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A Swedish battalion during the mid 17th century up to the mid 18th century was the smallest tactical unit in combat. The 600 man unit was formed, temporarily, at the inception of a battle by joining four foot companies from a foot regiment of eight companies. The commander of the regiment, an
Överste
Colonel (Col) ( sv, Överste, Öv) is the most senior field grade military officer rank in the Swedish Army and the Swedish Air Force, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent ...
(Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
), led the first battalion and his deputy, an Överstelöjtnant
Lieutenant colonel (LtCol) ( sv, Överstelöjtnant, Övlt) is a field grade officer rank in the Swedish Armed Forces, just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the Swedi ...
(Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
), the second battalion. Battalion commanders and all other officers marched in front of the formation. Non-commissioned officers
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
(underofficers) marched beside and behind to prevent desertion
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ar ...
, and to replace officers who were killed. In addition to his principal duties, senior officers, such as Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
s, the Överstelöjtnant and Överste, also commanded a company. So that the Överste could focus on the operations of his regiment and first battalion, command of his company was delegated to a Kaptenlöjtnant. During battle, each officer, except the Fänrik
''Fänrik'' () ( en, second lieutenant in the Swedish Army/Air Force, Acting sub-lieutenant in the Navy) is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above sergeant and below lieutenant. In the navy, it ranks above sergeant and ...
s, was in charge of a portion of his company. Underofficer (NCO) ranks comprised Furir
Furir (from French '' fourrier'', a person responsible for the feed) is a Swedish military rank (OR5) reintroduced in 2019, after having been abolished in 2009.
Duties
The ''Furir'' is a Squad Leader at Skill Level B (Intermediate). Promotion fr ...
, Förare, Fältväbel, Sergeant and Rustmästare
Rustmästare is a former Swedish rank that literally means the one responsible for the armory.
History and related ranks
Origin 1600
Rustmästare was originally an underofficer rank and the holder of the rank was responsible for the care of the ...
.
Tactics -- Infantry vs Infantry
The formation marched toward the enemy, accompanied by drums, to within from the enemy's line. There, it halted for the third and fourth rows of musketeers to aim and open fire. The march continued some further and halted again for the first and second rows of musketeers to aim and open fire. The zombie like appearance of rapidly approaching Swedes, along with major casualties from the first and second blasts, should induce the enemy to panic and flee, allowing Swedishsword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
s and pikes to kill enemies on the run. It was rare for opposing forces to engage each other in close combat
Close combat means a violent physical confrontation between two or more opponents at short range.''MCRP 3-02B: Close Combat'', Washington, D.C.: Department Of The Navy, Headquarters United States Marine Corps, 12 February 1999Matthews, Phil, CQB ...
with swords and pikes. Light artillery units were sometimes placed in the gap between battalions – a practice in use at the end of the Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
.
Tactics - Infantry vs Cavalry
An effective formation to countercavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
attacks, was to line up the whole regiment into one huge battalion of six lines.
The first two lines consisted of musketeers, the second two of pikemen and the last two musketeers. In this formation, the Major was in charge of the center, the Överstelöjtnant the left wing and the Överste the right wing.
See also
*Swedish allotment system
The allotment system ( sv, indelningsverket; fi, ruotujakolaitos) was a system used in Sweden for keeping a trained army at all times. This system came into use in around 1640, and was replaced by the modern Swedish Armed Forces conscription s ...
* Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
* Field Artillery (early 18th century) A Swedish foot (infantry) regiment during the 17th and 18th century was split into two battalions at the inception of a battle and light field artillery was usually put in the gaps that appeared between those battalions. This sort of artillery was c ...
References
* "Karl XII på slagfältet", Generalstaben, 1918 * * "Stora Nordiska Kriget 1700-1721", Lars-Eric Höglund och Åke Sallnäs, 2000 * {{cite book , title=Gustav II Adolf och hans folk , authorlink=Göte Göransson , year=1994 , first=Göte , last=Göransson , publisher=Bra böcker , isbn=91-7119-128-3 , language=Swedish Military history of Sweden.