Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)

battle_name=Battle of Breitenfeld

Tactics

The real difference between the two armies was tactics.

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The Imperial forces arranged their army in squares, called tercios (Spanish). This was the traditional formation for the period, with each square having a fifty man front and a depth of thirty men. The centre comprised pikemen with supporting units of arquebusiers on each flank.

Related Topics:
Tercio - Pike - Arquebus

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The Imperial army was comprised of seventeen such formations, arranged in three large blocks with the center block placed slightly ahead of the other two. The cavalry was drawn up on each flank, Pappenheim commanding the left and Fürstenburg the right. The left flank was close by Breitenfeld; the right, by Seehausen. Tilly had no reserves except for some cavalry placed behind his infantry.

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Gustavus Adolphus, however, arranged his forces in two long lines. Each line was five men deep for pikemen, and six men deep for musketeers. The use of linear tactics enabled Gustavus to create a front that matched Tilly's, while still giving him troops to keep in reserve. Gustavus mixed his artillery, and some cavalry, into the main formation.

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The Elector of Saxony arranged his forces in the traditional formation, and all commanders placed most of their cavalry on their flanks. Since the Swedish and Saxon forces deployed separately, this placed cavalry in their center as well as on their flanks.

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