That charge was so scary, I know it’s a video game but imagine you’re a russian conscript standing in the line and you just hear yelling and see what you preserve as demons emerging from the smoke with swords and bayonets.
Swedish pikemen in the Great Northern War fought to success at an almost ridiculous extent. Most enemy units began fleeing for their lives before the Swedes even reached their lines and for good reason; no one wanted to end up at the receiving end of a pike. The gå-på tactic appeared alien at the time and there are records how lines of enemy soldiers wavered from just the impossible idea that the Swedes survived their volleys and still they came charging in like wraiths. Swedish officers knew exactly how to exploit the slow way of warfare their enemies were used to. For example they knew it would take the enemy at least one minute to reload their muskets and during this brief window they would rush the line into position to close the distance faster. Of course the Swedes also had some of the finest musketeers in Europe, but they barely used their muskets and instead relied on the charge to win battle after battle rather than standing in a static line and taking enemy volleys.
Thank you for this comment; also "the Swedes also had some of the finest *musketeers* in Europe" - do you mean muskets? If so, can you please elaborate?
@@Leaffordes A musketeer is just a name for a soldier equipped with a musket. You could say it as fine marksmen. The Carolean musketeers were well trained and equipped with some of the best muskets available at the time.
@@faderneslandet3489 Yes, I know what a musketeer is, but to me it seemed like you were referring to the musket itself, with how the sentence was structured (hence why I asked, to make sure). Can you elaborate on "equipped with some of the *best muskets* available at the time"; were they different from other north and western European standard army-muskets, at the time?
@@Leaffordes If you read back a bit I wrote some of the _finest musketeers_ in Europe, not the _muskets_ per se. Flintlock muskets issued to the Caroleans were modern and thus the best at the time, but of course old muskets were still in use. But I also wrote good marksmen, skilled soldiers with muskets, or today any form of precision shooting.
@@faderneslandet3489 Yes.. I know what you wrote; I quoted it in my first reply. I misinterpreted your comment at first-like I said-thinking you meant musket and not musketeer, which is exactly why I asked. Do you know if there were any significant differences between the Carolean flintlock musket and the standard flintlock musket issued to the British, French and Prussian armies at the time? I have a vague memory of having read something, somewhere, about a Swedish musket "invention" during this time, or just before the GNW, which resulted in a decreased reloading time (I'm not talking about Cronstedt's artillery inventions here). Is this something you've come across?
One more thing, Gå På tactic doctrin was to march in good order toward the enemy widout stoping to fire, at VERY close range fire one volly for maximum shock effect, and then draw rapier (Bayonet was not yet in common use) and charge, not also that 1/4 of the troops was pikemen, to bost the impact/fear of the charge. Only the most disciplined troops could resist the charge.
Pike charges must have been fucking scary to be on the receiving end of. And very demoralising to see coming when you were in tight formations with no shields, giving you no room to dodge the pike and nothign to block it with. (Best you could probably manage was deflecting. Which would simply skewer the next guy behind or beside you) Worst part being said tight formations would typically be the norm in this particular era where you wanted to maximise density of fire. In the face of that, I'd have no doubt in my mind that my life was forfeit the moment I fired my last volley. And terrifying prospect indeed.
Pretty good depiction there.The real ga-pa charge would be even closer,at 20 yards or so.Swedes formed into 4 ranks(with the last rank being pikes,advancing at 4 lines of fire(100 yards,50 yards,20 yards and then charge).At 20 yards they would all unleash their volley at once,causing massive morale and physical damage,and then charge.Pikes charged headfirst,then musketeers with rapiers(bayonets were pretty new at the time).Soldiers were extremely fearful of Carolean charges,so often they would shake in their pants and miss their shots,which gives away another advantage to the Swedish Army
Caroleans basically fought the most logical way when we review old battles standing in range and shooting volleys at each other untill one side start to break.
@@simonbolduc1580 I think you can hold down a button (I think it's either SHIFT or CTRL) while stretching your units - that way you can stretch them to be in a single line.
