[Ansteorra-archery] Combat Archer Report on Gulf War XI

[Mike Catron]

Greetings.

Gulf War XI - I have made the trip three times and each time left near
sundown. No more leaving at sundown and traveling there, only to get at
most two hours sleep if that! If I am able to make it next year - then
get up Sunday and leave during the day, even if it means traveling by
myself!

We formed a traveling train of trucks loaded down. I had a CB (20 years
old and still working) and the rest had a CB hand held (not much good
beyond one or two car lengths). I entertained the group going down with
various comments into the wee hours of the night/morning. I did the same
thing on the way home, especially during the rain that hit us at night
on I-20.

Yes, the feel of the rain and turbulence as it hit the window shield
with the wipers making a feeble attempt to clear the way for sight as
the legs of that huge dragon spinning away into the night. It was indeed
awesome sight to behold! The wind churning the wetness of the road,
while all around the edges of darkness closed in upon us all. It was
almost worthy of purification! Afterall, the wetness on the outside and
the dampness on the inside from the side window as it the rain slowly
leak into down the cable to collect within the cab of the truck - in a
sense a container was form and in the larger sense could have contain
the necessary purification. But alas - it would have been over all too
quick and not the necessary time to truly enjoy the moment! So the
moment pass and NO Purification occurred!

We arrived on site Monday morning around 4:30 AM. Informed that we were
91st or 92nd vehicle in line. Believe or not that generated an argument
with those who trying to keep count. Let the silliness start!

Got through the gate and Troll. Located the camping site. It was not by
the ravine, instead the Fray wound up camping at the bottom of the
Ansteorran encampment with what we thought was one major rain run off
point. Believe or not, but Monday it was sunny and warm!

Went about setting up Fray camp. Ld Pendaran came around and informed us
that he checked out the site over the weekend right after it had rain
and that it did drain fast.

Several hours late - you guess it - it started to rain. And it kept
raining off and on. Everyone went to their tents, I finally went to bed
around 4 AM in the morning on Tuesday, for some reason could not close
my eyes until then. Woke back up by Frenchy around 7 AM, when he was
asking who wanted to town. Most people did leave and went into town for
supplies. I went back to bed.

The real rain started sometime later - need to ask Jen or Kindle when
that happen. I just slept on. There was actually two points of flooding
in that camp site. Jen, Kindle, and my tents were in the middle of
that one. Both of them got flooded out and they started digging trenches
to drain the water away. I just slept on - dead to the world!

They did a wonderful job, but there was just too much water to deal
with. The end result - Jen and Kindle, Cathy, Milo and Angelique, and
Albrecht tents all got flooded. My tent is actually a double tent, all
the flood did was raise me up - it was like floating on my old water
bed. And yes, I just rolled over and slept on. I woke up around 10:30 AM
when most of it was over. Everyone was back from town and moving their
tents out of the flood areas. Except Albrecht and me - just grabbed a
shovel and added to the trenching that Jen and Kindle had started - I
decided to stay right where I was and just float if it came again.

And of course, it still rain, in fact it rained off and on into the
evening on Tuesday. The run off through the middle of the camp took
something like 3 to 4 hours to stop. During that time, we stage a mini
bridge battle and form the 1st amphibious attack unit. There was that
much water to conduct training and develop tactics!

Tuesday night - I was gifted with a bottle of Scotch Whiskey by Marko
(sp?) from Clan Ross for the photos that I have taken. It was smooth and
much rejoicing was had by all.

Wednesday - the Archers Only battle in the ravine. There was only 10
Ansteorran archers show up for these three battles. Trimaris and
Meridies (sp??) showed up with almost twice that number. Sides were
divided up and the battles started.

I went into battle this day with only one contact lens in. The other one
for my left eye I had lost in my tent that morning. Had no spares with
me. So, I was half blind and shooting!

1st Battle was twenty arrows per archer, 20 minute time limit. Angelique
and myself was there. Both of us was feeling the effects of the
rejoicing from last night. And I was also feeling the effects of not
enough sleep in the last three nights.

