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 | | Battles of the Thirty Years War: From White Mountain to Nordlingen, 1618-1635 (Contributions in Military Studies) by William P. Guthrie ISBN-10: 9780313320286 ISBN-10: 0-313-32028-4 ISBN-13: 9780313320286 ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32028-6 Hardcover 2001-10-30 Greenwood Press Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description This is the first complete detailed study of the military aspects of the first half of this important conflict (1618-1635). Each chapter deals with a particular battle, but Guthrie also examines wider questions of strategy, leadership, armaments, organization, logistics, and war finances. The main emphasis is on the unique character and aspects of the Thirty Years War, with attention to the evolution of warfare and weapons, the impact of this evolution on actual operations, and the replacement of the previously dominant "tercio" style of warfare by the nascent linear system. The Thirty Years War is considered within its own context, rather than merely as a poor relation to the linear or Napoleonic periods. The campaigns covered in this volume include the defeat of the Bohemian and German Protestants (1618-1623), the Danish War (1625-1629), the victories of the Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus (1630-1632), and the final defeat of the Swedes at Nordlingen in 1634. Guthrie also pays particular notice to the important battle of Breitenfeld. With the inclusion of many secondary theaters and minor actions, the whole of this work constitutes a complete military history of the German War. | ||
Reviews | ||
Guthrie's Military History of the Thirty Years War This book and its companion volume are an excellent addition to anyone interested in military history. The scope of Guthrie's work is limited in discussion of the tertiary theaters during this conflict, but this only serves to pique the reader's interest. Political causes for each campaign are only briefly described. The real value of this volume is the detail regarding unit strengths, positions, composition, and command quality and control. The reader is guided into a better grasp of the tactical and strategic evolutions of each phase of the war. Highly recommended to those requiring more than the usual cursory synopsis of early 17th century warfare. | ||
Must Have Despite Some Flaws On the one hand, this book fills a gaping hole in the literature of English language military history, something that those who study this period know all too well. Guthrie has provided us with orders of battle for major and minor acions, as well as descriptions of battles presented in a level of detail previously unheard of. On the other hand, it is not the scholarly presentation some might hope for. The author makes statements, many controversial, that are not even footnoted. In fact, the footnotes, when they are there, are explanatory, and cite no source. This is most regretable as many of the authors, assertions, besides being most interesting, have been challenged or questioned by scholars on the subject, yet we have no way of understanding what led the author to his views. A fairly extensive, multi-language bibliography is however, included in the back. I was especially disappointed with Guthrie's failure to take into account some of the latest research, especially that of Richard Brzezinski, concerning the tactics and quality of the Swedish and League cavalry. Guthrie persists in repeating the outdated, IMO, view that the League/Imperial cavalry used the caracole as their primary method of attack, while the Swedes charged with swords drawn. This book has received some mixed reviews on internet discussion boards. For all its flaws it is still a must have, mainly because nothing like it exists in the English language. Primary source material is lacking on the Thirty Years War anyway, and controversy is inevitable. I prefer to welcome this effort by Guthrie and look foreward to his future works. | ||