GUSTAF II ADOLF

THE THIRTY YEAR WAR

THE CAMPAIGN OF 1632, THE CONQUEST OF WURZBURG AND MARIENBERG AND THE CROSSING OF THE LECH

RESUMÉ

• In the battle of Breitenfeldt Tilly had lost seven thousand killed and six thousand wounded. Of those who escaped five thousand were killed by the saxon peasants in ambushes when they tried to get away in small groups. The swedes lost 2100 in killed and wounded while the saxons lost 2000. The swedes captured the entire artillery as well as the wartreasury and over 120 colors, among them the command standard of Tilly.

• The battle was over. The enemy destroyed and the emperors dreams of a catholic state from the mediterrainian to the baltic are crushed. From constant victory to utter defeat. Had god turned lutheran?

• The 36 year old king had in one blow achieved all that he set out to accomplish. He could sue for peace, send his soldiers home to their farms to breed children and grandchildren for whom they could tell the story of the glorious adventure thay had had with the king. The hired regiments could be disbanded and he could have gone home for the biggest victory celebration in swedish history. Mecklenburg and Pommerania would certainly have become swedish as well as important coastal towns. The historians would have written hundreds of books over the centurys debating the big question: what if Gustaf hadnt settled? What if he had gone for the big win? Wasnt a grand opportunity lost?

• It didnt happen. The children and grandchildren would never be born and the soldiers would end either on the dirty field with glassy eyes and their intestines out in the open or in a plagueinfested dirty garrison coughing their lungs out waiting for certain fevery death. The war would drag on for yet 17 horrible years dragging Germany into utter disaster and taxing Swedens recources to the utmost.

• Instead of well needed peace a new even more dramatic era in swedish and european history commences. Why?

  

  Gustaf II Adolf

  THE REASONS FOR CONTINUED WAR

• It is easy to say that the war should have ended then and there after Breitenfeldt with hundreds of years of hindsight and the consequenses of the decisions taken in your books. But how did the situation look like to Gustaf and his staff of warhorses? Today the battle would have been broadcasted live with immidiate comments from both Stockholm and Vienna. But the survivors with aching limbs and thirsty throats saw nothing but carnage and death. They had no strategic perspective at that time. No grasp of the political repercussuions since the news of the battle spread only slowly. The main battle was followed by smaller actions were fleeing troops clashed with the enemy desperatly avoiding contact with larger formations of their own side. It would take weeks until the counsil in Stockholm knew of the battle and days before the emperor did. In the mean time Gustaf had to assess the situation the best he could and make a decision.

• Should he marsch on Vienna and personally dictate the terms of peace to the emperor or should he pursue the fleeing Tilly and destroy the remnants of his army? He decided to go after Tilly. The reasons were that by occupying Vienna he would accomplish little in itself since the emperors power rested on his armies and the recources that the armies needed. By challenging the emperor as a foreign king he must defeat the emperors military recources first, then he could gather the nations to new alliances. Add to that that the fall was coming. After that the winter and good winterquarters were needed. Tilly had gone south and for the above mentioned reasons so did Gustaf. Since the army must aquire what it needs from the surrounding civilian society the war couldnt be allowed to end yet.

THE MARSCH OF TRIUMPH TO SOUTHERN GERMANY

• Gustaf entered the town of Erfurt that had to pledge allegience to the swedish and accept a swedish garrison. On the 29th of September the swedish reached Königshofen fortress that surrendered immidietly. On the 4th of October they reached Wurzburg that was a strategically important town in southern Germany due to its position on the Main river. By the town lies the fortress Marienberg. It was a very strong fortification indeed. The town had locked its gates but the king opened the gate by blowing it with a petard rather than asking for the key. The population asked for a days respite to discuss how to act and it was given. The next day the swedes entered Wurzburg without a fight. But since the gun of the fortress covered the entite town Gustaf had to take Marienberg as well, and the fortress wasnt keen on surrendering. Gustaf had 17 regiments and 8000 cavalrymen with him while the fortress was defended by about 1000 men. The fortress was situated on a steep rock with plenty of supplies. The defenders were so confident that they considered the kings attack to be ridicolous. The bridge over to the fortess had been destroyed and all the boats had been taken to the fortress side of the Main. The king sent a young scotsman, lieutenant Robert Ramsay who spoke excellent german, over to the other side by negotiating the bridge in order to tahe a boat with him back. He managed to get a boat across but was spotted and arrested. Using the boat to get more men across to get more boats the kings plan was working. On the other side the enemy commander Keller, a fanatical anti-protestant, waited with his men to prevent more boats from being stolen. The fist melee occured. The scots under sir James Ramsay and sir Hamilton threw the defenders back to an entrenchment and actually managed to gain a foothold on the far side. They immidietly started to entrench themselves. The following night and two fays the defenders gun bombarded the scots. When they had finished their entrenchments and had dug close the the enemys halfmoon shaped fortification the king ordered an attack by the scots.

