Chapter V attack by the Japanese fleet on the Russian squadron in Port Arthur. The course of the war Japanese attack on port arthur
In early January 1904, Vice Admiral Alekseev, suggesting that the Japanese government was about to unleash a war, turned to the tsar with a request to authorize the announcement of the mobilization of troops for Far East... A few days later, on January 12, a response followed, in which it was allowed to declare martial law for the fortresses of Port Arthur and Vladivostok, prepare for mobilization and prepare a detachment of troops to be sent to Yala to cover the concentration of troops in South Manchuria from Korea in the event that, if the Japanese land in Korea. On January 23, it was ordered to form a detachment of troops in the Liaoyang-Haichen region and move to the Yalu River as part of an infantry brigade, a Cossack brigade, an artillery battalion and a sapper company.
The Japanese, realizing that time was working against them, were in a hurry. On January 15, the training began on the island of Tsushima and in the Hakodate fortress. In the Sasebo area, transports for the transport of troops were concentrated, large consignments of military cargo arrived in Ujino, and a lot of cargo arrived in Korea - in Chemulpo and Genzan. At that time, there were already 16 thousand Japanese reservists in Korea. All captains of ships who were on a foreign voyage were ordered to immediately return to Japan. A decree from the Mikado on the allocation of 50 million yen from a special fund for military needs followed, and an internal loan was issued. 50 guns arrived from the Osaka Arsenal at Kumamoto and Kure. The fleet in Fukuoka Bay conducted daily firing, shells / 67 /, coal and food were hastily brought to Sasebo. Finally, the call-up of reservists began. On January 30, it became known in Port Arthur that in Sasebo there are already 60 transports ready for the transport of troops, which can transport up to four divisions to Korea within 48 hours.
Alekseev again turned to the tsar for permission, to declare mobilization and to begin transporting troops to the concentration area. In addition, he asked for permission to put the fleet out to sea to counter the landing of Japanese armies in Chemulpo and north of it. Five days later, the tsar replied with a telegram: “It is desirable that the Japanese, not us, open military action. Therefore, if they do not start actions against us, then you should not prevent them from landing in South Korea or on the east coast up to Genzan inclusive. But, if on the western side of Korea their fleet, with or without landing, moves to the north across the thirty-eighth parallel, then you are allowed to attack them without waiting for the first shot from their side. "
But even before this telegram, Alekseev was allowed to deploy nine brigades in the division, and the fleet from the so-called armed reserve, together with the ships in service, start a campaign, go to sea for joint navigation and firing.
On February 4 in Tokyo it became known that the Russian squadron had left Port Arthur. The Japanese government immediately took advantage of this pretext to implement its long-conceived plans. At a meeting with the Mikado, it was decided to start hostilities without an official declaration of war; orders were immediately issued to send troops to Korea - in Chemulpo and to attack the Russian fleet at its base. A general mobilization was announced in the country.
On the night of February 5, the commander of the 12th division prepared an infantry regiment for boarding transports to move to Chemulpo and capture the capital of Korea Seoul.
The commander of the United Fleet, Vice Admiral Togo, having received the Mikado decree on the outbreak of hostilities, summoned the flagships and commanders of the ships and gave the following order:
“I propose now with the whole fleet to go to the Yellow Sea and attack the enemy ships, docked in Port Arthur and Chemulpo. I order the head of the 4th combat / 68 / detachment Rear Admiral Uriu with his detachment (with the addition of the cruiser Asama) and the 9th and 14th destroyer detachments to go to Chemulpo and attack the enemy there, as well as guard the landing of troops in this terrain. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Combat Squads, along with the Fighter Squads, will march directly towards Port Arthur. Detachments of fighters attack enemy ships at night in the roadstead. The squadron is supposed to attack the enemy the next day ”1.
1 History of the Russian Army and Navy, vol. XV, p. 42.
On February 6, the Japanese fleet, consisting of 6 battleships, 14 cruisers and over 36 fighters and destroyers, went to sea.
On this day, the chief commander of the Kronstadt port, Vice-Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov, worried about the fate of the Russian fleet, submitted a letter to the head of the naval ministry, Admiral Avelan, in which he wrote:
“From conversations with people who returned from the Far East, I realized that the fleet is supposed to be kept not in the inner basin of Port Arthur, but in the outer roadstead ...
The presence of ships in the open roadstead gives the enemy the opportunity to carry out night attacks ... The Japanese will not miss such an unparalleled opportunity to harm us ... I would think that prudence requires keeping the ships of the fleet not engaged in operations in the inland basin.
If we do not put the fleet in the inner basin now, then we will be forced to do so after the first night attack, paying dearly for the mistake ”1.
1 Russo-Japanese War, book. 1, pp. 192-194.
Makarov's letter with the resolutions "to report to his highness", "to the naval department to do business" and "to keep it very secret, not to remove copies" ended up in the archive. The officials of the Naval Ministry and the Main Naval Staff remained deaf to the voice of the restless admiral.
Alekseev, despite clear signs of war, did not take measures to bring the troops and the fleet to combat readiness. Tensions with Japan and the severance of diplomatic relations were hidden from the officers. The squadron only went to sea on February 1 with training purposes and returned on February 4, dropping anchors in the outer roadstead. Alekseev decided that it was dangerous to keep the fleet in the harbor / 69 /, a suddenly appeared enemy could flood transports in the passage to the inner roadstead and thus deprive the squadron of the opportunity to go to sea. This decision was clearly unreasonable, but as soon as it was taken, it was necessary to organize proper protection of the squadron, which was stationed in the outer roadstead. However, this was not done either. The measures taken for security turned out to be ill-considered, and militarily simply illiterate. The patrol service was organized formally, without taking into account the situation: every day only two destroyers and one gunboat were assigned to patrol at night, which, with the side lights and signal lights on, went out to sea at a distance of up to 20 miles. Communication, even the flagship battleship with the coastal batteries, was absent. The squadron was not ready for combat.
Having learned in time about the severance of diplomatic relations with Japan, Alekseev did not declare the fortress on martial law, did not give an order to bring the forces of the fleet to combat readiness, and did not even allow the squadron commander, Vice Admiral Stark, to carry out long-range reconnaissance at sea. The governor, as you know, acted in accordance with the Tsar's directive, which instructed not to take any mobilization measures until the Japanese began to land their troops in Korea, and did not show the slightest concern and independence.
On the night of February 9, a Russian squadron of 16 pennants stood crowded on the outer roadstead according to a peacetime disposition. The entire personnel were on the ships, to repel the mine attack, all the guns were loaded, except for the tower ones, the artillerymen were with the guns, but the measures taken to protect the squadron on the approaches to the raid were criminal. There were only two destroyers on patrol: "Quick" and "Fearless". The approaches to the raid, contrary to common sense, were illuminated by ship searchlights from the Retvizan and Pallada. The duty cruisers "Askold" and "Diana", instead of being at sea, were only ready in case of an alarm.