Angelique and I stayed together as a team. Ironwyrm had the overall
command of the rest of the archers there. Was not going to challenge him
other that the two of us would stayed together as a team, this I was
fully prepared to do. The best plan that was arrive at was to form into
two persons teams and take the high ground. No thought was given to
anything else nor at how to work together as a team. It became clear
that the majority of the archers had not trained together as a unit.
This was the down fall of the Ansteorran side of all three battles. The
other side knew how to work together and it showed.

The second battle was a twenty minute time event, with unlimited arrows.
I got a kill at roughly 100 feet through the trees from the slope of the
ravine with moving into the chest of one of the archers who was down in
the middle of the ravine.

The third battle was a Res, with unlimited arrows. Ironwyrm's plan was
to wait for the other side to come and get us at the Res point. All
archers were still in teams, except for me. Angelique's cross bow went
down - string was damaged. I finally started wake up and get into it. I
wound up holding the entire right side of the ravine. At one point in
this battle, there were 6 or so enemy archers attempting to "kill" me.

I was standing out in the open with no cover other than my wits and this
fat man's body to outwit both recurve and crossbows. I stayed within a 3
foot area, as if I had one ankle chained to a tree!

I did a fairly good job - they would shoot at me for awhile and miss
most often than not. Then shoot at some one else that they knew they
could hit. About the only time I was hit was when there was an effort
among three or four them and then I could not dodge faster enough.

There was one time when I was finally hit, walked back roughly ten feet,
tagged to get back in, turned around take two steps and was hit again by
a crossbow bolt. This shot was a timed shot - they did not want me back
on the line facing them so soon!

Ansteorran archers for the most part still have the same problems as
before - acting as if this a "static target field", too timid, taking
too long to shoot, not willing to work as a group, some of the APD's did
not fly very well, from the looks poor construction methods were used,
etc... The same things that I and everyone else has seen!

Wilim of Elfsea informed me that I had a far better grasp of battlefield
tactics than anyone else on the field. I bring this up here, because my
replied back was that it was due to working with heavy fighters at
fighter's practice that allowed me develop those tactics in the first
place. Implying that I could not have arrived that point if I was always
out on the "static target field"!

I will give thanks to all the heavy fighters for providing me with that
necessary information on how combat is conduct during a SCA battle.

Thursday - War point ravine battle.

I find the other contact lens and started to placed it into my left eye
and it gave up the ghost - it torn into two! So, with only one contact
lens in my right eye. I went to War to "kill" as many as I could "see"
to shoot!

Angelique and myself sit out the majority of the battle as archers.
Angelique did went in with a spear at the beginning. The main idea was
to have more than enough arrows and crossbow bolts toward the end to
send as many as possible back to the Res point. By doing this, it was
hoped that Trimarans would be kept running back and forward and help
tire them out.

15 minutes or so toward the end, both Angelique and myself went into
battle. Angelique had 20 crossbows and I had 75 arrows. I ignored any
other plans that anyone had for the rest of the archers. The two us
would be firing into the center to support the Fray for the push to take
the flag in the center.

Angelique and myself moved up the side of the ravine, on the left side.
We were spaced roughly five to eight feet part. Instructions: Angelique
was come forward and seek a target, shoot when she had a target, then
retreat back behind a tree or a group of shields while she re-loaded.
Then come forward again and repeat. The Fray moved into the center and
started to push, both of us fired into the middle.

I realized that after 5 or 6 arrows on my part, to stop shooting into
the center. The right and left flanks had all ready swept past the
center. The only thing that the two of us were doing was shooting into
the sides and the backs of those in the center. And not really seeing
any positive effect from any hits that we might have gotten.

Decision made, re-directed both of our shooting toward the front and
down slope closer to those units in front of us.

Once again, I am standing in the open making no attempt to find cover
and dodging both arrows and crossbow bolts from the other side, all the
while seeking targets and re-loading on the move.

I did threaded the needle several times - placing an arrow between
several ranks deep of heavy fighters on our side and getting that arrow
sometimes to the second rank of the enemy!

I did refused several times to moved closer to the opposite line, since
that would placed me inside the minimum distance of 15 feet. This might
have pissed several knights and/or a couple of other archers on our
side. But I was not going to guilty of shooting inside that distance. I
was judging the distance as best as I could - based upon where the two
lines was separated by a spear length.

