068. Azincourt - Historical - WDS Age of Longbow Volume I

Date: 25 October 1415 - Size: Small / Medium - Location: Azincourt, St. Pol, now Pas-de-Calais, France

Scenario Briefing: Historical -

After capturing Harfleur, despite the heavy English losses during the siege and the subsequent build up of French forces at Rouen, Henry V decided to follow in his ancestor Edward III's footsteps in marching his army to Calais. Finding the Blancetaque ford well-guarded and Pont Remy bridge dismantled, the English were forced to march further and further away from their objective until they finally managed to cross the Somme at Bethencourt.

However, on 24th October, Henry V found a large French army blocking his line of march to Calais. Although the English army may have been outnumbered as much as 6:1, its flanks were protected by dense woods and the French numbers actually worked against them, as men attempting to force their way into the front line caused disruption and confusion. The muddy ground also gave the English a further advantage, as it slowed down the French advance and caused those men in heavy armor to become exhausted even before they reached the English line.

This scenario follows the most reliable contemporary sources - the Gesta Henrici V and Jehan de Waurin - for the strength of composition of the armies. Although the French appear to have at least some gunpowder weapons at Agincourt, they seem to have been of very limited effectiveness. Historically, the cumbersome English siege guns had been left behind at Harfleur,