Irish soldiers with thir large bonets in dark wool.

• The defenders fought desperatly to throw the scots back but failed. Ramsay was shot in the arm and many of his men killed but the enemy was forced to withdraw. On the following day, the 8th of October, a major assault was mounted. Lieutenant af Leifland with only seven men managed to get up on the drawbridge to the maingate in the dark. They were spotted by the 200 defenders of the gate that asked who they were. When af Leifland replied -swedes! the enemy tried to pull the bridge up. The 8 swedes jumped on to the bridge and with their weight managed to keep it down. The defenders believing that the entire swedish army was coming fled into the castle. The king offered the defenders to surrender but they refused. After more bombardment by the gun the swedes managed to assault and take the gun. They immidietly turned it on the main gate that was blown open. Hamiltons men charged through and the defenders finally asked for mercy. But they got the answer that the only mercy they were to recieve was the Magdeburger mercy. The killing started. Almost all the defenders were killed and a huge price was taken. 34 brass guns and plenty of supplies, both food and amunition, wrere taken. 10000 books and other valuables were packed and sent to the cultutrally starved and backwards Sweden. Among the killed defenders were a number of armed priests that had had their tonsurs shaved with swords by the swedes before being killed. It was called "ultimam tonsuram, the last tonsur". The only anoittment allowed before being killed was their own blood. The atrocities were later blamed on the foreign mercenaries and it was claimed that the king tried to stop it. Only 200 swedes were killed.

Imperial colors captured in late 1631. The left shows the imperial eagle striking down the ejected winterking. The left shows the eagle and sports the emperors namechiffer F II, Fredrik II. It was taken from Colloredos kuerrassiers.

• On the 14th of October Tillys army united with that of the catholic duke of Lothringen. Tilly now had 40 000 men at his disposal. While the saxons marsched on Bohemia Gustaf continued to the south. There was always a new rich weakly defended town or castle around the corner to tempt him to go just a little bit further. The pricless cultural treasures such as paintings and books that were taken were shipped home to Sweden were they still are to be seen in many of the castles and mansions that the leaders built from the money taken as warbooty in Europe. While Tilly settled for winterquarters in Oberpfalz Gustaf stayed in Mainz over the new year. Wallenstein had been taken into favor again and the imperials enlisted men to create a new army.

• Historians have speculated if Gustaf didnt want to become emperor himself. After the campaign of 1631 it was not an impossible goal. A scandinavian empire surrounding the Baltic with possessions in northern Germany. Sigismund was close to death and Gustaf entered himself as a candidate to the polish throne. Religion wasnt any problem. He promised freedom of belief to the poles. But the ambassadors sent to Poland were outmaneuvered in the complicated matter and Sigismunds son Vladislav was elected king. The swedish grand plans worried the emperor of course. But Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands , fearing trade competition, were conserned as well. And France. Richelieu paid Gustaf to keep the emperor at bay, not to become one himself. The winter was filled with diplomatic discussions were all tried to thwart the swedish plans.

• But Gustaf couldnt accomplish anything without military muscle. A plan more fantastic than any before in Europe emerged. Gustaf had 100 000 men (only 20 000 from Sweden and Finland)  in all. The plan called for 200 000 in seven armies that already existed but needed to grow. They were all to penetrate deep into Bavaria and the emperors lands. Gustaf commanded the main army, Gustav Horn commanded the frank army that operated succesfully on the Rhine on the french border. Johan Banér had a third army that occupied Magdeburg. The finn Ĺke Tott commanded the Niedersaxon army that seized Wismar and the entire imperial navy in port. The count of Hessen had his own army while the dukes Bernard and Wilhem of Weimar had one. The seventh was the saxon army.

• On the 16th of March Gustaf left Mainz with 20 000 men and on the 21st he was welcomed into Nurnberg that allied with him and promised monthly contributions. Tilly had taken Bamberg but Horn managed to contain further offensives from the catholic commander. Gustaf took Donauwörth and then crossed the Donau (Danube) to unite with Horn and Banér. Tilly had been to late to effect Gustafs movements but at last he had managed to position his army on the eastern side of the Lech between Rain and Augsburg to prevent the swedes from crossing the river.

