The capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail. Capture of Izmail by Suvorov

Petrov, who took Izmail?
- Marya Ivanovna, honestly, I didn’t take it!
From a classic joke

How Türkiye famously woke up

Among the outstanding historical victories won by the Russian army, there are not many that not only remained in the memory of posterity, but even entered folklore and became part of the language. The assault on Ishmael is one such event. It appears both in jokes and in ordinary speech - the “capture of Ishmael” is often jokingly called “assault”, when an extremely large amount of work needs to be completed in a short period of time.

The assault on Izmail became the apotheosis of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. The war broke out at the instigation of Turkey, which was trying to take revenge for previous defeats. In this endeavor, the Turks relied on the support of Great Britain, France and Prussia, which, however, did not themselves intervene in hostilities.

Turkey's ultimatum of 1787 demanded that Russia return Crimea, renounce the patronage of Georgia and agree to inspect Russian merchant ships passing through the straits. Naturally, Türkiye was refused and began military action.

Russia, in turn, decided to use the favorable moment to expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region.

Commander Alexander Suvorov. Reproduction of the painting. Source: www.russianlook.com

The fighting was catastrophic for the Turks. The Russian armies inflicted defeat after defeat on the enemy, both on land and at sea. In the battles of the war of 1787-1791, two Russian military geniuses shone - commander Alexander Suvorov and naval commander Fedor Ushakov.

By the end of 1790 it was obvious that Türkiye was suffering a decisive defeat. However, Russian diplomats were unable to persuade the Turks to sign a peace treaty. Another decisive military success was needed.

The best fortress in Europe

Russian troops approached the walls of the Izmail fortress, which was a key object of Turkish defense. Izmail, located on the left bank of the Kiliya branch of the Danube, covered the most important strategic directions. Its fall created the possibility of Russian troops breaking through the Danube into Dobruja, which threatened the Turks with the loss of vast territories and even the partial collapse of the empire. In preparation for war with Russia, Türkiye strengthened Izmail as much as possible. The best German and French military engineers were engaged in fortification work, so that Izmail at that moment became one of the strongest fortresses in Europe.

A high rampart, a wide ditch up to 10 meters deep, 260 guns on 11 bastions. In addition, the garrison of the fortress at the time of the Russians’ approach exceeded 30 thousand people.

Prince Grigory Potemkin. Reproduction of the painting. Source: www.russianlook.com

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin gave the order to capture Izmail, and the detachments of generals Gudovich, Pavel Potemkin, also the general's flotilla de Ribas started to implement it .

However, the siege was carried out sluggishly, and a general assault was not planned. The generals were not cowards at all, but they had fewer troops at their disposal than were in the garrison of Ishmael. Taking decisive action in such a situation seemed crazy.

Having remained under siege until the end of November 1790, at the military council Gudovich, Pavel Potemkin and de Ribas decided to withdraw the troops to winter quarters.

The crazy ultimatum of a military genius

When this decision became known to Grigory Potemkin, he became furious, immediately canceled the order to withdraw, and appointed Chief General Alexander Suvorov to lead the assault on Izmail.

By that time, a black cat ran between Potemkin and Suvorov. The ambitious Potemkin was a talented administrator, but his military leadership abilities were very limited. On the contrary, the fame of Suvorov spread not only throughout Russia, but also abroad. Potemkin was not eager to give the general, whose successes made him jealous, a new chance to distinguish himself, but there was nothing to be done - Ishmael was more important than personal relationships. Although, it is possible that Potemkin secretly harbored the hope that Suvorov would break his neck on the bastions of Izmail.

The decisive Suvorov arrived at the walls of Izmail, turning back the troops that were already leaving the fortress. As usual, he infected everyone around him with his enthusiasm and confidence in success.

Only a few knew what the commander really thought. Having personally toured the approaches to Ishmael, he briefly said: “This fortress has no weak points.”

And years later, Alexander Vasilyevich will say: “You could only decide to storm such a fortress once in your life...”.

But in those days, at the walls of Ishmael, the general-in-chief did not express any doubts. He set aside six days to prepare the general assault. The soldiers were sent to exercises - in the nearest village, earthen and wooden analogues of the moat and walls of Izmail were hastily built, on which methods of overcoming obstacles were practiced.

With the arrival of Suvorov, Izmail himself was placed under a strict blockade from sea and land. After completing preparations for the battle, the chief general sent an ultimatum to the commander of the fortress, the great serasker Aydozle Mehmet Pasha.

The exchange of letters between the two military leaders went down in history. Suvorov: “I arrived here with the troops. Twenty-four hours for reflection - and will. My first shot is already bondage. Assault is death." Aydozle Mehmet Pasha: “It’s more likely that the Danube will flow backwards and the sky will fall to the ground than Ishmael will surrender.”

Judge for yourself: we have already talked about the power of the fortress, as well as about its 35,000-strong garrison. And the Russian army consisted of only 31 thousand fighters, of which a third were irregular troops. According to the canons of military science, an assault in such conditions is doomed to failure.