At 11 o'clock in the evening on the flagship battleship "Petropavlovsk" the meeting with / 70 / Vice-Admiral Stark ended, at which measures against a possible enemy attack were discussed. Saying goodbye to the officers before leaving the ship, the chief of the naval staff, Rear Admiral Vitgeft, said: "There will be no war."
1 Russo-Japanese War, book. 1, pp. 191-192.
Meanwhile, the United Fleet was approaching its target. In the vanguard was a detachment of high-speed cruisers and destroyers, followed by armored cruisers and battleships. On February 7, a detachment of Uriu of five cruisers, eight destroyers and three transports with landing troops separated from the main forces and turned to Chemulpo. On the afternoon of 8 February, Togo's main forces stopped at Round Island, 44 miles from the Russian naval base. At 6 o'clock in the evening, the signal was raised to start the operation. Togo divided his fighters into two detachments: the first detachment consisted of ten units, he went to Port Arthur, the second - of eight - to Talienwan. Battleships, cruisers and the remaining destroyers headed for the Elliot Islands. By dividing the fighters into two squads, Togo made a serious mistake, weakening their striking power; there were no Russian warships in Talienvan.
The commanders of the first squadron of fighters at a great distance noticed Russian patrol ships and, extinguishing their navigation lights, marched towards Port Arthur unnoticed. Guided by the lighthouse lights burning on the shore and by the light of the ship's searchlights "Retvizan" and "Pallada", they went to the parking place of the Russian squadron and attacked it. Of the 16 torpedoes fired, 3 hit the target. Two ships, shining with searchlights, and the battleship "Tsesarevich" were permanently disabled. Just because the Japanese attack was poorly organized and stretched out in time, the Russian squadron did not suffer large and irrecoverable losses. Fire from Russian ships on the enemy was opened immediately after the start of the attack. The fighters, having received minor damage and casualties from unorganized fire, turned away into the open sea. To pursue them and repel a repeated attack, the cruisers Novik, Askold, Boyarin and destroyers went out to sea; a sentinel chain was formed on the approaches to the raid. Under this / 71 / protection, the main forces of the squadron were until the Japanese fighters, having completed their task, according to the order, left for Korea.
On the morning of February 9, the main forces of Togo appeared near Port Arthur. From a distance of about 35 cables the Japanese opened fire. Their appearance was no longer unexpected for the Russians. The Russian squadron (5 battleships and 5 cruisers), albeit with a delay, weighed anchor and moved towards the enemy in the formation of the front, responding with fire to fire. A little later, she rebuilt into the wake formation. The battle continued on countercourses, and the distance between the fighters was reduced to 25 cables. As the Japanese approached Liaoteshan, the fortress artillery from the Golden Mountain and Electric Cliff entered the battle.
Seeing the Port Arthur squadron almost in full strength, which, moreover, showered him with shells, and the tactical disadvantage of his position, Togo immediately retreated. Stark didn't chase him. The naval battle, which lasted about 30 minutes, did not bring success to the Japanese. The Japanese official history says that "Admiral Togo, fearing an attack by enemy destroyers, ordered ... to retreat south with great speed" 1. In reality, it was not the destroyers that scared the Japanese flagship. Obviously, when large-caliber Russian shells began to burst on the ships of his squadron, he realized that he had started an obvious adventure that did not promise him anything good, and that was the only reason he fled.
1 Description of military operations at sea in 37-38 years. Meiji, vol. 1.
The Russians lost in this battle 14 people killed and 71 wounded; the Japanese, according to their data, - 3 killed and 69 wounded. Our ships received 29 shells that caused minor damage. The Japanese ships suffered more: near the flagship battleship Mikaza - part of the cord bridge was destroyed by two shells and the main mast was cut off, the stern flag was shot down; the battleship "Fuji" was docked after the battle; the battleship "Hatsuse", hit by several shells, one of which flew along the ship from stern to bow, had severe destruction of superstructures; the battleship "Shikishima" lost 17 people, many of its premises / 72 / were thoroughly destroyed. The cruiser "Kasagi" was heavily damaged.
The sea battle on February 9 between the Japanese and Russian fleets is characterized by the complete tactical helplessness of both Admiral Togo and Admiral Stark. That, having up to 400 guns against 248 on the Russian squadron, that is, approximately twice as many, and more favorable conditions for shooting (the Russians fired against the sun), during the attack, he built his 15 ships, which had different purposes and different weapons, into one, strongly stretched wake column (battleships, armored cruisers and light cruisers) and in this formation entered the sector of fire of the fortress, which had large-caliber coastal artillery. This was a gross tactical mistake that the Russians did not take advantage of. Only two coastal batteries fired at the enemy ships, and it was very bad. Stark, on the other hand, being with ten ships on the enemy's flank, for fear of new losses on the first day of the war, did not show the initiative and, with the support of coastal batteries and destroyers, did not attack the end ships of the Japanese. The independent launch of the commander of the Novik cruiser, Captain 2nd Rank Essen, ended in failure. Unsupported by Starck and met with fire from the entire Japanese squadron, the Novik turned away. The Russian destroyers were inactive.
The first day of the war at sea was an ordeal for the Russian fleet. The war came as a surprise to the officers, who were not ready for it not only militarily, but mainly morally. Because of the carelessness and irresponsibility of the tsarist officials, the Japanese managed to inflict serious damage on the Port Arthur squadron.
In addition to the ships blown up at the Port Arthur roadstead, the Russian fleet lost on February 9 in the Korean port of Chemulpo the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets, which were not promptly recalled to Port Arthur. Admiral Uriu suggested that the Russians leave Chemulpo and surrender. The commander of the "Varyag" Captain 1st Rank Rudnev decided to go for a breakthrough. When going to sea near the island of Yodolmi, the Russian ships were attacked by an enemy squadron, which consisted of six cruisers and eight destroyers. Despite the heroic efforts of the Varyag sailors, it was not possible to break through. The enemy's superiority was too / 73 /: only one armored cruiser "Asam" outnumbered both "Varyag" and "Koreyets" combined. In an unequal battle, the enemy suffered losses, but the Russian cruiser also received five underwater holes, a third of its crew was out of order, and the artillery was knocked out. The ships returned to Chemulpo; There was no hope for help from Port Arthur, and the commander of the Varyag sank the ship in the roadstead, and the Koreyets was blown up. The sailors switched to neutral cruisers located in Chemulpo.
The bright memory of the heroes of the Varyag, who did not lower the naval flag in front of the enemy, lives on among the people who glorify them in their songs.
Here are the names and deeds of some of the Varyag heroes: senior gunner Kuzma Khvatkov, despite the fact that he was operated on two days before the battle, got up from his hospital bed and with rare courage and bravery acted at the gun, when almost all of his gun crew was killed and wounded. Khvatkov did not weaken the fire and led it to the end of the battle. Under the same conditions and just as bravely fought the senior gunner Prokopiy Klimenko and the senior gunner Fedor Elizarov, who with well-aimed fire destroyed the stern bridge of the cruiser Asama and set it on fire.
