Second Battle Of Breitenfeld, 1642, 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. This victory in Breitenfeld allowed the Swedes to occupy and establish a secure base in Leipzig, the second most important city in the Saxon electorate. However, although significantly weakened by defeat and forced on the defensive, the Imperial Army prevented them from fully exploiting their victory and prevented John George I, Elector of Saxony, from making peace with Sweden. In the battle simulation, I will try to correct the failures presented in the historical analysis, testing improvements in the maneuvers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Feb 4, 2024

Book preview

ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

Second  Battle  of  Breitenfeld, 1642,  in  the  Thirty  Years'  War.

A  historical  simulation

Author's  Edition Rio  de  Janeiro

2022

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Second  Battle  of  Breitenfeld,  1642,  in  the  Thirty  Years’ War.  A  historical  simulation.  André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2022. Bibliography:  138  p.  63  im.  21  cm..

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

ISBN  978-65-00-59588-8

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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….……………..…………17 HISTORICAL  SIMULATION…..……………………57 ANNEXES........…………………………………….133

REFERENCES....………………………………….137

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.

French  intervention  in  the  30  Years'  War

Bourbon  France,  although  with  its  mostly Catholic  population,  was  a  major  rival  to  the  Holy

Roman  Empire  and  Habsburg  Spain.  Cardinal

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Richelieu,  chief  minister  to  King  Louis  XIII  of France,  considered  them  to  be  very  powerful  as they  occupied  various  territories  on  France's eastern  and  northern  borders,  including  parts  of  the Low  Countries.

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.

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After  Gustav's  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.

The  Battle  of  Lützen  in  1632  severely  affected Wallenstein's  prestige,  which  combined  with  rumors that  he  was  preparing  to  change  sides,  caused Emperor  Ferdinand  to  order  his  arrest,  followed  by his  assassination  by  his  own  officers.

However,  the  loss  of  the  experienced  and competent  Wallenstein  and  his  practically  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.

At  the  Battle  of  Nördlingen,  the  Habsburgs  won a  decisive  victory  that  shattered  Swedish  power  in

southern  Germany  and  led  to  the  defection  of  their

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German  allies,  who  sought  to  make  peace  with  the emperor.

Im  3:  Bourbon  versus  Habsburgs.

In  March  1635  a  French  force  entered  the Valtellina,  once  again  severing  the  connection between  Spanish  Habsburg-controlled  Milan  and  its Austrian  cousins.  In  May,  his  main  army  invaded  the Spanish  Netherlands,  but  was  forced  to  withdraw  in July  after  suffering  heavy  casualties  from  disease and  desertion.

France  declared  war  on  Spain  in  May  1635  and

on  the  Holy  Roman  Empire  in  August  1636,  opening

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offensives  against  the  Habsburgs  in  Germany  and the  Low  Countries.  She  aligned  her  strategy  with Sweden  at  Wismar  (1636)  and  Hamburg  (1638), whose  loss  of  most  territories  conquered  by Gustavus  made  her  increasingly  dependent  on French  funding.

A  Spanish  offensive  in  1636  reached  Corbie  in northern  France  before  lack  of  supplies  forced  them to  withdraw,  and  although  it  caused  panic  in  Paris, the  effort  was  not  repeated.

Although  further  weakened  by  the  defection  of most  of  its  German  allies  after  the  Peace  of  Prague, in  June  1636  a  Swedish  army  under  Johan  Banér entered  Brandenburg  and  defeated  an  Imperial army  at  the  Battle  of  Wittstock,  re-establishing  its predominance  in  northeastern  Germany.

Holy  Emperor  Ferdinand  II  died  in  February 1637  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Ferdinand  III, who  faced  a  deteriorating  military  position.  In  March 1638,  the  German  Bernhard  destroyed  an  Imperial army  at  Rheinfelden,  while  his  capture  of  Breisach

in  December  secured  French  control  of  Alsace  and

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cut  off  the  Spanish  Road.  The  main  Imperial  army under  Matthias  Gallas  abandoned  northeastern Germany  to  the  Swedes,  unable  to  sustain  itself  in the  devastated  area.

The  Swede  Banér  defeated  the  Saxons  at Chemnitz  in  April  1639,  then  entered  Bohemia  in May.  To  recover  the  situation,  Ferdinand  diverted Piccolomini's  army  from  Thionville,  ending  direct military  cooperation  between  Austria  and  Spain.

The  cutting  of  the  Spanish  road  forced  Madrid to  resupply  its  armies  in  Flanders  by  sea  and  in October  1639  a  large  Spanish  convoy  was destroyed  in  the  naval  battle  of  the  Downs  (this battle  forms  part  of  my  book