But the fact is that 35 thousand Turkish soldiers were actually suicide bombers. Enraged by the military failures, the Turkish Sultan issued a special firman in which he promised to execute anyone who left Ishmael. So the Russians were confronted by 35 thousand heavily armed, desperate fighters who intended to fight to the death in the fortifications of the best European fortress.

And therefore, Aidozle-Mehmet Pasha’s answer to Suvorov is not boastful, but quite reasonable.

Death of the Turkish garrison

Any other commander would really break his neck, but we are talking about Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. The day before the assault, Russian troops began artillery preparation. At the same time, it must be said that the timing of the assault did not come as a surprise to the Izmail garrison - it was revealed to the Turks by defectors, who apparently did not believe in Suvorov’s genius.

Suvorov divided his forces into three detachments of three columns each. Major General de Ribas's detachment (9,000 people) attacked from the river side; the right wing under the command of Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin (7,500 people) was supposed to strike from the western part of the fortress; left wing of the lieutenant general Samoilova(12,000 people) - from the east. 2,500 cavalrymen remained Suvorov's last reserve for the most extreme case.

At 3 a.m. on December 22, 1790, Russian troops left the camp and began to concentrate in the initial places for the assault. At 5:30 a.m., about an hour and a half before dawn, the assault columns began their attack. A fierce battle began on the defensive ramparts, where the opponents did not spare each other. The Turks defended themselves furiously, but the attack from three different directions disoriented them, preventing them from concentrating their forces in one direction.

“Storm of Izmail on December 11, 1790”, fragment of a diorama, E.I. Danilevsky, V.M. Sibirsky, A.V. Suvorov Museum in Izmail, 1972. Source: www.russianlook.com

By 8 o'clock in the morning, when it was dawn, it became clear that Russian troops had captured most of the outer fortifications and began to push the enemy towards the city center. Street battles turned into a real massacre: the roads were littered with corpses, thousands of horses, left without riders, galloped right along them, and houses were burning. Suvorov gave the order to introduce 20 light guns into the streets of the city and hit the Turks with direct fire with grapeshot. By 11 o'clock in the morning, the advanced Russian units under the command of Major General Major General Boris Lassi occupied the central part of Izmail.

By one o'clock in the afternoon, organized resistance was broken. Individual pockets of resistance were suppressed by the Russians until four o'clock in the evening.

A desperate breakthrough was carried out by several thousand Turks under the command Kaplan Giray. They managed to get outside the city walls, but here Suvorov moved a reserve against them. Experienced Russian rangers pressed the enemy to the Danube and completely destroyed those who broke through.

By four o'clock in the afternoon Ishmael had fallen. Of the 35 thousand of his defenders, one person survived and managed to escape. The Russians had about 2,200 killed and more than 3,000 wounded. The Turks lost 26 thousand people killed; out of 9 thousand prisoners, about 2 thousand died from wounds in the first day after the assault. Russian troops captured 265 guns, up to 3 thousand pounds of gunpowder, 20 thousand cannonballs and many other military supplies, up to 400 banners, large supplies of provisions, as well as jewelry worth several millions.

Photofact AiF

Purely Russian award

For Turkey it was a complete military disaster. And although the war ended only in 1791, and the Peace of Jassy was signed in 1792, the fall of Ishmael finally morally broke the Turkish army. The very name of Suvorov terrified them.

According to the Treaty of Iasi in 1792, Russia gained control of the entire northern Black Sea region from the Dniester to the Kuban.

Admired by the triumph of Suvorov’s soldiers, the poet Gabriel Derzhavin wrote the anthem “The Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!”, which became the first, unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire.

Photofact AiF

But there was one person in Russia who reacted with restraint to the capture of Izmail - Prince Grigory Potemkin. Petitioning before Catherine II about rewarding those who distinguished themselves, he suggested that the empress reward him with a medal and the lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment.

The rank of lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment itself was very high, because the rank of colonel was held exclusively by the current monarch. But the fact is that by that time Suvorov was already the 11th lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, which greatly devalued the award.

Suvorov himself, who, like Potemkin, was an ambitious man, expected to receive the title of Field Marshal General, and was extremely offended and annoyed by the award he received.

By the way, Grigory Potemkin himself for the capture of Izmail was awarded a field marshal’s uniform, embroidered with diamonds, worth 200,000 rubles, the Tauride Palace, as well as a special obelisk in his honor in Tsarskoye Selo.

Ishmael "from hand to hand"

It is interesting that the capture of Izmail by Suvorov was not the first and not the last assault on this fortress by Russian troops. It was first taken in 1770, but following the war it was returned to Turkey. Suvorov's heroic assault in 1790 helped Russia win the war, but Izmail was returned to Turkey. For the third time Izmail will be taken by the Russian troops of the general Zassa in 1809, but in 1856, following the unsuccessful Crimean War, it came under the control of the Turkish vassal Moldavia. True, the fortifications will be torn down and blown up.

Photofact AiF

The fourth capture of Izmail by Russian troops will take place in 1877, but it will take place without a fight, since Romania, which controlled the city during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, will conclude an agreement with Russia.

