How accurate is the parallel between Napoleon 1812 and Hitler 1941 in Russia?

[buritobr]

There were many similarities. Both leaders controled a great share of continental Europe, both though that conquering Russia would be easy and both were defeated in the severe winter.

But there were big diferences. Warfare at Napoleon's time had muskets, bayonets, cannons and cavalry. Warfare at Hitler's time had rifles, machine guns, trucks, tanks and airplanes.

Napoleon invaded Russia in a straight line and took control of Moscow. Hitler did not want to repeat Napoleon's strategy. His generals were for an invasion in a straight line to Moscow. But Hitler though that it was more important to take control of big areas in the soviet territory. That's why he sent a group to Leningrad and a group to Ukraine, before the attempt to take Moscow. This attempt failed because it started too late.

The Russians in 1812 burned his country and did not offer resistance until Napoleon arrived at Moscow. The Russians in 1941 offered strong resistence and the germans burned many cities.

Napoleon was totally defeated in 1812. The German army stayed in the soviet territory until the Operation Bagration on June 1944.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Napoleon and Hitler had very diffrent goals. The former wanted to bring Russia and the Tsar back to his side, while the latter wanted the enemy to be destroyed as a force and as a state, and to get his previous lebensraum. Napoleon wanted to do the "usual", get his army, march in, meet the enemy in the field, defeat him and make a settlement. For this you didn't need to cover a large territory, just enough to maintain the supply line for the moving army. The very nature of these two conflict was diffrent, not just equipment.

[brucejoel99]

Given 20-20 hindsight with respect to what happened after the invasions, relatively accurate.

[GMantis]

Both have in common that the invaders greatly underestimated the willingness and ability of the Russians to resist. And also both have in common that the popular view of the reasons for the failure of their campaigns is very far from reality (eg the Russian winter as an explanation).

[RINO Tom]

Both were arguably necessary at that point even though they’ve gone down in history as “mistakes.”

[McNukes™ #NYCMMWasAHero]

Napoleon and Hitler did the worst in the wintry portions of their campaigns; Germany did surprisingly well in summer; after all, he began Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. He knew that winter would be harsh and stopped the offensive, and lost some territory during that winter. Resistance along the supply lines into Russia was a huge factor; likewise, the use of scorched earth warfare by the Tsar meant that Napoleon was unable to feed his massive army, and he withdrew.