The Battle of Breitenfeld is one of the major battles of the Thirty Years’ War, during which the Swedes inflicted a crushing defeat on the Catholic League under the command of the Count of Tilly. This was the first major victory of the Protestants in their war with the Catholics.
In this battle, the Swedes for the first time used elements of linear tactics, which allowed them to more effectively use firearms. This was the greatest contribution to the victory. It was after the Thirty Years’ War that this tactic spread. The armies would be located in two lines, with the cavalry forming flanks, and the infantry in the center. The artillery was placed forward or in intervals between the troops. A significant contribution to the victory at Breitenfeld was the Swedish artillery, which not only shielded the Swedes’ battle formations but also actively maneuvered on the battlefield along with infantry and cavalry.
Sweden for a long time did not take part in the Thirty Years’ War, as it was engaged in a confrontation with Poland for the Baltic coast. In 1630, Sweden ended the war and, having secured the support of Russia, invaded northern Germany. Thus began the Swedish period of the Thirty Years’ War 1630-1635. Soon, Saxony joined them, being forced to withdraw from neutrality after the siege of Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony. Elector Johann Georg forged an alliance with Swedish King Gustav Adolf against the Count of Tilly.
The Swedish armies were gathered from conscription of the free Swedish peasantry and by recruitment of mercenaries. Due to this, the army of Sweden was more disciplined than the mercenary armies of other Western European countries. The infantry in the Swedish army consisted half of Pikemen, half of Musketeers. The share of cavalry in the total number of troops increased significantly to 40%. The Swedish army artillery was also improved; the guns lighter and shorter. This increased the maneuverability of Swedish batteries and allowed them to be widely dispersed in field battles.
Course of Battle
Gustav Adolf moved deeper into Germany. On September 17, 1631, a battle was fought at the village of Breitenfeld, near Leipzig. The field at Breitenfeld was a slightly hilly plain with a length of three kilometers, bordered by the forest from the south and the stream of Loberbach from the northeast.
The Swedish-Saxon army numbered 34,000, of which about 19,000 were Swedes and about 15,000 were Saxons. The Swedes had heavy artillery and light regimental cannon. The Saxons had 16 batteries and 26 cannons. The right wing of the Swedish-Saxon army was headed by Johan Baner, the center was Tafel, the left wing was Gustav Horn. Each of the three parts of the army was in two lines. The artillery was installed in the center of the first line; and behind were infantry and cavalry reserves. The king was on the right flank.
The imperial army, consisting of the troops of the German states that were part of the Catholic League, numbered 32,000, including 21,000 infantry and 11,000 cavalry, as well as 28 heavy field guns. The old tactics of square columns, called Spanish brigades, were used. In the center stood the infantry, on the flanks cavalry. The guns were installed so that they could fire on the entire valley. The left wing of the Imperials was commanded by Pappenheim, the general command was carried out by Count Tilly.
The battle began in the morning, with an artillery barrage lasting for two hours. By noon, Gustav Adolph ordered the right wing of his army to advance to Breitenfeld, and to the left – to provide a tactical support for the Saxons, who advanced forward. Saxons suffered heavy losses from imperial artillery, and after the Imperials attacked their infantry from the front and the cavalry from the left flank, they all fled from the battlefield, abandoning all their artillery. Tilly began to crush the left wing of the Swedes, and Pappenheim’s cavalry attacked their right flank, but all seven of his attacks were repulsed by the volleys from Swedish musketeers and counterattacks by their cavalry. After a four-hour battle, Pappenheim was forced to retreat.
Tilly’s troops captured the enemy on both flanks, but they themselves were broken into three parts. The battle now entered its’ most dramatic phase. Three Imperial infantry brigades attacked the center of the Swedish army. In response, Gustav Adolf advanced an artillery reserve, and himself with some cavalry, rushed to the enemy’s rear. The Swedish artillery fired at the same time from a distance of 300 meters, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Swedish light artillery musketeers fired at close range on the imperial infantry. All the imperial heavy artillery was captured by the Swedes.
Tilly, with a small part of the infantry, departed to the north, and he himself was almost killed. The Swedes organized and pursued the defeated enemy units, but they did not act decisively. As a result, the imperial troops lost 8,000 killed and 6,000 prisoners. The prisoners were conscripted into the Swedish army; and as a result, it became stronger than it was before the battle. The army of Gustav Adolf lost about 3,000.
Outcome
As a result of the victory at Breitenfeld, the Swedes occupied Saxony. The whole of northern Germany was in the hands of Gustav Adolf, and he brought his attention to the south of Germany. In the spring of 1632, a battle took place in Bavaria on the Lech River, in which Tilly was again defeated, and he himself was mortally wounded and died later in the same year. In May 1632, Gustav Adolf took Augsburg and the capital of Bavaria, Munich, creating a threat to the Austrian lands of the Habsburgs. The allies of Gustavus Adolf, the Saxons, invaded the Czech Republic and occupied Prague. Swedish troops had also plundered and ravaged the local population, and therefore the peasants who first supported the Swedes began an uprising to the rear of the Swedish army. This caused Gustav Adolf to temporarily cease military operations in southern Germany in the summer of 1632.
Sources:
Breitenfeld // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron