- Part 1 - Part 2 -
A tricky question: name the cases known to you in history when the contemporaries of the war honored (including at the state level) the memory of the invaders who killed and robbed their relatives and compatriots, destroyed their cities and villages, robbed their churches … remember? I don't remember exactly that. Although no, there is such an example - the war of 1812!
The thing is that the documents are written by people, and for the most part by officials and departments, who can in no way be counted among impartial observers. This has been the case at all times: the opinion of the boss is also the opinion of his subordinates. Therefore, the winners are always tempted to tweak the story to their advantage. Fortunately, there are various material evidence (artifacts) and a digital way of disseminating and accessing information - the Internet. So the war of 1812, due to the scale of the events, left behind a lot of artifacts. The look of an attentive observer is able to catch what escapes the attention of the majority …..
Jubilee Medal of 1912.
Monuments and awards:
- the medal pictured above, issued for a century of war, depicts two emperors facing each other, and on the reverse side there is a very remarkable text (can anyone explain where there is even a hint of enemies here? here are the allies - that fits!);
- at the exhibition dedicated to the centenary of the war (held in St. Petersburg in 1912), there were two giant portraits of Alexander and Napoleon, made of flowers (!), also there were presented: a goblet with the image of two emperors, perfume and soap "Memory of Napoleon" where the corks on the perfume are made in the shape of a French eagle (spread wings and one head turned to the side - like the ancient Romans), there were items with inlays of color pictures with a story about Napoleon's army, descriptions of his actions during the war, and so on;
- a medal with the image of Napoleon and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (!) on the reverse side (and another one with the inscription "in memory" on the reverse side);
Promotional video:
- in the book of S. Pb. 1912, there is a photo of the hut in which Kutuzov lived while the French were in Moscow, where a huge portrait of the emperor hangs on the wall … no, no, not Alexander, but Napoleon (!) (Interesting, really? Is this the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops - or not?);
- an icon is fixed over the grave of Kutuzov (according to legend - he prayed to her during the hostilities) which is held in its claws by a French eagle, and on the sides of the grave there are bronze flags and standards of the Great Army (French army) ………. (can you imagine an analogue at the grave of Zhukov?);
- near the village of Bolshie Vyazma, a monument was erected in memory of the crossing of the French army in August 1812 (however, the memory of the invaders is carefully preserved - they honor the places where the conqueror's foot went!);
- on the site of the Shevardinsky redoubt, at the request of France, a monument to the fallen French soldiers was erected, with a national symbol on top of the column - the French eagle (as it should be, everything fits together, see the photo below);
Monument to the fallen French soldiers.
- but for example (photo below) a monument to Kutuzov (something of a two-headed imperial eagle is not visible … and now compare the eagles crowning the steles … maybe this is our mentality? okay, let's imagine a monument to Zhukov crowned with a Nazi eagle ?! !!! so under whose leadership did Mikhail Illarionovich serve?)
Monument to Kutuzov.
- under the French eagle there are monuments in the city of Kobrin (Belarus), in the village of Tarutino (the station of Russian troops), at the place of death of Barclay de Tolly (and his family coat of arms, by the way, with a two-headed eagle), at the place where the French army crossed the river. Studenki on the monument again Alexander and Napoleon together, in laurel wreaths;
- A familiar French eagle hovers over the monument in Smolensk "In memory of the liberation of Russia" again, and a map of Russia with the eastern border in the Urals is depicted (maybe they didn't have enough material for the whole empire? Are they greedy? Or maybe they did show the liberated territory? from whom and who actually freed?); And why was Count Vorontsov in 1812 awarded a French medal (on behalf of Louis 18th) with the inscription translated “to the commander of the Russian occupation army”?
- under the French eagle there are monuments in the city of Kobrin (Belarus), in the village of Tarutino (the station of Russian troops), at the place of death of Barclay de Tolly (and his family coat of arms, by the way, with a two-headed eagle), at the place where the French army crossed the river. Studenki on the monument again Alexander and Napoleon together, in laurel wreaths;
- A familiar French eagle hovers over the monument in Smolensk "In memory of the liberation of Russia" again, and a map of Russia with the eastern border in the Urals is depicted (maybe they didn't have enough material for the whole empire? Are they greedy? Or maybe they did show the liberated territory? from whom and who actually freed?); And why was Count Vorontsov in 1812 awarded a French medal (on behalf of Louis 18th) with the inscription translated “to the commander of the Russian occupation army”?
Continued: Part 4