Russian siege of Plevna. Capture of Plevna by Russian troops

The capture and successful defense of the Shipka Pass played a huge role in the victorious Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Control of the height (1185 m) prevented the regrouping of the army of the Ottoman Empire and opened up the shortest route to Constantinople for Russian troops.

Secure your positions

The capture of Shipka was part of the plans of the advanced units of the Russian army, which crossed the Danube in early July 1877. The Russian-Bulgarian detachment of Lieutenant General Joseph Gurko, numbering 10,500 people, liberated Tarnovo (July 7), and then made a difficult transition through the Khainkoi Pass.

This maneuver allowed Russian troops to unexpectedly reach the rear of the enemy, who was on the outskirts of Shipka. The Russians and Bulgarians defeated the Ottomans near the village of Uflany and the city of Kazanlak, clearing the way towards the pass.

In mid-July, units of Major General Valerian Derozhinsky joined Gurko’s detachment. This provided the necessary numerical superiority for the assault on Shipka, which was held by about 5,000 Turks under the command of Hulussi Pasha.

On the night of July 19, under a hail of fierce attacks from the Russians and Bulgarians, the Ottoman troops left the pass, retreating south to Plovdiv.

The Russian command realized the impossibility of further offensive operations until the crossing of the Danube was completed. In this regard, it was decided to strengthen the defense of the Shipka and Khainkoi passes.

The Russian army and Bulgarian militias occupied the settlements of Nova Zagore (July 23) and Stara Zagore (July 30) located southeast of Shipka. Meanwhile, the Turks pulled up a powerful 37,000-strong group under the command of Suleiman Pasha to the pass.

Despite heroic efforts, the Russians and Bulgarians were forced to retreat from previously occupied settlements, joining the detachment of General Fyodor Radetsky, who was responsible for the southern flank of the defense of Shipka.

In August, the Russian command entrusted control of the defense of Shipka to Major General Nikolai Stoletov. As the Research Institute of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces clarifies, Stoletov’s detachment included the Oryol infantry regiment, the Bryansk regiment and five Bulgarian squads.

The total number of defenders was 6,000 people, a third of them were Bulgarian militias.

"Critical Battle"

Suleiman Pasha threw 12,000 people into the battle for the southern approach to Shipka. The Turks went on the offensive on August 21 and did not stop attacks and shelling until August 27. Worried about the dwindling defenders of the southern flank, Radetzky sent reinforcements in the form of two infantry brigades.

“The battle of August 11 (23), which became the most critical for the defenders of the pass, began at dawn; by ten o'clock in the morning the Russian position was engulfed by the enemy with three sides. The Turkish attacks, repulsed by fire, were renewed with fierce persistence. At two o’clock in the afternoon, the Circassians even came to the rear of our position, but were driven back,” the Institute of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces describes the course of the battle.

• “Battle at Shipkinsky Pass on August 11, 1877” (1893), Alexey Kivshenko

By the evening of August 23, the Turkish army managed to carry out a successful attack from the west, capturing the so-called Side Hill. The central positions of the Russian-Bulgarian troops were under threat of a breakthrough. The almost hopeless situation was corrected thanks to the 16th Infantry Battalion and other units of the 4th Infantry Brigade arriving to help.

Closer to night, the Ottomans were knocked out from the Side Hill. We also managed to prevent a breakthrough in other areas. Taking into account the arriving reinforcements, the “garrison” of the southern flank of Shipka’s defense amounted to 14,200 people with 39 artillery pieces.

On August 24, the Russians and Bulgarians launched an offensive on the heights of the western ridge (Lesnaya Kurgan and Bald Mountain) in order to secure the rear. At the same time, the Turks attacked the central positions of the defenders. As a result, neither side achieved success.

On August 25, Russian-Bulgarian troops repeated their attempt to storm the heights of the western ridge. As a result, the Ottomans were driven out of the Forest Mound, but Bald Mountain remained impregnable. On August 26, the Shipka defenders located on the Lesnoy Kurgan suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat, concentrating on protecting the more important Side Hill.

