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The Battle

On the 7th of September the Swedish and Saxon combined army moved against Tilly's army, which had fortified itself at a long downhill ridge with both the sun and wind at its back.

The Swedish army, consisted of approximately 14 700 men foot soldiers, 8000 cavalry and 54 cannons. The Saxon army was 12 000 foot soldiers, 5200 cavalrymen and 12 cannons. Against this force stood Tilly's army 21 000 foot soldiers, 11 cavalry men and about 30 cannons. The right Swedish wing stood under the command of Johan Banér, while the left was under the command of Gustav Horn. Both Swedish wings had cavalry units as well as musketeers mixed. Who was in command of the middle section is unclear but it was probably Lennart Torstenson. At the left of Horn's troops, the Saxon contingent was lined up and ready for battle.

(The Start of the battle)
(The End of the Battle)

The Battle started with the bombardment of the Swedish army by the Imperial army's cannons. After that Tilly moved his right cavalry wing in a maneuver against the Saxon part of Gustav II Adolf's (Gustavus Adolphus) army. Here it happened like so many times before; the Spanish tactics showed its worth and the Saxons were literally run over by the Imperial Columns. The Saxon part of the army therefore retreated and left the battlefield. The Protestant army had at this time therefore been decimated by two fifths of its size. On top of this, the Protestants now had a wide open hole in its lines on the left, but thanks to Swedish mobility, reinforcements could very fast be sent there and astonishingly fast construct a new left Wing.

At the same time the left Imperial Cavalry wing charged the Swedish right wing. But the Imperial cavalry was thrown back by the groups of musketeers which were among the cavalry. Time after time they where thrown back. Sad, for the Imperial cavalry was that the fast-shooting Swedish regimental batteries fired deadly scrap and bullets against them. The same thing happened at the left wing. Finally the Imperial Cavalry retreated in panic. At that time the Swedes made their attack against the unprotected enemy infantry.

(Swedish Cavalry charging)

Victory

The battle itself can of course not be seen as one major battle but a series of smaller engagements where units met units. Not even the commanders in the field had a chance to control everything that happened.

The Summer of 1631 had been a warm and dry one, and large clouds of dust were driven up by the men and horses moving over the dry battlefield. The dust and the gun smoke made a thick nasty-smelling fog which was right over the fighting forces. Eyewitnesses tell that you could not see more than four steps in front of you, during the fighting.

The terribly strong pressure of the cavalry, foot soldiers and artillery, made it possible for Gustaf Horn to penetrate Tilly's center and bring disorder to the Imperial troops. The rest of the Imperial Army retreated. Gustav II Adolf is told to have sent the majority of the cavalry to pursue the enemy but when night was reached, the fighting effectively ended. The victorious Swedes made camp on the field, between dead and dying, and made up fires by broken pikes and broken wagons. It is said that the silence of the night was broken by the sound of bells. The younger Swedish soldiers were playing around with bells taken from dead Catholic priests.

The Battle had lasted between two o'clock in the afternoon until seven o'clock that evening.

The casualties for the Swedish army mounted at approximately 2 100 troops. The losses of horses was, as usual, large: 4000. However, the Casualties of the Catholic forces were catastrophic, seven out of ten Imperial soldiers were either killed or taken prisoner. Many thousands were killed by Saxon peasants, tired of the pillaging of the Imperial army, and now roaming the countryside taking out their revenge on any Catholic stragglers.

And through all of Germany a song about the Swedish victory over the Imperial army was spread. In that song Gustav II Adolf triumphantly calls after the fleeing Tilly

Now Gustav II Adolf had won one of the greatest victories in the Thirty Years' war. He had beaten the invincible army, he had won popularity among protestants and spread fear on the Catholic side. He was now the "Lion from the North".

Conclusions:

In this dirty religious war, Breitenfeld stands as the greatest victory for the Swedish king, and as such, the turning point of the Thirty Years' war. None in Vienna dared call him the "snow king" any more. The laughter had stuck in their throats. As a direct result of the victory, Gustavus Adolphus was able to march deep into southern Germany, even seriously threatening Vienna itself. However it might be, I think it safe to call Breitenfeld the greatest deed for Swedish weapons ever, establishing a Swedish military tradition that would live unthreatened for a hundred years more. That day on the fields of Breitenfeld, a new European great power was born and a great adventure took its beginning.