When Gustavus Adolphus landed in Sweden, he was hailed as the savior of the Protestant cause. But before that could become a reality, he had hard fighting to do. To do that, he had developed one of the best armies that Europe had ever seen. Since childhood the king had been studying the art of war, and he had developed principles and techniques that would change the way war was fought.
The King as General
Overall, Gustavus was the best commander in the Thirty Years War. He was a brilliant battlefield commander, leading his army from the front. Many of the other armies were commanded by mercenaries. Their kings had to try to control them, while getting the resources they needed from the civilian governments. For Sweden the control was centralized in Gustavus. He was the battlefield commander of the major army, commander in chief of all of Sweden’s armies, and head of the civilian government. As a great commander, he was able to efficiently run the war and assign the troops where they were needed most.
The Home Front
The Swedish war machine started back on the home front. The armies were conscripted, with every tenth man being taken for the army. The army going to Germany contained about 40,000 soldiers from Sweden, and about 40,000 more recruited elsewhere in Europe. Even with the money from France, the Swedish people still had to pay heavy taxes to support these troops. Five sevenths of Sweden’s budget went to the army. Although this was a major burden for the people, they still liked their king. The house of Vasa, including Gustavus, was able to maintain their popularity because they tended to favor the people rather than the nobles.
Artillery
The Swedes had the best army, especially in artillery and cavalry. Gustavus was a military innovator, constantly looking for ways to improve his technology and tactics. He developed cannon that could be fired much more rapidly. Sometimes they could be fired quicker than muskets. He also used smaller cannons distributed throughout his army, instead of having one concentrated battery. Therefore his guns could be used on the regimental level, helping the infantry just where they were needed. The king put great emphasis on accurate firing from his gunners. Often he would aim the guns with his own hand, to drive that point home for the troops.
Cavalry
Gustavus’s main philosophy was mobility on the battlefield. Cavalry held a major position on his battlefields. He used two types. Cuirassiers were lightly armored and armed with long swords. They were the heavy cavalry, and were used to deal a major blow to the enemy. The second type was dragoons – mounted infantrymen who could quickly ride where they were needed, and then dismount and fight as infantry.
Infantry
The Swedish infantry was made lighter and more mobile than their opponents. They used preloaded cartridges, so they could reload their weapons quicker than other armies, which had to measure the powder and add the ball. Gustavus’s pikemen were also equipped for mobility, with shorter pikes and less armor. The king himself was said to be predisposed against armor, as he could not comfortably wear a breastplate because of a wound.
The tactics of the Swedish army were also different than their opponents. The units were small. Their lines were thinner, only six men deep instead of ten or more. The artillery was interspersed among the infantry. The Swedish army contained more musketeers, and they were trained to fire in volleys two rows at a time, so they could maintain a consistent, but destructive fire. All six ranks were also trained to be able to fire at once, to give a very heavy volley to break an enemy charge. Since his pikemen were more lightly armored, they could be used on the offense instead of just defense, as other armies did.
Discipline
The soldiers in Gustavus’ army held their king and commander in high regard. He demonstrated great care for them, sharing in the privations of the soldiers. He tried as much as possible to pay them on time. During battles he had field hospitals established and medicine chests with the units to care for the health of those who were wounded. Because of all these things the king’s men were devoted to him, and were that much better soldiers because of it. This did not mean that Gustavus slacked on discipline. During his war with Poland he introduced his famous Articles of War. You can read the entire code of more than 150 articles here, but here are several of the most important:
With all these elements, Gustavus was able to create a cohesive, well disciplined army, with tactics that integrated the infantry, cavalry and artillery. He was well prepared for the greatest war of his life.
Sources
The Thirty Years War by C. V. Wedgwood
Gustavus Adolphus and the Struggle of Protestantism for Existence by C. R. L. Fletcher
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