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This was the year when the swedes were pressed back all the
way to the northgerman baltic coast. At the beginning of the year Banérs
army was outside Leipzig wrer it had gotten by crisscrossing Saxony to avoid
from a supply poit of view depleted (looted and devastated) areas. A
storming of the saxon capital was prepared. Two large mines were blown under
the Grimmagate. A ten meter wide breach was blown by cannonfire in the
citywall. The columns of stormtroops deployed with ladders, short pikes,
handgrenades and axes but when darkness fell the firing withered out and no
storming materialized. In the morning the surprized defenders could see that
the swedes were withdrawing.
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The reason was simple. The leaugers and imperials had
managed to raise yet an army that was approaching. Banér retreated to
Torgau with his 14 000 men while the enemy Gallas followed with 47 000 men.
The imperials slowly began to surround the entrenched Banér. Simple arithmetic
told of an impending disaster for the swedes. Add to that tthe army was in a
miserable state. Some reinforcements from Sweden and Finland had arrived but
these were not the high performing soldiers of 1631. These had fallen in
battle, been killed in assault on besieged cities, disabled, crippled or
died of disease. The companies had been depleted over and over. Banér
prefferred the proffessional german mercenaries over scots, irish and
english if he could choose, which he seldom could. The swedes were more
loyal and seldom rebelled which made them perfect for garrison duty but
their lack of experience with armies in the field made them extremely
vulnerable to disease and they died in scores since they lacked the immunity
acquired by the german mercenaries. The camps were filled with filth,
cadavres and exrements and the lack of even basic hygiene made the the camps
ripe with disease. In the summer of 1637 the heat made the situation even
worse and even the experienced mercenaries that earlier had been able to
withstand disease started to die en masse. There was also a serious
lack of officers since many of the experienced had been sent home by orders
from Sweden to make place for young men from the nobility that were to
gather wartime experience. These uptight, perfumed and made up boys
were rarely to Banérs liking. He complained to Oxenstierna that many of
them were not good enough to pull the boots of a real soldier!
Desertionrates went up in the army, even among higher officers.
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On the 18th of June Banér issued the marching orders.
Buildings and supplies that couldnt be brought along were put to fire while
300 000 litres of wine were distributed to the men. A forced marsh to the
north commenced. The enemy not far behind and often racing on parallel roads
trying to intercept as well. Banérs small army acted like a small fish
trying to escape a large octopus that throws it tentacles around it to catch
it. With lightning marches, sudden maneuvers, feignts and iron control of
his army Banér led the army out of threatening traps several times. At
Luebben his cavalry disrupted an enemy force of croats that blocked the way
and at Jueterbog his rearguard was overtaken by the enemy. 600 men were cut
down and 400 taken prisoner. At the pond in Liebrose a counterattack threw
the pursuers down into a swamp were many drowned. carts that broke were
constantly pushed of the road and burned. The panic was never far away and
often musketry was heard from the rear. Time after time the army broke free
with rapier in hand. But the enemy advanced on better roads and eventually
they stood north of the swedes.
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On the 27th of June all seemed lost. Banér himself led a
unit of cavalry to Landsberg when disaster appeared. A large imperial force
with leaugers, saxons, brandenburgers, hessians and Lueneburgers were
deployed in front of the swedish army at Landsberg in a 4 km long battle
line. A parade of enemies and former friends. They had finally beaten
Banérs rapid advance and the way over the Warthe was closed. There was one
possibility however.
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The polish border was only 40 km away. Preparations were
made. Banérs own wife with other high ranking officers were sent in advance
with money to buy passports. On the 30th when the army was ready to march on
the polish border contraorders came. Instead of marching to the east they
headed west. The plan had been a feignt. Every hour the enemy spent marching
east was two hours gained when the swedes marched west. It worked The Oder
was crossed without opposition and the 4th of July the army was joined by
Wrangels corps in Eberwalde. The army was safe. In incredible feat of arms
had been pulled of.
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The situation was still very serious. The swedes were back
were they had started eight years before on the baltic coast and with an
army of 11 000 men only. The army lacked all equipment, supplies, money and
thus morale plummeted since the men were in it for the money and a broke
general soon found that the units didnt cooperate. The fortifications in
northern Germany were in terrible state, the countryside severly depleted,
close to wasteland, and and army of only ragged, hungered unpaid ghosts
couldnt be counted on to defeat the vastly superior enemy that slowly (Gallas
was true to form) approached. In early 1638 Banérs army consisted of only
7000 men but these were dispersed since Banér feared rebellion if he concentrated
the forces. A sigle push from Gallas and all was lost. Disaster was
imminent. Again.
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