Kills to fiberglass arrow shafts -
1 archer
16 to 18 poles
8 to 10 possible - would not count these as positive unless I actually
was able to see the foe man leave. The press was intense in some of
those areas.

Once out of fiberglass arrow shafts, I switch to golf tube arrows that I
was allowed to gleaned from the field. I joined with Hugh Prescott (sp?)
and the shieldwall from Calontir (sp?).

Kills with golf tube arrows -
6 to 8 poles
4 to 6 possible kills.

The last time I used golf tube (GT) arrows was at Lillies War back in
June of 2000. The major difference here I was shooting them with my
regular 30 lb., bow. Which means that the GT arrows was way under power,
but it kept me and allowed me to continue to support a shield wall unit.

All the while dodging other archers. I stayed to the end of the battle.
Never having been killed once. Did have to retreat a couple of times
when the front of the unit broke up. The credit for this was once again
working and listening to the heavy fighters of the Central Region, this
enable me to recognized when to retreat and when to advance. In
addition, I maintained at least 20 feet from the back of the shieldwall
that I was working with.

There were a number of issues that I found unsettling during this
battle:

1.) Baldar Blunts not properly attached to the shaft - in fact I and
many others saw a number of these had separated from the shaft and where
laying about on the ground.

2.) No tape on some of these blunts that were laying about - in some
cases, the tape used was electric tape wound around the base of the
shaft. Where the tape stayed with the shaft, when came free. There was
no tape cross the top of the blunt.

3.) Some blunts had electric tape across the top in a X-pattern. These
did not help the blunt stay on either. I saw a number them had come
loose.

4.) No ID on some of the arrows - in fact this kept popping up on a
through out the War. Right through the fort battles.

5.) One of the shieldwall in the Fray was walking back to the Res point
and felt something like a lump around his neck and shoulder. He reached
over and pulled out a Baldar Blunt that had lodged there sometime during
the fighting. He turned it in to Dux and Dux then spoke with a Marshal
about this. The problem is that there was no name on the blunt. Another
problem, the blunt showed no tape markings whatsoever on it!


I was extremely upset, all I could think about was the need to find
those fools who brought these onto the field. I hope the Marshals were
able to find them. I even hope that they removed them from the War for
the rest of the War at the very least. Perhaps even go so far as to pull
their cards. As a full time combat archer - there was no excuse for
this!

Comments about archers in the shower trailer -
I was in the back of the trailer when someone came in and asked if there
was any archers present. I respond back that I was one, but he was in
the common room and like I said I was in the back, thus could not hear
me. Completed my business and walked into the common room.

There were roughly 6 fighters present there and I walked in there and I
ID myself as an archer. The discussion started between a knight (found
this out afterwards and myself). Within 2 minutes all others present
became quiet. The same issue - Touch Kill or White Diamonds - archers
who can reach with a "30 foot spear" hit a fighter, BUT that fighter or
another can not hit back. In other words, special rules for the archers
to play!

Fighters take 5 or 10 or 15 years to get to the level of where they a
force on the field. An archer can reduce all that effort to nothing by
just picking a bow and a combat arrow and practicing for a couple of
weeks prior to going on the battlefield. This is even less for a
crossbow, which was proven last year at Gulf War X.

I could have very easy became a White Diamond, but DID NOT! Instead I
became a heavy contact archer - I have been hit by fighters. And I feel
that is only fair. I can hit them and they can hit me. It is a level
playing field between the fighters that I shoot at and me.

The Touch Kill rule was put in place to cut down on confusion as to
whether the archer that fighter(s) are about to remove from the field is
a heavy contact or a White Diamond.

I have stated that Touch Kill sucks! I have gone so far as to place this
in writing to various Marshals here in Ansteorra by e-mail.

I do NOT want special rules for me as a combat archer to join with the
heavy fighters and play this game that belongs to all of us. This does
not bring the two groups together, but actually drive the camps further
apart.

Before the Touch Kill rule came into effect, if an archer gets to close
to the shield wall and it broke. A fighter coming through it, has been
struck several times and he or she has managed to get pass the shields,
they are swing at anything that moves with a helm on. The archer is too
close to that wall - fighter sees another helm and by training and
instinct - swings and hit the archer. Only afterwards, they realized
that the individual was an archer.