In the second half of August 1877, Russian troops lost 2,850 people, Bulgarian squads - 500 people. 109 Russian officers were killed, including General Derozhinsky. The Ottoman army lost about 8,200 people.

"Shipka seat"

On August 27, the 14th Infantry Division of Mikhail Petrushevsky arrived in the camp of the defenders of Shipka. The Oryol and Bryansk regiments, which suffered the greatest losses, were withdrawn to reserve, and the Bulgarian squads were transferred to the western flank to the village of Zeleno Drevo.

The battle-weary Russians and Turks abandoned active operations and concentrated on strengthening their positions. Historians called this period of defense of the pass the “Shipka Sitting”.

The only major clash occurred on September 17 over the rocky Cape Eagle's Nest. The Turks were able to take possession of it by attacking from the southern and western sides. But the Russians recaptured the Eagle's Nest in hand-to-hand combat.

Cold winds, fogs, frosts and snowstorms became a severe test for Russians and Bulgarians. The most difficult period occurred in November and the first half of December 1877. From September 17 to January 5, 9,500 Russian soldiers became victims of disease, although 700 people died in battles and skirmishes with the enemy.

• “Snow trenches (Russian positions at Shipka Pass)” (1878-1881), Vasily Vereshchagin

The position of the Shipka garrison changed dramatically after the capture of the Plevna fortress by Russian-Romanian troops and Bulgarian militias (December 10). 10 generals, 2,128 officers and 41,200 soldiers of the Ottoman Empire were captured by the victors.

The end of the protracted blockade of Plevna freed up 100,000 Russian army. On January 7, 1878, Turkish positions on the approaches to Shipka were attacked by a 19,000-strong group commanded by General Pyotr Svyatopolk-Mirsky and a 16,000-strong detachment of General Mikhail Skobelev.

On January 9, 1878, the Ottomans were defeated by the Russians near Sheinovo (3 km from Shipka). Wessel Pasha, who at that time commanded the Turkish troops, gave the order to surrender. On January 10, 23 thousand Turks were captured by the defenders of the pass.

Symbol of military brotherhood

The victory at Shipka opened up the shortest route to Adrianople and, making further Turkish resistance pointless. Already on January 19, the Porte agreed to sign the Truce of Adrianople.

Shipka became a symbol of military brotherhood and gratitude of the Bulgarian people to the Russian army for liberation from Turkish rule.

“Shipka is one of the most famous names in the history of Bulgaria, a shrine of Bulgarian patriots,” note employees of the Institute of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Currently, there are several monuments to liberators and a cemetery for Russian soldiers on the pass.

In a conversation with RT, the scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), Mikhail Myagkov, noted that the feat of the Shipka defenders is difficult to overestimate. If the Russians and Bulgarians had not been able to hold the pass, the Turks would have struck in the rear of the imperial army that had crossed the Danube.

“In essence, this battle decided the outcome of the war. This is why both sides fought so fiercely for control of the heights. An important factor the battle became difficult climatic conditions. Sanitary losses during the autumn-winter standstill period were many times higher than combat losses. Russian soldiers had to courageously endure frosts, winds, fog and dampness,” Myagkov explained.

The expert called the transition of Gurko’s detachment through the Khainkoi Pass in July 1877 a real feat. According to him, this maneuver is often compared to the famous transition of Alexander Suvorov’s troops through the Alps.

“The battles for Shipka themselves were very brutal. Legends say that when the defenders of the pass ran out of cartridges, stones were used, and sometimes even corpses: dead Turkish soldiers were thrown from above onto the heads of the attackers,” said Myagkov.

According to the historian, the military leadership talent of Valerian Derozhinsky and Mikhail Skobelev was especially clearly demonstrated in the battle for Shipka. The expert also noted the bravery and courage of the Bulgarian militias and emphasized that the end of the defense of Shipka was major milestone on the path to national self-determination and independence of Bulgaria.

