Got a Real-World Weapon or Armor Question? Mk. VI

[fusilier]

Yes you are right, what we discuss here is physical size and weight, not necessarily caliber; I should have pointed that out.

Yeah, by overall weight I would suspect you are right. There were even smaller cannons used at the time (all the way down to a robinet), but I don't know if they were used by the Swedish army.

I think that the difference is that the Swedish army shifted it's entire artillery strategy, at once, while the Dutch added them as "special weapons". I am not very knowledgeable about the Dutch armed forces of the time though.


In the history books I have read, the defeat is not overlooked. It is possible in older works (that tend to sometimes be more into "glorifying" things). A "tactical arms race" had certainly started (as with all major long wars, no matter if it is WWI, WWII, the Napoleon wars or the 30 year or the 100 year war), of course.
One problem on the Imperial side was that Wallenstein and Tilly did not like each other and Wallenstein in particular fought as much for position as the Emperor's favorite general as for victories on the battlefield itself, while Gustaf ruled more or less supreme on the other side.

Yes. It is important to realize that tactics had been evolving. What I see Gustaf as doing is more of a continuation of the evolution of the tactics, than a revolution in tactics. That's not to diminish either his contribution or his brilliance as a general, but his reforms can't be looked at in a vacuum.

Anyway, the problem was that he died on a scouting mission, far from the main body of the troops (at least relatively speaking) and that meant that whatever decisions he was going to make when coming back to the main force never happened. Plus the whole "OMG the King is DEAD" part. It was certainly a very deep psychological wound, especially since he was rumored to be immortal.

Yes and no. The rumors that he had died (and there were attempts to keep it secret) certainly had an effect on morale, but the center had already run into trouble. The protestants did rally, and eventually won the battle, which I think is a testament to Gustaf's reforms. His units and subcommanders were able to keep themselves organized. His tactics didn't last much longer, but I think that had just as much to do with the fact that tactics continued to evolve as his untimely death.