THE CROSSING OF THE LECH

• Tilly had destroyed the bridges over the Lech and entrenched on the only possible crossing point. At that time of year the Lech is a fierce, rapid river overflowing from molten snow. With Tilly were Maximilian of Bavaria and Johann von Aldringen. The imperials are entrenched 800 meters from the river on a ridge. The crossing of the Lech has become historic due to the audacity and bravery of the king and his men, especially the finns. Gustaf had reconnoitered the steep and boggy riverbank himself and on the 3rd of April the plan was ready.

• Tilly spots the enemy in battleformation approaching the river. He opens fire with his guns but the enemy continues and quickly entrenches on the river bank. 72 guns are brought forward to the entrenchments and return fire. As dark settles Tillys scouts spot bridging equipment being brough forward. The swedes are going to cross!

Jean Czercleas Tilly

• But it is all a huge feint, the real crossing is taking place 3 kilometers away. At that spot there is a small island in the river and from that you can cross on foot to the far side. Wood is taken from the peasants houses and boats are brought from miles away and hidden close to the island. On the next day Tilly can see how the swedes prepare for battle across his position. They will cross at any moment. The artillery duel intensifies. Lennart Torstensson had deployed some guns at the flanks and these are now defilading the enemy. The catholics now realizes that something is happening further down the river, but they cant see what since Gustaf has ordered his men to ignite wet strawbundles and the thick smoke effectively screens the activity. Behind this screen 300 handpicked finnish infantrymen from the Savolax regiment under the estonian major Jurgen Wrangel to embark on the boats and cross to the island while at the same time placing carefully made wooden supports made for the specific depth in the water. While Gustaf orders the artillery to intensify into a bombardment of sofar unequalled scale, the king firing 60 rounds himself, the finns places the supports and connects them with boards. Working under fire and in the smoke the finns and Wrangel have the bridge completed at 5 o oclock in the afternoon.

Swdish musketeers at the crossing of the Lech

• At that time Tilly, Maximilian and von Aldringen are on their way down the river to see what is happening. Maximilian writes an urgent request for reinforcements from Wallenstein when von Aldringen is hit in the head and falls of his horse fatally wounded. A minute later Tilly is struck by a cannonball in his right thigh that crushes his leg. The king and 3 brigades run over the bridge and gets a foothold on the other side. At the same time Stĺlhandskes finnish cavalry has found another place to cross together with swedish cavalry. They clashed with catholic cavalry. Darkness is falling and maximilian orders a retreat towards Bavarias strongest fortification, Ingolstadt. Tilly is brought to Ingolstadt severly wounded. The swedes had lost about 2000 while the imperials lost 3000 men.

• The swedish army stands in Bavaria. A country untouched by war. German propaganda tells of an army of necromantic lapps, scots in skirts and other fantastic creatures such as mooseriders. All heretics and heathens. The fierce discipline is now relaxed as a tool of terror to scare the enemy into submission. The swedes act as in the Kalmar war with Denmark twenty years earlier. The villages are burned and  plundered. The villagers killed and raped. The bavarian peasants strike back with guerilla style ambushes against patrols and show equal brutality. A group of soldiers get their feet and hands cut off and are left lying with eyes pierced and ears cut off. The response it immidiate. 200 villages are erased. Even into this century the fear and hatred of the swedish can be traced in the legends, childrens songs and stories in southern Germany and Austria. Since the rest of the war, 16 years,  is charachterized by this brutality and terror it is not hard to understand that a long lasting impression was made.

Der Schwede ist kommen

hat alles genommen

har fenster einschagen

hat bley daraus g´nommen

har kugeln draus g´gossen

hat bauren ersshossen

The Swede came yesterday

has taken everything away

the windows he broke last

from them he took the lead

and bullets he has cast

and shot the farmers in the head

• Gustaf now marsched the 150 km on Ingolstadt where Tilly lay in great pains. The imperials sent an urgent dispatch for a surgeon to help Tilly but he was intercepted by the swedes. Gustaf let him on his way however due to respect for his old opponent. The first reconaiccance of Ingolstadt was violent. The king was close to capture and the hero from Lech, Jurgen Wrangel, was killed. The king was back the next day and it could have ended very badly. An imperial gunner saw the obviously important man on the grey horse and aimed his gun with the words - that one I will shoot clear off. He fired his gun that was named "the fig" and hit the horse that was killed. Gustaf was covered with blood but rose with the words -the apple isnt ripe yet. The fig was fired again and the ball killed the young count of Baden. At the same time Tilly died at the hands of the only surgeon that could be found, a nervous barber. Gustafs horse was recovered by the defenders of Ingolstadt that stuffed it and it can still be seen at the Ingolstadt war museum.

