At noon on 13 October 1941, German Junkers and Messerschmitt aircraft appeared over the Borodino Field, site of the climactic 1812 French-Russian clash. On 16 October, severe fighting broke out in the center of Borodino Field. Subsequently, the Germans managed to take the field. The Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery was burnt and the Borodino Museum suffered damage. Borodino Field was freed by the 82nd Soviet Rifle Division during the Russian counter offensive.