You would know from this column that I believe citizens need to play a greater role in securing our nation. We might think that citizens’ participation is a sign of changing times, but history is replete with instances illustrating this concept. Here is one of my favourite stories.
In 1415, England’s King Henry V invaded France and routed a French army of 30,000 with just 6,000 troops. The Battle of Agincourt (which lies between the port cities of Le Havre and Calais in the north of France) has gone down in history as one of the most startling and astonishing victories by a smaller force against a much larger one. This is a fascinating story of how an army that was weak and tired after months of battle inflicted a catastrophic defeat on an opponent five times its size in numbers and qualitative advantages.
And 600 years later, it still has lessons for us.
The English expeditionary force of 12,000 fresh and eager troops landed in France in August 1415. They planned to capture the port town of Le Havre and move inland. But the siege lasted much longer than expected.
Also Read Raghu Raman’s earlier columns
Attrition, dysentery and skirmishes with the French depleted the English army to almost half the size before the garrison of Le Havre finally surrendered. Since the military campaigning season was coming to an end, Henry decided to move north to Calais. He realized that he did not have enough troops to wage a battle against the well-defended city of Rouen and yet could not return to England without losing face and the ability to sustain his campaign financially. Leaving a small contingent to guard Le Havre, Henry marched his weary army of just 6,000 soldiers north along the coast to Calais, hoping to draw the French out into battle.
On 25 October, he was met with the reinforced and invigorated French contingent of over 30,000 horsemen and foot soldiers in the epic battle of Agincourt. The battle itself lasted about five hours, at the end of which the French were annihilated with over 8,000 casualties against just 200 of the English.
The secret behind this extraordinary turn of the battle was the strategic advantage of the English longbow. The longbow, or the war bow as it was known then, was an awesome weapon. It was the height of a grown man and required great strength to draw to its full length. As a matter of fact, the draw weight or the pulling weight of the longbow was about 120 pounds, while the weight of the modern Olympic competition bow is 40 pounds.
Also, to unleash its full power, the arrow had to be pulled right behind the ear of the archer, thus offsetting the aim and making it inaccurate except in the hands of the most accomplished archers.