Who led the capture of Ishmael. The resentment of the great commander. How Suvorov took the impregnable Izmail
Izmail city is located on the banks of the Danube River in the very south of the Odessa region, in the historical region of Bessarabia. On the other side of the river from the city is Romania. The distance from Izmail to the Black Sea coast is about 80 km. This place is quite isolated; to get to the city you have to drive for several hours through the remote steppe. Also, an hour and a half drive separates Izmail from the Ukrainian-Moldovan border - this is the main direction for traveling by car from Ukraine to Romania and Bulgaria.
How to get to Izmail?
Getting to Izmail, let's say, is not easy. highway, which connects the city with Odessa is in a rather deplorable state. Although in 2016 the authorities repaired several small plots this road, still in places road surface remains completely destroyed. There are several sections of the route where cars prefer to drive along the field rather than on the road, as there are fewer potholes there. If you don’t mind your car, then you can get from Odessa to Izmail in 4 hours. Regular buses and minibuses travel along the same road for about 5 hours, with a technical stop in Tatarbunary. Ticket price is about 120 UAH. During the daytime, minibuses run quite often, every 30-40 minutes.
There is also a train Odessa-Izmail and Kyiv-Izmail. From Odessa to Izmail, train No. 6860 departs three times a day (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday) at 16:20. The train leaves back from Izmail to Odessa on the same days at 23:59. Train Kyiv-Izmail-Kyiv No. 243/244 runs daily. Departure times from Kyiv and Izmail are the same - at 17:06. Travel time by train will be slightly longer than by bus or car - about 7 hours. But the tickets are also cheaper.
Sights of Izmail.
Izmail has several interesting places for tourists. Also, do not forget that just an hour’s drive from the city is Vilkovo (Ukrainian Venice), as well as the Black Sea coast.
Izmail Fortress
Probably everyone has heard about the legendary impregnable Izmail fortress, which was stormed by Suvorov’s troops in 1790. Unfortunately, this fortress has not survived to this day. After its capture, its walls were razed to the ground and nothing remained of this interesting architectural monument. Now on the site of the fortress there is the Izmail Memorial Park-Museum “Fortress”. The only surviving building from those times is the mosque building, where a diorama of the “storming of the fortress” is now being created.
Intercession Cathedral
Intercession Cathedral Holy Mother of God located in the city park in the center of Izmail on Suvorov Avenue. The cathedral was built in the first half of the 19th century on the site of the older St. Nicholas Church. The architect was A. Melnikov. Masha Pasha really liked this church. The cathedral itself looks quite unusual; it has long antique colonnades and porticoes. There is a nice park around it, and here you can also see a monument to Suvorov.
Suvorov Avenue
In the central part of the city, Suvorov Avenue has a long pedestrian green area where you can stroll. There are also many nice low two-story buildings built in the 19th century. If you walk along Suvorov Avenue straight towards the Danube, you will eventually come to the river station of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company and a small embankment along the Danube.
Infrastructure, entertainment in Izmail
In Izmail there is only one large supermarket, Tavriya, which is located on Suvorov Avenue at the entrance to the central part of the city. It is quite a long walk from here to the Intercession Cathedral and the city center. Several entertainment facilities are located on Mira Avenue in the area of the “circle” - a square with circular traffic, on which the monument to the liberators of Izmail is located. There is a cinema, Pizzeria Celentano and a number of other shops, restaurants and cafes. There are also many small shops and cafes located in the central part of Suvorov Avenue.
Our room in a VIP hotel in Izmail.
Where to stay in Izmail?
MashaPasha, visiting Izmail, stayed at the VIP hotel (20 Pushkin Street). This is one of best hotels city, clean, with good furniture. Prices for rooms in it start from 580 UAH. per double room per night. Hotel website www.vip-hotel.com.ua
The Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774 ended in Russian victory. The country finally secured access to the Black Sea. But according to the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty, the powerful fortress of Izmail, located at the mouth of the Danube, still remained Turkish.
Political situation
In mid-summer 1787, Türkiye, with the support of France, Great Britain and Prussia, demanded Russian Empire the return of Crimea and the refusal of the Georgian authorities to provide their protection. In addition, they wanted to obtain consent to inspect all Russian merchant ships traveling through the straits of the Black Sea. Without waiting for a positive response to its claims, the Turkish government declared war on Russia. This happened on August 12, 1787.
The challenge was accepted. The Russian Empire, in turn, hastened to take advantage of the current situation and increase its possessions at the expense of lands in the Northern Black Sea region.
Initially, Turkey planned to capture Kherson and Kinburn, land a large number of its troops on the Crimean Peninsula, and also destroy the base of the Russian Black Sea squadron in Sevastopol.
Balance of power
In order to launch full-scale military operations on the Black Sea coast of the Kuban and Caucasus, Turkey turned its main forces in the direction of Anapa and Sukhum. It had an army of 200,000 and a fairly strong fleet, consisting of 16 frigates, 19 battleships, 5 bombardment corvettes, as well as many other ships and support ships.
