Battle of Warsaw

Timeline

1. 1656Northern outskirts of Warsaw · MasoviaSwedish King Charles X Gustav and Brandenburg Elector Frederick William gathered about 18,000 coalition troops north of Warsaw, while Polish King John II Casimir deployed 30,000 to 40,000 men (including Crimean Tatar cavalry) in a defensive position on the east bank of the Vistula.
2. 1656Battlefield on the west bank of the Vistula · MasoviaBattle began on July 28, with Swedish infantry attacking frontally and Tatar cavalry harassing the coalition's flanks. The Polish line largely held on the first day, but on the next day Swedish artillery played a decisive role, and combined infantry-cavalry attacks gradually tore the Polish line apart. Brandenburg cavalry maneuvers on the flank left the Poles on the defensive.
3. 1656Warsaw · PolandOn July 30 the coalition launched a general assault along the whole line; the Polish-Tatar coalition could not withstand it and was forced to retreat east, and Warsaw again fell to the Swedes. Though winning a tactical victory and recapturing the capital, Sweden lacked the numbers to destroy the Polish main force; the Polish royal family and army main force withdrew safely and the resistance movement did not collapse.