Napoleon's army and the invisible enemy: How bacteria decided the Russian campaign - Napoleons Armee und der unsichtbare Feind: Wie Bakterien den Russlandfeldzug entschieden episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 8, 2026 · 10 MIN

Napoleon's army and the invisible enemy: How bacteria decided the Russian campaign - Napoleons Armee und der unsichtbare Feind: Wie Bakterien den Russlandfeldzug entschieden

from SBS German - SBS Deutsch

A new scientific study sheds new light on Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign of 1812: Not only cold, hunger and fatigue, but a whole cocktail of deadly pathogens decimated the Grande Armée. Using modern DNA analyses from the teeth of soldiers from a mass grave near Vilnius, researchers were able to prove that, in addition to typhoid fever, other infections such as paratyphoid fever were raging. - Eine neue wissenschaftliche Studie wirft ein völlig neues Licht auf Napoleons katastrophalen Russlandfeldzug von 1812: Nicht nur Kälte, Hunger und Ermüdung, sondern ein ganzer Cocktail aus tödlichen Krankheitserregern dezimierte die Grande Armée. Mithilfe moderner DNA-Analysen aus Zähnen von Soldaten aus einem Massengrab bei Vilnius konnten Forschende nachweisen, dass neben Typhus auch weitere Infektionen wie Paratyphus und Rückfallfieber wüteten.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 8, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Napoleon's army and the invisible enemy: How bacteria decided the Russian campaign - Napoleons Armee und der unsichtbare Feind: Wie Bakterien den Russlandfeldzug entschieden

0:00 10:03

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of SBS German - SBS Deutsch?

This episode is 10 minutes long.

When was this SBS German - SBS Deutsch episode published?

This episode was published on January 8, 2026.

Can I download this SBS German - SBS Deutsch episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!