28.11.1877 (11.12). – Capture of Plevna by Russian troops. Surrender of the Turkish army to Osman Pasha

Discussion: 8 comments

I read with surprise the description of this magnificent monument. BUT now this is a falsification: the monument was almost entirely made of black granite, it sparkled in the sun and was truly monumental. Now it’s just a rusty mock-up, a fake. It’s painful to look at this sacrilege!

Please comment on the article on Wikipedia, where it is reported that 1,700 Russian soldiers died during the capture of Plevna, but you have different data. Apparently you need to make a remark to Wikipedia about the unreliability of their data, and indeed the entire article, which was written, as it seemed to me, in an anti-Russian vein.

Wikipedia writes: “80-90 thousand people took part on the part of the Russian-Romanian troops, 1,700 of them were lost during the breakthrough.” The figure includes not only Russians, but also Romanians. And LOST does not mean killed; the wounded were also included in the losses. So I don’t see a contradiction with what was written in this article: “The capture of Plevna cost the Russians 192 killed and 1,252 wounded.”

“In the last battle, 80-90 thousand people took part on the part of the Russian-Romanian troops, 1,700 of them were lost during the breakthrough. Turkish losses, due to complete exhaustion and overload, amounted to about 6,000 people. The remaining 43,338 Turkish soldiers surrendered ; significant number they died in captivity. At the end of the war, 15,581 Turkish veterans from the army of Osman Pasha were awarded a silver medal for the heroic defense of Plevna."
Do you think that the Russians and Romanians were counted together, both killed and wounded, but how should we count the losses of the Turks? After all, only those who remained were taken prisoner; do you think the wounded Turks were not taken prisoner? What were they released to die in Plevna or were they still treated as prisoners? And were Russian veterans awarded?

Dear Ekaterina. The exact source of Wikipedia data is not indicated there - a list of references is provided. Source of information used in this article: "Russian heroes of the war of 1877: Description Russian-Turkish war". Translation from German. Moscow: Publication of the bookstore B. Post, 1878. (See: Collection: historical documents http://historydoc.edu.ru/catalog.asp?cat_ob_no=&ob_no=13875)
The figures given refer only to the last assault on Plevna. Of course, there were losses earlier that are not taken into account here: about 31 thousand people - according to Sov. military enz. I have now added this clarification to the article so that there are no misunderstandings. Thank you for your attention to this issue.

31 thousand Russian losses are all losses - killed, wounded, etc., and not just killed

We found something to compare with; on Wikipedia, most articles are written in an anti-Russian vein, even if there are no Russians there)))

What's the matter? What if a person was not killed, but wounded so that he cannot fight, then he is not lost to the army? Or did he not lose his health in the battle? Why is it necessary to divide losses into those killed and those not killed? So the number of losses should also include those not killed!

From the appeal of the Bulgarian Central Committee to the Bulgarian people

Brothers! Hordes of Turkish monsters drowned our protest in blood and committed those unheard-of atrocities for which there is no justification, atrocities that shocked the whole world. Our villages were burned: mothers, loved ones, children were dishonored and slaughtered without pity; priests crucified on crosses; the temples of God were desecrated, and the fields were strewn with innocent bloodied victims. We bore the martyr's cross for a whole year, but amidst the indescribable oppression and suffering, hope glimmered and strengthened us. The hope that never left us for a minute was the great Orthodox Rus'.

Brothers! It was not in vain that we waited for her strong support, a year has passed, she comes and asks for an account for the blood of the martyrs.

Soon the victorious Russian banners will rise in our fatherland, and under their shadow the beginnings of a better future will be laid.

The Russians are coming unselfishly, like brothers, to help, to do now the same thing that they did earlier to liberate the Greeks, Romanians, and Serbs.

Bulgarians! Let us all meet the liberating brothers as one and assist the Russian army...