• But the king realized that he couldnt take Ingolstadt. It was his first failure to take a town. Instead he marched on Bavarias capital, Munich, with 30 000 men. The population trembled. They expected to suffer as Magdeburg had since the swedish army pillaged horribly as it went. The king wrote to Axel Oxenstierna that if the protestants couldnt take advantage of Bavaria, neither would the emperor. Either the bavarians cooperated or they were destroyed. In the churches the frightened population prayed that god would protect them against the "archenemy the swedish devil." The trembling population of Munich paid 300 000 riksdaler as tax to save their town and the king entered as a victor in triumph. Only deserted houses were to be looted. With Gustaf rode the "winterking" Fredrik that Maximilian of Bavaria had helped eject. He must have been satisfied to walk into Maximilians abandoned palace. The booty taken was as usual huge. Art and artifacts were numerous as were valuable librarys but only 19 guns were found. Then a hidden storage under Maximilians palace was found containing 119 guns and uniforms for thousands of soldiers.

• But disturbing news reached the king. Wallenstein was back with an army of 30 000 - 40 000 men he had raised himself. He paid for it all but his demands were high. He wanted Mecklenburg as well as Glogau and he wanted a carte blanche how to wage war against the swedish. The emperor had agreed. The enemy was only 100 km from the border to Austria.

• Wallensteins army mopps up in Bohemia and drives the saxons away. He then unites with the bavarians and marsches on Nurnberg. Gustaf has to change his plans. He abort the move into Austria and turns north with 28 000 men infantry, 17 000 men cavalry and 175 guns to save Nurnberg. It is the largest army he has ever commanded and even if the staff is swedish only 10% of the soldiers are swedish or finnish. The swedes and finns were mostly used for garrisons as they were more reliable than the mercenaries. The swedes reach Nurnberg first and the towns defenses are improved. The army is encamped in what has been described as a masterpiece of fortification. But when Wallenstein arives with his slightly smaller army he encamps it a few kilometers away in an old castle ruin called Alte Feste and manages to cut of the swedes and Nurnbergs supply. Gustaf answers by calling for reinforrcements from three directions that cut of Wallensteins armys suppy. It works well.

• Both sides try to outstarve the enemy. The surrounding landscape turns into a logistical desert where foraging units clash in skirmishes. A month passes and the difficult situation turns into a disaster. Desertions become common and the army literally sinks into the ground. Disease spread. Two months pass. As many as 10 000 men can have turned to desertion to escape death by starvation.

• Gustaf looses his nerve first. Cleverly spread rumors make the king believe that only a small force remains at Alte Feste and that the main part of Wallensteins army has withdrawn. Gustaf orders an attack up the mountain. But when the enemy opens fire it is detected that the entire army is still at Alte Feste. Handpicked units attempt to take the hill but not even Stĺlhandskes finns succeed. The king shows his talent by skillfully coordinating different battlegroups in the difficult terrain but it doesnt help. The enemy is too strong and the terrain too difficult. It didnt allow the mutual support of th regimental guns and the cooperation of the musketeers and pikemen that the tactic built on. Over 1000 swedes are killed and many important officers killed or wounded such as Johan Banér. Lennart Torstensson is captured.

• The swedish army is still stronger than the enemy but the prestigeloss is considerable. Gustaf abandons Nurnberg and marches south where a protestant rebellion in Bavaria needs assistance. He decides to invade Austria but news of Wallenstein again forces him to change his plans. Wallenstein has marsched to the north and loots in Saxony. The prince of Saxony, Johann Georg, threatens to dissolve the alliance with Gustaf and Wallenstein threatens Mecklenburg and thus Gustafs line of communication with Sweden. A forced marsch to the north is ordered on the 8th of October. An army normally moved only 4-5 kilometers a day on the bad muddy roads since it was a huge organisation of wagons, horses and oxen. The army was accompanied by an equal number of merchants, thiefs, whores and relatives to the officers. Now the army moved 40 kilometers a day. News arrive that Wallenstein has already taken Leipzig and Halle. In the end of October the swedes close in with Wallenstein who expects an attack any day.

The campaign of 1631-1632

• The political situation is to Gustafs advantage. His forces total 150 000 men and he controls greater parts of Germany. The imperials have 100 000 men. The situation is reversed from the year before at Breitenfeldt. Still the king has two reasons to meet Wallenstein. One political. He must retain the initiative and keep the rich Saxony in the alliance. The other reason was strategic. He controlled more territory but the communications were poor and if the opportunity to strike presented itself one must seize it. And it did present itself. Wallenstein had waited for an attack for two weeks and had decided that Gustaf had gone into winterquarters and now did the same. It was the first really decisive mistake that Wallenstein committed and also his last. Gustaf heard of Wallensteins forces going into winterquarters and immidietly decided to attack. 4 o clock in the morning on the 5th of nvember the army moved towards Lutzen in battleformation.