Battle Of Breitenfeld, 1631, In The Thirty Years' War

By André Geraque Kiffer

The Thirty Years War from 1618 to 1648 is considered one of the most destructive wars in European history. It is estimated that between 4.5 and 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a direct result, while some areas of Germany suffered population declines of more than 50%, also from hunger and disease. The Battle of Breitenfeld took place on September 7 or 17, 1631 (Julian or Gregorian calendar). While it is important in that it marked a major shift in initiative in the Thirty Years War, it did not completely destroy the Imperial and/or Catholic League Army, nor did it hasten the end of the conflict. In the battle simulation, I will try to correct the flaws presented in the historical analysis, testing improvements in the maneuvers. And then we will prove which maneuver will prevail, both being instructed with the best and maximum effort.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Feb 5, 2024

Book preview

ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

Battle  of  Breitenfeld,  1631, in  the  Thirty  Years'  War. A  historical  simulation

Author’s  Edition Rio  de  Janeiro

2023

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Battle  of  Breitenfeld,  1631,  in  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  A historical  simulation.  André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2023. Bibliography:  168  p.  60  im.  21  cm..

1.  History.  2.  Art  of  War.  3.  Science  of  War.  4.  War Games.  I.  Author.  II.  Title.

ISBN  978-65-00-82925-9

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3 PROLOGUE

As  a  Military  Historian  I  rely  on  a  summary  of  the historical  fact,  I  analyze  and  highlight  the  decisive factors,  before  simulating  hypotheses  what  if… hypotheses  through  a  board  game.  In  the simulation,  all  possibilities  of  the  purpose  of  the study  are  completed,  when  the  past  of  history  is analyzed  based  on  the  theory  of  the  present  and projected  for  similar  situations  in  the  future.  Since 2010  I  have  published  the  following  series  of simulations:  I.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Wars  of the  First  Empires;  II.  Historical  Simulation  of  the Wars  in  Classical  Greece;  III.  Historical  Simulation of  the  Roman  Wars;  IV.  Historical  Simulation  of Wars  in  the  Medieval  Era;  V.  Historical  Simulation of  Wars  in  the  Modern  Era  (1453  to  1774);  VI. Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Age  of Revolutions  (1775  to  1860);  VII.  Historical Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Industrial  Age  (1861  to 1913);  "VIII.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  First  World

War;  IX.  Historical  Simulation  of  World  War  II;  X.

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Historical  Simulation  of  the  Cold  War  (1917  to 1991);  and  XI.  Historical  Simulation  of Contemporary  Wars  (1991  to  ...)". Keywords:  History.  Art  of  War.  Science  of  War.  War

Games.

5 SUMMARY

HISTORICAL  FACT…………..…….….….…………6 HISTORICALANALYSIS….……………..…………19 HISTORICAL  SIMULATION.….……………………58 ANNEXES........…………………………………….148

REFERENCES....………………………………….167

6 HISTORICAL  FACT

I  suggest  that  the  reader  who  wants  to  have more  knowledge  about  the  war  of  which  this  battle is  a  part,  acquires  my  book  A  Historical Simulation  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  1618  to 1648  .

Im  1:  Thirty  Years’  War.

Swedish  intervention  in  the  30  Years'  War

The  Swedish  king,  Gustav  Adolphus,  had  spent

the  previous  years  reorganizing  and  modernizing

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his  armies  during  Sweden's  war  with  Poland- Lithuania,  ruled  by  his  Catholic  cousin  Sigismund, who  was  a  pretender  to  the  Swedish  throne, supported  by  imperial  auxiliary  troops.

Im  2:  Religion  divides.

As  only  a  few  Protestant  German  states,  such as  Hesse-Cassel,  still  openly  opposed  the consolidation  of  Catholic  imperial  power,  this  made Sweden  the  most  obvious  ally  of  Cardinal  Richelieu, whose  stated  policy  was  to  halt  the  course  of

Spanish  progress  on  France's  borders.

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With  the  majority  of  French  resources  fixed  in Italy,  Richelieu  worked  on  negotiating  the  Truce  of Altmark  in  September  1629  between  Sweden  and Poland,  freeing  Gustavus  to  enter  the  great  war. Partly  out  of  a  genuine  desire  to  support  his Protestant  co-religionists,  such  as  Christian,  king  of Denmark,  Gustavus  also  wanted  to  maximize  his participation  in  the  Baltic  Sea  trade,  which  provided much  of  Sweden's  income.

After  failed  negotiations  with  the  Holy  Emperor, Gustavus  landed  in  Pomerania  in  June  1630  with around  18  thousand  soldiers.  Using  Stralsund  as  a beachhead,  he  marched  south  along  the  Oder  River toward  Stettin  and  coerced  Bogislaw  XIV,  Duke  of Pomerania,  into  agreeing  to  an  alliance  that  secured his  interests  against  his  rival  Sigismund.  As  a  result, the  Poles  turned  their  attention  to  Russia,  starting the  Smolensk  War  (1632  to  1634).