The gunner of the small-caliber gun Konon Zinoviev was especially distinguished. Unable to fire from his gun because of the distance, he took his place at the six-inch, where the gunners were killed. Later, Konon Zinoviev, under a hail of enemy shells, replaced the downed stern flag of the ship.
The wounded senior gunner Alexander Budko, gunmen Sidor the Wise, Ivan Romanov, Vasily Utsev, Semyon Kataev, Alexei Kudryavtsev and Timofey Kazakov did not leave their combat posts, fighting to the last drop of blood.
The sentry at the combat flag boatswain's mate Pyotr Olenin several times replaced the broken halyards and again raised the sacred flag of the ship to its place. All the sailor's clothes were torn by shrapnel, the rifle butt was shattered, but he himself remained unharmed.
The stokers Erast Zhigarev and Ivan Zhuravlev distinguished themselves. When the enemy's shell penetrated the side and water gushed into the stoker, they, risking their lives, climbed into the compartment, which was already filled with water, and closed the necks, / 74 / thereby stopping the spread of sea water through the ship.
One of the first battles at sea showed not only the high combat capability and moral qualities of the Russian sailors, but also the weaknesses of the command staff. In particular, unforgivable mistakes were made: the night before the battle was not used for a breakthrough; breaking through during the day, the Varyag tied himself up with the low-speed Korean and lost such an important tactical element for the battle as the speed of the ship, turning into a target for the Japanese; returning to the raid, the officers of the "Varyag" did not blow up the cruiser, as was done with the "Koreyets". It is known that the enemy raised the sunken ship and, after repairs, included it in his fleet.
Under the cover of the Uriu squadron, the Japanese landed the first echelons of the 1st Army in Chemulpo, which captured Seoul a day later.
After February 9, it became clear that the United Fleet, taking advantage of the initial success, would try to develop it and destroy the Port Arthur squadron. The possibility of a landing on the Kwantung Peninsula to capture the fortress was not ruled out; at this time the Japanese were certainly aware of its weak defense from land. Alekseev ordered to immediately mine the approaches to Port Arthur and Dalny. For several days, the mine transports "Yenisei" and "Amur" set 640 mines.
The suddenness of the attack of the Japanese fleet on the Port Arthur squadron and its significant weakening had a great influence on the success of the Japanese in the development of the course of the war. Their navy relatively easily laid the foundation for the conquest of supremacy at sea and, without any particular losses, achieved some successes, which during this period were not yet decisive, but created a favorable environment for the deployment of ground forces: in Tsinampo and Chemulpo, the landing of the first echelons of the 1st General Kuroki's army. Although the situation at sea was unfavorable for the Russian fleet, it still represented a serious force. Over time, having commissioned damaged ships, the fleet could enter into a decisive struggle for supremacy at sea, and its outcome was difficult to predetermine.
On February 9, mobilization began in the troops of the Far East and Siberia. Fortresses Port Arthur and Vladivostok / 75 / were declared martial law. The tsar appointed Vice-Admiral Alekseev as the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces operating against Japan, who immediately turned to General Kuropatkiyu for advice on what to do. On February 26, Alekseev received a reply, in which the former Minister of War, appointed by the tsar as commander of the Manchurian army, wrote: “... the main thing is to defend Port Arthur and not allow yourself to be smashed in parts in southern Manchuria. Under the pressure of superior forces, it is necessary to retreat even beyond Mukden, not allowing the upset of the troops that took the first blow. Our turn will come and go forward ... ". one
1 TsVIA, f. VUA, d .. No. 27239, l. 157
The advice was general, in no way tied to the current specific situation. Alekseev began to concentrate troops in the Liaoyang-Haichen region according to the plan approved by the king in November. Later, he moved parts of the 9th division to the Yingkou-Tashichao line in case the enemy landed here, and sent a detachment from the 3rd division to Yalu. Immediately, forced work began on the construction of the fortifications of Port Arthur. A cavalry detachment under the command of General Mishchenko was sent to Korea with the task of monitoring the enemy.
The situation for the Russian fleet was, of course, difficult, but fixable. However, the tsarist admirals Alekseev and Stark lost their authority among their subordinates in the first days of the war. To bring the fleet into combat readiness, a talented naval commander was needed, who enjoyed full power, who knew how to wage war at sea in the difficult conditions of that time, a naval commander who would be believed by the crews of the ships and followed him. There were too few such admirals in tsarist Russia. One of them - the hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, by that time already a major theorist of naval affairs, a world-renowned scientist, and they started talking in Port Arthur. It was Vice Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov. / 76 /
In early January 1904, Vice Admiral Alekseev, suggesting that the Japanese government was about to unleash a war, turned to the tsar with a request to allow the announcement of the mobilization of troops in the Far East.
A few days later, on January 12, a response followed, in which it was allowed to declare martial law for the fortresses of Port Arthur and Vladivostok, prepare for mobilization and prepare a detachment of troops to be sent to Yala to cover the concentration of troops in South Manchuria from Korea in the event that, if the Japanese land in Korea.
On January 23, it was ordered to form a detachment of troops in the Liaoliang-Haichen region and move to the Yalu River as part of an infantry brigade, a Cossack brigade, an artillery battalion and a sapper company.
The Japanese, realizing that time was working against them, were in a hurry. On January 15, the training began on the island of Tsushima and in the Hakodate fortress.
In the Sasebo area, transports were concentrated for transporting troops. Alekseev again turned to the tsar for permission to announce mobilization and begin transporting troops to the concentration area. In addition, he asked for permission to put the fleet out to sea to counter the landing of Japanese armies in Chemulpo and north of it. Five days later, the tsar replied with a telegram: “It is desirable that the Japanese, not us, open military action. Therefore, if they do not start actions against us, then you must not prevent their landing in South Korea or to the east bank up to and including Genzan. But, if on the western side of Korea their fleet, with or without landing, moves to the north through the thirty-eighth parallel, then you are allowed to attack them without waiting for the first shot from their side. "
But even before this telegram, Alekseev was allowed to start a campaign, go to sea for joint navigation and firing.
- On February 4 in Tokyo it became known that the Russian squadron had left Port Arthur. The Japanese government immediately took advantage of this pretext to implement their plans. At a meeting with the Mikado, it was decided to start hostilities without an official declaration of war; orders were immediately issued to send troops to Korea - in Chemulpo and to attack the Russian fleet at its base. A general mobilization was announced in the country.
- On February 6, the Japanese fleet, consisting of 6 battleships, 14 cruisers and over 36 fighters and destroyers, went to sea.
On this day, the chief commander of the Kronstadt port, Stepan Osipovich Makarov, worried about the fate of the Russian fleet, submitted a letter to the head of the naval ministry, Admiral Avelan, in which he wrote that if now we did not put the fleet in the inner basin of Port Arthur, then we would have to do it after the first night attack paying dearly for the mistake.
