Battle of Falkenberg
The Battle of Falkenberg was a military engagement fought during the Thirty Years’ War. The battle was fought between Swedish and Imperial armies on of November 13th, 1630, at Falkenberg (Modern-day Jastrzębniki)in Pomerania.
Background
After establishing himself on Wolin and Usedom, and capturing the capital of Pomerania, Stettin, Gustavus Adolphus began attempts to conquer the many fortresses across Pomerania. Gartz Imperial reinforcements from Gartz were constantly sent to relieve Kolberg, but these were often blocked by the Swedes. Therefore 3,500 Imperials marched out of Gartz on the 4th of November to reach Kolberg via Dramburg under command of Hieronymus von Colloredo.
On November 8, Dodo zu Innhausen und Knyphausen learned of Hieronymus's advance, and on the same day received orders from Gustaf Horn to unite their two armies at Treptow an der Rega. Horn left Alexander Leslie in command of Stettin, and by November 12th, Horn was to join Knyphausen at Groß Jestin. Where together they had 5,500 men and 5 cannons.
At three o’clock in the morning the next day the Imperials were heard, but now they retreated before the larger Swedish Army. Horn immediately marched after and captured a small Imperial detachment around some towns. From the captured prisoners he was informed that the imperials were two hours ahead. Upon hearing this news he rushed with 3,700 infantry and cavalry while the remaining men under Jindřich Matyáš Thurn had the catch up. Horn eventually met up with the imperials near the small town of Falkenberg.[4]
Battle
Horn's army was included Ernest Magnus Denhoff's squadron, as well as Georg von Uslar’s company of cuirassiers. The infantry was commanded by Maximilian Teuffel, John Hepburn, and Jindřich Matyáš Thurn. On the march Horn was joined by 300 cavalry of Efferen-Hall’s newly raised regiment. Knyphausen waited for Horn in a strong position on the heights between Langenhagen and Zabern. Knyphausen had Baudissin's regiment of arquebusiers, which had just arrived from Prussia, as well as 100 musketeers.
When the battle was about to begin, a thick fog fell over the battlefield, making it impossible to see anything, but Horn nevertheless continued to try to defeat the imperials. He wanted to force the rearguard into the imperial infantry, to create disorder in the imperial line and give Thurn enough time to arrive. Horn therefor ordered Baudissin to attack with parts of the cavalry. The attack initially had success but soon he ran into the imperial infantry, but then he was thrown back. As a result of the fog, no proper attack against the imperials army could be made, and after a few more futile attacks with cavalry, the Imperials were able to withdraw.
Aftermath
After the battle, which was the first regular field battle of the Swedish Phase of the Thirty Years’ War, the imperials retreated back to Gartz while Horn met up with Gustavus Adolphus at Greifenberg which fell in December, along with Ribnitz, Malchin, Kolberg, and Demmin in the next few months.[5]
According to von Colloredo, the Imperial commander, the Swedes suffered up to 400 losses while his own army sustained only 40 losses. The Imperials had thus achieved a tactical success and the Swedes a strategic success.[4]
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 von Essen 2020, p. 60.
- ↑ Generalstaben 1936, p. 485.
- ↑ Generalstaben 1936, p. 484.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sveriges krig 1611-1632 (volume 3): Tyska kriget intill mitten av januari 1631. Swedish General staff (1939), Stockholm. pp. 484–488
- ↑ Mankell, Julius (1854). Arkiv till upplysning om svenska krigens och krigsinrättningarnes historia.
Work cited
- von Essen, Michael Fredholm (2020). The Lion from the North: The Swedish Army of Gustavus Adolphus, 1618-1632. 1. Helion and Company. ISBN 9781911628576. Search this book on
- Generalstaben (1936). Tyska kriget intill mitten av januari 1631 [The German war until mid-January 1631]. Sveriges krig 1611-1632 (in svenska). 3. V. Petterson. Search this book on
- Mankell, Julius (1860). Arkiv till upplysning om svenska krigens och krigsinrättningarnes historia [Archive for information on the history of Swedish wars and military establishments] (in svenska). 2. P. A. Norstedt. Search this book on
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