English longbow

The English longbow, also called the Welsh longbow, was a powerful type of bow about 2.0 m (6 ft 6 in) long used by the English and Welsh during the Middle Ages both for hunting and as a weapon of war. Longbows were most devastatingly put to use during the Hundred Years War against the French.

Tactics

Although bowmen were still deadly at close range, they were light skirmishers unsuited to prolonged hand-to-hand combat and were understandably vulnerable to a committed attack by cavalry. Consequently they were often deployed behind physical barricades, such as stakes and poles driven into the ground.

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A common battle formation:

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• Light Infantry (such as swordsmen) in the centre forward, in rank formation.
• Heavy Infantry (often armed with pollaxes or pole weapons with bill hooks being the preferred English weapon) in the centre middle, in rank or square formation.
• Traditional Archers and Crossbowmen in the centre back, in rank formation.
• Cavalry either on the flanks (to protect against attacks), or deployed in the centre to counter any breakthroughs and such.
• Longbowmen were usually on the side, in an enfilade formation, rather like this: ___ /, with the middle being occupied by melee troops.

A skillful general would alternate flights of arrows with cavalry charges, sometimes alternating flank attacks to induce shock and fear in the enemy. The arrows were used in volleys, and not aimed at specific targets until the enemy got quite close; the psychological effect on the enemy of the famous 'cloud of arrows' produced by such a volley is not to be underestimated.

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