My Tin Soldier Collection - TYW Swedes & Allies

Swedish Foot

2008-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Swedish infantry often wore long coats, smocks or cassocks. The basic cut was a peasant coat that reached from to just beyond the waist or almost to the knee. The hat was often gray felt. Buff coats, when worn, were sleeveless as were most buff coats of this period. Armor was blackened. Militia and pre-1626 coats were tended to be tawny orange and or light gray with a white trim. Native Swedish troops tended to wear blue but there are also references to red and yellow coats. The Swedes were one of the first to try to match the pants to the coat color. As a field sign, many Swedes wore a yellow hatband with a blue edging on the band. They also used temporary field signs of bundled straw or sprigs of green foliage. In addition, officers often wore blue, yellow, or green sashes to identify Swedish and Allied troops. There are many references to the Red, Green or Blue regiments, which were in the early war years, references to the color of the flag and not to the uniform of the regiment. Only later did the jacket color begin to match the color of the flag.

Unit History – The Hovid or Yellow IR
The regiment is based on the German Yellow Regiment which was raised in 1624 and spent most of its early service with the Swedes. It was first commanded by Frans Bernhard v. Thurn in 1625. Later in 1627 command passed to Teuffel, an ex-Imperial colonel who was a close advisor to Gustavus Adolphus. The regiment was part of the Pomeranian campaign (September 1630 to January 1631) and Gustavus’s 2nd invasion of Mecklenburg. The regiment later fought at Werben (August 1631) and Breitenfeld (September 1631). At Breitenfeld, Teuffel was killed by a stray shot while checking a firefight between the Imperial Alt-Tilly Brigade and the Swedish Blue Brigade.
Commanded by Nils Brahe after Breitenfeld, the regiment then saw action at Lech (April 1632) and Lutzen (November 1632) where it took heavy casualties including Brahe who was shot above the knee. The wound festered and Brahe died fourteen days after the battle. He was considered by Gustavus Adolphus as one of the best generals that the Swedes had. With Brahe’s death in 1633, command of the regiment went to Lars Kagge. As part of Kagge’s Brigade, it fought in the center at the battle of at Hessich-Oldendorf (July 1633).
At Nordlingen (September 1634), the regiment was commanded by Lt-Col. Schonbeck. In 1634 after the Frankfurt muster, the Yellow regiment was disbanded and reformed as the Schonbeck regiment. This regiment transferred in 1635 to French service. At this point the regiment no longer retained any semblance to the unit it once had been.

Comments
The attached colours are speculative but incorporate patterns of the flags used by the Yellow Regiment. The flags shown are attributed to the regiment and are based on a series of watercolours of the flags of troops passing through, or stationed in, Augsburg in the period between 1632 and 1635. These flags are yellow but could just as easily be red, blue or green depending on the regiment. The figures are primarily Foundry ECW and TYW. I have two units only because of the uniform – a yellow coat is a rare thing in a war game army.

Flags of the Yellow IR

Sources
Text: Uniforms of the Thirty Years War by Bill Boyle in Time Portal Passage Summer 2000
Osprey’s The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (1) Infantry (Men-at-Arms 235)Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002.

Scottish Volunteers

2008-03-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

There were many Scots who went to serve the Swedes and others during the war. Scottish troops did not wear tartan. They wore ‘hodden gray’ as did the English and the Irish and a blue bonnet. The color, ‘hodden gray’, could be anything from gray to red brown or dark green. Most Scots serving Sweden were quickly given uniforms, although ‘redshanks’ volunteers hoping to join sometimes followed the army in more traditional clothing. All of the Scottish regiments of Denmark and Sweden were financed by English, Dutch and French subsidies. In terms of service, the Scots usually served the Protestant while the Irish served the Catholic. English volunteers served in both. The Scots had entire regiments in Danish, Swedish and French armies. The English and Irish had regiments in the Army of Flanders. English troops serving in the Palatine under Mansfield, or the Duke of Hamilton are mentioned as wearing blue coats, and gray stockings. Occasionally, the Scots in Germany carried a flag with the cross of St. Andrew. However, as the Scots were under contract, a more typical flag carried would have had the cross of St. Andrew in the canton.

