Napoleon: The Russian Campaign

Since his victory over Tsar Alexander in 1807 and the Treaty of Tilsit, France and Russia are officially allies. But Alexander doesn’t support Napoleon’s expansionist strategy. To Napoleon, Russia’s behavior makes it an enemy of France. Ignoring calls for caution, Napoleon invades Russia in 1811 and his 600,000-strong army marches towards Moscow with the aim of conquering Russia.

The dramatic conclusion of Napoleon's ill-fated Russian offensive, blending vivid re-enactment with diary extracts that detail the hardships and deprivations suffered by Napoleon's Grande Armee as they await the surrender of the Tsar, which never comes. With 400,000 of his men dead or held captive and problems in France due to his waning popularity, Napoleon begins the long, death-filled retreat from Russia with his exhausted, starving troops.