Battle of Borodino

:Another Battle of Borodino took place in October 1941.

Statistical discussion

Casualty estimates vary dramatically. The French are said to have suffered 28,000 dead and wounded including 48 generals, according to historian Adam Zamoyski. Others put the figure as high as 50,000 (Stephen Pope). The Russians lost between 38,500 - 58,000 (45,000 is the generally accepted number). Some believe that combined casualties were as high as 125,000, this is unlikely. Even the lowest casualty estimates (28,000 French and 38,500 Russians) together give a combined total of 66,500.

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Around 8,500 casualties were sustained each hour of the conflict— the equivalent of a full-strength company wiped out every minute. In some divisions casualties exceeded 80% of the strength prior to the battle.

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If between 1/5 to 1/3 of casualties were killed, it seems likely that between 12,000 and 25,000 soldiers died at Borodino. The battle was likely the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars and one of the bloodiest in modern times, perhaps not exceeded by the First Day on the Somme in 1916 or any of the three days of the Third Battle of Nanking in 1864.

Related Topics:
First Day on the Somme - Third Battle of Nanking

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Adam Zamoyski, in his in depth account of the Russian campaign, estimates that 1,400,000 rounds were discharged by the French infantry and a further 60,000 to 91,000 by the artillery. This averages as 2,300 rounds of musketry per minute from the French.

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