A group of ‘redshanks’ looking for the nearest recruiting agent

Unit History – Leslie IR
The regiment, Leslie, is based on one of the many Scottish regiments serving the Swedes. It was raised in 1626 for Danish service and transferred to Swedish service when the Danes withdrew from the war. Commanded by R. (‘Young’) Leslie, it served under Knyphausen at the siege of Wolgast in 1630. Fought under Kagge at Hoxter (March 1632) and later, at Lutzen (November 1632), the unit was part of the Green Brigade.
In 1633, the regiment was in Duke Bernhard Sachsen-Weimar Corp’s. A detachment fought at Pfaffenhofen (August 1633) under Horn.
After being engaged at Nordlingen (September 1634), the regiment was disbanded and reformed along with other Scottish regiments into a new regiment - Green Infantry regiment. This new regiment then saw action as part of the Weimarian Army of 1635-39. Fought at Wittstock (October 1636) in the center under Leslie and Karr. Was part of the force under Baner that broke out of Stettin in 1638.

Unit History – Spens IR
The regiment, Spens, was raised in 1624 for Swedish service in Poland. A detachment joined the Swedish forces in their June 1630 invasion. Commanded by Lt. Col. Lumsden, the regiment was part of the Pomeranian campaign (September 1630 to January 1631) and Gustavus’s muster against Frankfort-an-der-Oder. Later the regiment fought at Werben (August 1631), Breitenfeld (September 1631), Lech (April 1632) and Alte Veste (September 1632).
After Lutzen, the regiment fought at Pfaffenhofen (August 1633) and Nordlingen (September 1634) under Horn. With the defeat at Nordlingen, the regiment was disbanded and reformed along with other Scottish regiments into a new regiment - Green Infantry regiment. This new regiment then saw action as part of the Weimarian Army of 1635-39.

Flag for Leslie IR, Henderson IR

Comments
The particular flag shown below is based on a description found in Osprey’s book on Swedish infantry as well as the book on ECW Scots. Using the canton with the St. Andrew cross seems to have been common for Scots troops fighting in the TYW. Another common flag was just the St. Andrews cross. One reference has Mackay’s regiment flying the St. Andrew cross at the battles of Breitenfeld and Alte Veste. The other flags would have been blue and white variations of horizontal stripes.
The figures themselves are Foundry ECW Scots. Both units have performed very well on the battlefield and are, bar the Swedes, my favourite troops.

Sources
Flags: Osprey’s The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (1) Infantry (Men-at-Arms 235)
Building a Wargames Army for the Thirty Years War by Mark Allen in Wargames Illustrated #101
Text: Uniforms of the Thirty Years War by Bill Boyle in Time Portal Passage Summer 2000
Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002

Germans in Swedish Service

2008-03-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Many of the Swedish units in the Swedish army were actually Germans and Scots serving the Swedish crown. The levels of Germans and Scots recruits increased steadily throughout the war as the Swedish conscripts either died or deserted. The conscripted Swedish recruit had a poor chance of returning to Sweden. In a study by J. Lindegren, of the 230 men conscripted from the parish of Bygdea, only 15 ever returned alive to the parish. In German, there still exists the expression ‘Alte Schwede!’ (Old Swede) and it is used to express surprise around something unusual.

Unit History – Green IR
The Green regiment was the most junior regiment of the four original Swedish color regiments. It was originally raised from Prussians as part of the feudal obligations of the Duke of Brandenburg to the Polish crown. In 1627, when the regiment was marching to join the Poles, it was intercepted by the Swedes. In Isreal Hoppe’s chronicle of the Prussian campaign the following is said to have occurred:
‘Count von Thurn shouted out: “Friends or Enemies?”. To which the infantry replied: “Friends!”. The count continued: “Then shoulder your muskets!”. When this was done, he rode up and said: “Are you the King of Sweden’s men?”. “Ja, Ja!” they answered’.
Gustavus Adolophus incorporated this regiment into his army, but send the officers back to the Duke of Brandenburg with the comment that he ‘take more care of his men in the future’.
The regiment was first commanded in 1627 by Hans Kasper v. Klitzing. In 1629 command was assumed by John Hepburn. With the command of the regiment by a Scot, it has often been assumed that the entire regiment was Scottish but muster rolls show that it was primarily Prussian.
Under Hepburn, the regiment was part of the Pomeranian campaign (September 1630 to January 1631) and Gustavus’s muster against Frankfort-an-der-Oder. Later the regiment fought at Werben (August 1631), Breitenfeld (September 1631), and Lech (April 1632).
After the battle of Lech, command was given to Adam v. Pfuel. Under his command, the regiment fought at Alte Veste (September 1632) and joined Horn’s corps after the Swedish defeat at Lutzen. In Horn’s corps, the regiment fought at Pfaffenhofen (August 1633) and Nordlingen (September 1634). At Nordlingen, the regiment was brigaded with Baner, Vitzthum and Birkenfeld regiments into Pfuhl’s brigade. After the battle, the regiment was combined with the Baner regiment and went north as part of Baner’s corps. The regiment disbanded in 1635.

