1756

NOTES: The total strength of the Swedish army in 1756, not including officers, was around 48,000 men. The total infantry strength was around 35,000 men.

The infantry included twenty-one "Indelta" regiments and one company (Elimas). Each of these regiments consisted of roughly 1200 men divided into eight companies. These regiments were recruited from allotted cantons and consisted of Swedish nationals only. Fifteen of these regiments were stationed in Sweden; the remaining six regiments and the one company were in Finland. The Life Guards, recruited from foreigners, were eighteen companies strong and were stationed in Stockholm.

There were eight other recruited regiments, four of which were made up of Germans, all stationed at Stralsund. The remaining four of these were stationed in Finland. In 1756, the four regiments in Finland, together with two from Stralsund, were relocated to Sweden. The total strength of these eight regiments was circa 10,800 men.

In 1756, nine cavalry regiments and three and one-half companies were made available for action abroad. These amounted to 9,751 troopers. The artillery was recruited up to a strength of 3000 men.

Sweden's officer corps was allotted lands in lieu of payment, which entitled them to vote - being landowners - in the "Riechstag." Because of this, no less than 120 officers and ten non-commissioned officers went on leave to vote in Stockholm during the 1760 campaign in Pomerania. There were no training facilities for officers, the majority of whom had to seek experience abroad.

Throughout the war the army suffered considerably due to bad administration. As a result, there was a permanent shortage of supplies and equipment. One battalion crossed the enemy border armed with only three shots per man. Other battalions lacked flints, marching to war armed only with their wooden ones used in exercises. Often the musket balls proved too large, causing the musket barrels to split open on firing. Cavalry swords were manufactured from inferior metal making them easy to break. There was a universal shortage of horses, and of the ones available, many were underfed. They also suffered greatly from the sea crossing. These horses often succumbed to the weight of their troopers. As a result, in 1761, all the field guns were left behind in the town of Grimen, there only being enough horses available to pull the battalion guns.

Sweden's coastal fleet consisted of fifty-seven galleys, four demi-galleys, and four lighters. Galleys were 130 feet long, 20 wide, and equipped with 12 pairs of oars in addition to sails. Each was capable of carrying a strong infantry detachment or artillery. They were flat-bottomed and suitable for shallow waters. The lighters which sat deeper in the water were armed with between 8 and 18 heavy guns, making them less agile.

Sweden's Role in the Seven Years War A Brief Chronology 1756-1761

1756
1757
1758
1759
1760
1761
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