Battle of Alma
The battles of Alma is a battle which opposed the September 20th 1854 a coalition franco-britanno- turco - Piedmontese to the Russian army at the time of the Crimean War on banks of the river the Alma.
Preamble
United their troops unloaded the September 14th with Eupatoria. In Sébastopol, informed at once, the prince-general Menchikov gathers the maximum of units scattered in the Crimea. He decides to fight battle on Alma, where its troops will be in overhang of the unfavourable forces.Menchikov aligns 40 000 men is 42 battalions and half, 16 squadrons of cavalry, 11 sotnias cossacks and a hundred pieces of artillery.
Opposite, the British hold the left side, the French the center and the line. The fleet holds the coast.
In the afternoon of 19, some fixings take place between Russians and British, the Russians coming “to touch” unfavourable resistance. The allied troops all are however not gathered, and certain British units will still arrive in the night.
The battle
If the French are moving before the paddle, the British take from the start of the delay, opposing the battle plan.The Zouaves - 3rd regiment of zouaves - Bousquet division will achieve the decisive operation: climbing cliff with the support of the guns of the fleet, they seize Russian artillery and turn over it against the troops of Menchikov. Finding itself then points some, they must resist the waves of infantry which are opposite while waiting for the reinforcements for them.
Under Russian fire, the remainder of the French Army pains and stops finally towards the village of Bourliouk. The artillery of the General Canrobert arrives at the foot of cliff, but the slopes are too stiff and the guns cannot go up in position to reinforce the zouaves.
On the left side of the French, the British make up for their lost time, but an error in the operation of Sir George Brown puts at evil the formation of the British army. Hoping to benefit from this disorganization, the Russians charge but are pushed back by the British fusiliers. It follows a series of exchanges rather confused: Menchikov fearing that the action of the zouaves is not fatal for him, moved with its command vis-a-vis the French. Of its offset position, he then pains to perceive the situation vis-a-vis the British and launches counter-attacks against elements of the British army. Believer to face divisions, the Russian infantry finds himself vis-a-vis battalions and riflemen, with the large one of the British on his sides. In spite of contradictory orders, the commanders of the British units do not let pass the occasion and decimate their adversary.
With the extreme left side of the British face, three battalions, is two to three thousand men, face more 10 000 Russian, fresh troops and not having taken part yet in the battle. The British, stretched in a fine line of two rows out of practically two kilometers, advance by making fire (a difficult operation at the time). In the smoke and the confusion of the battle, the Russians over-estimate the number of troops which face them and withdraw themselves.
On the line, the general Canrobert finally manages to hoist his guns in top of cliff. The Zouaves set out again and manage to bore and take the culminating point hitherto occupied by the Russian staff.
In retirement on all the face and without reserves able to be opposed to Franco-British, the battle is completed in rout for the Russian army.
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