ANST - curious about archers in war scenarios

[harry billings]

Historically a variant was used by the English aginst the Scotts. A large
body of archers shot into the Scott defensive formations till they were
thinned out so that the English Knights could ride through then and not have
to worry about the mass of pikes/spears.
It probly would NOT work the way we play becouse sheild stop arrows from
bows always. In reality arrows from 80 to 100  pound pull bows would probly
go through shields at 30 yrds. and be an inpediment.
The way we play you would have to hit the person behind the shield to have a
kill, of course we kill with any hit to the body and in reality arrows do
not kill instantly with body shots, so that a charging force would be able
to continue forward.
The English used archers to great effectness at Agincourt and Crecy, see
Hardy's book Longbow. They were protected by pikes embedded in the ground in
front of them to stop calvary and carried secondary weapons for close fighting. 

>I have a question for anyone that care to respond. I have often wondered
>if a large group of archers ( 80 - 150), firing in mass could break the
>charge of a large group of infantry or heavy calvary. I have seen the
>effectiveness many times of archers upon the field. However, I have
>never seen a large group as stated above work together to stop an even
>larger force of infantry. Can this be done? Is it impractical for the
>way we fight? Is it possible that this tatic has no use in large field
>melee's like at Gulf War? I have been to every single gulf war and I
>have yet to see it on really either side.
>Comments? Suggestions? and yes this year I will be an archer at Gulf
>Wars.
>
>H.L. Richard Fairbourne
>
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Plachoya Sobaka a humble archer in Ravens Fort, Kingdom of Ansteorra
Achery champion Stargate XXV, Raven's Fort XV

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