Which Swedish general won the Battle of Wittstock in 1636?

Which Swedish general won the Battle of Wittstock in 1636? Johan Banér led the Swedish forces to victory at Wittstock.

The battle was fought on 4 October 1636 near Wittstock in Brandenburg. Banér commanded the main Swedish army, which joined with forces led by Alexander Leslie. Together they confronted a larger combined Imperial-Saxon army commanded by Melchior von Hatzfeld and John George I, Elector of Saxony.

Banér used a surprise march and an outflanking movement to attack the enemy’s position from an unexpected direction. Swedish cavalry eventually struck the Imperial rear, helping force a retreat after the Imperial army lost its artillery. The victory restored Swedish influence in central Germany after the serious defeat at Nördlingen in 1634.

Alexander Leslie played an important supporting role, which explains why some accounts emphasize the battle’s joint command. Nevertheless, Banér was the principal Swedish field marshal associated with the victory. Carl Gustaf Wrangel and Lennart Torstensson became important Swedish commanders later, while Gustavus Adolphus had died in 1632.