Talk:Bavarian campaign (1646–1647)

Suggestions

Nicely done, @Gvussy! If you want to improve the details and context of the campaign, I have the following suggestions:

• A brief hint on the preceding Swedish campaign into Westphalia in early 1646 - to enhance the overall context of Sweden & France trying to isolate the Austrian Habsburgs from their allies Cologne & Bavaria. Leopold Wilhelm was quite successful in recovering Bohemia from Swedish troops in late 1645/early 1646, with the help of Bavarian troops. As you mention, the Swedish army chose to unite their strength with Turenne's Armée d’Allemagne. Both were separated by the forces of Cologne and the Westphalian Kreis (the Kreisarmee under Count Holzappel). Sweden captured the fortified towns of Höxter, Paderborn and Marsberg, luring Leopold Wilhelm out of Bohemia to help Holzappel. However, he did not risk his army (partly fresh-recruited after the atrocious losses of Jankau 1645) in a direct attack on the Swedes until Turenne arrived (after some trouble in finding a Rhine crossing).
• The movements of the Imperial-Bavarian army: Leopold Wilhelm and the Bavarian commander Gottfried Huyn von Geleen (both commanded separate armies) did not retire into Bohemia. Leopold Wilhelm tried to entrench himself at the Main river but Sweden and France bypassed his defences. Then he was outmanoeuvred two times by his opponents. Both times, he exposed Bavaria by trying to cut off his enemies' supply lines (you briefly mention the second time after Augsburg but it also happened before at the Main).

If you have suitable sources on this, feel free to add what you think is relevant. I can also add something but that might take some time. Sources on the actual movements and concrete actions of this campaign are rather rare. Palastwache (talk) 21:17, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

Hello! I mostly followed what was said in von Essens book and Sundbergs book, as I generally don't have many other sources detailing the Thirty Years' War in general.

I had trouble finding more sources for this campaign, which is why I wasn't really able to go into much detail for the background.

But obviously, if I'm able to find a source that goes into more detail, I'll be sure to add it here when I have time.

Thank you! Gvssy (talk) 22:42, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

No worries. It's fantastic that you found those sources. This campaign is really underrepresented in modern literature because it happened while the negotiations in Westphalia had already begun and because it wasn't accompanied by major battles.

I've found a bit in German that I can add. Palastwache (talk) 18:24, 29 June 2024 (UTC)