COURSE OF EVENTS

During the siege of Plevna, four battles were fought: the first three were attacks on the tour. fortifications, the fourth - the last attempt of Osman Pasha to break through battle formations besiegers. July 20, 1877 vanguard of the corps of General. Schilder-Schuldner numbering 6,500 people. attacked the defensive fortifications north and east of Plevna; the Russians lost two-thirds of their officers and approx. 2000 soldiers. The second battle took place on July 30, when Gen. Kridener with two Russian divisions (30,000 people) attacked the tour. redoubts to the north and east of the city; gene. Shakhovskoy commanded the offensive. The attack on the Grivitsky redoubt (north of Plevna), which turned out to be completely unsuccessful, was led by Kridener himself; Shakhovskoy by 17.30 captured two redoubts located east of the fortress, but even before darkness they were retaken by the Turks, and the Russians retreated, suffering defeat along the entire front. Their losses amounted to 169 officers and 7,136 soldiers, including 2,400 who were left dead on the battlefield. 11 and 12 September an army of 95,000 people besieging the city. under the command of Grand Duke Mikhail attacked Plevna from three sides. Osman Pasha at this time had 34,000 people under his command. 11 Sep. the attack on the Omerbey redoubt was repulsed, Russian losses amounted to 6,000 people. Skobelev captured two of the six internal redoubts that protected the corner of the fortress from the southwest. 12 Sep. The attack on the second Grivitsky redoubt was repelled, and after a fierce battle, the two redoubts captured by Skobelev were again occupied by the Turks. As a result of the two-day battle, Russian losses amounted to 20,600 people, including 2,000 prisoners, with a tour. sides - 5000. 10 Dec. Osman Pasha, at the head of a 25,000-strong detachment, with 9,000 wounded and recovering in carts, tried to break through the Russian army besieging the city, which by this time numbered 100,000 people. (under the nominal leadership of the Romanian Prince Karol, chief of staff - General Totleben). Having successfully crossed the river. Vit, Osman attacked the Russian troops on a two-mile front and captured the first line of field fortifications. However, Totleben hastily sent reinforcements there, and the Turks, in turn, were attacked and driven back across the river in disorder; Osman was seriously wounded. The Turks are here last time tried to gain a foothold, but were crushed and pushed back to Plevna; the city capitulated before evening after 143 days of defense. In this battle, the Turks lost 5,000, the Russians - 2,000 killed and wounded. The Russian army continued its movement deep into the Balkan Peninsula.

SKOBELEV UNDER THE PLEVNA

...He was extremely popular in Russian society. “Our Achilles,” said I.S. about him. Turgenev. Skobelev’s influence on the mass of soldiers could only be compared with the influence of. The soldiers idolized him and believed in his invulnerability, since he, who spent his entire life in battle, was never wounded. Soldiers' rumor “certified” that Skobelev knew a conspiracy word against death (“in Turkestan he bought it from a Tatar for 10 thousand gold”). Near Plevna, a wounded soldier told his comrades: “The bullet went through him (Skobelev - N.T.), nothing to him, but it wounded me.”

N. Troitsky

UNSTOPPABLE "HURRAY!"

At the end of November, the Turks left the fortress and tried to break through the Russian defense lines in one of the sections and join the main forces of their army. But they failed. They were stopped, attacked and surrounded by reserves of Russian troops that quickly arrived from other areas.

On command, the troops quickly moved apart, and as soon as the Turks rushed into the space open to them, forty-eight copper throats threw fire and death into their solid and crowded ranks... Buckshot with an angry whistle burst into this living mass, leaving another mass along the way, but already either motionless, lifeless, or writhing in terrible torment... The grenades fell and exploded - and there was nowhere to escape from them. As soon as the grenadiers noticed that the fire on the Turks had the proper effect... they rushed at a quick pace with a bang. Once again bayonets crossed, once again the copper jaws of the guns roared, and soon the countless crowd of the enemy fell into disorderly flight... The attack proceeded brilliantly. The retreaters hardly fired back. Redif and Nizam, bashi-buzouks and cavalrymen with Circassians - all this was mixed into one sea of ​​\u200b\u200bhorses and lava, uncontrollably rushing back...