I can see now why the carolean charge worked so well. At the time, fire was so inaccurate you could fire volleys and volleys, but the bullets would most fly harmlessly above your enemy's head or hit the ground, and on rare ocassion strike a soldier. So caroleans had the luxury of marching leisurely until really close, before releasing everything at once and then charging through the smoke with pikes, swords and bayonets, like some sort of banshee. Just picture it. You've been shooting and shooting, but the enemy is not dying. You can barely see through your own smoke due to how much you've been shooting. But everytime the smoke dissipates a bit before the next volley, it looks like the previous volley barely made a dent at all. Occasionally you hear bullets whistling by and people die. But that's normal, that's what you've been drilled for. You know the bullets aren't as massive of a threat unless you get unlucky. But then you see the caroleans, and they keep getting closer. Unflinching in the face of your fire. They seem kinda invulnerable, since you aren't able to see the wounded that have dropped behind their march. Then all of sudden, 20 yards away from you, they stop. They drop all pretense of firing in ranks, and launch the largest volley thus far by firing everything at once. At this distance, it is lethal. Comrades fall left and right all at once in one thunderous strike. That was unsettling, but still within parameters. Hold on. There's screaming across the field. From the massive puff of smoke emerges a whole line of pikemen, like ghosts. They are charging at you. Followed by them, the musketeers, sword and bayonet in hand, running across the field. You can't reload fast enough as they approach you at this short distance. You can't defend against a pike with anything you have unless you shoot them dead. But panicking, many shots miss their marks. They get closer and closer, and then you see... These guys are huuuge! Will you be able to win hand to hand against them?... * Fuck this. You're running. There's no way. You weren't trained for this. - or - * You stand your ground. But you're shaken. And about to be forced into a melee you weren't expecting, as you watch other soldiers beside you lose their nerve and flee. Yeah... That would definitely be terrifying either way. Melees to the death are scary. Especially when they come out of the blue, and you had gotten comfortable in the confidence from your drill, inaccurate firearms, and ranged combat.
You're definitely on to something. The sight of the Swedish pikes also played a huge psychological part, as well as the quiet march of the Swedes with only the instruments playing. It's also worth keeping in mind that the first shot each soldier fired was always the most effective one - in terms of the amount of misfires - since it was prepared BEFORE the engagement and not during immense stress in combat. As we know, each Carolean only fired once in the Gå-På attack; so basically the most effective volley at a very close distance. Add to this the Carolean cold steel weapons which were longer than their counterparts, and their musket balls which were even larger and heavier than those of the famous Brown Bess.
No it's not. This was played on small or medium sized units, on each side of the pikemen there are 4 units of musketeers (formed in single rows after eachother) while there is 3 units of pikemen (formed properly, four man deep beside eachother). At each volley two rows of the musketeers walks "into eachother" and fires at the same time without reloading (they had to be placed exactly on the same location to avoid friendly fire); after the first volley the two rear ranks walks past the ones who just fired, so that the battalion can fire the second volley.
That charge was so scary, I know it’s a video game but imagine you’re a russian conscript standing in the line and you just hear yelling and see what you preserve as demons emerging from the smoke with swords and bayonets.
Swedish pikemen in the Great Northern War fought to success at an almost ridiculous extent. Most enemy units began fleeing for their lives before the Swedes even reached their lines and for good reason; no one wanted to end up at the receiving end of a pike. The gå-på tactic appeared alien at the time and there are records how lines of enemy soldiers wavered from just the impossible idea that the Swedes survived their volleys and still they came charging in like wraiths. Swedish officers knew exactly how to exploit the slow way of warfare their enemies were used to. For example they knew it would take the enemy at least one minute to reload their muskets and during this brief window they would rush the line into position to close the distance faster. Of course the Swedes also had some of the finest musketeers in Europe, but they barely used their muskets and instead relied on the charge to win battle after battle rather than standing in a static line and taking enemy volleys.
Thank you for this comment; also "the Swedes also had some of the finest *musketeers* in Europe" - do you mean muskets? If so, can you please elaborate?
