Why was Turenne’s Army of Germany weaker than its Bavarian opponents?

Turenne’s Army of Germany was weaker than its Bavarian opponents primarily because it was a fragmented force composed largely of German soldiers who had previously served under Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. Following the destruction of the original French army in the Black Forest in 1643, Turenne was tasked with rebuilding this force, which numbered barely 10,000 men.1

This numerical disadvantage dictated Turenne's military strategy between 1644 and 1648. Because the Rhineland was devastated, his army could not sustain itself in place; he was forced to march deep into Germany to secure new forage lands to survive. Consequently, Turenne was unable to act independently and required the support of other armies—such as those led by the Duke d’Enghien or Swedish allies—to achieve significant strategic objectives against the Bavarians.1