At the head of his best camps, himself in front, Osman Pasha rushed in to try one last time to break through our lines. Each soldier following him fought for three... But everywhere... a wall of menacing bayonets grew in front of him, and an uncontrollable “Hurray!” thundered right in the pasha’s face. Everything was lost. The duel was ending... The army must lay down its arms, fifty thousand of the best combat troops will be deleted from Turkey’s already significantly depleted resources...

Nemirovich-Danchenko V. I. Year of the war. Diary of a Russian correspondent, 1877-1878, St. Petersburg, 1878

ALL RUSSIA REJOICES

The battle on November 28 with Osman Pasha decided the fate of his army, which had so steadfastly resisted all the efforts of our weapons for almost 8 months. This army, with its worthy commander at its head, numbering 40 thousand, surrendered to us unconditionally...

I am proud to command such troops and must tell you that I cannot find words to adequately express my respect and admiration for your military prowess.

Bearing with full consciousness of your sacred duty all the difficulties of the blockade service near Plevna, you completed it in battle on November 28, like real heroes. Remember that I am not alone, but all of Russia, all its sons are rejoicing and rejoicing at your glorious victory over Osman Pasha...

Commander of the Grenadier Corps, Lieutenant General P.S. Ganetsky

A. Kivshenko. Surrender of Plevna (Wounded Osman Pasha before Alexander II). 1880. (Fragment)

RUSSIAN WINNERS

Emperor Alexander, who was in Tuchenitsa, having learned about the fall of Plevna, immediately went to the troops and congratulated them... Osman Pasha, the “lion of Plevna,” was received by the sovereign and his senior commanders with distinction and delicacy. The Emperor said a few flattering words to him and returned the saber. Russian officers showed the captured marshal high respect at every opportunity.

On December 11, the Russians entered the conquered city, surrounded on all sides by mountains, lying completely in a basin opening only to the west... The sanitary situation of the city was simply terrifying. Hospitals, mosques and other buildings were overflowing with corpses, dying sick and wounded. These unfortunates were left without help and charity; Great energy and dedication were required to separate the living from the dead and establish at least some order.

On December 15, the emperor left the theater of military operations, returning to St. Petersburg, where he was received with indescribable delight.

MONUMENT TO THE HEROES OF PLEVNA

From an appeal to the troops about the opening of a voluntary subscription for the monument to the heroes of Plevna

Serving as a tribute of deep respect to the memory of those who fell in this battle, the erected monument will serve to maintain high military feelings in future descendants: valor, bravery and courage, and for the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula - a reminder that they owe their freedom and new life to the Christian generosity of the Russian people, who redeemed their liberation through the blood of faithful sons.

The Battle of the Bulgarian city of Plevna (Pleven) is the main episode of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The fortress was located at the intersection of roads necessary for the transfer of troops to the Constantinople area.

On the eve of the war

The Russian Empire was forced to go to war with Turkey after the failure of negotiations for a peaceful settlement of issues related to the protection of the Christian population on the Balkan Peninsula. Porta (Ottoman government) ) led fighting against Serbia and actually ignored the ultimatum of Alexander II to conclude a truce.

The Russian generals decided to launch an offensive along the western coast of the Black Sea in the direction of the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Thus, it was planned to force Porto to sit down at the negotiating table, to achieve guarantees of rights Slavic peoples peninsula and strengthen its position in the region.

The next Russian-Turkish war could finally resolve the Eastern Question for St. Petersburg, which arose in the second half of the 18th century with the creation of the Montenegrin Fleet.

Russia sought to gain control of the strategically important Bosporus and Dardanelles straits and gain the status of a Mediterranean power.

This would give it significant military and economic advantages.

In the middle of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire lost its former power and could no longer resist its northern neighbor on equal terms. The Western powers understood that the Porte was doomed to defeat without their help. Moreover, in the 1870s, Russia practically recovered from the consequences Crimean War 1853-1856, in which it lost to a coalition of Turkey, Great Britain and France.

To prevent the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and contain the ambitions of St. Petersburg, the British and French trained and rearmed Turkish troops. At the same time, London and Paris did not support the Porte's overly harsh position towards the Christian population in the Balkans.

