Battle of Dirschau The Battle of Dirschau ( also known as Battle of Tczew ) took place in the summer of 1627 ( 7 – 8 August ) and was one of the battles of the Polish - Swedish War ( 1626 – 1629 ) . The Polish forces led by Crown Field Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski met with troops commanded by Swedish King Gustav II Adolf . Gustav II Adolf was wounded in the battle , which ended inconclusively . Fighting in Prussia ended in a stalemate for that year , and would not resume until 1628 . Background . In the summer of 1626 the Swedes invaded Pomerania and the Duchy of Prussia , taking Pillau ( Baltiysk , Piława ) . The fighting spread , marked by a number of Swedish successes that year against the forces of the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa . In October , the Polish forces in the region were reinforced by the army of Crown Field Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski , relocated from the south - eastern border of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . Koniecpolski was able to slow down the Swedes and retake some territory , notably Puck ( March ) , and defeated the Swedes at Czarne ( April ) . In May 1627 Swedish King Gustav II Adolf reinforced his units , attacking the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth in Pomerania . Polish forces , commanded by hetman Koniecpolski , numbered under 15 , 000 . In the summer of 1627 Koniecpolski decided to advance to the major port of the Pomerania , Danzig ( Gdańsk ) . Both Koniecpolski and Gustav II Adolf desired a major battle . Koniecpolski needed to reduce the Swedes ' strength , as their current numerical superiority made it difficult for his army to contain them ; Gustav II Adolf meanwhile heard rumors of possible reinforcements for Koniecpolski arriving , and wanted to defeat him before his numerical superiority withered . Opposing forces . The Polish army numbered 7 , 800 , including 2 , 500 hussars and reiter s , 2 , 000 Cossack light cavalry , 3 , 000 infantry ( including 2 , 000 German mercenaries ) , and 300 artillery personnel . The Swedes were 10 , 100 strong , including about 6 , 000 infantry and 4 , 000 cavalry . The Swedes had also a significant advantage in artillery . Gustav II Adolf arranged his cavalry into three groups : right wing under colonel count Thurn , middle commanded by himself , and left under field marshal Herman Wrangel . Battle . The field of battle consisted primarily of swamp of the Motława ( Mottlau ) , with two levee s passing through it . The Swedes were gathered south of Tczew ; Poles - north of it . Gustav II Adolf planned to provoke the Poles to charge through the levee , and break them with artillery and infantry fire . Before the main battle , when Gustav II Adolf was scouting the battlefield , he was ambushed by a Polish unit which chased him back to his camp . The main battle begun some time later , before the noon of 7 August , with a charge of the Swedish cavalry , which pushed the Polish forces back . Koniecpolski responded with a counterattack , and the Swedes retreated to the camp ; Koniecpolsko however was too cautious to attack it . For a while , both armies were at a stalemate , with neither willing to advance and engage the opponent ; eventually Koniecpolski begun to pull his forces back through the levee to his own camp . The Swedes charged the withdrawing Poles , and were able to disorganize the Polish cavalry , inflicting painful casualties ( about 200 - 300 ) before being stopped by Polish infantry . Komiecpolski ' s horse was wounded and captured by the Swedes , which led them to suspect the Polish commander died . Thus Gustav II Adolf prepared a major assault for the following day . On the morning of 8 August the Swedes begun shelling the Polish positions and their artillery advantage resulted in a steady retreat of the Polish forces from their advance positions near the village of Rokitki ( Rokittken ) . Eventually the Polish army was back in its main camp , and under artillery fire . Gustav II Adolf decided to scout the field again before the final assault but was spotted by the Poles . He was targeted by infantry marksmen , who managed to wound him in the neck and arm , dropping him from the horse . With their commander wounded , the Swedes decided not to press the assault despite their very advantageous position . Aftermath . From a strategic point of view the battle ended with a Polish victory , as the Poles prevented Gustav II Adolf from achieving his aim , and stopped the Swedes from taking more aggressive actions by taking advantage of their numerical superiority . The time gained also allowed Danzig to finish the construction of fortifications , which would be ready in spring of 1628 . Overall , the campaign of 1627 , ending with the battle of Oliwa , was a Polish success . The wound Gustav II Adolf received would put him in bed until autumn , and his right arm was weakened with some fingers partially paralyzed . Until 1628 both sides would focus on consolidating their position without any major actions . In the battle Gustav II Adolf tested a new tactic , making their cavalry more aggressive , and charging into melee combat . This proved to be a major success , significantly responsible for the Swedish victory on the first day ; this was particularly notable , as it marked the first time that the Swedish cavalry was able to take on the Polish cavalry , renowned at the time as the " best cavalry in Europe " according to English historian Michael Roberts . Further , Gustav experimented with new artillery units and introduced a reorganization of infantry which would give birth to the brigade unit .