Mick in Switzerland | 18 May 2015 2:24 a.m. PST |
Wargamers often show a single dense row of stakes for English archers but I don't think that is how it was done. I think a good defence that could not be jumped by a horse would have been at least 4 staggered lines of stakes each stake about 50 cm apart. If I recall correctly, there were 4,500 archers and each had one stake. The narrow point between the Azincourt and Tramecourt woods was only 700 metres. As I understand there were stake defences in front of the archers but not in front of the men at arms. That gives 4,500 stakes in about 600 metres which is 7.5 stakes per metre. Has anybody read anything about this? What is your opinion? Regards Mick |
Oh Bugger | 18 May 2015 5:47 a.m. PST |
I think staggered lines is right to allow the archers to emerge. Anne Curry's book Angincourt is very good. |
MajorB | 18 May 2015 7:27 a.m. PST |
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Mick in Switzerland | 18 May 2015 8:48 a.m. PST |
Thank-you both. Anne Curry has written several books about Agincourt – which is the best one? link |
MajorB | 18 May 2015 8:58 a.m. PST |
Anne Curry has written several books about Agincourt – which is the best one? "Agincourt, A New History". |
Great War Ace | 18 May 2015 9:12 a.m. PST |
The rows of archers were staggered, so that each man from the third rank back was standing behind the man two rows in front of him. The stakes were therefore in a "checkerboard" pattern. This made passage through their own stakes easy enough for archers, but cavalry moving at any speed faster than a walk would find the "hedge" of stakes very difficult to move through without injury. Close order MAA arriving at a band of stakes would require time to negotiate through (probably pushing down many in the process), thus giving the archers standing behind several more pointblank shots before any melee contact was reached…. |
Oh Bugger | 18 May 2015 9:48 a.m. PST |
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Mick in Switzerland | 19 May 2015 8:36 a.m. PST |
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janner | 19 May 2015 9:33 a.m. PST |
She's the lead author for the Medieval Warfare Magazine special on Agincourt, which is due out this summer and might be worth a looksee  |
Mick in Switzerland | 21 May 2015 4:25 a.m. PST |
Which is the best book for preparing a wargame of Agincourt? I want details such as maps, army compositions, deployment but also pictures of troops flags and heraldry. As far as I can see, Anne Curry's "Agincourt – A New History" and similar books are mosty text with few pictures or maps. How good are these Osprey books? The Armies of Agincourt (Men-at-Arms) Paperback – 23 Jul 1981 Agincourt 1415: Triumph Against the Odds (Osprey Campaign) Paperback – 23 May 1991 |
Great War Ace | 21 May 2015 8:16 a.m. PST |
All of them are good. Taken together you'll get more of what you want. No single book supplies all that you want. Curry's book has a nicely assembled center section of color plates…. |
Great War Ace | 21 May 2015 8:17 a.m. PST |
Don't forget to read Oman. His map is still a good one, especially accessible for a wargame setup, imho, of course…. |
janner | 21 May 2015 11:50 a.m. PST |
The Osprey by Matthew Bennett is excellent – Arguably the best in the whole series. |
Mick in Switzerland | 21 May 2015 11:28 p.m. PST |
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