In response, the Russian Empire began deploying its two armies. The first of them is Ekaterinoslavskaya. It was commanded by Field Marshal General Grigory Potemkin. It numbered 82 thousand people. The second was the Ukrainian 37,000-strong army under the command of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev. In addition, two powerful military corps were stationed in Crimea and Kuban.
As for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, it was based in two places. The main forces, consisting of 23 warships, carrying 864 guns, were stationed in Sevastopol, and were commanded by Admiral M. I. Voinovich. An interesting fact is that at the same time the future great admiral F. F. Ushakov served here. The second place of deployment was the Dnieper-Bug estuary. A rowing flotilla was stationed there, consisting of 20 small vessels and ships that were only partially armed.
Allied plan
It must be said that the Russian Empire was not left alone in this war. On her side was one of the largest and strongest at that time European countries- Austria. She, like Russia, sought to expand her borders at the expense of other Balkan countries that found themselves under the yoke of Turkey.
The plan of the new allies, Austria and the Russian Empire, was exclusively offensive in nature. The idea was to attack Turkey from two sides simultaneously. The Yekaterinoslav army was supposed to begin military operations on the Black Sea coast, capture Ochakov, then cross the Dnieper and destroy Turkish troops in the area between the Prut and Dniester rivers, and for this it was necessary to take Bendery. At the same time, the Russian flotilla, through its active actions, pinned down enemy ships on the Black Sea and did not allow the Turks to land on the Crimean coast. The Austrian army, in turn, promised to attack from the west and storm Hatin.
Developments
The start of hostilities for Russia was very successful. The capture of the Ochakov fortress, two victories of A. Suvorov at Rymnik and Forshany indicated that the war should end very soon. This meant that the Russian Empire would sign a peace beneficial to itself. Türkiye at that time did not have such forces that could seriously repel the Allied armies. But for some reason politicians missed this favorable moment and did not take advantage of it. As a result, the war dragged on, since the Turkish authorities were still able to gather a new army, as well as receive help from the West.
During the military campaign of 1790, the Russian command planned to capture Turkish fortresses located on the left bank of the Danube, and after that move their troops further.
This year, Russian sailors under the command of F. Ushakov won one brilliant victory after another. At the island of Tendra and the Turkish fleet suffered a crushing defeat. As a result, the Russian flotilla firmly established itself in the Black Sea and provided favorable conditions for the further offensive of their armies on the Danube. The fortresses of Tulcha, Kilia and Isakcha had already been taken when Potemkin’s troops approached Izmail. Here they met desperate resistance from the Turks.
Impregnable citadel
The capture of Ishmael was considered impossible. Just before the war, the fortress was thoroughly rebuilt and strengthened. It was surrounded by a high rampart and a fairly wide ditch filled with water. The fortress had 11 bastions, where 260 guns were placed. The work was led by German and French engineers.
Also, the capture of Izmail was considered unrealistic, because it was located on the left bank of the Danube between two lakes - Katlabukh and Yalpukh. It rose on the slope of a sloping mountain, which ended in a low but steep slope near the river bed. This fortress was of great strategic importance, as it was located at the intersection of routes from Khotin, Kiliya, Galati and Bendery.
The garrison of the citadel consisted of 35 thousand soldiers, commanded by Aidozle Mehmet Pasha. Some of them reported directly to Kaplan Geray, the brother of the Crimean Khan. He was assisted by his five sons. The new decree of Sultan Selim III stated that if the capture of the Izmail fortress takes place, then every soldier from the garrison, wherever he may be, will be executed.
Appointment of Suvorov
The Russian troops camped under the citadel had a hard time. The weather was damp and cold. The soldiers warmed themselves by burning reeds in fires. There was a catastrophic shortage of food. In addition, the troops were in constant combat readiness, fearing enemy attacks.
Winter was just around the corner, so Russian military leaders Ivan Gudovich, Joseph de Ribas and Potemkin's brother Pavel gathered for a military council on December 7. On it they decided to lift the siege and postpone the capture Turkish fortress Ishmael.
But Grigory Potemkin did not agree with this conclusion and canceled the resolution of the military council. Instead, he signed an order that General-in-Chief A.V. Suvorov, who was standing with his troops at Galati, should take command of the army that was currently besieging the impregnable citadel.
Preparing for the assault
The capture of the Izmail fortress by Russian troops required the most careful organization. Therefore, Suvorov sent his best Phanagorian Grenadier Regiment, 1 thousand Arnauts, 200 Cossacks and 150 hunters who served in the Absheron Musketeer Regiment to the walls of the bastion. He did not forget about the sutlers with food supplies. In addition, Suvorov ordered 30 ladders and 1 thousand fascines to be put together and sent to Izmail, and also gave the rest of the necessary orders. He transferred command of the remaining troops stationed near Galati to lieutenant generals Derfelden and Prince Golitsin. The commander himself left the camp with a small convoy consisting of only 40 Cossacks. On the way to the fortress, Suvorov met the retreating Russian troops and turned them back, as he planned to use all his forces at the moment when the capture of Izmail began.