In 1877, against the backdrop of Ottoman repression against Christians, Russia managed to achieve the neutrality of the West, which made it possible to declare war on Turkey. However, Great Britain and France closely monitored the progress of the fighting, fearing a hasty surrender of Turkey and the capture of the straits by Russian troops.

On the approaches to Plevna

Alexander II delayed the moment of entering the war with Turkey, although the plan for this war was prepared in 1876. The Emperor rightly believed that the Russian army was not yet ready to fight large-scale battles, at least for a long time.

The armed forces of the empire were in the stage of modernization. The troops did not have time to receive modern weapons and master advanced combat tactics. Unfinished military reform served as one of the reasons for the first failures in the battles for Plevna.

On the eve of the war, the size of the Russian army was estimated at about half a million people against the two hundred thousand Turkish army. In the fall of 1876, Russia concentrated an army of over 180 thousand people on its southwestern borders. On the side Russian Empire Romanian and Serbian troops, as well as Bulgarian, Armenian and Georgian militias, were ready to act.

Alexander II declared war on Turkey in April 1877. At the beginning of July, part of the Russian troops crossed the Danube, which separates Romania and Bulgaria, and gained a foothold on the approaches to Plevna. On July 16, the 9th Corps of Lieutenant General Nikolai Kridener captured the Nikopol fortress, 40 km from Plevna.

At that time, the city's garrison consisted of only three Turkish infantry battalions, armed with four guns. On July 19, 17 thousand Turkish soldiers under the command of Marshal Osman Pasha made a forced march of 200 km and took up defenses around the city.

• Artillery battle near Plevna. A battery of siege weapons on the Grand Duke's Mountain. Artist Nikolay Dmitriev-Orenburgsky
• encyclopedia.mil.ru

The battles for Plevna began on July 18, but the first attacks of Russian troops failed. By August 1877, the Russian army had lost almost 10 thousand soldiers. Taking advantage of the pause, the Turks increased the size of the garrison to 32 thousand people with 70 guns and erected new engineering structures.

The Turkish group created a threat to crossing the Danube, and the Russian command stopped the offensive in the Constantinople direction. It was decided to take the city by storm. 84 thousand soldiers with 424 guns were concentrated near Plevna. The Russians were supported by Romanian troops (32 thousand people with 108 guns) and detachments of Bulgarian militias.

From assault to siege

In August-September, Russian-Romanian units made several unsuccessful attempts to capture Turkish fortifications. Historians of the Military Academy General Staff Armed Forces Russian Federation explain the failures of the attacking forces by disorganization in the control system.

“Emperor Alexander II, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and Minister of War Dmitry Milyutin were with the detachment, which made unified command and control of the troops difficult. The planning and preparation of the allied forces for the offensive were carried out in a formulaic manner, the strikes were planned to be carried out in the previous directions, the interaction between the troops attacking in each of them was not organized,” experts note.

The Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces believes that the Russians and Romanians underestimated the enemy and neglected intelligence that would have helped identify gaps in the defense of Plevna. In particular, on the western outskirts of the city the Turks had almost no fortifications, but this direction never became promising.

According to historians, the reason for three unsuccessful assaults on Plevna and dozens of battles for redoubts lay in the high density of fire created by the Turkish infantrymen. At long range the Ottomans used american rifles Peabody - Martini, and in close combat - Winchester carbines.

• Capture of the Grivitsky redoubt near Plevna. Artist Nikolay Dmitriev-Orenburgsky
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On September 13, Alexander II decided to begin a systematic siege of Plevna. The construction of the fortifications was led by General Eduard Totleben, at that time a leading specialist in the field of engineering. He came to the conclusion that the city's garrison would not be able to hold out for more than two months if all supply lines were cut off.

On November 1, Russian troops completely surrounded Plevna, knocking out the Turks from the villages of Gorny, Dolny Dubnyaki, Telish and Gorny Metropol. On November 12, Osman Pasha was asked to surrender, but he refused. The fortress was held by 44 thousand people, the number of Russian troops was 130 thousand bayonets. The situation of the garrison worsened every day due to shortages of food and water.