And that archer then cries out that the fighter hit them with more force
than necessary.

If on the other hand the archer is in open field and the fighter runs up
and strikes with full force... Then I agree the archer has a reason to
cry foul!

It also does not help when a White Diamond or two states that they were
dead (10 foot rule when a fighter comes within that distance), starts to
walk off the field. Only to see that White Diamond turn around and shoot
that same fighter or another of his group.

So which or what is the correct solution - I can not say, since there
are blame on both sides of this.

The outcome of between the knight and myself - we exchange names and
shook hands. He is Sir Sherdian (I do hope I spelled this correct) from
Caltinor. I did enjoy the discussion between the two of us and I hope he
did too.

Elsewhere during the battles - there were a number of comments made
about archers. Such as"

"I hate archers."

"We do not allow archers to play with us at home."

"Damm archers - they hit me, but all I can do is touch them. If they
want to play then they should play by the same rules as we do
(fighters)."

"I love archers." When the archer is on their side and just shot another
archer.



Friday - Open field battled. Three of them.

1st battle, behind the Fray shield wall with Angelique. I was down to 72
arrows (three damaged beyond simple repairs). Angelique was down some
bolts. We advance across the field and I went into rapid firing mode to
get off as many arrows as possible.

An open field battle is fast pace nd I do not last as long, mainly
because I do not move very fast. So before the two sides were joined, I
shot roughly 10 arrows.

I got a number of kills, mostly poles and I believe one archer (not sure
on this one). As usually, the Fray charged into the opposite shield wall
and the two of us were on our own. Before I knew it, I had lost track of
Angelique.

The battle lines dissolved and reformed several times. To the point, I
was at the far end and not sure which individuals were on what side. Did
not recognized all the units. Everyone had tape on their helms - yellow
for Ansteorra and blue for Trimaris. Got off a few more arrows.

I was killed when a pole came up from behind and touch me. He informed
me that I was dead. I in turn, respond back with "Thank you my lord."
And left the field. I had shoot 36 arrows. And perhaps gotten a total
kill count of 8 to 12. I will not go any high than this.

I sit out the 2nd battle while the arrows were inspected.

Third Open Field battle -

Was a repeat of the 1st, with the exception that I shot only 20 arrows.
Half of these at long range. Got maybe 6 or 7 kills. Then killed when a
fighter came up from behind and touched me. And again I thanked him and
walked off the field.

Saturday

1st Fort Battle -

Fray took up position by the old sally port to defend that section of
the fort. I had 72 arrows and I believe Angelique was down to 16
crossbow bolts by this time. She was to save as much of hers for the
fighters that were to come up the ramps or if there was a push against
the sally port. I would be shooting at anyone coming up the ramp once
they were in place. When she shot her last bolt, she was to switch to
spear and continue on with the defense of the fort.

I would be pacing my rate of fire to ensure that I had arrows left over
for both the ramp and when a fighter did drop into the 3 foot circle.

Once, again I was ignoring any attempt by the any one else to place
either myself or Angelique in a different position and/or separate us
from the Fray. All the tactics and the practice that I have developed
and was pasting on to Angelique would have been wasted.

Ironwyrm did attempt to get me or Angelique to manned one of the towers.
I flat out told him no way. I did that at Gulf War X and being in the
tower is a mistake. He left and got someone else.

Trimaris had set up a ballasta and archer unit in front of the main
water bearer station. I went for the operators of those, then the archer
unit. In fact there was three ballasta that I had a shot. I shot
roughly 10 arrows from inside the fort to the ballasta.

The result:
1 operator
3 water bearers (informed of this at the end of the day)
1 tent roof.

The distance of my APD's were never an issue. I was getting roughly 100
to 200 feet in distance. The difference in distance depend upon what
type of combat head I was using. I have baldar and UHMW.

My eye sight was such that I was having problems with gauging distance
properly (only one contact lens in). Thus, some of my arrows were either
under or over shooting the mark that I was aiming for.