Upon arrival at the camp located near the fortress, he first blocked the impregnable citadel from the Danube River and from land. Then Suvorov ordered the artillery to be positioned as it was done during a long siege. Thus, he managed to convince the Turks that the capture of Izmail by Russian troops was not planned in the near future.
Suvorov conducted a detailed acquaintance with the fortress. He and the officers accompanying him approached Ishmael within rifle range. Here he indicated the places where the columns would go, where exactly the assault would take place and how the troops should help each other. For six days Suvorov prepared to capture the Turkish fortress of Izmail.
The General-in-Chief personally toured all the regiments and talked with the soldiers about previous victories, while not hiding the difficulties that awaited them during the assault. This is how Suvorov prepared his troops for the day when the capture of Izmail would finally begin.
Land Assault
At 3 a.m. on December 22, the first light appeared in the sky. flare. It was symbol, along which the troops left their camp, formed columns and headed to pre-designated locations. And by half past six in the morning they moved to capture the Izmail fortress.
The column led by Major General P.P. Lassi was the first to approach the walls of the citadel. Half an hour after the start of the assault, under a hurricane of enemy bullets raining down on their heads, the rangers overcame the rampart, at the top of which a fierce battle ensued. And at this time, the Phanagorian grenadiers and Absheron riflemen under the command of Major General S. L. Lvov managed to capture the first enemy batteries and the Khotyn Gate. They also managed to connect with the second column. They opened the Khotyn gates for the entry of cavalry. This was the first major victory Russian troops from the moment Suvorov began taking the Turkish fortress of Izmail. Meanwhile, in other areas the assault continued with increasing force.
Simultaneously on opposite side In the citadel, the column of Major General M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov captured the bastion located on the side of the Kiliya Gate and the adjacent rampart. On the day of the capture of the Izmail fortress, perhaps the most difficult task to achieve was the goal set for the commander of the third column, Major General F.I. Meknoba. She was supposed to storm the northern great bastion. The fact is that in this area the height of the rampart and the depth of the ditch were too great, so the stairs, about 12 m high, turned out to be short. Under heavy fire, the soldiers had to tie them up two by two. As a result, the northern bastion was taken. The remaining ground columns also coped with their tasks perfectly.
Water assault
The capture of Izmail by Suvorov was thought out to the smallest detail. Therefore, it was decided to storm the fortress not only from the land side. Seeing the prearranged signal, the landing troops, led by Major General de Ribas, covered by the rowing fleet, moved towards the fortress and lined up in two lines. At 7 o'clock in the morning their landing on the shore began. This process took place very smoothly and quickly, despite the fact that they were resisted by more than 10 thousand Turkish and Tatar soldiers. This success of the landing was greatly facilitated by Lvov’s column, which at that time was attacking enemy coastal batteries from the flank. Also, significant Turkish forces were pulled over by ground forces operating from the eastern side.
The column under the command of Major General N.D. Arsenyev sailed to the shore on 20 ships. As soon as the troops landed on the shore, they immediately divided into several groups. The Livonian rangers were commanded by Count Roger Damas. They captured a battery that lined the shore. The Kherson grenadiers, led by Colonel V.A. Zubov, managed to take a rather tough cavalier. On this day of the capture of Izmail, the battalion lost two-thirds of its strength. The remaining military units also suffered losses, but successfully captured their sections of the fortress.
Final stage
When dawn came, it turned out that the rampart had already been captured, and the enemy had been driven out from the fortress walls and was retreating deeper into the city. Columns of Russian troops, located from different sides, moved towards the city center. New battles broke out.
The Turks offered especially strong resistance until 11 o'clock. The city was burning here and there. Thousands of horses, jumping out of burning stables in panic, rushed through the streets, sweeping away everyone in their path. Russian troops had to fight for almost every house. Lassi and his squad were the first to reach the city center. Here Maksud Geray was waiting for him with the remnants of his troops. The Turkish commander stubbornly defended himself, and only when almost all his soldiers were killed did he surrender.
The capture of Izmail by Suvorov was coming to an end. To support the infantry with fire, he ordered light guns firing grapeshot to be delivered to the city. Their volleys helped clear the streets of the enemy. At one o'clock in the afternoon it became clear that victory had actually already been won. But the fighting still continued. Kaplan Geray somehow managed to gather several thousand foot and horse Turks and Tatars, whom he led against the advancing Russian troops, but was defeated and killed. His five sons also died. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the capture of the Izmail fortress by Suvorov was completed. The citadel, previously considered impregnable, fell.
