Battle Of Nördlingen, 1634, 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 starvation and disease. The Battle of Nördlingen, 27 August or 6 September 1634 (Julian or Gregorian calendar), marked the destruction of Swedish power in southern Germany, formalized in the Treaty of Prague of May 1635. In the battle simulation I will try to correct the failures 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 4, 2024

Book preview

ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

Battle  of  Nördlingen,  1634, in  the  Thirty  Years'  War. A  historical  simulation

Author's  Edition Rio  de  Janeiro

2022

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Battle  of  Nördlingen,  1634,  in  the  Thirty  Years’  War.  A historical  simulation.  André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2022. Bibliography:  150  p.  53  im.  21  cm..

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

ISBN  978-65-00-59590-1

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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….……………..…………18 HISTORICAL  SIMULATION…..……………………59 ANNEXES........…………………………………….140

REFERENCES....………………………………….149

6 HISTORICAL  FACT

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

Im  1:  Thirty  Years’  War.

Swedish  intervention  in  the  30  Years'  War

The  Swedish  king,  Gustaf  Adolf,  had  spent  the previous  years  reorganizing  and  modernizing  his

armies  during  Sweden's  war  with  Poland-Lithuania,

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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,  were  still  openly  opposed  to  the consolidation  of  Catholic  imperial  power,  this  made Sweden  the  most  obvious  ally  of  Cardinal  Richelieu, whose  avowed  policy  was  to  halt  the  course  of Spanish  progress  on  France's  borders. With  most  French  resources  fixed  in  Italy,  Richelieu

worked  on  negotiating  the  Truce  of  Altmark  in

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September  1629  between  Sweden  and  Poland, freeing  Gustav  to  enter  the  Great  War.  Partly  as  a genuine  desire  on  his  part  to  support  his  Protestant allies,  such  as  Christian,  King  of  Denmark,  Gustav also  wanted  to  maximize  his  share  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 about  18,000  soldiers.  Using  Stralsund  as  a beachhead,  he  marched  south  along  the  Oder  River towards  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  War  of  Smolensk  (1632−34).

Swedish  expectations  of  broad  German  support proved  unrealistic,  and  by  the  end  of  1630  their  only new  ally  was  Magdeburg  administrator  Christian William,  whose  capital  was  besieged  by  an  imperial army  under  Walloon  (present-day  Belgian)  Tilly. Despite  the  devastation  inflicted  on  their  territories

by  Imperial  soldiers,  the  Protestant  German  states

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of  Saxony  and  Brandenburg  had  their  own ambitions  in  Pomerania,  which  clashed  with Gustavus'.

Im  3:  Gustavus  Adolphus’  German  campaign.

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Past  experience  had  also  shown  that  soliciting support  from  powers  outside  the  Empire  was  easier than  getting  them  to  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  the  differences  between  the Swedes  and  the  German  princes;  the  Treaty  of Bärwalde  of  1631  provided  funds  for  the  Swedes and  their  Protestant  allies,  including  Saxony  and Brandenburg.  Gustav  then  won  major  victories  at Breitenfeld  in  September  1631,  then  Rain  in  April 1632,  where  Tilly  was  killed.

After  Tilly's  death,  Holy  Emperor  Ferdinand turned  once  more  to  the  Bohemian  (present-day Czech  Republic)  Wallenstein,  who  realized  that Gustavus  had  his  lines  extended,  so  he  settled  in Fürth,  from  where  he  could  threaten  the  supplies  of the  Swedes.

The  biggest  battle  of  the  war,  Alte  Veste,  took

place  in  early  September  1632,  when  a  Swedish

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attack  on  the  imperial  camp  outside  the  city  was repulsed,  arguably  the  biggest  tactical  mistake Gustavus  made  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  sub-commander,  the Bavarian  Pappenheim,  and  Gustavus  himself  were killed.

After  Gustavus’  death,  Swedish  politics  were directed  by  its  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 to  switch  sides,  caused  Emperor  Ferdinand  to  order his  arrest,  followed  by  his  assassination  by  his  own

officers.

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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.  Its  main  strategic  objective  was  to reopen  the  so-called  Spanish  Road,