BAVARIA DURING THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR THE BATTLE OF RAIN, 1632

The Swedish entry into the Thirty Years' War began in June 1630 when an army of 18,000 men under King Gustavus Adolphus came ashore in the Duchy of Pomerania. Victory at Breitenfeld in September 1631, where he was supported by Saxon and Brandenburg troops, left him in control of large parts of Northern Germany. In the aftermath, a Saxon army led by Elector John George invaded Bohemia while Gustavus prepared to attack Austria.

By Ian Beal

In February 1632, the Saxons attacked the Bavarian town of Bamberg with an army of German recruits. The Imperialists marched with 22,000 men under Tilly and recaptured the town in March. The force was too weak to exploit this situation, however, and retreated to Ingolstadt, which controlled a major bridge over the Danube River. This Imperialist success led Adolphus to abandon plans to invade Austria and instead moved into Bavaria in an attempt to bolster the morale of his German allies. Troops from Saxe-Weimar joined his army, totalling 37,000 men and 72 guns. At the end of March, the Swedes entered Nuremberg and were nearing the defensive line established by the Imperialists along the Lech River. The main Imperial army had entrenched and fortified the town of Rain, leaving a small…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 130

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