Results
The capture of Izmail by the troops of the Russian Empire radically affected the entire strategic situation. The Turkish government was forced to agree to peace negotiations. A year later, both parties signed an agreement, according to which the Turks recognized Russia’s rights to Georgia, Crimea and Kuban. In addition, Russian merchants were promised benefits and all kinds of assistance from the vanquished.
On the day of the capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail, the Russian side lost 2,136 people killed. Their number included: soldiers - 1816, Cossacks - 158, officers - 66 and 1 brigadier. There were slightly more wounded - 3214 people, including 3 generals and 253 officers.
The losses on the part of the Turks seemed simply enormous. More than 26 thousand people were killed alone. About 9 thousand were captured, but the next day 2 thousand died from their wounds. It is believed that out of the entire Izmail garrison, only one person managed to escape. He was slightly wounded and, having fallen into the water, managed to swim across the Danube riding on a log.
Russian troops under the command of Count Alexander Suvorov occurred on December 22 (December 11, old style) 1790. Military Glory Day is celebrated on December 24, since in the current version federal law"On the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia" dates historical events, which occurred before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, are obtained by simply adding 13 days to the dates according to the Julian calendar. However, the difference of 13 days between the Gregorian and Julian calendars accumulated only in the 20th century. In the 18th century, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars was 11 days.
The assault and capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail is a key battle of the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791.
Unable to accept defeat in the war of 1768-1774, Turkey in 1787 demanded that Russia return Crimea and renounce the patronage of Georgia, and in August declared war on Russia.
In turn, Russia decided to take advantage of the situation and expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region.
Military operations developed successfully for Russia. The Turkish troops suffered sensitive defeats, losing Ochakov and Khotyn, and were defeated at Focsani and on the Rymnik River. The Turkish fleet suffered major defeats in the Kerch Strait and off Tendra Island. The Russian fleet seized firm dominance in the Black Sea, providing conditions for active offensive operations by the Russian army and rowing flotilla on the Danube. Soon, having captured the fortresses of Kiliya, Tulcha and Isakcha, Russian troops approached the Turkish fortress of Izmail on the Danube, which covered the strategic Balkan direction.
On the eve of the war, the fortress was heavily fortified with the help of French and German engineers. From the west, north and east it was surrounded by a high rampart six kilometers long, up to eight meters high with earthen and stone bastions. A ditch 12 meters wide and up to 10 meters deep was dug in front of the rampart, which selected places filled with water. On the southern side, Izmail was covered by the Danube. Inside the city there were many stone buildings that could be actively used for defense. The fortress garrison numbered 35 thousand people with 265 fortress guns.
In November, a Russian army of 31 thousand people (including 28.5 thousand infantry and 2.5 thousand cavalry) with 500 guns besieged Izmail from land. The river flotilla under the command of General Osip de Ribas, having destroyed almost the entire Turkish river flotilla, blocked the fortress from the Danube.
The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal General Prince Grigory Potemkin, sent General-in-Chief (at that time) Alexander Suvorov to lead the siege, who arrived to Izmail on December 13 (December 2, old style).
To begin with, Suvorov decided to carry out thorough preparation to take an impregnable stronghold. Shafts and walls similar to those of Izmail were built near the nearby villages. For six days and nights, the soldiers practiced on them how to overcome ditches, ramparts and fortress walls. At the same time, to deceive the enemy, preparations for a long siege were simulated, batteries were laid, and fortification work was carried out.
On December 18 (December 7, old style), Suvorov sent an ultimatum to the commander of the Turkish troops, Aidozli Mehmet Pasha, demanding the surrender of the fortress; the commander attached a note to the official letter: “To Seraskir, the elders and the entire society: I arrived here with the troops. Twenty-four hours to think about surrender and freedom, my first shots are already bondage, the assault is death. Which I leave for you to consider.”
The negative response of the Turks, according to a number, was accompanied by assurances that “it would be more likely for the Danube to stop in its flow and the sky to collapse to the ground than for Ishmael to surrender.”
Suvorov decided on an immediate assault. During December 20 and 21 (December 9 and 10, old style), the fortress was subjected to fierce bombardment from 600 guns.
The assault, which has become a classic of military art, began at half past six in the morning on December 22 (December 11, old style).
Suvorov planned to knock the enemy off the rampart in the dark, and then make the most of the daylight hours so as not to interrupt the battle for the night. He divided his forces into three detachments of three assault columns each. The detachment of Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin (7,500 people) attacked from the west, the detachment of Lieutenant General Alexander Samoilov (12,000 people) - from the east, the detachment of Major General Osip de Ribas (9,000 people) - from the south across the Danube. The cavalry reserve (2,500 people) of Brigadier Feodor Westphalen in four groups took up positions opposite each of the fortress gates.