And after this, Izmail will change hands more than once, until in 1991 it becomes part of independent Ukraine. Is it forever? It's hard to say. After all, when it comes to Ishmael, you can’t be completely sure of anything.

IZMAIL FORTRESS

Izmail was one of the strongest fortresses in Turkey. Since the war of 1768–1774, the Turks, under the leadership of the French engineer De Lafitte-Clove and the German Richter, turned Ishmael into a formidable stronghold. The fortress was located on a slope of heights sloping towards the Danube. A wide ravine, stretching from north to south, divided Ishmael into two parts, of which the larger, western, was called the old fortress, and the eastern, the new fortress. The bastion-style fortress fence reached six miles in length and had the shape of a right triangle, with a right angle facing the north and its base facing the Danube. The main shaft reached 8.5 meters in height and was surrounded by a ditch up to 11 meters deep and 13 meters wide. The ditch was filled with water in places. There were four gates in the fence: on the western side - Tsargradsky (Brossky) and Khotynsky, on the northeast - Bendery, on the eastern side - Kiliyasky. The ramparts were defended by 260 guns, of which 85 cannons and 15 mortars were on the river side. City buildings inside the fence were put into a defensive state. A large amount of firearms and food supplies were stockpiled. The fortress garrison consisted of 35 thousand people. The garrison was commanded by Aidozli Mahmet Pasha.

Shirokorad A. B. Russian-Turkish wars 1676–1918 M., 2000 http://wars175x.narod.ru/1790_02.html

ACTIONS NEAR IZMAIL BEFORE ARRIVAL

At the head of the defense was the three-bunchu Aidozli Mehmet Pasha, gray in battle. Twice they offered him the title of vizier, and each time he rejected it. Without arrogance and without weakness, he constantly showed firmness and determination to bury himself under the ruins of the fortress rather than surrender it. […] There was plenty of ammunition, food for 1½ months; Only there was a shortage of meat, and only the noblest officials received a portion of meat. The Turks considered Ishmael invincible.

Thus, a strong, well-equipped fortress, a courageous commandant, a garrison superior in number, whose courage was aroused by the threat of the death penalty - these were the difficulties that the Russians had to overcome.

It was necessary to capture Ishmael, not only due to the above military considerations, but also political ones.

Since August, State Councilor Loshkarev, on behalf of Potemkin, has been negotiating peace with the Supreme Vizier in Zhurzhev. As always, the Turks dragged out negotiations ad infinitum. […] It would seem that the fall of Kiliya, Tulcha, Isakchi and the defeat of Batal Pasha in the Kuban should have made Sherif Pasha more accommodating; but the intrigues of Prussia, which importunately offered its mediation under extremely unfavorable conditions, led to constant delays. Potemkin had long been driven out of patience (“I’m already bored with Turkish fables,” he writes to Loshkarev on September 7).

The Empress demanded a speedy conclusion of peace. In a rescript to Potemkin dated November 1, 1790, which he received, probably during the mentioned operations of Ribas, Potemkin and Gudovich near Izmail, she orders: “to devote all your strength and attention, and try to achieve peace with the Turks, without which it is impossible venture into no enterprise. But about this peace with the Turks, I will say that if Selim, due to his youth, needs uncles and guardians, and he himself does not know how to finish his affairs, for this reason he chose the Prussians, the English and the Dutch, so that they would further tie up his affairs with intrigues, then I am not in an equal position with him, and with a gray head I will not give myself into their care.”

Potemkin saw that the campaign of 1790 was coming to an end, ending it by limiting itself to the capture of insignificant fortresses would be an important mistake in political terms, that until Ishmael fell, negotiations for peace would only be a waste of time, and the Empress demands this peace. He understands very well that the grandiose feat of capturing Izmail is beyond the capabilities of any of the generals there; he probably feels that he himself is not capable of this, and therefore decides to entrust the matter to Suvorov. On November 25, Potemkin from Bendery sent Suvorov a secret order in his own hand: “The flotilla near Izmail has already destroyed almost all of their ships and the side of the city to the water is open. All that remains is to undertake, with God’s help, to take possession of the city. For this, Your Excellency, please hurry there to accept all the units into our team... having arrived at the place, inspect the situation and weak points through the engineers. I consider the side of the city towards the Danube to be the weakest…[…].”

Orlov N.A. The assault on Izmail by Suvorov in 1790. St. Petersburg, 1890 http://adjudant.ru/suvorov/orlov1790-03.htm

THE CAPTURE OF ISHMAEL

At the end of October, Potemkin's Southern Army finally opened a campaign, moving into southern Bessarabia. De Ribas took possession of Isaccea, Tulcea and Sulina Girl. Meller-Zakomelsky took Kilia, and Gudovich Jr. and Potemkin’s brother besieged Izmail. They acted, however, so unsuccessfully that at the military council it was decided to lift the siege.