@@Leaffordes A musketeer is just a name for a soldier equipped with a musket. You could say it as fine marksmen. The Carolean musketeers were well trained and equipped with some of the best muskets available at the time.
@@faderneslandet3489 Yes, I know what a musketeer is, but to me it seemed like you were referring to the musket itself, with how the sentence was structured (hence why I asked, to make sure). Can you elaborate on "equipped with some of the *best muskets* available at the time"; were they different from other north and western European standard army-muskets, at the time?
@@Leaffordes If you read back a bit I wrote some of the _finest musketeers_ in Europe, not the _muskets_ per se. Flintlock muskets issued to the Caroleans were modern and thus the best at the time, but of course old muskets were still in use. But I also wrote good marksmen, skilled soldiers with muskets, or today any form of precision shooting.
@@faderneslandet3489 Yes.. I know what you wrote; I quoted it in my first reply. I misinterpreted your comment at first-like I said-thinking you meant musket and not musketeer, which is exactly why I asked.
Do you know if there were any significant differences between the Carolean flintlock musket and the standard flintlock musket issued to the British, French and Prussian armies at the time? I have a vague memory of having read something, somewhere, about a Swedish musket "invention" during this time, or just before the GNW, which resulted in a decreased reloading time (I'm not talking about Cronstedt's artillery inventions here). Is this something you've come across?
One more thing, Gå På tactic doctrin was to march in good order toward the enemy widout stoping to fire, at VERY close range fire one volly for maximum shock effect, and then draw rapier (Bayonet was not yet in common use) and charge, not also that 1/4 of the troops was pikemen, to bost the impact/fear of the charge. Only the most disciplined troops could resist the charge.
Pike charges must have been fucking scary to be on the receiving end of. And very demoralising to see coming when you were in tight formations with no shields, giving you no room to dodge the pike and nothign to block it with. (Best you could probably manage was deflecting. Which would simply skewer the next guy behind or beside you)
Worst part being said tight formations would typically be the norm in this particular era where you wanted to maximise density of fire.
In the face of that, I'd have no doubt in my mind that my life was forfeit the moment I fired my last volley.
And terrifying prospect indeed.
"Du gamla, du fria, du kom hit så ska du fan ta mig få!"
Into battle facing their fire lord thy will be done.
Into battle walk in a line...
SEE THE WHITES IN THEIR EYES CAROLEANS ARE MARCHING ON!
Into battel walk in a line.
Put their lives in God's hands for their kingdom and Fatherland!
See the white in their eyes Caroleans are marching on…
See the whites in their eyes, Caroleans are marching on!
Pretty good depiction there.The real ga-pa charge would be even closer,at 20 yards or so.Swedes formed into 4 ranks(with the last rank being pikes,advancing at 4 lines of fire(100 yards,50 yards,20 yards and then charge).At 20 yards they would all unleash their volley at once,causing massive morale and physical damage,and then charge.Pikes charged headfirst,then musketeers with rapiers(bayonets were pretty new at the time).Soldiers were extremely fearful of Carolean charges,so often they would shake in their pants and miss their shots,which gives away another advantage to the Swedish Army
Caroleans basically fought the most logical way when we review old battles standing in range and shooting volleys at each other untill one side start to break.
2:26 The Charge Scene
How do you force your units to be in a single row ?
What do you mean? At small unit sizes you can easily stretch your units to stand in single rows (I think).
@@Leaffordes I didn't know. My units for Sweden are of 300 men.
@@simonbolduc1580 I think you can hold down a button (I think it's either SHIFT or CTRL) while stretching your units - that way you can stretch them to be in a single line.
I can see now why the carolean charge worked so well.
At the time, fire was so inaccurate you could fire volleys and volleys, but the bullets would most fly harmlessly above your enemy's head or hit the ground, and on rare ocassion strike a soldier.
So caroleans had the luxury of marching leisurely until really close, before releasing everything at once and then charging through the smoke with pikes, swords and bayonets, like some sort of banshee.