Makarov's letter with the resolutions “to report to his majesty,” “to the naval department to do business,” and “to keep it very secret, not to make copies” ended up in the archive. The officials of the Naval Ministry and the Main Naval Staff remained deaf to the voice of the restless admiral.
Alekseev, despite clear signs of war, did not take measures to bring the troops and the fleet to combat readiness. Tensions with Japan and the severance of diplomatic relations were hidden from the officers. In early February, naval exercises were held on a Russian squadron.
On the night of February 9, a Russian squadron of 16 pennants stood crowded on the outer roadstead according to a peacetime disposition. The approaches to the raid, contrary to common sense, were illuminated by ship searchlights. The duty cruisers "Askold" and "Diana", instead of being at sea, were only in readiness in case of an alarm.
At 11 o'clock in the evening on the flagship battleship "Petropavlovsk" the meeting with Vice Admiral Stark ended, at which measures against a possible enemy attack were discussed. Saying goodbye to the officers before leaving the ship, the chief of the naval staff, Rear Admiral Vitgeft, said: "There will be no war."
Meanwhile, the United Fleet was approaching its target. At 6 o'clock in the evening, the signal was raised to start the operation. Togo divided his fighters into two detachments: the first detachment consisted of ten units, he went to Port Arthur, the second from eight to Talienwan. Battleships, cruisers and the remaining destroyers headed for the Elliot Islands. By dividing the fighters into two squads, Togo made a serious mistake, weakening their striking power; there were no Russian warships in Talienvan.
The commanders of the first squadron of fighters at a great distance noticed Russian patrol ships and, extinguishing their navigation lights, went unnoticed to Port Arthur and fired several torpedoes at the squadron. Two ships shining with searchlights and the battleship "Tsesarevich" were permanently disabled. Only due to the fact that the Japanese attack was poorly organized and stretched out in time, the Russian squadron did not suffer large and irrecoverable losses.
On the morning of February 9, the main forces of Togo appeared near Port Arthur. The Russian squadron under the command of Admiral Stark went out to meet the enemy. The battle lasted on countercourses, and when the Japanese approached the coast, the fortress artillery from the Golden Mountain and Electric Cliff entered the battle. Seeing the Port Arthur squadron almost at full strength, which, moreover, showered him with shells, and the tactical disadvantage of the situation, Togo immediately retreated. Stark didn't chase him.
The first day of the war at sea was an ordeal for the Russian fleet. The war turned out to be unexpected for the officers, who were not ready for it not only militarily, but mainly morally. Because of the carelessness of the tsarist officials, the Japanese managed to inflict serious damage on the Port Arthur squadron. In addition to the ships blown up on the Port Arthur roadstead, the Russian fleet lost on February 9 the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets in the Korean port of Chemulpo.
S.O. was appointed to the post of Stark. Makarov. On February 17, Stepan Osipovich Makarov, together with his headquarters, departed for Port Arthur. On March 8, the commander arrived in Port Arthur, and immediately went to the sailors, on whom the combat activities of the fleet depended. The balance of power in the Yellow Sea at this time was as follows:
Stepan Osipovich Makarov was very active person and developed in Port Arthur ebullient activity, seeking to improve the skills of combat in the fleet, he also, not unsuccessfully, sought to establish communication between the fleet and the coastal department. He made a lot of exits with a squadron at sea and did not stop even at the numerical superiority of the enemy. The sailors loved him. In one of the Japanese counterattacks, not expecting all the battleships, Makarov on "Petropavlovsk", having "Poltava" and 2 cruisers in the wake, hurried to the rescue of "Bayan". But finding himself in a very disadvantageous position, under enemy fire, Makarov turned to the fortress under the cover of its batteries. On the roadstead, other ships joined him, and "Petropavlovsk", going head, began to lean towards the enemy with the intention of attacking him. But the fight was not given. At 9 hours 43 minutes a huge column of smoke rose over "Petropavlovsk", a thunderous explosion was heard, and two minutes later the battleship, engulfed in flames, disappeared under water, having blown up on a mine bank set up by Japanese minelayers on the night of April 13. Japanese military literature indicates that the laying of mines was not noticed by the Russians. In reality, unknown ships were found in the roadstead, and this was even reported to Makarov, but the admiral did not allow opening fire, being sure that these were their own destroyers returning from reconnaissance. For some unknown reason, Makarov did not give an order in the morning to wipe out the places where the ships were seen. His headquarters did not take care of this either.
The commander of the Pacific Fleet died along with the headquarters, not carrying out his operational and tactical plans and intentions. With the death of the commander, active operations of the Port Arthur squadron ceased.
Admiral Togo reported on the events in Tokyo, and a few days later the headquarters decided to begin the crossing of the Yalu River by Kuroki's 1st Army. If the crossing was successful, the Japanese intended to proceed with the landing of the 2nd Army on the Liaodong Peninsula.
After Makarov's death, Alekseev, who had arrived from Mukden, took over in command of the fleet. His appearance in Port Arthur coincided with the third bombing of the fortress and the fleet by Japanese ships. Return fire was also fired. The shooting was carried out from a maximum distance (up to 110 cables) and ended in vain for both sides. Alekseev ignored all Makarov's innovations. True to his views to protect the fleet and in no way risk it, he immediately switched all his forces to the defensive, harshly suppressing the attempts of individual commanders to act in an offensive spirit.
port arthur defense fall
The beginning of hostilities on land
On May 5, the first echelon of the Japanese army began to land in the Biziwo area. The team of Russian infantrymen who were here under the fire of Japanese ships withdrew. Major General Fock, having four regiments of the 4th East Siberian Division with artillery close to the landing, did not show any initiative, remaining in the role of an observer. Within a few days, the Japanese landed and unloaded all their weapons.
Meanwhile, regular meetings were held in Port Arthur, during which it was decided to disarm most of the ships and write off the weapons along with the sailors to the shore. The fleet was "commanded" by General Stoessel, who did not understand anything about its combat use. Until mid-June, 166 guns were removed from the ships and installed in positions.
11 miles from Port Arthur, two of the best Japanese battleships, covering the landing, were killed on mines set by the sailors of the Amur minelayer. In addition, the Japanese had 2 ship collisions, as a result of which 1 cruiser and 1 gunboat were irretrievably lost.
The reasons for what was happening were not only in the art of Russian miners, but also in the poor organization of the enemy fleet during the siege service, in unsatisfactory reconnaissance, insufficient tactical literacy of officers and their helplessness in the face of mine danger.
After the death of Admiral Makarov, a new stage of the war began. The Russian squadron was unable to conduct active operations at sea. Instead of using the remaining ships of the fleet in full force at sea, Admirals Vitgeft and Alekseev disarmed them. The Japanese high command used favorable conditions and made, without opposition, the landing of an amphibious army in the rear of Port Arthur, which interrupted the communications of the fortress with the army in Manchuria. The United Fleet, having suffered heavy losses, nevertheless continued to carry out blockade service and dominated the Yellow Sea. The Japanese troops, not waiting for Kuropatkin to concentrate his forces, advanced. Port Arthur was under the threat of a siege.