Final fight

The goal of the Russian-Romanian units was to prevent the enemy from breaking through the defensive lines erected by the besieging troops. The only chance of salvation for the Ottomans was to cross the Vid River and then attack unexpected blow and a retreat to Vidin or Sofia, where the Turkish army was stationed.

On December 1, Osman Pasha decided to withdraw the garrison from Plevna. The operation to break the siege began on the night of December 10. Under cover of darkness, the Ottomans crossed to the left bank of the Vid and in the early morning attacked the 9th Siberian Grenadier Regiment.

By 9:00 the Turks were able to break through two lines of fortifications, but at 11:00 the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Grenadier Division went on the offensive. An hour later, Turkish troops were pushed back to the first line of defense. After this, the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Grenadier Division struck the enemy from the left flank, forcing him to retreat to the river.

Turkish troops came across convoys left after the crossing. Panic began in their ranks, and the retreat became chaotic. The grenadiers literally shot the enemy at a distance of 800 steps. Seeing that his troops were doomed to destruction, Osman Pasha decided to surrender.

On December 10, Russian-Romanian units occupied Plevna without hindrance. Ten Turkish generals, 2,128 officers, 41,200 soldiers were captured; in addition, the winners became the owners of 77 guns. The fall of the fortress made it possible to free more than 100 thousand people and continue the offensive against Constantinople.

• The captured Osman Pasha is presented to Alexander II on the day of the capture of Plevna. Artist Nikolay Dmitriev-Orenburgsky
• encyclopedia.mil.ru

“This army, with its worthy commander at its head (Osman Pasha), numbering 40 thousand, surrendered to us unconditionally.<…>I am proud to command such troops and must tell you that I cannot find words to adequately express my respect and amazement at your military prowess.<…>Remember that I am not alone, but all of Russia, all its sons are rejoicing and rejoicing in your glorious victory over Osman Pasha,” said Lieutenant General Ivan Ganetsky, commander of the grenadier corps, after the end of the battle.

Historians of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces note that, despite the mistakes made, imperial army achieved success in the use of new infantry techniques, “whose rifle chains combined fire and movement, and used self-entrenchment when approaching the enemy.” The importance of field fortifications and the high effectiveness of heavy artillery were also realized.

The siege of Plevna taught the command Russian army use more advanced methods of cargo delivery, movement and deployment of troops. For example, two “civilian transport” were engaged in transporting food and weapons. Also, analogues of modern field kitchens appeared for the first time in the world near Plevna.

Holy memory

The victory at Plevna and successful actions in Transcaucasia, where the army of Marshal Mukhtar Pasha was defeated, created the conditions for the military surrender of the Porte. On January 19, 1878, the Truce of Adrianople was signed, and on March 3, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed.

As a result of negotiations with the Porte, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania gained independence. Bulgaria became an autonomous principality, although during the Berlin Congress, which was convened at the initiative of the Western powers, Sofia's powers in the sphere of self-government were significantly curtailed.

March 3 is a national holiday for Bulgarians. War with Ottoman Empire in 1877-1878 in the historiography of Bulgaria is called the Liberation War. Monuments to Russian and Romanian soldiers were erected throughout the country.

“In memory of the battles near Plevna, a mausoleum of fallen Russian and Romanian soldiers, the Skobelevsky Park Museum, the historical museum “Liberation of Plevna in 1877” were built in the city, near Grivitsa there is a mausoleum of Romanian soldiers and about 100 monuments in the vicinity of the fortress,” note military historians Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

In 1887, a monument-chapel to Russian grenadiers who died in the battles for Plevna was erected in Kitay-Gorod in Moscow. The memorial was built on the initiative of the Russian Archaeological Society and officers of the Grenadier Corps stationed in Moscow.

• Monument-chapel in memory of the Heroes of Plevna in Ilyinsky Park in Moscow
• globallookpress.com
• Konstantin Kokoshkin

Scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society, Mikhail Myagkov, in a conversation with RT, noted that, despite the difficult political relations between Moscow and Sofia, the battle for Plevna and the Shipka Pass remains a symbol of the military brotherhood of Russians, Romanians and Bulgarians.

