In ancient times, the bow was the most popular weapon. Accordingly, the skill of handling it was considered a real martial art, highly revered for thousands of years. Archers were both infantry, cavalry, and chariot riders. During the battle, it was a powerful, almost invincible military force. If the command was competent, then she was able to change the course of the battle without any problems even when the forces were clearly unequal.
Naturally, many questions arise, for example, where did they take so many arrows, how were they delivered to the battlefield, what did the archers do if they suddenly ran out of arrows, and the battle was in full swing, and why the shooting was done in volleys method.
1. Medieval: Arrow making is a costly business
In reality, on the battlefield, a simple archer was effective for only four to eight minutes, until the arrows ran out. An ordinary archer was required to be able to release as many as 10 arrows in one minute. A good shooter managed to release them in slightly larger quantities during this time, that is, his rate of fire was almost lightning fast. Archers in England carried arrows in bundles containing 24 arrows, which were placed on the belt in two sheaves.
With this in mind, it really turned out that the entire available stock of ammunition was used up under the condition of non-stop firing in four, maximum eight minutes. If we talk about the price, then the cost of one bundle was an amount equivalent to the salary of a soldier for five days. But when military campaigns were carried out, all expenses were borne by the crown.
Of course, during the Middle Ages, it was too expensive and impossible from a practical point of view to fully meet the needs of shooters. In this regard, after Henry V came to power, he made an important appointment. Fletcher, who was a professional arrow maker, became the Keeper of the Royal Arrows. He was settled in the Tower of London with his staff, and a budget was sent there to increase supplies. The person holding this position was responsible for the production of the weapons themselves, arrows for them, the creation of storage facilities and the provision of supplies. It is important that he had the right to seize almost any wood necessary for this purpose on the territory of the country.
As for the prices directly for archers and arrows, they were too high. In Europe during this time period, munitions manufacturers faced enormous challenges. The arrows were made by hand. Several people worked on each of them: one was engaged in the manufacture of tips, the other - fastening feathers to the shaft, and so on.
For heavy arrows intended for long-range shooting, blacksmiths made tips from iron of increased hardness. The 76-centimeter shaft was made by carpenters from light woods. The shaft had to be perfectly straight. Otherwise, it was of no use. If a master blacksmith in the 1100s had access to straight quality shafts, he could make five to eight arrows in one day.
Those arrows that had a shorter flight range were made from hard wood, such as ash. They were slightly shorter and heavier, with thin metal tips. The tip was made narrow, which made it possible to hit the target, break through the defense when firing from a short distance. The material for plumage was goose feathers, which required a lot. Fletcher, appointed by Henry V, in his first month in his new position, placed an order for poles in the amount of tens of thousands and for goose feathers in the amount of more than 1,000,000 pieces. And this is only one order, so to speak, one-time.
Naturally, during the departure to France for the war, the equipment of Henry V was excellent. But not all previous monarchs were so well prepared for hostilities. The most qualitative approach to the situation with archers and arrows was observed in France.
The problem with archers was observed in almost all armies. The reason for this was the lack of opportunity and ability for the rulers of that time to establish a cheap production of weapons and arrows. As a result, the archers of each of the armies, as soon as they ran out of arrows, were forced to change tactics, or rather, become participants in close combat.
2. Why archers always fired arrows in one gulp in battle
Almost every shot fired was "gold". Providing shooters, whose number was more than one hundred, with two bundles of high-quality arrows, as we already understand, was not so easy from a material point of view. The army usually had about 2,500 archers. This is the average of what the rulers could afford.
Each of them could fire about ten arrows in one minute. It turns out that in the first minute of the battle, 25,000 arrows will be in flight, in the second - 50,000 will fly to the ground, and after five minutes their number will exceed 100,000. The task of the archers in the first minutes of the battle is to paralyze the enemy with a hail of their arrows, causing chaos and turmoil. There are frequent cases when the army simply retreated, unable to withstand such an onslaught.
Volley fire provides a very high attack area, and the opponents will have to go on the defensive, namely, to cover their heads with shields and make their movement slower. It is very important to break the enemy psychologically, in the first moments of the battle, thinning out his ranks and saving half their own ammunition, and most importantly, keeping their own archers in the maximum number for subsequent military attacks.
With random shooting, on average, the percentage of enemy infantry hit would be much lower, as well as the average damage indicators. If the enemy army has crossbows or fights on horseback, then it will be able to shorten the distance without particularly suffering, it will be able to quickly enough. Consequently, the archers will no longer be able to shoot, since the risks of hitting their own comrades are great. Thus, the advantage will be lost.
3. If the arrows are over, and the battle is in full swing - what's next
Under conditions of active firing, both armies were left without ammunition for several minutes. They did not have the opportunity to move far from the carts, in which there were arrows and from the squires who brought arrows to the archers. If the cavalry had caught the shooters in the open, they would immediately join the ranks of the dead. In order not to risk, the archers took up positions on the hills, squatting.
There was also a very "dirty" moment in medieval wars. Naturally, due to the high cost of iron and bronze arrows, even the suppliers had their number limited, so it was necessary to collect reusable ammunition on the field fight. But for this purpose, not soldiers were sent there, but serfs, as well as their children, who lived in the nearest villages.
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Often the soldiers were cunning in order to get themselves additional arrows. These facts have historical confirmation. For example, during the Han Dynasty (late years), one of the warring parties loaded bales of straw onto boats and set sail up the Yellow River. From the side it seemed that they would attack. The enemy from the shore fired many arrows into the boats, which faithfully remained in bales. Thus, stocks were replenished. Something similar was observed in the wars between Europeans.
Continue reading on the topic why in medieval Europe they used strange swords with a “shovel” at the end of the blade.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/190921/60596/
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