# Battle of Wittenweiher

vteThirty Years' War :
Bohemian Revolt (1618–1620)
Pilsen
Lomnice
Sablat
Wisternitz
Bautzen
White Mountain
Neu Titschein
Palatinate campaign (1620–1623)
Bad Kreuznach
Oppenheim
Bacharach
Jülich
Mingolsheim
Wimpfen
Höchst
Bergen op Zoom
Heidelberg
Fleurus
Mannheim
Frankenthal
Stadtlohn
Transylvanian invasions of Hungary (1619–1621, 1623–1624, 1626)
Humenné
Érsekújvár
Tyrnau [de]
Hodonín
Vlach uprisings
Danish intervention (1625–1629)
Breda
Dessau Bridge
Oldenzaal
Lutter am Barenberge
Groenlo
Stralsund
Wolgast
's-Hertogenbosch
Swedish intervention (1630–1635)
Swedish landing
Frankfurt
Magdeburg
Werben
1st Breitenfeld
Bamberg
Rain
Maastricht
Nuremberg
Wiesloch
Alte Veste
Fürth
Lützen
Oldendorf
Pfaffenhofen
Steinau
Konstanz
1st Breisach
1st Rheinfelden
Liegnitz [de]
1st Nördlingen
Strasbourg Bridge
Swedish-French Period (1635–1648)
Les Avins
Leuven
Schenkenschans
Ray-sur-Saône
Dömitz [de]
Haselünne [de]
Raon
Tornavento
2nd Magdeburg
Somme
Wittstock
2nd Breda
Venlo
Leipzig
Hanau
2nd Rheinfelden
Saint Omer
Fuenterrabía
Kallo
Wittenweiher
Thann [de]
Vlotho
2nd Breisach
1st Freiberg
Chemnitz
Melnik
Thionville
Salses
Cambrils
Montjuïc
Preßnitz
Plauen
La Marfée
Dorsten
Wolfenbüttel
Kempen
Honnecourt
Schweidnitz
2nd Breitenfeld
2nd Freiberg
Rocroi
1st Brno
Tuttlingen
Kolding
Freiburg
Philippsburg
Jüterbog
Bysjön
Jankau
2nd Brno
Mergentheim
2nd Nördlingen
3rd Hulst
Korneuburg [de]
Totenhöhe [de]
Hohentübingen [de]
Mardyck
Dunkirk
Triebl
Naples
Zusmarshausen
Wevelinghoven
Lens
Dachau [de]
Prague
Naval battles
Gibraltar
Genoa
The Slaak
1st Saint Martin
Lizard Point
Dunkirk
Channel
The Downs
Cape St. Vincent
2nd Saint Martin
Lister Dyb
Colberger Heide
Fehmarn :
$_{Treaties}$ :
The Battle of Wittenweiher took place on August 9, 1638 near the village of Wittenweiher today: Wittenweier, a district of Schwanau, Baden-Württemberg, which was completely destroyed in the course of the battle.

## History

The Swedish-German army of general Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, which was financed by France, had established itself in the southwest of the empire on the Upper Rhine after the Battle of Rheinfelden won in the spring. Since May 19th, this army had besieged the imperial fortress Breisach and was supported by French troops, commanded by the later Marshal Turenne.
The besieged Breisach Fortress suffered from a severe lack of food soon after the siege began and attempts to provide relief and supplies to the fortress were therefore urgently needed. The first attempt by an Imperial Bavarian army came three months after the siege began under the leadership of the generals Federigo Savelli and Johann von Götzen.

## Lineup

The Imperial Bavarian Army had set out from Offenburg, had a strength of around 18,500 men and accompanied a supply train with many provision wagons for the Breisach Fortress. The approach of this army did not go unnoticed by Bernhard of Saxony Weimar and he moved with part of his siege troops - a total of 13,000 so-called Weimarians - from their quarters near Langendezlingen to meet the advancing enemy. But their opponent had also learned of the Weimarians' departure, stopped the advance and initially entrenched themselves in a solid position near Friesenheim in order to repel the expected attack. However, the Weimarians did not allow themselves to be tempted to risk the risky attack and withdrew to Mahlberg, expecting that the supply convoy was destined for the Breisach Fortress and therefore had to leave soon in any case. to achieve his goal.
In fact, the supply train set off again towards Breisach and began to take up a new battle formation near the village of Wittenweiher. The right wing of the imperial troops under Götzen was near Wittenweier and the left wing under Savelli was oriented towards Kappel.
Bernhard's troops had also marched quickly from Mahlberg, first had to pass through a forest and a bridge to get to the center of the battle formation and then positioned themselves on the edge of the forest. While Reinhold von Rosen commanded the right wing, the reserve was under the command of Colonel Kanoffski (also: Chanowsky). The left wing was led by Georg Christoph von Taupadel, the reserve by Count Wilhelm Otto von Nassau-Siegen.

## Course of battle

At first the artillery opened the battle, but soon imperial cuirassiers and other cavalry on the left wing under Götzen stormed against Taupadel's troops and drove the Weimaraner so far back that the reserves had to intervene . With their reinforcements, the imperial cavalry was thrown far back and began to flee. At the same time, Rosen and Nassau also attacked the Bavarian and imperial cavalry on the right wing and pushed them back to the infantry, who then fled.
Duke Bernhard now sent trumpeters and drummers into the forest to simulate an attack from a distant side. The Imperials fell for the trick and moved troops to the site of the expected attack. Weimaran troops were now able to advance in the center and a bloody battle with naked arms broke out. Savelli was shot in the back and had to be taken away wounded. In the course of the fighting, the Imperial forces captured the Weimaran artillery, which, however, no longer had any ammunition. At the same time, the Weimaraners also managed to capture the imperial guns, whose crews fled or were killed. These cannons were turned around and used very effectively against the Imperial Bavarian troops.
After five hours the Imperials gave up the battle, evacuated the field and fled towards Offenburg. 4,000 men led by Götzen secured the bridge for the retreat. When the Weimaraners pursued impetuously, Taupadel was taken prisoner and the Count of Nassau was wounded.
Bernhard's troops captured 12 guns, 60 flags and the entire baggage of the Imperial Bavarian troops, of which 1,500 men remained dead or wounded on the battlefield. 1,300 men were taken prisoner. On the Weimaraner side there were around 600 dead and 1,000 wounded.

## Follow

Since there was no reinforcement from Breisach, the situation of the fortress became more and more desperate. The rations now served the besiegers, who were also supplied with ammunition. On December 17, 1638, the most important imperial fortress in southwest Germany fell.
According to contemporary reports, the large ditch, which today marks the boundary between Nonnenweier and Wittenweier, is said to have turned blood-red as a result of the battle. That's why it is still called the Blood Ditch today. In August 2009, a memorial plaque was erected there to commemorate the battle.