Battle of Jüterbog

The Battle of Jiiterbog took place during the Swedish occupation of Jutland on November 23, 1644. The Swedes destroy the imperial cavalry and the infantry at Jiiterbog at Frohse.

A Swedish army under Lennart Torstensson went in winter 1643 as part of the Torstenssonkriegs of Moravia towards Denmark. On December 6, they reach Havel mountain and on 11 December they crossed the border at Holstein Trittau. The attack surprised the Danish King Christian IV, and so no resistance could be organized. So could the Swedish army into winter quarters in Holstein and Jutland. The arbitrary actions of the Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna frightened France, which stopped its aid money for Sweden in order to avoid a too powerful Sweden. The German Kaiser wanted to take the opportunity to support the Danish military. He sent his generals Matthias Gallas with an army that reached in the spring of 1644 Kiel, in Holstein district took and plundered the country. A country that has already been ravaged by the army Torstenssons. In Hamburg even a mockery coin was minted. The had the slogan on one side: What Gallas aligned in Holstein, which is found on the other side, and the other side was empty.

Torstensson marched with his army through an unoccupied pass between Schleswig and Stapelholm and forced the imperial the same up until to Saxony. In Bernburg Gallas build a warehouse, trying to avoid another retreat.

Torstensson therefore tried the army the supplies from Bohemia and Saxony cut off by walking over the Saale. And soon the army Galles went out in the act of provisions. He shared his army into infantry and cavalry. The infantry should move to Magdeburg, but do put the cavalry over the river Elbe and retire on the Lausitz to Silesia. Torstensson would pursue and imperial units stood on the Birkheide at Jiiterbog to fight. They could initially repel some attacks on the center, but when the Swedes were able to take the cavalry in the pliers pulled one back. 3500 Imperial should be like.

After the victory, Torstensson turned to the infantry, he could ask for Frohse before Magdeburg on 23 December. He suggested there devastating, the Gallas was able to collect only from 1000 to 2000 men. After the threat of the imperial no longer exists Torstensson told his army. He himself went with 16,000 men to Bohemia, General Axel Lilienstern occupied Electorate and the General Königsmarck the Bremen area.