I did get an operator, but he was quickly replaced by a pole. Rate of
fire on that one ballasta slowed down for a few minutes. And the force
lost a pole. But overall - killing one operator on a ballasta does no
good in the long run. The entire crew must killed, including anyone who
replaces them. This was the initial Ansteorran siege commanders thought
process was prior to the battle - just kill one member and that unit is
out of business! This last part was what their thinking was on this
subject and was discussed with me back in February. Not sure if they
change their thought process or not.

Stop shooting at that group. Went to shooting the other two. Shieldmen
protection was excellent. No arrows getting through.

Dux then ordered me to moved to the front of the gate since there
appeared to be a serious push there. There were already two other
archers there, but they did not appear to really working together. I did
not realize that there was other archers in the front. A group of 4
outside were shooting as group. I saw this group and did not real see
any other targets, so I started shooting back at them in an effort to
either to do one of the following:

Kill them
Keep them busy dodging
Have them become worry about me, thus hopeful have them shift their
focus to me.

I am assuming that the fighter was a knight was attempting to get all of
us to working as a group. While trying to shoot at the other archers and
listen to this knight - I took a crossbow bolt in the shoulder. Thus
ending my portion of the defense of the fort.

I had shot approximately 39 arrows - all long range.

Since, I could not see with only contact lens in, the reports that I
received indicated that no archer on the left side of the fort bother to
shoot at anyone on the ramp. Instead they went after other archers and
the ballastas. Then once someone made it to the inside of the fort, only
then did the archers turn to shoot at those foe. I would suggest for
those interest - ask someone else about that portion of the battle.


2nd Fort battle -

I and Angelique would supporting the Fray and other units in their rush
of the new sally port. Angelique's main duty was to take out any archer
who was in the tower, then shoot at the windows on either side. Once she
was out of crossbow bolts, she was to switch from crossbow and take up
the spear and join the Fray or if she could not join the Fray, then me -
or join up with some other unit and support them.

The same set of instructions applied to me, if I could not join back up
with the Fray inside the fort, then I would join up Angelique and form a
pole/archer team and go in search of a unit to support. Or if that
failed, then I would join up with a unit on my own to support until I
could re-join with my fellow Fray brothers and sisters.

The original plan was for both of us to wait until the Fray charged,
which was 7 minutes after laid on. Then we were to shoot as fast
possible with the hope of disrupting any fighters around that sally port
and thus maybe softing up for the charge. This changed when at least one
ballasta was positioned at the far end of the new wall of the fort,
started firing.

I returned fire with my bow, not sure how effective it was or if I got
any kills. I shot both at the ballasta and around the sally port. The
Fray charged and went to rapid fire.

The Fray barely reached the sally port and there was hold called. This
type of action would happen for the rest of the battle. It appeared that
anytime that there as an opening, then a hold was called.

I moved up to provide closer support, by shooting into the windows.
Managed to get some kills, all shots to the grill in the helm. Once
again I was threading the needle through all the flying sticks between
me and my targets. No huge totals here, since I could not readily
confirmed all of them.

Toward the end, got into an archery duel with a crossbowman shooting
golf tube arrows on the inside of the fort. We were both shooting
through the windows at each other.

Toward the end, a hold was call in which a marshals inform all of us,
this one would take some time and asked that we remove our helms. They
called for water bearers upon the field. The sun was high in the sky,
the humidity was high and there was very little wind. I got some water
and pickles. Instead of making me feel better - cooling down, I just
stayed hot and did not feel better - instead felt worse.

I walked off the field with some assistance by a lady who was fighting
with a pole I believe. The rest of Fray help me get out of armor and the
various other lords and ladies who were there to assist in just such an
instance.

I wish to thank one and all who help me to cool down. Especially Cathy
who stayed by my side for the rest that day on the field and made sure
that I drank water. And to Angelique who joined Cathy and who chewed me
out when I got up and searched for my arrows after the battle. Frenchy
for getting his truck and getting me into some sir conditioning to help
further cool me down.

Overall, it was a good week of fun,
rejoicing (must remember - No more than 2 shots of Scotch Whiskey and do
not mix the drinks),
learning how to construction massive canals for water run off,
the joy of meeting new people - both heavy fighters and other archers,
most people were friendly and open - on both sides and on and off the
battlefield,
and the fighting!

Looking forward to next year.


Michael of the Fray

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