Жыйырма жылдық соғыстағы фин жарық атқыштары

Finnish light cavalry that served during the Thirty Years' War

Hakkapeliitta (Finnish pl. hakkapeliitat) is a historiographical term used for a Finnish light cavalryman in the service of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden during the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648). Hakkapeliitta is a 19th century Finnish modification of a contemporary name given by foreigners in the Holy Roman Empire and variously spelled as Hackapelit, Hackapelite, Hackapell, Haccapelit, or Haccapelite. These terms were based on a Finnish battle cry hakkaa päälle (; hacka på), commonly translated as "Cut them down!" The hakkapeliitta style cavalry was first used during the Polish Swedish Wars of the late 16th century. In the early 17th century the cavalry led by the Field Marshal Jacob De la Gardie participated in campaigns against Poland and Russia. The Hakkapeliitta cavalry men led by Field Marshal Gustaf Horn were vital to the Swedish victories in Germany during the Thirty Years' War. The Finnish military march Hakkapeliittain Marssi is named after hakkapeliittas.

The Hakkapeliitta were well trained Finnish light cavalrymen who excelled in skirmishing, raiding and reconnaissance, as well as in pitched battles. The greatest advantage these lightly armored horsemen had were the speed and ferocity of their charge. They were equipped like the typical harquebusier light cavalry of their era; armed with a broadsword and two wheellock pistols and protected by a buff coat and a pot helmet. A steel breastplate was often worn as well. They would attack at a full gallop, the troopers on the front rank firing their pistols at near contact distance and the whole formation crashing through the enemy at sword point. The horses themselves were another weapon, as they were used to trample enemy infantrymen. The horses used by the Hakkapeliitta were the ancestors of the modern Finnhorse; they were strong and durable. During the era of the Swedish Empire of the 17th century, the Finnish cavalry was constantly used in Germany, Bohemia, Poland, and Denmark. Parts of the cavalry were stationed in Estonia and Livonia.