Just picture it. You've been shooting and shooting, but the enemy is not dying.
You can barely see through your own smoke due to how much you've been shooting. But everytime the smoke dissipates a bit before the next volley, it looks like the previous volley barely made a dent at all.
Occasionally you hear bullets whistling by and people die. But that's normal, that's what you've been drilled for. You know the bullets aren't as massive of a threat unless you get unlucky.
But then you see the caroleans, and they keep getting closer. Unflinching in the face of your fire. They seem kinda invulnerable, since you aren't able to see the wounded that have dropped behind their march.
Then all of sudden, 20 yards away from you, they stop. They drop all pretense of firing in ranks, and launch the largest volley thus far by firing everything at once.
At this distance, it is lethal. Comrades fall left and right all at once in one thunderous strike. That was unsettling, but still within parameters.
Hold on. There's screaming across the field. From the massive puff of smoke emerges a whole line of pikemen, like ghosts. They are charging at you. Followed by them, the musketeers, sword and bayonet in hand, running across the field.
You can't reload fast enough as they approach you at this short distance. You can't defend against a pike with anything you have unless you shoot them dead. But panicking, many shots miss their marks.
They get closer and closer, and then you see... These guys are huuuge! Will you be able to win hand to hand against them?...
* Fuck this. You're running. There's no way. You weren't trained for this.
- or -
* You stand your ground. But you're shaken. And about to be forced into a melee you weren't expecting, as you watch other soldiers beside you lose their nerve and flee.
Yeah... That would definitely be terrifying either way. Melees to the death are scary. Especially when they come out of the blue, and you had gotten comfortable in the confidence from your drill, inaccurate firearms, and ranged combat.
You're definitely on to something. The sight of the Swedish pikes also played a huge psychological part, as well as the quiet march of the Swedes with only the instruments playing. It's also worth keeping in mind that the first shot each soldier fired was always the most effective one - in terms of the amount of misfires - since it was prepared BEFORE the engagement and not during immense stress in combat. As we know, each Carolean only fired once in the Gå-På attack; so basically the most effective volley at a very close distance. Add to this the Carolean cold steel weapons which were longer than their counterparts, and their musket balls which were even larger and heavier than those of the famous Brown Bess.
To me as a Swede this make sense. Instead of standing there like a fool eating bullets
Is this using fire and advance? How exactly did you perform this?
No it's not. This was played on small or medium sized units, on each side of the pikemen there are 4 units of musketeers (formed in single rows after eachother) while there is 3 units of pikemen (formed properly, four man deep beside eachother). At each volley two rows of the musketeers walks "into eachother" and fires at the same time without reloading (they had to be placed exactly on the same location to avoid friendly fire); after the first volley the two rear ranks walks past the ones who just fired, so that the battalion can fire the second volley.
@@Leaffordes Ohh, I see. Cleverly done!
@@Leaffordes all that you needed was cavalry and you'd have created the Great Northern War version of Canea. Also, Carolus Rex is an excellent pfp.
the caroleans have pikes good done
vaderamus they sure had during the first few years of the great northern war.
They had both. Some musketeers had bayonets but rapiers was more common at the start of the conflict.
How do you move large armies? When i select and move big armies some move to the left and some to the right for no reason.
Where did u get those epic pikemans in blue uniform i only have ones in brown-ish uniform
He is using a mod. I Think it's dartmod.
One by one the saxons disband or die where they stand
Gå på tactiken är bra
Их ещë зачастую поддерживала кавалерия.
DANSK JÄVLAR !!!
How to i get this mod?
Sabía que existía un vídeojuego así!!!!
Great game it’s on steam :)
Mod ?
Darthmod
C?
please re-upload the video with the music, it was quite stirring.
They shot too early
No they shot at the right time
👍👍👍
Version without the music was nicer.
Wrong, it needs carolean's prayer in the background.
@@ironstarofmordian7098 yessir
Hola????
Hänförande
:)
before 2 minutes they where shooting instead of seeing the white in their eye