The feudal Frenchmen, having never encountered the longbow before, were staggered by the vast numbers of casualties caused by an enemy who was still so far away as to be out of crossbow range. They stood and watched clouds of arrows rising into the sky and then plunging into their ranks hitting them in the thighs and shoulders at steep angles. The peasantry and militia turned and ran leaving the wounded to the mercy of the pikemen, and the nobility to face the blades of their English counterparts.

The key statement in contemporary descriptions of the battle is that the French “advanced” on the English. This would imply that potentially they did not give the English army any time to deploy into line. Factoring this into your game plan could make for an interesting scenario – reversing the normal situation of French columns advancing into an arc of fire from a steady English line.

Long Range Logistics are on the move, but not going very far – just out from the centre of town to the “western front” on the mountain footslopes. Between now and the end of January, we’re relocating to a new home, which gives us a lot more space (including a garden almost large enough to […]

That the English were trounced at Abbeville and chased from the field, therefore indicates they used the longbow from horseback and lost all advantage from the weapon. It could also be that the town had artillery in use, that was not recorded in chronicles. The combined effects, of poor weapon deployment on horses being made skittery by artillery, could explain their losing this battle.

Having marched through France, even to the gates of Paris, Edward IIIs army met their first real resistance and defeats on the River Somme. A greedy peasant, and traitors in the French camp, allowed him to evade a massive opposing army.