Units of the 2nd Japanese Army, advancing in the direction of Port Arthur, on May 17 occupied the heights in front of the Kinzhou (Jinzhou) Valley and began to strengthen in anticipation of the approach of the main forces. General Oku decided to attack the fortified Russian position with the forces of three divisions and a separate artillery brigade (more than 35 thousand soldiers with 198 guns). One division, which had landed in the second echelon of the army, remained for cover from the north. The fortified position on the isthmus of the Kwantung Peninsula between Kinchzhous Bay and Hunueza Bay was a group of hills along the front up to 4 km with slopes descending to the bays; it had two lines of trenches with communication trenches, dugouts and redoubts, fenced with artificial obstacles made of wire fences in four to five rows of stakes with a total length of up to 6 km. In the wheel-to-wheel position, there were 13 artillery batteries - 65 guns and 10 machine guns. Although in the Kinzhou area under the general command of the commander of the 4th East Siberian rifle division Major General Fock, there were about 18 thousand soldiers, only 14 companies and 5 hunting teams (3800 people) were allocated directly for the defense of the position; they were commanded by Colonel Tretyakov, the commander of the 5th East Siberian Regiment. Consequently, the Japanese outnumbered the Russians in artillery three times, and in the infantry almost ten times.
On the morning of May 26, after the artillery barrage, thick lines of enemy soldiers rushed to the attack, but, met with hurricane fire, they lay down. Then the fire of all Japanese artillery, including the gunboats that appeared in Kinchzhous Bay, fell on the artillery that had discovered. By eleven o'clock, some of the guns were knocked out, and those who remained in the ranks ceased firing due to the lack of shells. By noon, the first phase of the battle was over, the enemy's artillery fell silent, and his infantry, in no direction, could approach the Russian trenches at a distance that allowed them to rush into a bayonet attack. The position of the Japanese army, which had only one Russian regiment against itself, was far from brilliant. General Fock withdrew from the leadership of the hostilities, entrusting this to the brigade commander, General Nadein; but the latter did nothing, except to try to send reinforcements to the position, which Fock had returned from the way. Stoessel sat out in Port Arthur. His leadership was expressed in a single telegram, proposing to Fock to introduce the 6-inch Kane cannon, which had not yet been installed in position.
In the afternoon, Fock sent a note to Tretyakov, recommending that the left flank be strengthened, and, having received the answer that there was not a single free company in the regiment and that all the hope was only for the prowess of the soldiers and the courage of the officers, nevertheless he did not single out 14 thousand of the 14 thousand at his disposal. not a single soldier. On the night of May 27, the 5th regiment withdrew to the Nangalin station. Dalny was left on the same night. Its well-equipped port was not destroyed; the enemy got a lot of trophies. The Japanese advanced very cautiously and occupied the city only on June 1.
At Kinzhou, the Russians lost 20 officers and 770 soldiers killed and missing, 8 officers and 626 wounded. The losses of the 5th regiment, from which 37% of soldiers and 51% of officers dropped out, testified to perseverance and heroism. The Japanese lost, according to their data, 33 officers and 716 soldiers killed and 100 officers and 3355 soldiers wounded.
With the abandonment of Kinzhou, the forward position of Port Arthur, the road to the fortress was opened to the enemy, there was not a single fortification on the way to it. The enemy got the Dalny port, through which throughout the entire Japanese armies operating in Manchuria and against Port Arthur, they received new contingents of troops, ammunition, and food. In particular, 11-inch howitzers for the siege of the fortress arrived at the theater through Dalny, where there were devices for unloading them from transports.
In early June, there was a conflict between the naval, in the person of Vitgeft and Alekseev, and the land command, in the person of Stoessel, who demanded that the fleet go to sea without battleships being repaired at the docks. The superior Alekseev condemned Stoessel and listed him his immediate responsibilities. Stoessel did not calm down and began to bombard Kuropatkin with telegrams, asking for immediate help. In the end, both Alekseev and Kuropatkin realized that Stoessel was a coward and alarmist, his behavior weakens the moral strength of the defenders of the fortress, and decided to withdraw him from Port Arthur. However, the matter was not brought to execution, and Stoessel, by forgery and deception, managed to stay in the fortress.
On July 28, the Japanese occupied Hill 93, which dominates the “passes”. Capturing it did not make any difference, but General Stoessel seized on it and ordered the troops to immediately withdraw to the verge of the fortress. The maneuvering period of the Kwantung war is over. A close siege and defense of the fortress began.
One of the largest military conflicts at the beginning of the 20th century was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Its result was the first, in recent history, the victory of an Asian state over a European one, in a full-scale armed conflict. The Russian Empire entered the war hoping for an easy victory, but the enemy was underestimated.
In the middle of the 19th century, Emperor Mutsuhio carried out a series of reforms, after which Japan turned into a powerful state with modern army and the fleet. The country has come out of self-isolation; its claim to dominance in East Asia intensified. But in this region, another colonial power also sought to gain a foothold -.
Causes of war and balance of power
The cause of the war was the collision in the Far East of the geopolitical interests of two empires - modernized Japan and tsarist Russia.
Japan, having established itself in Korea and Manchuria, was forced to make concessions under pressure from the European powers. The Liaodong Peninsula, captured by the island empire during the war with China, was transferred to Russia. But both sides understood that a military conflict could not be avoided and were preparing for hostilities.
By the time the hostilities began, the opponents had concentrated significant forces in the conflict zone. Japan could exhibit 375-420 thousand people. and 16 heavy warships. Russia had 150 thousand people in Eastern Siberia and 18 heavy ships (battleships, armored cruisers, etc.).
The course of hostilities
The beginning of the war. The defeat of the Russian naval forces in the Pacific
The Japanese attacked before the declaration of war, on January 27, 1904. The strikes were delivered in various directions, which allowed the fleet to neutralize the threat of opposition from Russian ships on sea lanes, and parts of the Imperial Japanese army to land in Korea. By February 21, they occupied the capital Pyongyang, and by the beginning of May they blocked the Port Arthur squadron. This allowed the 2nd Japanese Army to land in Manchuria. Thus, the first stage of hostilities ended with the victory of Japan. The defeat of the Russian fleet allowed the Asiatic empire to invade the mainland of land units and ensure their supply.
Campaign of 1904. Defense of Port Arthur
The Russian command hoped to take revenge on land. However, the very first battles showed the superiority of the Japanese in the land theater of operations. The 2nd Army defeated the Russians opposing it and split into two parts. One of them began to advance on the Kwantung Peninsula, the other on Manchuria. Near Liaoyang (Manchuria), the first major battle took place between the land units of the opposing sides. The Japanese attacked continuously, and the Russian command, previously confident of victory over the Asians, lost control of the battle. The battle was lost.