In the west, the columns of generals Boris de Lassi and Sergei Lvov immediately crossed the rampart, opening the gates for the cavalry. To the left, the soldiers of General Fyodor Meknob's column had to link pairs of assault ladders under fire in order to overcome higher fortifications. On the eastern side, the dismounted Cossacks of Colonel Vasily Orlov and Brigadier Matvey Platov withstood a strong counterattack by the Turks, from whom the column of General Mikhail Kutuzov, who occupied the bastion at the eastern gate, also suffered. In the south, the columns of General Nikolai Arsenyev and Brigadier Zakhar Chepegi, who began the assault a little later, closed the ring under the cover of the river flotilla.
By daylight the battle was already going on inside the fortress. Around noon, de Lassy's column was the first to reach its center. To support the infantry, field guns were used, clearing the streets of the Turks with grapeshot. By one o'clock in the afternoon the victory was actually won, but in some places the fighting continued. In a desperate attempt to recapture the fortress, the brother of the Crimean Khan, Kaplan-girey, died. Aidozli Mehmet Pasha with a thousand Janissaries held the stone inn for two hours, until almost all of his people (and himself) were killed by the grenadiers. By 16:00 the resistance had completely ceased.
The Turkish garrison lost 26 thousand people killed, nine thousand were captured, but within 24 hours up to two thousand of them died from their wounds. The winners received about 400 banners and horsetails, 265 guns, the remains of the river flotilla - 42 ships, and a lot of rich booty.
The losses of Russian troops in killed and wounded were initially estimated at four and a half thousand people. According to other sources, four thousand were killed alone, and another six thousand were injured.
The Russian victory was great value for the further course of the war, which in 1792 ended with the Peace of Yassy, which assigned Crimea and the northern Black Sea region from the Kuban to the Dniester to Russia.
The anthem "Roll the Thunder of Victory" is dedicated to the capture of Ishmael! (music by Osip Kozlovsky, lyrics by Gavriil Derzhavin), considered the unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
The true pinnacle of military glory of the Russian army at the end of the 18th century was the assault on the strongest Turkish fortress Izmail on December 11 (22), 1790. She was always considered unapproachable. French and German engineers worked hard to strengthen it. There was no other such fortress in Turkey.
The Izmail fortress was an irregular triangle adjacent to the bank of the Danube. On three sides - northern, western and eastern - it was surrounded by a rampart 6 km long, 6 - 8 m high with earthen and stone bastions. In front of the rampart, a ditch was dug 12 m wide and 6 - 10 m deep, in some places filled with water to a depth of 1 m. There were four gates in the rampart. On the southern side, Izmail was covered by the Danube. Inside the city there were many stone buildings that contributed to a stubborn defense. Its garrison numbered 35 thousand people with 265 fortress guns.
Under the Izmail walls stood a large Turkish Danube military flotilla, which took refuge here from the Russian rowing flotilla after a series of battles lost on the river.
In November, the Russian army of 31 thousand people (including 28.5 thousand infantry and 2.5 thousand cavalry) and over 500 guns besieged Izmail from land. The weakness of the infantry, which had to go on the assault, was that almost half of it were Cossacks, who had lost horses in the war. Their shortened pikes and sabers could not replace guns with baguettes in hand-to-hand combat, which the Cossacks did not have, as well as the training of the infantrymen. In addition, the Russians, unlike the Turks, had almost no large-caliber guns from which siege breach batteries were formed. The artillery of the military flotillas was distinguished by small calibers and could fire only from close ranges.
River flotilla under the command of General O.M. de Ribas blocked the fortress from the Danube side, destroying almost the entire Turkish river flotilla with artillery fire. Two attempts by Russian troops to take Izmail by storm ended in failure. Fighting limited to artillery shelling. With the onset of autumn bad weather, mass diseases spread in the army. The morale of the troops was falling. The generals who led the siege, believing that it was impossible to capture Izmail, decided at a military council to withdraw the troops from under the fortress and place them in winter quarters.
On November 25 (December 6), A.V. was appointed commander of the troops concentrated near Izmail. Suvorov. He was given the right to act at his own discretion: either to launch an assault, or to end the siege and withdraw the troops.
Suvorov arrived at Izmail on December 2 (13), when the withdrawal of troops from the fortress had already begun. Quickly assessing the situation, he decided to storm the fortress. Wasting no time, Suvorov began preparing for the assault, which lasted nine days. In order to use the factor of surprise, this preparation was carried out secretly, at night. To create the appearance of preparation for a long siege, he ordered the laying of four batteries, while at the same time the troops were preparing assault ladders, fascines, and stockpiling entrenching tools.
Before the assault, special attention was paid to the preparation and training of troops. To the side of the fortress, Suvorov ordered to dig a ditch and build a rampart that would resemble those of Izmail, and on them the troops trained in overcoming these fortifications. At the same time, much attention was paid to the moral training of troops. Suvorov convened a military council, at which he made an inspired speech, after which everyone agreed that an assault was necessary.
