Welcome to Russian history retold.

Episode 268 Mikhail Katozov, military genius and Napoleon's nemesis art for war.

Last time we covered the years prior to Russia's entry into the war against Napoleon Bonaparte.

Today we will talk about the lead up to the defeat of his French rival.

We're now in the fall of 1805 and Napoleon's ground armée was on the march heading towards Vienna.

But unfortunately the Russians and Austrians again were at each other's throats.

As Mikhail Katozov puts it in his biography of Katozov, quote,

Austro-Russian relations had never been the friendliest. The events of late October only

worsened them. Obsessed as they were about the Austrian failures at Ulm, the Russians were more

incensed by what they considered the Austrians' haughty demeanor, foot dragging, and mismanagement.

He further wrote,

The Russians were upset by reports that the Austrians had refused to provide sufficient care

for the Russian sick in lens, where the sole hospital quickly exceeded its capacity,

housing some 700 patients, when intended for 250.

The Prussians, for their part, were vacillating between getting involved in the conflict

or sitting on the sidelines. Napoleon, for himself, was really not concerned about that

probability as he was laser-focused on the enemies at hand, the Russians and the Austrians.

Katozov was well aware that there was no way his contingent could face a much larger ground armée.

He knew that his best chance for survival was put together a managed retreat.

With Napoleon attacking the Austrian and Russian rear guard, the Austrians, under Lieutenant

General Mervelt, decided to split away from Katozov's army and head off toward Vienna.

Katozov was unaware of this decision, which caused him to abandon his offensive positions at ends.

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