Having put his army in order, General Kuropatkin went on the offensive and tried to unblock the Kwantung fortified area cut off from his own. A major battle unfolded in the Shakhe River valley: there were more Russians, but the Japanese Marshal Oyama managed to hold back the onslaught. Port Arthur was doomed.
Campaign of 1905
This sea fortress had a strong garrison and was fortified from land. In a complete blockade, the garrison of the fortress repulsed four assaults, inflicting significant losses on the enemy; in defense, various technical innovations were tried. The Japanese kept between 150 and 200 thousand bayonets under the walls of the fortified area. However, after almost a year of siege, the fortress fell. Almost a third of the captured Russian soldiers and officers were wounded.
For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur was a heavy blow to the prestige of the empire.
The last chance to turn the tide of the war for the Russian army was the battle of Mukden in February 1905. However, the Japanese were no longer opposed by the formidable force of a great power, but by the units suppressed by continuous defeats, which were far from their native land. After 18 days, the left flank of the Russian army wavered, and the command gave the order to retreat. The forces of both sides were exhausted: a positional war began, the outcome of which could only be changed by the victory of the squadron of Admiral Rozhdestvensky. After long months on the road, she came to the island of Tsushima.
Tsushima. Japan's final victory
By the time of the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese fleet had an advantage in ships, the experience of defeating Russian admirals and a high morale. Having lost only 3 ships, the Japanese utterly routed the enemy's fleet, scattering its remnants. Russia's maritime borders were left unprotected; a few weeks later the first amphibious assault forces landed on Sakhalin and Kamchatka.
Peace treaty. Results of the war
In the summer of 1905, both sides were extremely exhausted. Japan had an undeniable military superiority, but she was running out of supplies. Russia, on the contrary, could use its advantage in resources, but for this, it was necessary to rebuild the economy and political life for military needs. The outbreak of the 1905 revolution ruled out this possibility. In these conditions, both sides agreed to sign a peace treaty.
According to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, Russia lost the southern part of Sakhalin, the Liaodong Peninsula, railroad to Port Arthur. The empire was forced to leave Manchuria and Korea, which became, in fact, the protectorates of Japan. The defeat accelerated the collapse of the autocracy and the subsequent disintegration of the Russian Empire. Its adversary Japan, on the contrary, has significantly strengthened its position, becoming one of the leading world powers.
The Land of the Rising Sun steadily increased its expansion, becoming one of the largest geopolitical players, and remained so until 1945.
Table: chronology of events
| the date | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| January 1904 | Start Russo-Japanese War | Japanese destroyers attacked a Russian squadron stationed at the outer harbor-Arthur. |
| January - April 1904 | Clashes between the Japanese fleet and the Russian squadron in the Yellow Sea | The Russian fleet is defeated. Overland parts of Japan land in Korea (January) and Manchuria (May), moving inland of China and towards Port Arthur. |
| August 1904 | Liaoyang battle | Japanese army established in Manchuria |
| October 1904 | Battle on the Shahe River | The Russian army failed to release Port Arthur. Trench warfare was established. |
| May - December 1904 | Defense of Port Arthur | Despite repelling four assaults, the fortress surrendered. The Russian fleet lost the ability to operate on sea communications. The fall of the fortress had a demoralizing effect on the army and society. |
| February 1905 | Battle of Mukden | The retreat of the Russian army from Mukden. |
| August 1905 | Signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty | According to the Portsmouth Peace, concluded between Russia and Japan in 1905, Russia ceded a small island territory to Japan, but did not pay any indemnities. Southern Sakhalin, Port Arthur and Dalny port came into the eternal possession of Japan. Korea and South Manchuria entered the Japanese sphere of influence. Count S.Yu. Witte got the nickname "Polusakhalinsky" because during the peace negotiations with Japan in Portsmouth he signed the text of the treaty, according to which South Sakhalin went to Japan. |
Strengths and weaknesses of opponents
| Japan | Russia |
|---|---|
Japan's strengths were its territorial proximity to the conflict zone, a modernized military and patriotic sentiment among the population. In addition to new weapons, the Japanese army and navy have mastered European tactics of warfare. However, the officer corps did not have the proven skill of managing large military formations armed with progressive military theory and the latest weapons. | Russia had a great experience of colonial expansion. The personnel of the army and especially the navy possessed high moral and volitional qualities, if they were provided with the appropriate command. The armament and equipment of the Russian army were at an average level and, with proper use, could be successfully used against any enemy. |
Military-political reasons for the defeat of Russia
The negative factors that determined the military defeat of the Russian army and navy were: remoteness from the theater of operations, serious shortcomings in the supply of troops and ineffective military leadership.
The political leadership of the Russian Empire, with a general understanding of the inevitability of a collision, purposefully did not prepare for a war in the Far East.
The defeat accelerated the collapse of the autocracy and the subsequent disintegration of the Russian Empire. Its adversary Japan, on the contrary, has significantly strengthened its position, becoming one of the leading world powers. The Land of the Rising Sun steadily increased its expansion, becoming the largest geopolitical player and remained so until 1945.
Other factors
- Economic and military-technical backwardness of Russia
- Imperfect management structures
- Weak development of the Far Eastern region
- Embezzlement and bribery in the army
- Underestimating Japan's Armed Forces
Results of the Russo-Japanese War
In conclusion, it is worth noting the importance of defeat in the Russo-Japanese War for the continued existence of the autocratic system in Russia. The inept and ill-considered actions of the government, which caused the death of thousands of soldiers who faithfully defended it, actually led to the beginning of the first revolution in the history of our country. The prisoners and wounded returning from Manchuria could not hide their indignation. Their testimonies, combined with the apparent economic, military and political backwardness, led to a sharp surge of indignation, primarily in the lower and middle strata. Russian society... In fact, the Russo-Japanese war exposed the long-hidden contradictions between the people and the government, and this exposure took place so quickly and imperceptibly that it stumped not only the government, but also the participants in the revolution themselves. In many historical publications there is an indication that Japan managed to win the war due to betrayal by the socialists and the nascent Bolshevik party, but in fact, such statements are far from the truth, since it was the failures of the Japanese war that provoked a surge of revolutionary ideas. Thus, the Russo-Japanese War became a turning point in history, a period that forever changed its further course.
“Not the Russian people,” wrote Lenin, “but the Russian autocracy started this colonial war, which turned into a war between the new and the old bourgeois world. Not the Russian people, but the autocracy came to a shameful defeat. The Russian people gained from the defeat of the autocracy. The capitulation of Port Arthur is the prologue to the capitulation of tsarism. "
Map: Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905
Russian-Japanese War. The minimum for the exam.
The heroic defense of Port Arthur collapsed due to the short-sighted decisions of the generals. This defeat of the Russian troops predetermined the outcome of the Russo-Japanese war.
