40 Facts About Mikhail Kutuzov

Mikhail Kutuzov defeated Napoleon as commander-in-chief using attrition warfare in the Patriotic war of 1812.

In 1757, at the age of 12, Mikhail Kutuzov entered an elite military-engineering school as a cadet private.

Mikhail Kutuzov quickly became popular with his peers and teachers alike, proving himself to be highly intelligent, and showed bravery in his school's numerous horse-races.

Mikhail Kutuzov studied military and civil subjects there, learned to speak French, German and English fluently, and later studied Polish, Swedish, and Turkish; his linguistic skills served him well throughout his career.

Mikhail Kutuzov studied Suvorov's style of command and learned how to be a good commander in battle.

Mikhail Kutuzov adopted Suvorov's conviction that a commander should lead his troops from the front to provide an example of bravery for the troops to follow.

Mikhail Kutuzov followed this advice to the benefit of his career.

Late in 1762, Mikhail Kutuzov became aide-de-camp to the military governor of Reval, the Prince of Holstein-Beck, in which role he showed himself to be a capable politician.

Rumyantsev had Lieutenant-Colonel Mikhail Kutuzov transferred into Prince Vasily Dolgorukov-Krymsky's Russian Second Army fighting the Turks and the Tatars in the Crimea.

When his troops' advance faltered, Mikhail Kutuzov grabbed the fallen regimental standard and led the attack.

However, Mikhail Kutuzov slowly recovered, though frequently overcome by sharp pains and dizziness, and his right eye remained permanently twisted.

Mikhail Kutuzov left the army later that year due to his wound.

Mikhail Kutuzov's pain did not subside, and so he decided to travel to Western Europe for better medical care.

Mikhail Kutuzov arrived in Berlin in 1774, where he spent much time with King Frederick the Great of Prussia, who took great interest in Kutuzov.

Mikhail Kutuzov then travelled to Leyden, Holland and to London in England for further treatment.

In London Mikhail Kutuzov first learned of the American Revolutionary War.

Mikhail Kutuzov learned that letting the common soldier use his natural intellect and initiative made for a more effective army.

Indeed, Suvorov wrote that he would not even have to tell Mikhail Kutuzov what needed to be done in order for him to carry out his objective.

In 1788 Mikhail Kutuzov was again wounded in the left temple, in almost exactly the same place as before, and again doctors feared for his life.

However, Mikhail Kutuzov recovered, though his right eye was even more twisted than before and he had even worse head-pains.

Mikhail Kutuzov became a lieutenant-general and successively occupied the positions of ambassador at Istanbul, commander of Russian forces in Finland, commandant of the corps of cadets at Saint Petersburg, ambassador at Berlin, and governor-general of Saint Petersburg.

Mikhail Kutuzov was a favourite of Tsar Paul I, and after that emperor's murder he was temporarily out of favour with the new monarch Alexander I, though he remained loyal.

In 1805, Mikhail Kutuzov commanded the Russian corps to oppose Napoleon's advance on Vienna, but the Austrians were quickly defeated at Ulm in mid-October before they could meet up with their Russian allies.

Mikhail Kutuzov was present at the battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805.

Mikhail Kutuzov quickly realised that he no longer had any power with Alexander and the Austrian chief of staff General-Major Franz von Weyrother.

Mikhail Kutuzov was put in charge of organising the army's retreat across Hungary and back into Russia as Alexander was overcome by grief.

Mikhail Kutuzov's strategy aroused grudges among most of the generals and soldiers.

Mikhail Kutuzov was popular among the troops mainly because he was Russian, he was brave, had proven himself in battle, strongly believed in the Russian Orthodox Church, and he looked out for the troops' well-being.

Therefore, when Mikhail Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief on the 17th and joined the army on 29 August 1812 at Tsaryovo-Zaymishche, Russians supported his appointment.

Mikhail Kutuzov withdrew the troops still further to the east, deploying them for the upcoming battle.

Mikhail Kutuzov settled in a manor on the high road to Moscow.

Russian sources suggest Mikhail Kutuzov wrote a number of orders and letters to Rostopchin, the Moscow military governor, about saving the city or the army.

Mikhail Kutuzov wanted to go even further in order to control the three-pronged roads from Obninsk to Kaluga and Medyn, so that Napoleon could not turn south or southwest.

Mikhail Kutuzov refused to attack; he was happy for Napoleon to stay in Moscow for as long as possible, avoiding complicated movements and manoeuvres.

Mikhail Kutuzov avoided frontal battles involving large masses of troops in order to reinforce his Russian army and to wait there for Napoleon's retreat.

Mikhail Kutuzov agreed to meet, despite the orders of the Tsar.

Mikhail Kutuzov had five daughters with his spouse Princess Catherine Ilytchina Kutuzova nee Bibikova ; his only son Nicolay died of smallpox as an infant.

Today, Mikhail Kutuzov is still held in high regard, alongside Barclay and his mentor Suvorov.

Mikhail Kutuzov is portrayed as a gentle spiritual man, far removed from the cold arrogance of Napoleon, but with a much clearer vision of the true nature of warfare.

Also, during World War II, one of the key strategic operations of the Red Army, the Orel Strategic Offensive Operation "Mikhail Kutuzov" was named after the Field Marshal.