Flag for the Green IR, Old Blue IR, Orange IR

Comments
The figures are primarily Perry Miniatures and include a couple of Foundry ECW and TYW which are mixed in. The flag could also be blue, red, orange, white, or brown to reflect the other colour regiments in Swedish service. The regiment were known by the colour of their flag, not the colour of their coat. This has been misinterpreted in many texts. I painted the regiment in full blue coat and trousers because there is no reference of green coats while there is of blue cloth being issued. Both trousers and coat are in blue as the Swedes tended to make both at the same time from the cloth issued.
The unit could also be used as Prince Rupert's Royalist regiment. This ECW regiment came under the command of Prince Rupert in 1643 and he designed the flag shown for the unit. The unit was very well known and fought with distinction in most major battles. The regiment was eventually destroyed fighting a rearguard action at Naseby in 1645. Elements briefly held Bristol after the battle.

Sources
Text: Osprey’s The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (1) Infantry (Men-at-Arms 235)
Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002.

German Allies

2008-03-03T04:19:00.000-08:00

Many of the Protestant troops in the Swedish army were actually troops loaned from the various German States to the Swedes. Both Hessians and Saxons made up large portions of the loaned troops. In terms of a general uniform, the Protestants favored a blue coat but wore many variations. Saxon foot wore combinations such as blue coats with red trim, red and white, yellow and black, green and white, and red with yellow. The Hessian foot favored the dark blue coats with red stockings and possibly red or silver cuffs. Red or gray coats with gray pants were also worn by the Hessian troops. Most of the German regiments were raised by their colonel or a local prince and lent to the Protestant cause. The flags of these German troops varied widely. Some were similar to the Swedish and used simple geometric designs.

Unit History - Thurn
The Thurn regiment is based on one of the many German regiments serving the Swedes. The regiment was also one of four units alternatively known as the Black regiment because of its flag. The Thurn regiment was often reported as wearing blue coats. Raised for Danish service in 1624 in Northern Germany in the area around Emden, the regiment joined the Swedes in 1629 and was under the command of Claus Dietrich ‘Sperreuter’. Later in 1630 command was assumed by H. Jr. V. Thurn; after which, the unit saw action in the Pomeranian campaign (September 1630 to January 1631). Later in action at Werben (August 1631), Breitenfeld (September 1631), Bamberg (March 1632) where it counterattacked the Imperial advance but was later withdrawn, Lech (April 1632), and Alte Veste (September 1632).
At Lutzen (November 1632) the regiment was placed in reserve and helped lead Bernhard’s final assaults in the late evening after Gustavus Adolphus’s death.
In 1633, the regiment was part of Duke Bernhard Sachsen-Weimar Corp’s which supported Horn. After being virtually destroyed at Nordlingen (September 1634), the shattered regiment was reformed in 1634 along with Limbach, Tiesenhausen, King and Cratz Infantry Regiments into a new regiment under the command of Thurn. This new regiment then saw action as part of the Weimarian Army of 1635-39.

Flag for the Black IR, Mitzlaff IR, Haard IR

Comments
The figures are primarily Perry Miniatures and include a few Foundry ECW and TYW which are mixed in. I purposely have painted only a blue coat with a variety of trousers to reflect the more diverse nature of the troops who were reformed often and would have been more irregularly issued cloth for uniforms. The Black flags are purely speculative and are based on a similar pattern as those of the Yellow regiment.

Unit History - Ruthven
The Ruthven regiment is another one of the many German regiments serving the Swedes. The commander, Patrick Ruthven, was a Scottish soldier of high standing with Gustavus Adolphus. A mercenary, Ruthven, first commanded the Smaland regiment. He later served the Royalists in the English Civil War and was made Earl of Forth and Brentford by Charles I.
The regiment itself first is mentioned in 1631 as part of Christian’s army. In October 1631, the size was roughly 16 companies. As part of the Swedish forces it saw action at Alte Veste (September 1632).
The regiment was not at Lutzen (November 1632) but, in 1633, the regiment was part of Duke Bernhard Sachsen-Weimar Corp’s which supported Horn. After being virtually destroyed at Nordlingen (September 1634), the shattered regiment was attached to Baner’s corps. It fought at Wittstock (October 1636) where it helped defeat the Saxons and Imperialist forces. After the battle, the regiment joined Torstensson’s corps.