The beginning of the war
Large-scale hostilities of the Russo-Japanese war began with the attack of Japanese destroyers on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur on the Russian squadron on January 26, 1904. The Japanese torpedoed and temporarily disabled the best Russian battleships "Tsesarevich" and "Retvizan", as well as the cruiser "Pallada". Measures to protect ships in the outer roadstead were clearly insufficient. It should be admitted that none of the Russian ships received fatal damage, and after an artillery battle on the morning of January 27, the Japanese fleet was forced to retreat. The moral factor played a fatal role - the Japanese fleet managed to seize the initiative. Our squadron began to suffer in the following days ridiculous and unjustified losses due to weak interaction and control. So, two days after the start of the war, the minelayer "Yenisei" and the cruiser "Boyarin" were killed on their own mines.
Mine war
During the struggle for Port Arthur, both sides actively used minefields: the Russians to protect the approach to the fortress, and the Japanese to strengthen the blockade measures. Moreover, the losses from mines in ships and personnel for both sides turned out to be much greater than in all artillery naval battles at Port Arthur combined. As a result of the explosion on Japanese mines, the battleship "Petropavlovsk" sank (Vice-Admiral Stepan Makarov, his headquarters and most of the crew were killed on the ship), the gunboat "Thundering" and four destroyers. During the fighting, Russian ships fielded 1,442 mines on the approaches to the fortress, the victims of which were 12 Japanese ships, including the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima. Thus, the most heavy losses in the war of 1904-1905, the Japanese fleet suffered from Russian mines near Port Arthur.
Who does time work for
Events near Port Arthur to a large extent determined the general course of hostilities in the Russo-Japanese War. The Russian command had a need to carry out a series of offensive actions in order to unblock the fortress. This forced them to take the offensive. The results of such forced and ill-prepared offensives were failures at Wafangou and at Shahe.
For the Japanese, planning to capture Port Arthur outright, the long siege also proved to be a difficult task. She pinned down a third of all Japanese troops on the continent. Attempts to solve the problem with one powerful assault (as on the eve of the Shahe battles) led to colossal losses with minimal military results. The surrender of the fortress on January 5, 1905 allowed the Japanese command to timely transfer the 3rd army from Port Arthur to Manchuria shortly before the major battle of the war at Mukden.
Food
During the struggle for Port Arthur, both the Russian and Japanese armies experienced food shortages. The situation in the fortress was aggravated by General Stoessel's ban on the local Chinese population from fishing, which could be a serious help in the fight against food shortages. And if stocks of flour, rusks and sugar at the time of delivery of the fortress remained for another month and a half, then there was practically no meat and vegetables. Scurvy began to rage among the garrison.
Japanese troops experienced no less difficulty. Initially, the Japanese food system was not adapted to combat operations on the continent in a more severe climate than on the Japanese islands and the frosty winter of 1904-1905. The huge decline in the Japanese army near Port Arthur (up to 112 thousand people, according to Russian historians) was due not only to combat, but also to huge sanitary losses.
The death of General Kondratenko
A heavy loss for the defenders of Port Arthur, which hastened the fall of the fortress, was the death of Lieutenant General Roman Kondratenko, chief of ground defense. The name of this man, who became the soul of the defense of Port Arthur, is associated with a number of measures to strengthen the defense of the fortress. Under the leadership of Kondratenko, the defense of Port Arthur was actually built anew.
The concentration of large forces in the direction of the main attacks of the enemy more than once allowed Kondratenko to repel the onslaught of the superior forces of the Japanese. Kondratenko paid much attention to the introduction of technical innovations (mortars, barbed wire with electric shock). Being a fearless defender of Port Arthur, at the same time, Kondratenko advocated an early end to the war with Japan, pointing out the need to sign a peace before the Japanese were able to capture Port Arthur. After the death of Kondratenko on December 2, 1904, Generals Stoessel and Fock began to actively pursue a policy aimed at surrendering the fortress to the Japanese.
High
High (height 203) was one of the key points of defense of Port Arthur. From the Vysokaya one could see the fortress and the inner roadstead, where most of the ships of the 1st Pacific Squadron were located. Japanese troops made repeated attempts to capture this height. The most fierce battles on Vysokaya took place in mid-November 1904, when the Japanese threw two divisions into battle and concentrated the fire of heavy 280 mm siege howitzers, from which no protection could save the shells. On November 23, the Japanese finally captured Vysokaya, having the opportunity to adjust siege artillery fire on Russian ships in Port Arthur, which predetermined the death of most of the squadron.
Tactical Draw
Strategic victory for the Japanese fleet
| Russian empire | Empire of japan |
| O. V. Stark | Togo Heihachiro |
| 7 battleships, 5 cruisers |
6 battleships, 5 cruisers, 15 destroyers, 20 destroyers |
Morning battle involving heavy ships
After the night attack, Admiral Togo sent his subordinate, Vice Admiral Dewu Shigeto, with 4 cruisers for reconnaissance at 08:00 to assess the results of the night attack and the damage inflicted on the Russian fleet. By 09:00 the Deva squad was close enough to see the Russian fleet through the morning fog. Deva saw 12 battleships and cruisers, three or four of which appeared to be badly damaged or washed ashore. The smaller ships outside the harbor were in apparent disarray. Deva approached about 7 km to the harbor, but since he went unnoticed, he came to the conclusion that the night attack paralyzed the Russian squadron, and hastened to report to Togo.
Deva was able to convince Togo that the moment could be extremely favorable for an immediate attack by the main forces of the fleet. Although Togo would have preferred to lure the Russian fleet out of the range of coastal batteries, Deva's overly optimistic report convinced him that the risk was justified.
On approaching Port Arthur, the Japanese fleet was spotted by the Russian cruiser Boyarin, which was on patrol. "Boyarin" fired at "Mikasa" from the utmost distance and hastened to the main forces of the Russian fleet. At 11:00, a firefight between the fleets began from a distance of about 8 km. The Japanese concentrated fire of their 12 "guns on coastal batteries, and 8" and 6 "guns against the ships of the Russian squadron. Diana "and" Askold. ”Soon, however, it became clear that Deva was overly optimistic in his assessments. In the first five minutes of the firefight, Mikasa received a direct hit, destroying the aft bridge and wounding the chief engineer, flag lieutenant and 5 other officers ...
At 12:20, Togo ordered the return course. This was a risky maneuver, as it exposed the Japanese ships to the fire of the Russian coastal batteries. The Japanese ships successfully completed the maneuver and quickly went beyond the range of the Russian batteries, but the Shikishima, Iwate, Fuji and Hatsuse received direct hits. Several hits at the time of the turn were also in the cruiser of Admiral Kamimura Hikonojo. At that moment, "Novik", which was about 3 km from the Japanese cruisers, fired torpedoes. Everyone passed by, and Novik got a hole below the waterline.
Outcomes
The battle at Port Arthur did not bring a decisive victory to either side. The losses of the Russians amounted to about 150 people, the Japanese - about 90. Although not a single ship was sunk on either side, several ships were damaged. However, the Japanese had repair facilities and a dry dock at Sasebo, while the Russians had to rely on the very limited repair facilities of Port Arthur.