“Repeatedly, Russia and Bulgaria found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades, but political disputes did not concern the sacred memory of the Russian contribution to the country’s independence. We are seeing the same thing now. Unfortunately, there are forces in Bulgaria that demand the dismantling of monuments to Soviet soldiers. However, the attitude towards the memorials of the Russian-Turkish War is extremely positive,” the historian said.

November 28 (December 11 according to the “new style”), 1877. Capture of Plevna by Russian troops. Surrender of the Turkish army to Osman Pasha

Monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow (1887)

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. For the liberation of the Balkan Slavs, the Turkish fortress of Plevna in Bulgaria was a serious threat to the right flank and rear of the Russian army, it riveted its main forces to itself and slowed down the offensive in the Balkans.

After a bloody four-month siege and three unsuccessful attacks, the besieged army of Osman Pasha ran out of food supplies, and on November 28 at 7 o’clock in the morning he made the last attempt to break through to the west of Plevna, where he threw all his forces. The first furious onslaught forced our troops to retreat from the forward fortifications. But artillery fire from the second line of fortifications did not allow the Turks to escape from the encirclement. The grenadiers went on the attack and drove the Turks back. From the north, the Romanians attacked the Turkish line, and from the south, General Skobelev burst into the city.

Osman Pasha was wounded in the leg. Realizing the hopelessness of his situation, he threw out in several places White flag. When Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich appeared on the battlefield, the Turks had already surrendered. The last assault on Plevna cost the Russians 192 killed and 1,252 wounded, the Turks lost up to 4,000 people. 44 thousand surrendered, including Osman Pasha. However, by personal order of Emperor Alexander II, for the courage shown by the Turks, his saber was returned to the wounded and captured Turkish general.

In just four months of the siege and fighting near Plevna, about 31 thousand Russian soldiers died. However, this became a turning point in the war: the capture of this fortress allowed the Russian command to free up over 100 thousand people for the offensive, and a month later the Turks requested a truce. The Russian army occupied Andrianople without a fight and approached Constantinople, but the Western powers did not allow Russia to occupy it, threatening a severance of diplomatic relations (and England with mobilization). Emperor Alexander II did not risk a new war, since the main goal was achieved: the defeat of Turkey and the liberation of the Balkan Slavs. So it seemed. Negotiations have begun on this. On February 19, 1878, peace with Turkey was signed in San Stefano. And although the Western powers did not allow the complete unification of the Bulgarian lands to be achieved at that time, this war became the basis for the future independence of a united Bulgaria.

Battle of Plevna November 28, 1877

On the day of the tenth anniversary of the heroic battle, in the center of Moscow at the beginning of Ilyinsky Square, a chapel-monument to the grenadiers who fell in the battle near Plevna was consecrated. The chapel was built on the initiative and with voluntary donations from the surviving grenadiers who took part in the Battle of Plevna. The author of the project was academician of architecture V.O. Sherwood. The cast-iron octagonal chapel ends with a tent with an Orthodox cross trampling the Muslim crescent. Its side faces are decorated with 4 high reliefs: a Russian peasant blessing his grenadier son before a campaign; a Janissary snatching a child from the arms of a Bulgarian mother; a grenadier taking a Turkish soldier prisoner; a Russian warrior tearing the chains off a woman representing Bulgaria. On the edges of the tent there are inscriptions: “Grenadiers to their comrades who fell in the glorious battle near Plevna on November 28, 1877”, “In memory of the war with Turkey of 1877-78” and a list of the main battles - “Plevna, Kars, Aladzha, Hadji Vali” . In front of the monument there are cast-iron pedestals with the inscription “In favor of crippled grenadiers and their families” (there were donation mugs on them). The interior of the chapel, decorated with polychrome tiles, contained picturesque images of saints Alexander Nevsky, John the Warrior, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Cyril and Methodius, and bronze plates with the names of the fallen grenadiers - 18 officers and 542 soldiers.