The Indian March of Czar Paul of Russia is one of those interesting things that seem completely absurd when you first hear of it, but that must by any objective standard be judged as being plausible. After all, it happened.
Now it was aborted early on, owing to the assassination of Paul, and the troops got orders to return pretty early on. Consequently, we never ended up with an Indian Theater of the Napoleonic Wars.
It would appear that the logistics of the campaign were so meager (70,000 men) that it was doomed to fail, even before you consider the fact that the Russian military had an alarmingly poor understanding of Indian geography. As the Wikipedia article on the matter states, Paul is to have written in his correspondence that "My maps only go as far as Khiva and the River Oxus. Beyond these points it is your affair to gain information about the possessions of the English, and the condition of the native population subject to their rule" right up to the eve of the intended conquest of India. Indeed, Paul's death would appear to have saved Russia a lot of embarrassment on the international arena.
Now, here is my question, assuming Paul doesn't die of course, how much more can we plausibly increase the size of the Russian army sent thither, improve their research of the area and so forth, to give the greatest possible impact by an Indian March actually reaching India? How much can the Russians shake up the situation for British East India Company control in India?
Now it was aborted early on, owing to the assassination of Paul, and the troops got orders to return pretty early on. Consequently, we never ended up with an Indian Theater of the Napoleonic Wars.
It would appear that the logistics of the campaign were so meager (70,000 men) that it was doomed to fail, even before you consider the fact that the Russian military had an alarmingly poor understanding of Indian geography. As the Wikipedia article on the matter states, Paul is to have written in his correspondence that "My maps only go as far as Khiva and the River Oxus. Beyond these points it is your affair to gain information about the possessions of the English, and the condition of the native population subject to their rule" right up to the eve of the intended conquest of India. Indeed, Paul's death would appear to have saved Russia a lot of embarrassment on the international arena.
Now, here is my question, assuming Paul doesn't die of course, how much more can we plausibly increase the size of the Russian army sent thither, improve their research of the area and so forth, to give the greatest possible impact by an Indian March actually reaching India? How much can the Russians shake up the situation for British East India Company control in India?