Then Potemkin, who attached particular importance to the capture of Izmail in order to persuade the Porte to make peace, instructed Suvorov (who was stationed with his division in Brailov) to take command of Izmail and decide on the spot whether to lift the siege or continue it. Taking with him his Phanagorians and Absheronians, Suvorov hurried to Izmail, met the already retreating troops on December 10, returned them to the trenches and at dawn on December 11, in an unprecedented assault, captured the Turkish stronghold. Suvorov had about 30,000, of which a fourth were Cossacks, armed only with pikes. Ishmael was defended by 40,000 men under the command of seraskir Mehmet-Emin. Suvorov immediately sent the commandant an offer to surrender:

“To Seraskir, the elders and the whole society. I arrived here with my troops. 24 hours for reflection - will. My first shot is already captivity, the assault is death, which I leave for you to think about.” To this, the seraskir replied that “the sky would sooner fall to the ground and the Danube would flow upward than he would surrender Ishmael”... Of the 40,000 Turks, none escaped; the seraskir and all the senior commanders were killed. Only 6,000 people were taken prisoner, with 300 banners and badges and 266 guns. Suvorov's damage is 4600 people.

Kersnovsky A.A. History of the Russian Army. In 4 vols. M., 1992–1994. http://militera.lib.ru/h/kersnovsky1/04.html

THUS VICTORY IS ACCOMPLISHED

Such a fierce battle lasted 11 hours; Before noon, Mr. Lieutenant General and Cavalier Potemkin sent one hundred and eighty foot Cossacks to new reinforcements of troops to open the Broskiy Gate and sent three squadrons of the Seversky Carabineer Regiment to this in the command of Colonel and Cavalier Count Melin. And into the Khotyn gates, which were opened by Colonel Zolotukhin, the remaining one hundred and thirty grenadiers with three field artillery guns were introduced under the leadership of Prime Major Ostrovsky, to whose courage and efficiency I give justice; at the same time, three squadrons of the Voronezh Hussar Regiment and two squadrons of the Seversky Carabineer Regiment were introduced into the Bender Gate. These latter, dismounting and taking away the guns and cartridges from the dead, immediately entered the battle.

The fierce battle, which continued inside the fortress, after six and a half hours, with God's help, was finally resolved into new Russia's glory. The courage of the commanders, the jealousy and efficiency of the headquarters and chief officers and the unparalleled courage of the soldiers won a perfect victory over the numerous enemy, who desperately defended themselves, and at one o’clock in the afternoon the victory adorned our weapons with new laurels. The enemies remained entrenched in three more places; their only salvation was in one mosque, in two stone khans and in a casemate stone battery. All of them sent their officials to Mr. Lieutenant General and Cavalier Potemkin in the presence of our officers to ask for mercy. The first of these were brought by Lieutenant Colonel Tikhon Denisov and the duty major, Prime Major Chekhnenkov, and those who settled in the two khans were taken prisoners of war by Major General and Cavalier De Ribas; their number was more than four thousand. They also took two hundred and fifty people from the casemate battery who were with Muhafiz the three-bunched pasha.

Thus the victory is achieved. The Izmail fortress, so fortified, so extensive and which seemed invincible to the enemy, was taken by the terrible weapon of Russian bayonets; the stubbornness of the enemy, who arrogantly placed his hope in the number of troops, was dashed. Although the number of troops receiving the secrets was supposed to be forty-two thousand, according to exact calculation it should be thirty-five thousand. The number of enemy killed was up to twenty-six thousand. Seraskir Aidos Mehmet the three-bunchuzh Pasha, who was in charge of Ishmael, sat down with a crowd of more than a thousand people in a stone building and did not want to surrender, was attacked by Phanagorian grenadiers in the command of Colonel Zolotukhin. And both he and everyone who was with him were beaten and stabbed.

The Day of Military Glory of Russia, celebrated today, was established in honor of the day of the capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov in 1790. The holiday was established by Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 “On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia.”

Of particular importance during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 was the capture of Izmail, the citadel of Turkish rule on the Danube. The fortress was built under the leadership of German and French engineers in accordance with the latest fortification requirements. From the south it was protected by the Danube, which is half a kilometer wide. A ditch 12 meters wide and 6 to 10 meters deep was dug around the fortress walls; in some places of the ditch there was water up to 2 meters deep. Inside the city there were many stone buildings convenient for defense. The fortress garrison numbered 35 thousand people and 265 guns.

Brief information

The assault on Izmail in 1790 was undertaken during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1792. by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army, Field Marshal G. A. Potemkin. Neither N.V. Repnin (1789), nor I.V. Gudovich and P.S. Potemkin (1790) were able to solve this problem, after which G.A. Potemkin entrusted the operation to A.V. Suvorov. Arriving near Izmail on December 2, Suvorov spent six days preparing for the assault, including training troops to storm models of the high fortress walls of Izmail. The commandant of Ishmael was asked to capitulate, but in response he ordered to report that “the sky would sooner fall to the ground than Ishmael would be taken.”
For two days, Suvorov conducted artillery preparation, and on December 11, at 5:30 a.m., the assault on the fortress began. By 8 a.m. all the fortifications were occupied, but resistance on the city streets continued until 4 p.m. Turkish losses amounted to 26 thousand people. killed and 9 thousand prisoners. The losses of the Russian army amounted to 4 thousand people. killed and 6 thousand wounded. All the guns, 400 banners, huge reserves of provisions and jewelry worth 10 million piastres were captured. M.I. Kutuzov was appointed commandant of the fortress.

