Northern Germany, 1630
Summer wanes, and the chill winds of the approaching autumn sweep across the fields. After a series of inconclusive skirmishes, both Catholic and Protestant forces seek to secure a decisive victory before the year’s end. Their armies converge upon Ohnenamen, a modest village yet a vital crossroads in the region.
A few days prior, Imperial forces intercepted a Swedish convoy laden with gold. Its capture bolstered Imperial morale as the spoils were swiftly distributed among the troops. Meanwhile, a small contingent of Dutch soldiers, hastily recruited by Van Timmerman, navigated the treacherous German Länder to reinforce the numerically inferior Swedish army. They arrived just in time to join Gustavus Adolphus’s army and were deployed under Wittenberg's command on the Swedish right flank, positioned between the village and a river and supported by Swedish artilley. At the centre stood the veteran Yellow Regiment alongside the main Swedish infantry, while Tott, commanding the left flank, led his cavalry troops. Gustavus himself held a reserve force of cavalry in the rear.
Opposing him, Wallenstein, commanding the Imperial forces, mirrored the Protestant deployment, his front screened by light infantry. On the eve of battle, under a deluge of rain, Catholic cavalry seized the battlefield’s sole elevation, securing the Imperial right flank.
By dawn, the armies roused themselves, banners snapping in the wind, as regiments struggled to form amidst the sodden, muddy ground.
The Battle
At the stroke of eleven, Gustavus Adolphus seized the initiative. Tott’s Livonian cuirassiers thundered toward the hill, their charge a sight of devastating fury. The Imperial cavalry there faltered, with one regiment shattered and routed.
Meanwhile, Wallenstein dispatched his commanded shot toward Ohnenamen to secure the village. The settlement, however, became a fiercely contested ground, the Protestant light infantry engaging in relentless skirmishes and savage assaults. Vicious street fighting ensued, with neither side yielding.
In the center, the Swedish and Imperial main lines advanced cautiously, the booming artillery exchanging fire throughout the day with limited effect.
On the Swedish left, Tott launched a second assault with his Finnish Hakkapeliitta, their wild charge met by the disciplined mounted arquebusiers of the Imperial forces. The Protestant cavalry faltered, their momentum broken by the arquebusiers’ ordered volleys, and in the ensuing melee, they were driven from the field with dishonour. This reversal stabilised the Imperial left flank.
On the Swedish right, Wittenberg’s Dutch regiments faced costant pressure from a combined force of Imperial cavalry and infantry. Yet torrential rains had swollen the river, rendering it impassable and reducing the Imperial cavalry’s manouvre room. Though Piccolomini, commanding the Imperial horse, harried the Protestant right, Wittenberg’s steadfast defence held firm, aided by the terrain and sheer determination.
At the village, Imperial tercios advanced into musket range and exchanged volleys with the Swedish line, but neither side dared commit to a decisive melee.
As the battle entered a stalemate, Gustavus Adolphus took decisive action. He rode to his reserves and directed them toward his left flank, planning a concentrated strike. Seeing this, Tott ceased his pursuit of the Imperial cavalry and turned his Livonian cuirassiers into an ambitious flanking maneuver. The audacious charge captured the Imperial artillery and sowed chaos in the Catholic rear, threatening the heart of Wallenstein’s line.
At the centre of the same line, the Yellow Regiment, bolstered by Swedish artillery, unleashed ferocious volleys, mauling the veteran Imperial tercios. The Catholic infantry faltered and began to withdraw, their formations shattered. Yet also the Swedish paid dearly for their success. An Imperial counterattack broke through, forcing one regiment to flee and opening a critical gap. Gustavus swiftly committed part of his reserve cavalry to plug the breach, restoring the line.
On the right flank, the disordered Imperial infantry struggled to mount another offensive, their efforts hindered by exhaustion and unrelenting Dutch resistance.
The Aftermath
As dusk descended, Wallenstein’s army began to disengage. The Imperial center, now vulnerable after the collapse of its right flank, withdrew under pressure. Though steady, the village remained contested, and the left flank was spent. Recognizing the futility of continued resistance, Wallenstein ordered a retreat.
The Swedish forces had achieved their long-sought victory. The battlefield lay in Protestant hands, and the year would end with a triumph for Gustavus Adolphus, cementing his reputation as one of Europe’s foremost commanders.
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| The initial deployment (Swedish on the right of the picture) |
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| Imperial dragoons |
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| Ferocious fight for the hold of the village |
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| Swedish centre |
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| Imperial mounted arquebusiers |
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| Tott's Cavalry units: Livonian Curassiers and Hakkapeliita |
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| Imperial army CiC Wallenstein and artillety |
The main battle was fought using Liber Militum: Tercios (and expansion), while the preliminary skirmish was played out with Pikeman's Lament. Pictures of 28 mm miniatures, mostly from Warlord's Game.
Disclaimer: This text was written by the blog's author but tuned to epic with the aid of AI.
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