the commander-in-chief and excite him to energy, and Barclay, feeling even less free under the eyes of all these sovereign eyes, becomes even more cautious for decisive actions and avoids battles.
Barclay stands for caution. The Tsarevich hints at treason and demands a general battle. Lubomirsky, Branitsky, Vlotsky and the like inflate all this noise so much that Barclay, under the pretext of delivering papers to the sovereign, sends the Poles adjutant generals to Petersburg and enters into an open struggle with Benigsen and the Grand Duke.
In Smolensk, finally, no matter how Bagration did not want it, the armies unite.
Bagration in a carriage drives up to the house occupied by Barclay. Barclay puts on a scarf, goes out to meet v reports to the senior rank of Bagration. Bagration, in the struggle of generosity, despite the seniority of the rank, submits to Barclay; but, having obeyed, agrees with him even less. Bagration personally, by order of the sovereign, informs him. He writes to Arakcheev: “The will of my sovereign, I can’t do it together with the minister (Barclay). For God's sake, send me somewhere to command a regiment, but I can't be here; and the whole main apartment is filled with Germans, so that it is impossible for a Russian to live, and there is no sense. I thought I truly served the sovereign and the fatherland, but in reality it turns out that I serve Barclay. I confess I don't want to." A swarm of Branicki, Winzingerode and the like poisons the relations of the commanders-in-chief even more, and even less unity comes out. They are going to attack the French in front of Smolensk. A general is sent to inspect the position. This general, hating Barclay, goes to his friend, the corps commander, and after spending a day with him, returns to Barclay and condemns on all counts the future battlefield, which he has not seen.
While there are disputes and intrigues about the future battlefield, while we are looking for the French, having made a mistake in their location, the French stumble upon Neverovsky's division and approach the very walls of Smolensk.
We must accept an unexpected battle in Smolensk in order to save our messages. The battle is given. Thousands are killed on both sides.
Smolensk is abandoned against the will of the sovereign and the whole people. But Smolensk was burned down by the inhabitants themselves, deceived by their governor, and the devastated inhabitants, setting an example for other Russians, go to Moscow, thinking only of their losses and inciting hatred for the enemy. Napoleon goes further, we retreat, and the very thing that was supposed to defeat Napoleon is achieved.
The next day after the departure of his son, Prince Nikolai Andreevich called Princess Marya to him.
- Well, are you satisfied now? - he said to her, - quarreled with her son! Satisfied? All you needed was! Satisfied?.. It hurts me, it hurts. I'm old and weak, and you wanted it. Well, rejoice, rejoice ... - And after that, Princess Marya did not see her father for a week. He was sick and did not leave the office.
To her surprise, Princess Mary noticed that during this time of illness, the old prince also did not allow m lle Bourienne to see him. One Tikhon followed him.
A week later, the prince came out and began his former life again, with special activities engaged in buildings and gardens and ending all previous relations with m lle Bourienne. His appearance and cold tone with Princess Mary seemed to say to her: “You see, you invented a lie to Prince Andrei about my relationship with this Frenchwoman and quarreled with me; and you see that I don't need you or the Frenchwoman."
Princess Mary spent one half of the day at Nikolushka's, following his lessons, herself giving him lessons in Russian and music, and talking with Desalle; the other part of the day she spent in her half with books, with the old nurse, and with God's people, who sometimes came to her from the back porch.
Princess Mary thought about the war the way women think about war. She was afraid for her brother who was there, she was horrified, not understanding her, before the human cruelty that forced them to kill each other; but she did not understand the significance of this war, which seemed to her the same as all previous wars. She did not understand the significance of this war, despite the fact that Dessalles, her constant interlocutor, who was passionately interested in the course of the war, tried to explain his considerations to her, and despite the fact that the people of God who came to her all spoke with horror in their own way about popular rumors about the invasion of the Antichrist, and despite the fact that Julie, now Princess Drubetskaya, who again entered into correspondence with her, wrote patriotic letters to her from Moscow.
“I am writing to you in Russian, my good friend,” Julie wrote, “because I have hatred for all the French, as well as for their language, which I cannot hear speak ... We are all enthusiastic in Moscow through enthusiasm for our adored emperor.
My poor husband endures labor and hunger in Jewish taverns; but the news I have makes me even more excited.
You heard right, oh heroic deed Raevsky, who hugged his two sons and said: “I will die with them, but we will not hesitate! And indeed, although the enemy was twice as strong as us, we did not hesitate. We spend our time as best we can; but in war, as in war. Princess Alina and Sophie sit with me all day long, and we, the unfortunate widows of living husbands, have wonderful conversations over lint; only you, my friend, are missing ... etc.
Mostly, Princess Mary did not understand the full significance of this war because the old prince never spoke about it, did not recognize it, and laughed at dinner at Desalles, who spoke about this war. The prince's tone was so calm and sure that Princess Mary, without reasoning, believed him.
Throughout the month of July, the old prince was extremely active and even lively. He also laid a new garden and a new building, a building for courtyards. One thing that bothered Princess Marya was that he slept little and, having changed his habit of sleeping in the study, every day he changed the place of his lodging for the night. Either he ordered his camp bed to be made up in the gallery, or he remained on the sofa or in the Voltaire chair in the living room and dozed without undressing, while not m lle Bourienne, but the boy Petrusha read to him; then he spent the night in the dining room.
On August 1, a second letter was received from Prince Andrei. In the first letter, received shortly after his departure, Prince Andrei humbly asked for forgiveness from his father for what he allowed himself to tell him, and asked him to return his favor to him. The old prince answered this letter with an affectionate letter, and after this letter he alienated the Frenchwoman from himself. The second letter of Prince Andrei, written from near Vitebsk, after the French occupied it, consisted of short description the whole campaign with the plan drawn in the letter, and from considerations about the further course of the campaign. In this letter, Prince Andrei presented to his father the inconvenience of his position close to the theater of war, on the very line of movement of troops, and advised him to go to Moscow.
