Evening star., 1940-05-13
Sweden's 5 Armies Once
invaded Germany
New Book Tells Story
Of Gustovus AdoIphus,
Called The Great

X
Called The Great
GUSTAV ADOLF THE GREAT. BY Nils
Ahnlund. Translated from the Swed.
ish by Michael Roberts, Princeton,
N j.: Princeton University Press.
The world is still wondering-al-
though the question Is not 30 important
as 1t was few weeks ago-about the
fate Of Sweden as the Germans, masters
OF Norway, enyision 1t. A number Of
former Swedish kings must be revolving
In their graves at the prospect OF action
by German troops on Swedish soil, and
the swiftest revolver OF them all must
be Gustavus Adolphus. Gustavus waged
war on German soil 310 years ago, and
he was one Of the greatest Of all the kings
Of Sweden.
Gustavus marched 10000 troops across
Germany as far south as Munich. 1t
was military expedition which crowned
life Of war. When he mounted the
throne at II, Sweden was at war with
Denmark. Two years later it went to
war with Russia. Then Gustavus fought
Poland. He extended his country's bord-
ers, unified Its interests, solidi1ed its
Professionalism and left as nation what
had been little more than a group Of
provinces. He was only SO when he died
in Germany at the battle Of Lutzen.
when his majesty FELL" q notice Of
the day 1632) declared, "the sun lost
his splendor, and shone no more there
after by the space OF four weeks" From
his Far Northern land, remote from the
affairs of Europe, Gustavus went forth
and impressed himself on the history Of
all Europe. He fought Germany on the
side of the Protestant princes against
the Holy Roman Empires armies, In
that desolating. debilitating conflict
known as the Thirty Years War, from
which Germany did not recover for
more than century.
DR.. Ahnlund, Swedish historian, de-
votes most of his work to consideration
OF Gustayus from the viewpoint of one
interested in his effect on Sweden. But
he gives much space to Gustavus' op-
erations in Germany, not alone to what
he did there, but why he did it. The
problem is obscured by surface incon-
sistency, with Gustavus fighting for
Protestantism and allying himself with
Catholic France. Those were days of
bitter religious difference, but they were
the days, too, of practical diplomacy.
Gustavus brought his troops into Ger
many through Pomerania, on the Baltic,
Swedish possession. He marched them
through Brandenburg, whose elector was
MS brother-in-law, and southwark to
Breltenfeld, where he met the mighty
armies OF Wallenstein, the Emperor's
general, in September, 1881. So COM
plete was Wallenstein's defeat, DR..
Ahnlund says, that 1t set barrier
against rehabilitation which held for
ever afterwards" in Northern Germany.
Henceforth, Gustavus was greeted as
"The Lion of the North" He moved his
troops to Frankfort and Munich in the
deep south Of Germany, trying in vain
to draw Wallenstein once more into bat
tie, then northward again to Ingolstadt
and Nurnberg and back toward his VIC
torious field Of Breitenfeld. His army
encamped outside the town of Lutzen.
and there, before the battle, he was
thinking, DR.. Ahnlund Is inclined to be-
lieve. Of his prospects Of establishing a
Holy Roman Empire Protestant in its
religious aspect and presided over by
Gustavus as emperor. It was q profit
less dream.
Ten days the battle of Lutzen ragged.
November to 16, 1882, and some time
before the tenth day the Swede was
killed. His army triumphed, but with
out its leader 1t obtained little strategic
good from the victory. This much ap-
pears certain" Dr. Ahnlund observes.
that Germany, disunited as she was in
politics and religion, suffered an ex-
ceedingly heavy loss by his removal.
But the work he had already achieved
IN his two years as champion Of
ProtestantiSm in distress had assured
his memory a permanent place in the
history Of the world"
It was 16' years before the treaty Of
Westphalia closed the Thirty Years
War. But Gustavus gained his chief
objective (aside from the political pro-
lection Of German Professionalism The
Emperor was denied a military foothold
on the Baltic from which to threaten
Sweden. A century later the Prussian
kings obtained that foothold and from
1T now Hitler, controlling the Baltic, is a
constant threat to Sweden.
BLAIR BOLLES.
Shakespeare Stamp
Su4TeSted