A.A. Danilov: History of Russia 9th - 19th centuries

Today Izmail, with a population of 92 thousand people, is a city of regional subordination in the Odessa region

Background

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, 1787. In turn, Russia decided to take advantage of the situation to expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region by completely displacing the Turkish invaders 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 Kinburg Spit. Despite the brilliant victories of the Russian army at Ochakov (1788), at Focshan (1789) and on the Rymnik River (1789), the enemy did not agree to accept the peace terms that Russia insisted on, and in every possible way delayed 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.

The Izmail fortress lay on the left bank of the Kiliya branch of the Danube between lakes Yalpukh and Katlabukh, on a gently sloping slope ending at the Danube bed with a low but rather steep slope. The strategic importance of Izmail was very great: the routes from Galati, Khotin, Bender and Kili converged here; here was the most convenient place for an invasion from the north across the Danube into Dobruja. 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 with a depth of 3 to 5 fathoms (6.4-10.7 m), in places filled with water. There were 260 guns on 11 bastions. The garrison of Izmail consisted of 35 thousand people under the command of Aydozle Mehmet Pasha. Part of the garrison was commanded by Kaplan-girey, the brother of the Crimean Khan, who was assisted 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.

Siege and assault of Izmail

In 1790, after capturing the fortresses of Kiliya, Tulcha and Isakcha, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Prince G.A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky gave the order to the detachments of generals I.V. Gudovich, P.S. Potemkin and the flotilla of General de Ribas to capture Izmail. However, their actions were hesitant. On November 26, the military council decided to lift the siege of the fortress due to the approach of winter. The Commander-in-Chief did not approve this decision and ordered Chief General A.V. Suvorov, whose troops were stationed at Galati, took command of the units besieging Izmail. Having taken command on December 2, Suvorov returned the troops retreating from the fortress to Izmail and blocked it from land and from the Danube River. Having completed the preparations for the assault in 6 days, Suvorov on December 7, 1790 sent an ultimatum to the commandant of Izmail demanding the surrender of the fortress no later than 24 hours from the date of delivery of the ultimatum. The ultimatum was rejected. On December 9, the military council assembled by Suvorov decided to immediately begin the assault, which was scheduled for December 11. The attacking troops were divided into 3 detachments (wings) of 3 columns each. The detachment of Major General de Ribas (9 thousand people) attacked from the river side; right wing under the command of Lieutenant General P.S. Potemkin (7,500 people) was supposed to strike from the western part of the fortress; left wing of Lieutenant General A.N. Samoilov (12 thousand people) - from the east. Brigadier Westphalen's cavalry reserves (2,500 men) were on the land side. In total, Suvorov's army numbered 31 thousand people, including 15 thousand irregulars, poorly armed. (Orlov N. Suvorov’s assault on Izmail in 1790. St. Petersburg, 1890. P. 52.) Suvorov planned to begin the assault at 5 o’clock in the morning, about 2 hours before dawn. Darkness was needed for the surprise of the first blow and mastery of the rampart; then it was unprofitable to fight in the dark, since it made it difficult to control the troops. Anticipating stubborn resistance, Suvorov wanted to have as much daylight as possible at his disposal.

On December 10, at sunrise, preparations began for an assault by fire from the flank batteries, from the island, and from the flotilla ships (about 600 guns in total). It lasted almost a day and ended 2.5 hours before the start of the assault. On this day, the Russians lost 3 officers and 155 lower ranks killed, 6 officers and 224 lower ranks wounded. The assault did not come as a surprise to the Turks. They were prepared every night for a Russian attack; in addition, several defectors revealed Suvorov's plan to them.

At 3 o'clock in the morning on December 11, 1790, the first signal flare went up, according to which the troops left the camp and, forming columns, set out to places designated by distance. At half past five in the morning the columns moved to attack. Before the others, the 2nd column of Major General B.P. approached the fortress. Lassi. At 6 o'clock in the morning, under a hail of enemy bullets, Lassi's rangers overcame the rampart, and a fierce battle ensued at the top. Absheron riflemen and Phanagorian grenadiers of the 1st column of Major General S.L. Lvov overthrew the enemy and, having captured the first batteries and the Khotyn Gate, united with the 2nd column. The Khotyn gates were open to the cavalry. At the same time, at the opposite end of the fortress, the 6th column of Major General M.I. Golenishcheva-Kutuzova captured the bastion at the Kiliya Gate and occupied the rampart up to the neighboring bastions. The greatest difficulties fell on the 3rd column of Meknob. She stormed the large northern bastion, adjacent to it to the east, and the curtain wall between them. In this place, the depth of the ditch and the height of the rampart were so great that the ladders of 5.5 fathoms (about 11.7 m) turned out to be short, and they had to be tied together two at a time under fire. The main bastion was taken. The fourth and fifth columns (Colonel V.P. Orlov and Brigadier M.I. Platov, respectively) also completed the tasks assigned to them, overcoming the rampart in their sectors.

