Task 3. Put the words in brackets in the correct grammatical form. The Enigmatic Commander: Few figures in Russian military history 1 (provoke) as much controversy as Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly. Born in 1761 to a Scottish-German family that had settled in Livonia during the seventeenth century, he was destined for a military career from an early age. His grandfather had served as mayor of Riga, and by the time young Michael entered the Pskov Carabineer Regiment, the Barclay name 2 (already, establish) itself within the Russian nobility. Of all the foreign 3 (family) that served Russia, few would leave 4 (they) profound mark on history. Barclay 5 (distinguish) himself in numerous campaigns against the Turks, Swedes, and Poles. His most celebrated exploit 6 (come) in 1809, when he led a detachment across the frozen Gulf of Bothnia—a feat that 7 (never, undertake) before in military history. If he 8 (lead) differently during this daring maneuver, the Finnish War would have concluded quite differently. For this achievement, he 9 (promote) to Full General and appointed Governor-General of Finland. It was, without doubt, the 10 (great) honour of his early career. By 1810, Barclay 11 (appoint) Minister of War, and it was in this capacity that he began to develop a strategic vision that would define the 1812 campaign. He 12 (convince) that confronting Napoleon’s numerically superior army directly would be catastrophic. He advocated a “scorched earth” strategy: drawing the French deep into Russian territory while exhausting their supply lines. This plan, though militarily sound, would prove 13 (controversial) than any other decision of his career. When Napoleon invaded in June 1812, Barclay commanded the 1st Western Army. He 14 (already, retreat) for weeks when public opinion turned violently against him. His rivals spread rumors that he was a French agent; the populace branded 15 (he) a traitor. While the battle of Borodino 16 (rage), Barclay 17 (ride) from one endangered position to another, seemingly indifferent to death. Eyewitnesses reported that five horses 18 (kill) beneath him during the battle. If modern historians 19 (study) these events more carefully, they 20 (understand) the true scale of his sacrifice. The wounds of rejection 21 (heal) slowly, yet Alexander I never lost confidence in him.

Перевод задания: Поставьте слова в скобках в правильную грамматическую форму.

The Enigmatic Commander

Few figures in Russian military history have provoked as much controversy as Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly. Born in 1761 to a Scottish-German family that had settled in Livonia during the seventeenth century, he was destined for a military career from an early age. His grandfather had served as mayor of Riga, and by the time young Michael entered the Pskov Carabineer Regiment, the Barclay name had already established itself within the Russian nobility. Of all the foreign families that served Russia, few would leave their profound mark on history. Barclay distinguished himself in numerous campaigns against the Turks, Swedes, and Poles. His most celebrated exploit came in 1809, when he led a detachment across the frozen Gulf of Bothnia—a feat that had never been undertaken before in military history. If he had led differently during this daring maneuver, the Finnish War would have concluded quite differently. For this achievement, he was promoted to Full General and appointed Governor-General of Finland. It was, without doubt, the greatest honour of his early career.

By 1810, Barclay had been appointed Minister of War, and it was in this capacity that he began to develop a strategic vision that would define the 1812 campaign. He was convinced that confronting Napoleon’s numerically superior army directly would be catastrophic. He advocated a “scorched earth” strategy: drawing the French deep into Russian territory while exhausting their supply lines. This plan, though militarily sound, would prove more controversial than any other decision of his career.

When Napoleon invaded in June 1812, Barclay commanded the 1st Western Army. He had already been retreating for weeks when public opinion turned violently against him. His rivals spread rumors that he was a French agent; the populace branded him a traitor. While the battle of Borodino raged, Barclay rode from one endangered position to another, seemingly indifferent to death. Eyewitnesses reported that five horses were killed beneath him during the battle. If modern historians studied these events more carefully, they would understand the true scale of his sacrifice. The wounds of rejection heal slowly, yet Alexander I never lost confidence in him.

Перевод: Загадочный военачальник

Немногие деятели русской военной истории вызывали столько споров, сколько Михаил Андреас Барклай-де-Толли. Он родился в 1761 году в шотландско-немецкой семье, поселившейся в Ливонии в XVII веке, и с раннего возраста ему была уготована военная карьера. Его дед служил мэром Риги, и к тому времени, когда юный Михаил поступил в Псковский карабинерный полк, имя Барклаев уже утвердилось среди русского дворянства. Среди всех иностранных семей, служивших России, немногие оставили столь глубокий след в истории. Барклай отличился во многих кампаниях против турок, шведов и поляков. Его самое известное достижение относится к 1809 году, когда он провёл отряд через замёрзший Ботнический залив — подвиг, прежде не совершавшийся в военной истории. Если бы он руководил этой смелой операцией иначе, Финская война завершилась бы совсем по-другому. За это достижение его произвели в полные генералы и назначили генерал-губернатором Финляндии. Несомненно, это была величайшая честь в начале его карьеры.

К 1810 году Барклай был назначен военным министром, и именно на этой должности он начал разрабатывать стратегический замысел, который определил ход кампании 1812 года. Он был убеждён, что прямое столкновение с численно превосходящей армией Наполеона обернётся катастрофой. Он выступал за стратегию «выжженной земли»: заманивать французов вглубь российской территории, одновременно истощая их линии снабжения. Этот план, хотя и был военно грамотным, оказался бы более спорным, чем любое другое решение в его карьере.

Когда Наполеон вторгся в Россию в июне 1812 года, Барклай командовал 1-й Западной армией. Он уже несколько недель отступал, когда общественное мнение резко обернулось против него. Его соперники распускали слухи, будто он французский агент; население заклеймило его как предателя. Пока шла Бородинская битва, Барклай скакал от одной позиции, находившейся под угрозой, к другой, словно не обращая внимания на смерть. Очевидцы сообщали, что во время битвы под ним погибли пять лошадей. Если бы современные историки изучали эти события внимательнее, они поняли бы истинный масштаб его жертвы. Раны отвержения заживают медленно, однако Александр I никогда не терял в него веры.