On December 7 (18), Suvorov sent an ultimatum to the commandant of Izmail to surrender the fortress. The Turks refused to capitulate and stated in response that “the Danube would sooner stop in its flow and the sky would fall to the ground than Ishmael would surrender.” This answer, by order of Suvorov, was read out in each company to inspire the soldiers.
The idea of the assault was a sudden night concentric attack by forces ground forces and river flotilla. At the same time, the main efforts were concentrated along the less protected riverine part of the fortress. The troops were divided into three detachments of three columns each. The column included five battalions. Six columns operated from land and three from the Danube.
A detachment under the command of General P.S. Potemkin, numbering 7,500 people, was supposed to attack the western front of the fortress, a detachment under the command of General A.N. Samoilov numbering 12 thousand people - the north-eastern front of the fortress and the detachment of General O.M. de Ribas, numbering 9 thousand people, was supposed to attack the riverine front of the fortress from the Danube. The general reserve, numbering about 2,500 people, was divided into four groups and positioned opposite each of the fortress gates.
In front of each column, teams of riflemen (120 - 150 people) and 50 workers with entrenching tools were supposed to move in loose formation, then three battalions with fascines and ladders would advance, and the reserve would bring up the rear of the columns.
All day and night on December 10 (21), Russian artillery from land and ships fired continuously, preparing the assault. At 5:30 a.m. on December 11 (22), following a signal from a rocket, the columns moved toward the fortress walls. The river flotilla landed troops. The besieged met the Russian attack with brutal artillery and rifle fire. With counterattacks they threw the attacking battalions from the walls of the fortress. The battle to capture the rampart lasted eight hours. The responsible role in the assault on Izmail belonged to M.I. Kutuzov, whose column, having broken the enemy’s resistance, was the first to break into the city.
At dawn the struggle began inside the fortress. Bloody street battles continued until 17:00. We had to fight for every street, every house. Assault columns, as a rule, were dismembered and acted in battalions and squadrons. The rangers, in cooperation with the artillery, ensured the advance of the columns, covered their flanks and repelled enemy counterattacks. The actions of the assault troops were increased by private and general reserves, which were introduced simultaneously in several areas. The Izmail stronghold fell by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Thus ended the battle for the Izmail fortress, victory in which glorified Russian weapons and immortalized the name of commander A.V. Suvorov-Rymniksky.
The Turks lost more than 26 thousand people killed and 9 thousand prisoners during the assault. Russian trophies included 400 banners, 265 guns, the remains of a river flotilla, large reserves of ammunition and many other trophies. The Russians lost 1815 thousand people killed and 2445 thousand wounded.
In terms of the losses of the warring parties during the assault on Izmail, its ferocity and bloodshed, this battle of the Russian-Turkish War of 1787 - 1791 has no equal in world military history.
On the same day, December 11, Chief General A.V. Suvorov reported on the capture of the enemy fortress to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in the South of Russia, Field Marshal General of the Civil Aviation. Potemkin-Tauride: “There is no stronger fortress, no more desperate defense, like Ishmael, who fell before the highest throne of Her Imperial Majesty with a bloody assault! My deepest congratulations to your lordship! General Count Suvorov-Rymniksky."
The success of the assault was ensured by surprise of actions, careful and comprehensive preparation, skillful formation of battle order, well-organized interaction between the advancing units and subunits, strict adherence to the assault plan, combined with the widespread manifestation of reasonable initiative by commanders, decisiveness of actions and perseverance in achieving the goal, concentration of forces in the direction the main attack, the massive use of artillery, the interaction of the ground army and the river flotilla.
The capture of Izmail meant a major contribution to the development of Russian military art. The assault on Izmail showed that the methods of capturing fortresses through a long siege, which then existed in the West, had long since become obsolete. Relying on the high fighting qualities of the Russian army, Suvorov put forward and brilliantly implemented the idea of capturing the fortress by the method of open assault, combined with skillful engineering training. New method allowed to take fortresses in a shorter time and with less losses for troops than during long sieges. During the assault on Izmail she received further development tactics of columns and loose formation. The troops stormed in columns, ahead of which riflemen acted in loose formation. This battle formation made extensive use of fire and maneuver. On the streets of the city, troops fought in loose formation. The victory was achieved not only thanks to the military leadership of Suvorov, but also to the high moral qualities of the Russian soldiers. (In memory of this event, the Day of Military Glory was established - December 24.)
Assault on Izmail- siege and assault in 1790 of the Turkish fortress of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of Chief General A.V. Suvorov, during the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791.
Not wanting to come to terms with the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, Turkey in July 1787 demanded from Russia the return of Crimea, renunciation of the patronage of Georgia and consent to inspect Russian merchant ships passing through the straits.
Having not received a satisfactory answer, The Turkish government declared war on Russia on August 12 (23), 1787. In turn, Russia decided to take advantage of the situation to expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region by completely displacing Turkish troops from there.
