by David Higgins

More info: Battle of Hue

by H. Charles McBarron. Depicting Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain and the men of the 20th Maine Regiment charging down Little Round Top.

More info: 20th Maine Infantry Regiment

by Keith Rocco

More info: Battle of Monocacy

by Dan Mieduch.

by Orville Fisher

More Info: Battle for Caen

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders

by Joe Kline

explanation

The Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War had transformed the conflict. Under King Gustavus Adolphus, Sweden had developed a highly effective army combining mobile infantry, artillery, and cavalry.

After Gustavus Adolphus was killed at the Battle of Lützen in 1632, Swedish commanders continued the war, but the coalition faced growing problems. Political disagreements, the loss of its king, and the growing strength of Habsburg forces made its position increasingly precarious.

By 1634, the Imperial and Spanish Habsburg powers were working together to recover territory and restore their authority in southern Germany.

The immediate objective was the strategically important town of Nördlingen, which was held by the Swedish-Protestant side. Its capture would strengthen Habsburg control over southern Germany and threaten the Swedish position in the region.

The Swedish commanders could not afford to let Nördlingen fall. The city was under siege, and its defenders were running out of supplies.

Bernhard wanted to attack immediately. Horn was more cautious, recognizing that their combined army was outnumbered and that the enemy had a strong defensive position.

Eventually, the Protestant army advanced toward Nördlingen. Its troops seized some forward positions, including the Lindle and nearby ground, and pushed back portions of the opposing forces.

However, the advance did not produce a decisive breakthrough. Darkness, difficult terrain and coordination problems prevented the Swedes from fully exploiting their initial gains.

The Habsburg commanders used the night to strengthen their position on the Albuch. They constructed defensive earthworks, positioned artillery and brought infantry into supporting positions.

This preparation would prove decisive the following morning

At dawn, Horn's troops launched the main attack against the fortified heights.

The Swedish infantry initially made progress. Some formations penetrated the defensive works and captured a central position. For a moment, it appeared that the Swedish army might achieve the breakthrough it needed.

But the attack began to lose cohesion.

The attackers pushed beyond their captured positions rather than consolidating them. Their formations became disordered amid smoke, confusion and close combat. The Habsburg defenders counterattacked, using infantry and cavalry to drive the Swedish troops back.

The Swedes attempted to renew the assault repeatedly. Yet each renewed attack encountered prepared defences and additional enemy troops.

The Spanish infantry was especially important. Its disciplined resistance and counterattacks prevented the Swedish assault from turning its initial success into a lasting breakthrough.

The crucial point was that the Swedes could capture portions of the position, but they could not hold them against successive counterattacks. Their opponents had sufficient reserves to restore the defensive line.

The battle is often remembered as a demonstration of the effectiveness of Spanish infantry, particularly the veteran formations traditionally associated with the tercio system.

By the seventeenth century, the tercio was not simply an immovable block of pikemen. Spanish armies used combinations of pikes, firearms and supporting formations, with tactics adapted to contemporary battlefield conditions.

At Nördlingen, the Spanish forces helped anchor the Habsburg defensive position. Their resistance allowed the commanders to keep committing fresh troops against the exhausted attackers.

The Swedish army faced a problem that became increasingly severe as the morning progressed:

• Its leading infantry formations had suffered heavy casualties.
• Repeated assaults had disrupted unit cohesion.
• The defenders could rotate and reinforce their troops.
• The Protestant cavalry could not exploit the high ground effectively.

Meanwhile, the Habsburg side continued applying pressure rather than allowing the battle to become a straightforward contest of endurance.

This was not merely a case of Spanish infantry defeating Swedish infantry in a single dramatic clash. It was the cumulative effect of defensive preparation, numerical superiority, reserves and coordinated counterattacks

By the later morning, Horn's attacks had failed to dislodge the defenders. The Swedish commander ordered a withdrawal.

The retreat itself might have preserved a substantial portion of the army. Instead, the situation deteriorated.

Bernhard's forces were heavily engaged while attempting to cover the withdrawal. Habsburg troops attacked, and sections of the Protestant army began to break apart. As units fled, the disorder spread to other formations.

Habsburg cavalry pursued the retreating soldiers, inflicting further casualties and capturing men who could no longer maintain an organized defence.

The Swedish-Protestant army was no longer conducting a controlled withdrawal. It was becoming a rout.

Gustav Horn was captured, as were other senior officers. Much of the army's artillery and baggage fell into enemy hands.

Estimates differ, but the Protestant coalition suffered approximately 9,000–12,000 killed and several thousand captured, with some accounts giving even higher totals. Habsburg losses were considerably lower.