Comments
The unit is one that can double either as a Protestant unit when I use the ensign from Ruthven or as an Imperial unit under a completely different flag. This is one of the nice things of the period in that the troops looked very similar as there was barely a uniform for a unit.

This unit can quickly be converted to the Green London Trained Band. The infantry of the trained bands was equipped and organized just like the volunteer infantry; however, the only exception was their clothing, which was never standardized (ie with regimental coat colors). Instead all trained band troops wore clothing of their own choosing. The color reference was driven by the color of their flag which shows the Major's standard which had a wavey pile.

Sources
Text: Uniforms of the Thirty Years War by Bill Boyle in Time Portal Passage Summer 2000
Building a Thirty Years War Army by Mark Allen in Wargames Illustrated Issue 101
Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002.

Cavalry

2008-02-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

Like the Imperial cavalry, there were four main branches of cavalry: cuirassier, harquebusier, dragoon and Finnish.
The cuirassiers were usually German Reiters equipped in 3/4 armor but the troop type was very infrequent due to the cost of the armor.
More common was the harquebusier. The Swedish harquebusier often wore blackened breast plates front and back. The coats tended to be either blue or red in color. Buff coats were not as common as the elkhide used in the coat was exported for the necessary cash to fuel the Swedish war machine. The native Swedish cavalry was reliable but the German cavalry was very mixed in quality from hardened veterans to hastily recruited units that had yet to be issued standards. The German cavalry was distinctively inferior to the Imperial. As a result, Gustavus Adolphus stengthened the cavalry by attaching commanded shot to the squadrons.
Dragoons were mounted infantry only rarely remaining mounted in a battle.
The Finnish cavalry, like their Croatian counterpart, were useful in skirmishing and harrassing the enemy.

Courville Cuirassiers
Formed in 1628, the unit was first commanded by Hünecken. In 1631 command transferred to Nicolas de Courville. Fought at Werben (August 1631), Lech (April 1632) and Lutzen (November 1632) where the unit was in the first line on the left wing which was commanded by Duke Bernhard of Sachsen-Weimar.
At Nordlingen (September 1634), the unit was part of the left wing under Bernhard. After Nordlingen, the regiment was disbanded along with the Anhalt Horse and reformed into the regiment Bodendorf. This reformed regiment transferred to French pay in 1635.

Anhalt Horse
This Saxon Regiment was raised in 1632 and commanded by Prince Ernst von Anhalt-Bernburg. At Lutzen (November 1632), the unit fought alongside the Löwenstein Horse.
At Nordlingen (September 1634), the unit was part of the left wing under Bernhard. After Nordlingen, the regiment was disbanded along with the Courville Cuirassiers and reformed into the regiment Bodendorf. This reformed regiment transferred to French pay in 1635.

Ostgota (East Gothland) Horse
The regiment was raised in 1623. It was shipped to Germany in July 1630. The regiment was commanded by Claus Dieter Sperreuter to late 1631 and by Lennart Nilsson Baat until his death at Lutzen (November 1632). The unit carried a red standard.
The unit was part of the Pomeranian campaign (September 1630 to January 1631) and was present at the battles of Breitenfeld (September 1631) and Lech (April 1632). At Lutzen (November 1632), the unit was in the first line on the right flank along side the Smaland Horse. Later joined Duke Georg von Braunschweig-Luneburg and was on the right wing at the battle of at Hessich-Oldendorf (July 1633). In 1634, the regiment was commanded by Axelson and was part of Baner’s army. It remained with Baner and participated in the breakout from Stettin in 1638.
Fought in as part of Torstensson’s corps at Schweidnitz (May 1642) and later the unit was part of the standing Swedish army which supported Wrangel in his 1648 advance into Bavaria.

Smaland Horse
The regiment was raised in 1623. It was shipped to Germany in July 1630. The regiment was commanded by Count Per Brahe from 1630 to 1631 and by Fredrik Stenbock from July 1631. The unit carried a blue standard until 1635 when it switched to a yellow standard.
First participated in the Pomeranian campaign (September 1630 to January 1631) and later at the battles of Breitenfeld (September 1631) and Lech (Apirl 1632). Commanded by Stenbock at the battle of Lutzen (November 1632), the unit was in the first line on the right flank. During the battle, Stenbock was shot in the foot and Gustavus Adolphus assumed command of the regiment. Charging into the fog, the King was separated from the troopers and killed by a detachment of Piccolomini’s Arkebusiers.
Later joined Duke Georg von Braunschweig-Luneburg and was on the right wing at the battle of at Hessich-Oldendorf (July 1633).
At Wittstock (October 1636), the unit was part of Baner’s corps but seems to have missed the battle as it is not part of the Order of Battle. It then fought in as part of Torstensson’s corps at Schweidnitz (May 1642) and later the unit was part of the standing Swedish army which supported Wrangel in his 1648 advance into Bavaria.