The landing troops of Major General de Ribas in three columns, under the cover of the rowing fleet, moved at a signal to the fortress and formed a battle formation in two lines. The landing began at about 7 o'clock in the morning. It was carried out quickly and accurately, despite the resistance of more than 10 thousand Turks and Tatars. The success of the landing was greatly facilitated by Lvov's column, which attacked the Danube coastal batteries in the flank, and by the actions of ground forces on the eastern side of the fortress. The first column of Major General N.D. Arsenyeva, who sailed up on 20 ships, landed on the shore and split into several parts. A battalion of Kherson grenadiers under the command of Colonel V.A. Zubova captured a very tough cavalier, losing 2/3 of his people. The battalion of Livonian rangers, Colonel Count Roger Damas, occupied the battery that lined the shore. Other units also captured the fortifications lying in front of them. The third column of brigadier E.I. Markova landed at the western end of the fortress under grapeshot fire from the Tabiya redoubt.

When daylight arrived, it became clear that the rampart had been taken, the enemy had been driven out of the fortress tops and was retreating into the inner part of the city. Russian columns from different sides moved towards the city center - Potemkin on the right, Cossacks from the north, Kutuzov on the left, de Ribas on the river side. A new battle has begun. Particularly fierce resistance continued until 11 am. Several thousand horses, rushing out of the burning stables, raced madly through the streets and increased the confusion. Almost every house had to be taken in battle. Around noon, Lassi, who was the first to climb the ramparts, was the first to reach the middle of the city. Here he met a thousand Tatars under the command of Maksud-Girey, the prince of Genghis Khan's blood. Maksud-Girey defended himself stubbornly, and only when most of his detachment was killed did he surrender with 300 soldiers remaining alive.

To support the infantry and ensure success, Suvorov ordered the introduction of 20 light guns into the city to clear the streets of the Turks with grapeshot. At one o'clock in the afternoon, in essence, victory was won. However, the battle was not over yet. The enemy did not try to attack individual Russian detachments or hid in strong buildings like citadels. An attempt to snatch Izmail back was made by Kaplan-Girey, the brother of the Crimean Khan. He gathered several thousand horse and foot Tatars and Turks and led them towards the advancing Russians. In a desperate battle, in which more than 4 thousand Muslims were killed, he fell along with his five sons. At two o'clock in the afternoon all columns penetrated into the city center. At 4 o'clock the victory was finally won. Ishmael fell.

Results of the assault

The losses of the Turks were enormous; more than 26 thousand people were killed alone. 9 thousand were taken prisoner, of which 2 thousand died from their wounds the next day. (Orlov N. Op. cit., p. 80.) Of the entire garrison, only one person escaped. Slightly wounded, he fell into the water and swam across the Danube on a log. In Izmail, 265 guns, up to 3 thousand pounds of gunpowder, 20 thousand cannonballs and many other military supplies, up to 400 banners, blood-stained defenders, 8 lansons, 12 ferries, 22 light ships and a lot of rich booty that went to the army, totaling up to 10 million piastres (over 1 million rubles). The Russians killed 64 officers (1 brigadier, 17 staff officers, 46 chief officers) and 1816 privates; 253 officers (including three major generals) and 2,450 lower ranks were wounded. The total number of losses was 4,582 people. Some authors estimate the number of killed to be 4 thousand, and the number of wounded to be 6 thousand, a total of 10 thousand, including 400 officers (out of 650). (Orlov N. Op. op., pp. 80-81, 149.)

According to the promise given in advance by Suvorov, the city, according to the custom of that time, was given to the power of the soldiers. At the same time, Suvorov took measures to ensure order. Kutuzov, appointed commandant of Izmail, placed guards in the most important places. A huge hospital was opened inside the city. The bodies of the killed Russians were taken outside the city and buried according to church rites. There were so many Turkish corpses that the order was given to throw the bodies into the Danube, and prisoners were assigned to this work, divided into queues. But even with this method, Ishmael was cleared of corpses only after 6 days. The prisoners were sent in batches to Nikolaev under the escort of Cossacks.

Suvorov expected to receive the rank of field marshal general for the assault on Izmail, but Potemkin, petitioning the empress for his award, proposed awarding him with a medal and the rank of guard lieutenant colonel or adjutant general. The medal was knocked out, and Suvorov was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. There were already ten such lieutenant colonels; Suvorov became eleventh. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Prince G.A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky, having arrived in St. Petersburg, received as a reward a field marshal's uniform, embroidered with diamonds, worth 200 thousand rubles. Tauride Palace; In Tsarskoe Selo, it was planned to build an obelisk for the prince depicting his victories and conquests. Oval silver medals were distributed to the lower ranks; a gold badge was installed for officers; the chiefs received orders or golden swords, some received ranks.