In October 1787 Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov almost completely destroyed the 6,000-strong Turkish landing party, who intended to capture the mouth of the Dnieper, on the Kinburn Spit.
However, despite the brilliant victories of the Russian army, the enemy did not agree to accept the peace terms that Russia insisted on, and in every possible way delayed the negotiations. Russian military leaders and diplomats were aware that the successful completion of peace negotiations with Turkey would be greatly facilitated by the capture of Izmail.
By the beginning of the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1792, the Turks, under the leadership of German and French engineers, turned Izmail into a powerful fortress with a high rampart and a wide ditch 6 to 11 meters deep, in places filled with water. There were 260 guns on 11 bastions.
Strengthening Izmail
The Izmail fortress had a successful geographical location . It rose to a height in the Danube, which acted as a natural barrier on the southern side. On the western side, the fortress was surrounded by two lakes Kuchurluy and Alapukh. From the east the fortress was surrounded by Lake Kalabukh. The natural defense of Ishmael on three sides significantly limited the room for maneuver of enemy armies. A wide ravine ran along the fortress, which divided the city into two parts: the old fortress (western part of the city) and the new fortress (eastern part of the city).
In 1790, the Izmail fortress included the following defensive structures:
Wall around the fortress, with a length of more than 6 km and a maximum height of up to 10 m.
Moat with a width of 14 m and a depth of up to 13 m. Most it was filled with water.
8 bastions, built in such a way that they had a large number of corners. A bastion is a protruding part of a fortress wall.
There was a stone quarry in the south-eastern part of the fortress, 12 m high.
The southern side, to which the Danube adjoined, was the least fortified. The Turks considered the river to be a strong obstacle, and also relied on their fleet, which was always supposed to hold back the enemy.
The city itself was in great danger during the assault on Izmail. Almost all buildings in the city were built of stone with thick walls and a large number towers Therefore, in fact, each building represented a strong point from which defense could be launched.
The garrison of Izmail consisted of 35 thousand people under the command of serasker Aidozly Muhammad Pasha. However, according to other sources, the Turkish garrison at the time of the assault on Izmail consisted of up to 15 thousand people, and it could have increased at the expense of local residents. Part of the garrison was commanded by Kaplan Giray, brother of the Crimean Khan, who was helped by his five sons. The Sultan was very angry with his troops for all the previous capitulations and ordered with a firman that in the event of the fall of Ishmael, everyone from his garrison should be executed, wherever he was found.
Preparations for the assault on Izmail
November 25, 1790 Potemkin gives the order to Chief General Suvorov to immediately report to Izmail. The order was received on November 28 and Suvorov set off for the fortress from Galati, taking with him the troops he had previously trained: the Phanagorian Grenadier Regiment, the hunters of the Acheron Regiment (150 people) and the Arnauts (1000 people). Together with the troops, Suvorov sent food, 30 ladders for the assault and 1000 fascines (bundles of rods that were used to overcome ditches).
Early morning December 2 Alexander Suvorov arrived near Izmail and took command of the garrison. The general immediately began training the army. First of all, Suvorov organized reconnaissance and positioned the troops in a semicircle around the fortress, forming a dense ring on land and an equally dense ring along the Danube, creating an element of complete siege of the garrison. Main idea Suvorov near Izmail was to convince the enemy that there would be no assault, but that all preparations were being made for a systematic and long-term siege of the fortress.
On the night of December 7 On the eastern and western outskirts of the fortress, at a distance of up to 400 m from it, 2 batteries were erected, each containing 10 guns. On the same day, these guns began shelling the fortress.
Deep in his rear, out of sight of the Turkish army, Suvorov ordered the construction of an exact copy of Ismail. We are not talking about completely copying the fortress, but about recreating its moat, rampart and walls. Right here on clear example the general trained his troops, honing their actions to the point of automatism, so that in the future, during a real assault on the fortress, each person knew what he needed to do and understood how to behave in front of one or another fortification system. All training took place exclusively at night. This is not due to the specifics of preparations for the capture of Izmail, but to the specifics of Suvorov’s training of his armies. Alexander Vasilyevich liked to repeat that it was night exercises and night battles that provide the basis for victory.
To give the Turkish army the impression of preparing a long siege, Suvorov ordered:
Fire from guns that were located close to the walls of the fortress
The fleet was constantly maneuvering and constantly firing sluggishly
Every night, rockets were launched to accustom the enemy to them and to disguise the real signal to begin the assault.
These actions led to the fact that the Turkish side greatly overestimated the size of the Russian army. If in reality Suvorov had 31,000 people at his disposal, then the Turks were sure that he had about 80,000 people at his disposal.
On December 9, 1790, at a meeting of the military council, a decision was made to storm Izmail.