Uslar Horse
Originally formed in 1630, the unit was first commanded by Sigfrid v. Damitz. In 1631 command went to Fr. Moritz v. Uslar. In late 1632 the unit was transferred to Markgraf von Baden and then to Wendt von Cratzenstein.
This Hessen-Kassel unit was also known as Landgraf Wilhelms Liebgarde. The unit was part of the Pomerania campaign (September 1630 to January 1631). At Lutzen (November 1632), the unit was in the second line on the right and guarded the Swedish camp.
The regiment was disbanded in 1633.

Henderson Dragoons
Formed in 1631, this Scottish unit was raised by Henderson for the Duke Wilhelm of Weimar. The unit was on foot in the front line reserve in the center at Lutzen (November 1632) as the Dragoons had no horses at this time. See Forlorn Hopes for a better idea of how the unit performed at Lutzen.

Kagge Dragoons
Originally raised in 1630, the unit was commanded by Lar Kagge. It was disbanded in 1635 after the defeat at Nordlingen.
At Hessich-Oldendorf (July 1633), the unit was on the right wing which was commanded by Duke Georg von Braunschweig-Luneburg.

Comments
The attached cavalry colours are speculative and are based on the coat of arms of the respective region or commander. The names stem from Protestant units at the battle of Lutzen.

Isenburg Horse, Löwenstein Horse

Sources
Flag images: http://www.ngw.nl/indexgb.htm
Text: Osprey’s The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (2) Cavalry (Men-at-Arms 262)
Uniforms of the Thirty Years War by Bill Boyle in Time Portal Passage Summer 2000
Osprey’s Lützen 1632 (Campaign 68)
Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002.

Forlorn Hopes

2008-02-26T03:41:00.000-08:00

Description
Being in a forlorn hope was a dangerous enterprise as the name implies. They were created by amalgamating musketeers from various infantry units or using dismounted dragoons. The formation was more mobile than the traditional pike and shot but very vulnerable to horse.
The formation was used in a number of the early battles. At Wimpfen (May 1622), the Margrave of Baden detached his extra musketeers to fight as a forlorn hope. At Hoechst (June 1622), Tilly employed three forlorn hopes to screen his advancing tercios when these tercios advanced across the Sulzbach creek.
The Sulzbach creek, which is a prominent feature of the battle of Hoechst, is a stream that flows pretty close to the office where I work. Unfortunately most of the area has been developed in the last fifty years. The stream itself is only really active after snow melts and heavy rain showers. In the summer it is a trickle but has over the years carved out a small valley. It is on the west ridge that the Protestants placed their forces. The Imperial tercios advanced up the eight foot (3m) embankment to attack two redoubts near Sossenheim.
At Alte Veste (September 1632) the Swedes advancing against the earthworks found the woods too difficult for their pike and sent the musketeers forward as a forlorn hope. At Lutzen it could be argued that Henderson Dragoons acted as a forlorn hope in that they were on foot in the second line.

Protestant Forlorn Hope including a couple of Halberdiers identified by their blue sashes

Comments
The figures are primarily Foundry ECW and TYW. Since most were painted around the Christmas season, I thought a little red and white would be appropriate colors. Never have lasted long on the battlefield – cannon fodder perhaps?

Source
Text: Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002.

Artillery

2008-02-26T03:29:00.000-08:00

Mortars

Description
Artillery was a dangerous enterprise left often in the hands of civilian levies combined with hired experts. There was never a general uniform for the artillery units.

Scottish troops with frame guns

Comments
The variety of guns reflects the wide variety of pieces available. The logistics around the artillery was cumbersome and one of the many reasons that guns were often abandoned when one side lost the battle. The figures are Foundry ECW and TYW. The guns are mainly Old Glory.

Demi-culverins and crew

Sources
Text: Uniforms of the Thirty Years War by Bill Boyle in Time Portal Passage Summer 2000
Battles of the Thirty Years War From White Mountain to Nordlingen, William P. Guthrie, Greenwood Press, 2002.