He often personally commanded dangerous missions like rescuing the remnants of the ruined Imperial army that had supported Denmark in the Torstenson War.

[1] Hunolstein joined the army of the Catholic League at some time, he already held the rank of captain when he was stationed in the Münsterland under Count Anholt in 1623.

Hunolstein's regiment was present at the siege of Neunburg vorm Wald where Banér's rearguard was encircled and brought to capitulation on 21 March.

Duke Charles who broke relations with France again after a short period made Hunolstein to governor of Bitche on 16 July 1641.

In the end, he led the last 1,400 healthy footsoldiers of the army along with 12 field guns and some horsemen safely from Magdeburg over Wittenberg to Bohemia in January 1645 while Gallas was fallen ill.[8] It is not clear if Hunolstein participated in the defeat at Jankau on 6 March as the exhausted infantry of Gallas’ ruined army stayed back at Prague.

[11] On 15 October, Elector Maximilian asked the emperor to leave him Hunolstein for his army to take command of the siege of Memmingen instead of the Imperial general Enkevort.

Hunolstein with the infantry and Raimondo Montecuccoli with the cavalry took blocking emplacements behind the Franconian Saale to repel possible Swedish attacks.

[13] In March, Hunolstein changed back to the Bavarian army where he was promoted to Generalfeldzeugmeister[14] and became teacher to hereditary prince Ferdinand Maria in military science.

As the latter was deposed and imprisoned by the Elector because of his retreat from the Lech river following the defeat at Zusmarshausen, Hunolstein became his interim successor as Bavarian commander.

The Swedes under Wrangel failed crossing it in Wasserburg because of the resistance of the garrison as well as in Mühldorf because of Hunolstein's defences and the high water-level.

[16][17] As Maximilian of Bavaria did not make Hunolstein but the higher-ranking Adrian von Enkevort the definitive successor of Gronsfeld as his main commander on 2 August, he felt passed over and took his leave from the army.

[19] In 1655, the Kölner Allianz, a predecessor of the League of the Rhine as an alliance between the Bishops of Mainz, Trier, Cologne and Münster as well as the Duke of Jülich and Berg, engaged him as commander of their combined forces.

[23] On 13 December 1663, the reinstated Duke Charles of Lorraine acknowledged Hunolstein the possession of the villages Virming and Conthil that he had given him before to thank him for his services.