On April 15, 1632, Swedish troops (40.000 men) under Gustavus Adolphus crossed the Lech river near the city Rain after a short but violent battle against Tilly's army (25.000 men) during the Thirty Years' War. Tilly was fatally wounded by a cannon ball during the crossing. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Siege of Plzeň or Battle of Pilsen was a siege of the fortified city of Plzeň in Bohemia carried out by the forces of the Bohemian Protestants led by Ernst von Mansfeld. ... The Battle of Záblatí, in some sources also battle of Sablat, occurred on 10 June 1619 during the Bohemian period of the Thirty Years War. ... The Battle of Věstonice, or Battle of Wisternitz, was fought on August 5, 1619 between a Bohemian force and an Austrian army under Dampierre. ... 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Combatants France Spain Commanders Duc dEnghien Francisco de Melo Count of Fuentes † Strength 16,000 infantry 6,000 cavalry 14 guns 15,000 infantry 5,000 cavalry 18 guns Casualties 2,000 dead 2,000 wounded[1] 8,000 dead or wounded 7,000 captured[2] The Battle of... The Battle of Freiburg, also called the Three Day Battle, took place on August 3, August 5 and August 9, 1644 as part of the Thirty Years War. ... The Battle of Jüterbog was fought in November of 1644 between Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire. ... The Battle of Jankov (or Jankau) was fought by the Swedish army some 50 km SSE of Prague on February 23, 1645 during the Thirty Years War. ... This article is about the second Battle of Nördlingen fought in 1645 in Germany as part of the Thirty Years War. ... The Battle of Zusmarshausen was fought on May 7, 1648 between the Holy Roman Empire and an alliance of France and Sweden. ... The Battle of Lens (August 20, 1648) was a French victory under Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé against the Spanish army under Archduke Leopold in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). ... The last action of the Thirty Years War. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... See also: 1632 (novel) Events February 22 - Galileos Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published July 23 - 300 colonists for New France depart Dieppe November 8 - Wladyslaw IV Waza elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after Zygmunt III Waza death November 16 - Battle of Lützen... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The river Lech, in the background the city of Landsberg The river Lech in Augsburg The Lech (Licus, Licca) is a river in Austria and Germany. ... Rain (also: Rain am Lech) is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany. ... Count Tilly on a portrait by van Dyck Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly (February, 1559 – April 30, 1632) was a general in Bavarian and later imperial service during the Thirty Years War, upon whom Ferdinand II depended (since Wallenstein was a threat). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The immediate result of the battle was that the grand-duchy of Bavaria lay open for occupation by the swedish army and that Gustavus Adolphus temporarily could threaten the Austrian heart-land.

The battle is however more interesting from a tactic point of view rather than from it's outcome, as the elaborate plan of Gustavus Adolphus to catch the entire imperial army by a complex combination, was prevented as Tilly got mortally wounded in the battle, resulting in a too early retreat by the imperial army. The swedish battle plan consisted of two major elements:

1. A strong feint attack by a part of the swedish infantry with support of heavy artillery fire against the strong front of Tillys fortified position behind the river Lech. The intended effect of this attack was to got the full attention of the imperial army and it's reserve. The swedish force succeeded to establish and fortify it's position on a small island or peninsula close at the imperial shore of the river and was thus able to repell a serie of fierce imperial counter-attacks

2. As the imperial army got tied up in desperate attempts to regain the swedish bridgehead, the swedish cavallery with no opposition or attention from their enemy was able to cross the river 10 km south of the imperial left wing. From this position they intended to circonvent the entire imperial army and thus catch it in a hopeless position with the river and the swedish infantry at the front and the strong swedish cavallery in the back and at the sides.

As Tilly got mortally wounded the discipline of the imperial army hastely dissolved and the army withdraw before the swedish cavallery arrived. Possibly the death of the old commander became the salvation of his army from a complete defeat. Nonetheless both armies suffered considerable losses (3.000 on the imperial side, 2.000 on the swedish side) mostly due to the hard frontal attacks and counter-attacks against fortified positions with strong natural defense qualities. Tilly can refer to: Charles Tilly, sociologist Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly Jennifer Tilly, actress Meg Tilly, actress, dancer, and author Tilly Foster Mine, in New York State. ...

The battle of Lech proves more than the Battle of Breitenfeld the innovation of Gustavus Adolphus' tactic imagination. His daring front-attack in combination with the deployment of a big part of his army for the flank movement has simularities with the tactics of the Duke of Marlborough at the battlefield of Blenheim (situated in the very neighborhood of Rain) or of Frederick the Great at Leuthen. The disciple of Gustavus Adolphus, Johan Banér, also employed a simular battle plan four years later in the battle of Wittstock. There were two Battles of Breitenfeld, Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) Battle of Breitenfeld (1642) both occurred by Breitenfeld, Germany during the Thirty Years War, between the Swedish Army and the Holy Roman Empire. ... The coat of arms of the Dukes of Marlborough The Dukedom of Marlborough (named after Marlborough, pronounced Maulbruh - in the IPA), is an hereditary title of British nobility in the Peerage of England. ... Blenheim may refer to a number of towns and cities in different countries: Blenheim, a city in New Zealand. ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... Leuthen is a village in the W. of WrocÅ‚aw, in Silesia, where Frederick the Great defeated the Austrians with great loss in 1757. ... Gustav II Adolph Gustav II Adolph (December 9, 1594 - November 6, 1632) (also known as Gustav Adolph the Great, under the Latin name Gustavus Adolphus or the Swedish form Gustav II Adolf) was a King of Sweden. ... Johan Banér (June 23, 1596 - May 10, 1641) was a Swedish soldier in the Thirty Years War. ... The Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, with his Saxon and Catholic allies, was contesting Northern Germany with the Protestant princes, championed by the Swedes. ...

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