Swedish  expectations  of  broad  German  support proved  unrealistic,  and  by  the  end  of  1630  their  only new  ally  was  the  Magdeburg  administrator  Christian

William,  whose  capital  was  under  siege  by  an

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imperial  army  under  the  command  of  the  Walloon (Belgian)  Tilly.

Despite  the  devastation  inflicted  on  their territories  by  imperial  soldiers,  the  Protestant German  states  of  Saxony  and  Brandenburg  had their  own  ambitions  in  Pomerania,  which  clashed with  those  of  Gustavus.

Previous  experience  had  also  shown  that requesting  support  from  powers  outside  the  Empire was  easier  than  making  them  leave  afterwards. Gustavus  responded  by  moving  his  troops  south against  Brandenburg,  sacking  Küstrin  and  Frankfurt an  der  Oder.

Once  again  Richelieu  used  French  financial power  to  reconcile  differences  between  the  Swedes and  the  German  princes;  the  1631  Treaty  of Bärwalde  provided  funds  for  the  Swedes  and  their Protestant  allies,  including  Saxony  and Brandenburg.  Gustavus  then  won  major  victories  at Breitenfeld  in  September  1631,  then  Rain  in  April

1632,  where  Tilly  was  killed.

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Im  3:  German  campaign  by  Gustavus  Adolphus.

After  Tilly's  death,  Holy  Emperor  Ferdinand turned  once  again  to  the  Bohemian  (Czech) Wallenstein,  who  realized  that  Gustavus  had  his

lines  extended,  so  he  established  himself  in  Fürth,

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from  where  he  could  threaten  the  supply  lines.  of the  Swedes.

The  largest  battle  of  the  war,  Alte  Veste, occurred  in  early  September  1632,  when  a  Swedish attack  on  the  imperial  camp  outside  the  city  was repulsed,  arguably  the  biggest  tactical  error  made by  Gustavus  during  his  German  campaign. Two  months  later,  the  Swedes  and  Imperials  met  at Lützen,  where  both  sides  suffered  heavy  casualties; some  Swedish  units  suffered  losses  of  over  60%, while  Wallenstein's  second-in-command,  the Bavarian  Pappenheim  and  Gustavus  himself  were killed.

After  Gustavus'  death,  Swedish  politics  was directed  by  his  chancellor  Axel  Oxenstierna;  In  April 1633,  the  Swedes  and  their  German  allies  formed the  Heilbronn  League  with  French  funding.  In  July the  Swedes  and  their  German  allies  defeated  an imperial  army  commanded  by  the  Bavarian Bronckhorst-Gronsfeld  at  Oldendorf.

Lützen  severely  affected  Wallenstein's  prestige,

which  combined  with  rumors  that  he  was  preparing

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to  switch  sides,  caused  Emperor  Ferdinand  to  order his  arrest,  followed  by  his  murder  by  his  own officers.

However,  the  loss  of  the  experienced  and competent  Wallenstein  and  his  virtually  private  army left  the  Holy  Emperor  at  the  mercy  of  Spain  for military  support.  This  had  as  its  main  strategic objective  to  reopen  the  so-called  Spanish  Road, an  important  logistical  axis  in  its  military  campaign against  the  Dutch  –  as  they  dominated  at  sea,  with English  support.  This  meant  that  the  focus  of  the war  shifted  to  the  Rhineland  and  Bavaria.

Cardinal  Infante  Ferdinand  of  Austria,  newly appointed  governor  of  the  Spanish  Netherlands, raised  an  army  of  18,000  in  Italy,  which  met  with  an imperial  force  of  15,000  at  Donauwörth  on  2 September  1634.  Three  days  later  they  obtained  a decisive  victory  at  the  battle  of  Nördlingen  that destroyed  Swedish  power  in  southern  Germany  and led  to  the  defection  of  their  German  allies,  who

sought  to  make  peace  with  the  emperor.

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Im  4:  Developments.

Battle  of  Breitenfeld

September  7  or  17,  1631  (Julian  or  Gregorian calendar).  The  invasion  of  Saxony  by  the  Catholic imperial  army  with  Tilly  left  no  doubt  that  the  Saxons and  Swedes  would  now  be  allies.  Gustavus Adolphus  and  the  Saxon  Arnim  joined  forces  on  the 15th.  The  following  day  Leipzig  surrendered  to  Tilly.

Tilly  was  still  reticent  to  accept  a  pitched  battle, as  he  wanted  to  wait  for  reinforcements  with

Aldringer,  but  Pappenheim  and  Fürstenberg  argued

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