The conquest of Ishmael was of great political significance. It influenced the further course of the war and the conclusion of the Treaty of Iasi between Russia and Turkey in 1792, which confirmed the annexation of Crimea to Russia and established the Russian-Turkish border along the river. Dniester. Thus, the entire northern Black Sea region from the Dniester to the Kuban was assigned to Russia.

Materials used from the book: “One Hundred Great Battles”, M. “Veche”, 2002

December 24 - Day of the capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov (1790)

This Day of Military Glory of Russia was established by Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 “On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia” in honor of the Day of the capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov in 1790.

In November 1790, Russian troops began the siege of Izmail. Two attempts to take the fortress ended in failure. And then the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal G.A. Potemkin entrusted the capture of the impregnable fortress to Suvorov. Intensified preparations for the assault began.

In an effort to avoid bloodshed, Suvorov sent an ultimatum to the commandant of Izmail to surrender the fortress, to which the answer followed: “It is more likely that the sky will fall to the ground and the Danube will flow upward than Ishmael will surrender.”

(11) On December 22, 1790, Russian troops in nine columns from different directions moved to storm the fortress. The river flotilla approached the shore and, under the cover of artillery fire, landed troops. The skillful leadership of Suvorov and his comrades, the courage of soldiers and officers decided the outcome of the battle, which lasted 9 hours - the Turks defended stubbornly, but Izmail was taken. The enemy lost 26 thousand killed and 9 thousand captured. 265 guns, 42 ships, 345 banners were captured. Suvorov indicated in his report that the Russian army lost 1,815 people killed and 2,455 wounded.

It is noteworthy that Izmail was taken by an army that was inferior in number to the garrison of the fortress. The case is extremely rare in the history of military art. Success was ensured by the thoroughness and secrecy of preparation, the surprise of actions and the simultaneous impact of all columns, and the clear and precise setting of goals. The capture of Izmail contributed to the quick and successful end of the war with Turkey (1791).

Catherine II ordered a medal to be knocked out in honor of A.V. Suvorov for the capture of Izmail and established an officer’s gold cross with the inscription “For excellent courage” - to reward for feats accomplished during the storming of the city. However, it is also worth noting that according to the Treaty of Yassy (1791), Izmail was returned to Turkey.

You can only decide to storm Ishmael once in your life; fortunately, no one can repeat this experience again...
Suvorov

The capture of Izmail took place on December 11, 1790. During the battle, the Russian army, under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, won a brilliant victory, capturing a fortress with smaller forces, which was considered impregnable by many. As a result of this victory, a radical change was made in the Russian-Turkish war, as well as in strengthening Russia’s positions in the Black Sea and the Balkans.

Reasons for the need to capture the fortress

We can briefly highlight 4 main reasons that led to the need to capture Ishmael:

The fortress made it possible to control the movement of infantry from one bank of the Danube River to the other, which significantly limited the possibilities for movement of the enemy army.
The favorable geographical position of Izmail made it possible to almost completely control the mouth of the Danube, thereby controlling the fleet.
Here ideal conditions were created for conducting offensive and counterattacks.
The fortress was ideal for sheltering a large number of soldiers. The Turks themselves called Ishmael "Horde of the Wheel", which literally translates as "army fortress".

In fact, Ismail was an impregnable fortress, the possession of which provided significant advantages in military operations.

Actions of the Russian army before the appointment of Suvorov as commander in chief

In the second half of 1790, the Russian army won a number of major victories, but a very difficult situation arose. After the fall of the Turkish fortresses of Sulin, Isakcha, Tulcha and Kiliya, the garrisons that were forced to retreat took refuge in Izmail. A very strong garrison was formed in the fortress, which, using the favorable geographical location of the fortress, created significant advantages for the Turkish side.

In November 1790, the efforts of almost all countries interested in one way or another in the war focused on Ishmael. Catherine 2 gives the order to Field Marshal Potemkin to take possession of the fortress by the end of the year by any means necessary. Potemkin, in turn, gave the order to generals Gudovich, Pavel Potemkin and Deribas to take possession of the city. The generals could not do this; I am increasingly inclined to think that Ishmael is impregnable.

Morale in the army

The state of the Russian army near Izmail before the arrival of Suvorov can be described as decadent. The soldiers were tired of a large number of transitions, poor organization of the camp, shortages of food and constant skirmishes with the Turks. In fact, the army was in the open air, without the organization of huts or other shelters. It rained constantly in November, so the soldiers did not even have time to dry their clothes. This led to a large number of illnesses and loosening of discipline. The situation was complicated by the fact that the hospitals were poorly organized. Doctors lacked even the most basic medicines and dressing materials.

The Russian generals, who actually accepted the idea that Izmail was an impregnable fortress, did not act. They understood that they would not be able to storm the fortress on their own. As a result, the poor conditions for the army were aggravated by the delay of the command, which caused grumbling among the troops.

On November 28, 1790, the military council decided to lift the siege of Izmail. The army command was guided by the fact that there were not enough people to wage a siege, there were not enough assault guns, there was not enough artillery, ammunition and everything else necessary. As a result, approximately half of the troops were withdrawn from the fortress.