A formal declaration of war on Russia was made by Japan on February 10, the day after the battle.
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Literature
- "Top Secret History" about the Battle of Port Arthur // Sea War: Journal. - Grand Fleet, 2010. - Issue. one . - S. 15-32.
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Excerpt from the Attack on Port Arthur
“One thing I ask, Your Excellency,” he said in his sonorous, firm, unhurried voice. - Please give me a chance to make amends for my guilt and prove my loyalty to the Emperor and Russia.Kutuzov turned away. His face flashed the same smile of eyes as when he turned away from Captain Timokhin. He turned away and grimaced, as if he wanted to express by this that everything that Dolokhov said to him, and everything that he could tell him, he has known for a long time, for a long time, that all this has already bored him and that all this is not at all what is needed ... He turned away and headed for the wheelchair.
The regiment sorted out in companies and went to the appointed apartments not far from Braunau, where he hoped to put on shoes, get dressed and rest after difficult transitions.
- You do not pretend to me, Prokhor Ignatyich? - Said the regimental commander, bypassing the 3rd company moving to the place and approaching the captain Timokhin who was walking in front of it. The regimental commander's face expressed uncontrollable joy after the happily served review. - The tsarist service ... you can't ... another time in the front you will cut off ... I will apologize myself first, you know me ... Thank you very much! - And he held out his hand to the company commander.
- Have mercy, General, but dare I! - answered the captain, blushing his nose, smiling and revealing with a smile the lack of two front teeth, knocked out by the butt under Ishmael.
- Yes, tell Mr. Dolokhov that I will not forget him, so that he was calm. Yes, please tell me, I still wanted to ask, what is he, how is he behaving? And that's it ...
- He's very good in service, your Excellency ... but the karakhter ... - said Timokhin.
- And what, what character? The regimental commander asked.
- He finds, your excellency, for days, - said the captain, - that he is smart, and learned, and kind. And then the beast. In Poland he killed a Jew, if you please know ...
- Well, yes, well, yes, - said the regimental commander, - we must all take pity on the young man in misfortune. After all, great connections ... So you are that ...
“Yes, your Excellency,” said Timokhin, making him feel with a smile that he understands the boss's wishes.
- Yes Yes.
The regimental commander found Dolokhov in the ranks and held the horse back.
- Before the first case - epaulettes, - he told him.
Dolokhov looked around, said nothing and did not change the expression of his mockingly smiling mouth.
- Well, that's good, - continued the regimental commander. “People have a glass of vodka from me,” he added so that the soldiers could hear. - Thank you all! Thank God! - And he, having overtaken the company, drove up to another.
- Well, he really good man; you can serve with him, '' Timokhin said to the subaltern to the officer who was walking beside him.
- One word, red! ... (the regimental commander was nicknamed the king of hearts) - the subaltern officer said laughing.
The happy mood of the authorities after the review passed on to the soldiers. The company went on merrily. Soldiers' voices spoke from all sides.
- How did they say, Kutuzov crooked, about one eye?
- And then no! All the curve.
- Not ... brother, eyes are bigger than you. Boots and rolls - I looked around ...
- How he, my brother, will look at my feet ... well! think…
- And then the other Austrian, with him was, as if smeared with chalk. Like flour, white. I have tea, as ammunition is cleaned!
- What, Fedeshaw! ... he said, perhaps, when the guards began, were you standing closer? They said everything, Bunaparte himself stands in Brunov.
- Bunaparte is worth it! you lie, you fool! What he doesn't know! Now the Prussian is revolting. The Austrian, therefore, pacifies him. As he reconciles, then the war will open with Bunapart. And that, he says, is in Brunov Bunaparte! Then it is clear that he is a fool. Listen more.
- See the devil's lodgers! The fifth company, look, is already turning into the village, they will cook porridge, and we will not reach the place yet.
- Give me a crouton, devil.
- Did you give tobacco yesterday? That's that, brother. Well, on, God be with you.
- If only we made a halt, otherwise we won't eat for another five miles.
- It was very pleasant how the Germans gave us the carriages. You go, know: it is important!
- And here, brother, the people went completely wild. Everything there seemed to be a Pole, everything was of the Russian crown; but today, brother, a solid German has gone.
- Songbooks forward! The captain shouted.
And about twenty people ran out in front of the company from different rows. The drummer sang turned around to face the songwriters, and, waving his hand, began to draw out a drawn-out soldier's song, which began: "Isn't it dawn, the sun was busy ..." and ended with the words: "Then, brothers, there will be glory to us with Kamensky's father ..." This song was folded in Turkey and was sung now in Austria, only with the change that in place of the "Kamensky father" the words were inserted: "The Kutuzov father."
Tearing off these last words in a soldier's manner and waving his hands as if he were throwing something on the ground, the drummer, a dry and handsome soldier of about forty years old, sternly glanced around at the songwriter and closed his eyes. Then, making sure that all eyes were fixed on him, he seemed to carefully raise some invisible, precious thing above his head with both hands, held it like that for several seconds, and suddenly desperately dropped it:
Oh, you, my canopy, canopy!
"My new canopy ...", picked up twenty voices, and the spoon-maker, despite the weight of the ammunition, briskly jumped forward and went backwards in front of the company, moving his shoulders and threatening someone with spoons. The soldiers, swinging their arms to the beat of the song, walked with a spacious step, involuntarily falling into the leg. Behind the company came the sound of wheels, the crunching of springs and the stamping of horses.
Kutuzov and his retinue were returning to the city. The commander-in-chief gave a sign that the people should continue to march at ease, and on his face and on all the faces of his retinue, pleasure was expressed at the sound of a song, at the sight of a dancing soldier and merrily and briskly walking company soldiers. In the second row, from the right flank, from which the carriage overtook the companies, the blue-eyed soldier Dolokhov involuntarily caught the eye, who walked especially briskly and gracefully to the beat of the song and looked at the faces of those passing by with such an expression as if he pitied everyone who did not go at this time with the company. A hussar cornet from Kutuzov's retinue, mimicking the regimental commander, left the carriage and drove up to Dolokhov.
Hussar cornet Zherkov at one time in St. Petersburg belonged to that violent society, which was led by Dolokhov. Abroad, Zherkov met Dolokhov as a soldier, but did not consider it necessary to recognize him. Now, after Kutuzov's conversation with the demoted one, he, with the joy of an old friend, turned to him:
- Friend of heart, how are you? - he said at the sound of the song, even the step of his horse with the step of the company.
- I'm like? - answered Dolokhov coldly, - as you can see.
The lively song attached particular importance to the tone of cheeky gaiety with which Zherkov spoke, and to the deliberate coldness of Dolokhov's answers.
- Well, how are you getting along with your superiors? - asked Zherkov.
- Nothing, good people. How are you getting into the headquarters?
