Re: (TFT) Re: TFT Digest V3 #581

["Charles Gadda" <cgadda@earthlink.net>]

This is one possible explanation, but the example you cite is somewhat
flawed:

1. The Genoese were mercenaries, and thus by definition volunteers.
2. Even though the article mentions it, two critical factors that
contributed to the crossbow's lackluster performance are not being
considered: the bowstrings dampened by the storm (which strikes me as more
of a problem of operator error than weapon design) and having to shoot
uphill. Had the situation been reversed, perhaps the long bow would now be
reviled for its inferiority.
3. This was a French army, a culture not exactly renowned for its military
competence...

There are occasional edicts regarding weapons. I seem to recall one order
given to English knights to fight dismounted with shortened lances, sometime
in the 100 Years War, I think (correct me if I am misremembering). But I
don't know how far one can take this idea - I certainly don't think they
met, say, Roman standards in this regard.

In a sense, though, this does seem to reenforce my point: when a weapon was
shown to be ineffective (in this instance purely because of extraordinary
circumstances) the troops did not hesitate to discard it (though here it was
to avoid being sent back into a losing battle, rather than simple
encumbrance).

>
> The soldiers might have been forced to. It wasn't exactly an
> all-volunteer force. There's a description at
>
> http://www.longbow-archers.com/historycrecy.htm
>
> of the battle of Crecy, where Genoese crossbow mercenaries abandoned
> their weapons, which had been shown to be ineffective against the
> english crossbows in that situation, and then were ridden down and
> killed by their French employers.
>
> I suspect that equipment, in well-organized armies, was pretty
> standardized, but with no real guarantee that the man defining the
> standard was correct.
> --
> - Mark
> 210-522-6025, page 888-733-0967
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