Preparation for the assault by Suvorov

On November 25, 1790, Potemkin gave 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 in the morning of 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. Suvorov's main idea at 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.

Training troops and deceiving the enemy

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. It was here that, using a 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 for the start of 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.

Proposal to the Ishmael garrison to surrender

Catherine 2 insisted on the rapid capture of the fortress, so on December 7 at 14:00 Suvorov conveyed to the commandant of Izmail (Aydozli-Mehmet Pasha) a proposal to surrender the fortress, but was refused. After this, envoys were sent to the fortress, through whom the general conveyed a message that later became popular.

I came here with the troops. 24 hours for reflection - will. My first shot is bondage. Assault is death. Which I leave for your consideration.
Suvorov

Seraskir responded to this famous phrase by Suvorov with a phrase that is also widely known today: “It would be more likely for the Danube to stop its flow and the sky to bow to the ground than for Ishmael to fall.”

On December 8, Aidozli Mehmed Pasha sent Suvorov a proposal to give 10 days to think about his message about surrender. Thus, the Turks were playing for time, waiting for reinforcements. Suvorov refused, saying that if the white banner was not displayed immediately, the assault would begin. The Turks did not surrender.

Combat order for assault and position of troops

On December 9, 1790, at a meeting of the military council, a decision was made to storm Izmail. I consider it necessary to dwell on the main aspects of Suvorov’s combat order, since it clearly describes the disposition of Russian troops and the offensive plan. 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.

Map of the assault on Izmail

Map of the assault on the Izmail fortress with a detailed examination of the actions of the Russian army.

Features of Suvorov's combat order

In the combat order, Suvorov demanded that each detachment allocate at least 2 battalions to its personal reserve. The reserve in the form of cavalry is a combined arms reserve and is divided between three detachments. The assault on the fortress is planned for December 11, 2-3 hours before dawn. All commanders must act coherently and not deviate from orders. Artillery preparation should begin on December 10 and be conducted from all guns with a firing depth of up to 1 km. The Russian army prohibits touching old people, women, children and civilians during battle.

Suvorov planned to begin the assault on Izmail 3 hours before dawn, since this allowed him to be near the walls of the fortress with the onset of daylight.

By order of Suvorov, all ships were loaded from one side. This made it possible to tilt the ships upward, as a result of which it was possible to use naval guns to conduct mounted fire on the fortress. This was extremely important, since the Russian army did not have enough field guns. Moreover, this was a new technique that had not been used by generals before Ishmael.

Balance of forces and means

The Russian army consisted of 31,000 people, 607 guns (40 field and 567 on ships).

The Turkish army consisted of 43,000 people and 300 guns (excluding guns on ships, since there is no data on them).

We see that all the advantages and superiority were on the Turkish side. They were in a well-fortified fortress and had an army that was approximately 1.5 times larger than the enemy army. Any military expert, seeing these numbers, will say that the assault is suicide and an almost impossible task. And it is no coincidence that Suvorov wrote in his autobiography that the capture of Izmail is an event that happens only once in a lifetime, and it is impossible to repeat it. This is true, since there are simply no historical analogues of such victories in the modern history of mankind.

Fortifications of Izmail

The Izmail fortress had a favorable 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:

The rampart around the fortress is more than 6 km long and with a maximum height of up to 10 m.
A ditch with a width of 14 m and a depth of up to 13 m. Most of 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.
In the southeastern part of the fortress there was a stone quarry 12 m high.

The southern side, to which the Danube adjoined, was the least fortified. The fact is that 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 the buildings in the city were made of stone with thick walls and a large number of towers. Therefore, in fact, each building represented a strong point from which defense could be launched.

The beginning of the assault on the fortress

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. By the end of December 10, the Turkish side had practically no artillery pieces left.

On December 11, at 3:00 a.m., a rocket was launched, signaling the Russian army to move into its original attack position. At 4:00 the second rocket was launched, at the signal of which the troops began to form into battle formation. At 5:30 on December 11, 1790, the third rocket was launched, which signaled 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 at 8:00 Russian troops captured all the walls of the fortress. From that moment on, Izmail’s attack was virtually over; the Turkish army retreated into the depths of 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 getting tighter and tighter. 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 - “The Russian flag on the walls of Izmail.”

Losses of the parties

The Turkish army lost 33,000 people killed and wounded, and 10,000 prisoners. Among the dead were: commandant Izmail Aydozli Mehmet Pasha, 12 pashas (generals), 51 senior officers.

The Russian army lost 1830 people killed and 2933 people 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 cannonballs, 15,000 horses, jewelry and food supplies for the garrison and the city for six months.

Historical consequences

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 to the Russian army without a fight. As a result, a radical change was made in the war.

The capture of Izmail also had important political significance. On December 11, a meeting of representatives of England, Austria, Prussia, France and Poland was held in the city of Sistav (Balkans). They were developing a plan to help Turkey in the war against Russia. The arriving news of the fall of Ishmael caused a real shock, as a result of which the meeting was interrupted for 2 days. It never ended in anything, since it became clear that Türkiye lost 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.