The capture was planned to be carried out in three directions:
From the west, the attack is led by Pavel Potemkin and 7,500 people. Includes: Lvov detachment (5 battalions and 450 people), Lassi detachment (5 battalions, 178 people, more than 300 fascines), Meknob detachment (5 battalions, 178 people, more than 500 fascines).
Samoilov and 12,000 men lead the attack from the east. Includes: Orlov's detachment (3,000 Cossacks, 200 soldiers, 610 fascines), Platov's detachment (5,000 Cossacks, 200 soldiers, 610 fascines), Kutuzov's detachment (5 battalions, 1,000 Cossacks, 120 soldiers, 610 fascines).
Deribas and 9,000 men lead the attack from the south. Includes: Arsenyev’s detachment (3 battalions, 2000 Cossacks), Chepega’s detachment (3 battalions, 1000 Cossacks), Markov’s detachment (5 battalions, 1000 Cossacks).
The cavalry, which numbered 2,500 people, was supplied as a reserve.
The Russian army numbered 31,000 people, 607 guns (40 field and 567 on ships).
The Turkish army numbered 43,000 people and 300 guns (excluding guns on ships, since there is no data on them).
The beginning of the assault on Izmail
On December 10, artillery preparation for the attack began. All 607 guns fired non-stop, increasing in intensity as night approached. Turkish artillery also responded, but towards the end of the day its salvoes practically ceased.
On December 11 at 3:00 a.m. a rocket was launched, signaling the Russian army to move to its starting position for the attack. At 4:00 a.m. the second rocket was launched, at the signal of which the troops began to form into battle formation.
In the morning of December 11, 1790, the third rocket was launched, which meant the beginning of the assault on the Izmail fortress. It took several attacks to break into the city. The Turks often launched counterattacks that drove back the Russian army, after which it again went on the offensive, trying to take advantageous positions.
Already by 8 o'clockmorning Russian troops captured all the walls of the fortress. From that moment on, Izmail’s attack was virtually over; the Turkish army retreated deeper into the city, and Russian soldiers closed a circle inside Izmail, creating an encirclement. The complete unification of the Russian army and the completion of the encirclement occurred at 10 am. Until about 11, fighting continued for the outskirts of the city. Each house had to be taken with a fight, but due to the courageous actions of the Russian soldiers, the ring was compressed more and more tightly. Suvorov ordered the introduction of light cannons, which fired grapeshot into the city streets. This was an important point, since the Turks at this point no longer had artillery and could not respond in a similar way.
The last center of resistance to the Turkish army in Izmail was formed in the city square, where 5,000 Janissaries, led by Kaplan-Girey, defended. Russian soldiers, trained by Suvorov to use bayonets, pressed back the enemy. In order to win the final victory, Suvorov gave the order to the cavalry, who were in reserve, to attack the city square. After this, resistance was completely broken. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the assault on Izmail was over. The fortress fell. Nevertheless, even before the end of December 12, rare shooting continued in the city, as isolated Turkish soldiers took refuge in basements and mosques, continuing to defend. But ultimately these resistances were suppressed.
Only one Turk managed to escape alive. At the beginning of the battle, he was slightly wounded and fell from the fortress wall, after which he fled. The rest of the troops were mostly killed, a smaller part was taken prisoner.
Suvorov sent a message to the Empress:"Russian flag on the walls of Izmail."
Losses of the parties
Turkish army lost and 33,000 people were killed and wounded, 10,000 people were captured. Among the dead were: commandant Izmail Aydozli Mehmet Pasha, 12 pashas (generals), 51 senior officers.
The Russian army lost 1830 people were killed, 2933 people were wounded. During the assault, 2 generals and 65 officers were killed. These figures were in Suvorov's report. Later historians said that during the capture of the Izmail fortress, 4 thousand people died and 6 thousand were wounded.
As trophies, Suvorov's army captured:
up to 300 guns (in different sources the figure ranges from 265 to 300)
345 banners
42 ships
50 tons of gunpowder
20,000 cores
15,000 horses
jewelry and food supplies for the garrison and city for six months
Historical significance of the capture of Ishmael
Suvorov's victory at Izmail was of great significance for the Russian-Turkish war. Many Turkish fortresses, whose garrisons considered Izmail impregnable, began to surrender Russian army without a fight. As a result, a radical change was made in the war.
The capture of the Izmailov fortress made it possible to open a direct road for the Russian army to Constantinople. This was a direct blow to the sovereignty of Turkey, which for the first time faced the threat of complete loss of statehood. As a result, she was forced in 1791 to sign a peace treaty in Iasi, which meant her defeat.
Catherine II commanded knock out a medal in honor of A.V. Suvorov for the capture of Izmail and established it to reward for feats accomplished during the assault on Izmail.
For awarding lower military ranks who participated in the assault and capture of the powerful Turkish fortress of Izmail was established
December 24- The day of the capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov (1790) celebrated in Russia as the Day of Military Glory.
