After the defeat of Napoleon in World War II, military operations were aimed at the expulsion of the French from states in Western Europe. So began the overseas campaigns of the Russian army. The year 1812 marked the beginning of the military movement. Despite the defeat, the Napoleonic troops were still strong enough.
The foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813 made it possible to clear the territory of the Vistula and Poland from the French. Field Marshal Kutuzov commanded the Russian troops. In this overseas campaign of the Russian army, Kutuzov signed the Kalish agreement on the Russian-Prussian alliance against Napoleon. This agreement marked the beginning of the sixth coalition against the French. This alliance was supported by the European peoples who opposed the yoke of Napoleon.
The overseas campaign of the Russian army together with the Prussian troops began in late March. A partisan movement in the rear of the French developed quite widely in Germany. Russian troops welcomed the local population as their liberators. In mid-April of the same year (1813) Napoleon concentrated about 200 thousand people against the Russian-Prussian soldiers in the amount of about 92 thousand. At that time, Wittgenstein commanded the Russian troops (after the death of Kutuzov), after him the leadership of the army passed to Barclay de Tolly.
The Allies (Russia and Prussia) were defeated first on April 20 at Lutzen, then on May 8-9 at Bautzen. The foreign campaign of the Russian army then ended with the signing of a truce (May 23). It lasted until July 29.
In negotiations with Napoleon, Austria acted as mediator. However, they ended in failure. As a result, the Austrian government with France severed all relations. Sweden opposed Napoleon, connected with the Russian state by the treaty of 1812. Great Britain entered into a convention with Russia and Prussia, which provided them with subsidies. Teplice treaties were signed between the allies and Austria (in 1813, September 28), and the United Kingdom soon joined the union.
Thus, in the next overseas campaign of the Russian army of the allied forces, there were about 492 thousand people (173 thousand Russians). All of them were combined into three armies. About 237 thousand soldiers entered the Bohemian army. She was commanded by the Austrian field marshal Schwarzenberg. About 100 thousand people formed the Silesian army of Blucher (Field Marshal of Prussia). More than 150 thousand people entered the Northern Army, commanded by Bernadotte (Crown Swedish Prince). A separate corps consisting of 30 thousand people was advanced to Hamburg.
At the same time, Napoleon's army consisted of 440 thousand soldiers. Most of his military forces were located in Saxony.
August 1813 was marked by the counteroffensive of the allied forces. The Bohemian army was defeated on August 14 and 15 as a result of hostilities (the battle of Dresden) with the main forces of the French. Napoleonic troops tried to pursue the defeated regiments, but the Russian rearguard threw back the enemy in battles near Kulm (August 17-18). The French troops under the command of MacDonald were defeated in the battle with the Silesian army, and the Northern army defeated the troops of Oudinot.
The defeat of the Napoleonic army occurred after the allies went on the offensive. This battle (Leipzig) took place from the fourth to the seventh of October in 1813.
The remnants of the French troops left the Rhine. In Hamburg, Davout's corps was surrounded.
As a result of successful military operations of the combined armies, Denmark was forced to abandon the alliance with Napoleon and sign the peace treaties of 1814 with Great Britain and Sweden. In addition, Denmark was obliged to engage in battle with the French.
Further, the Napoleonic army was expelled from the Netherlands. One of the most important outcomes of the campaigns of 1813 was the liberation of Germany from the French invaders.