The intent of this paper is to analyze the Battle of Agincourt, remembered as the astonishing defeat of French forces at the hands of a numerically inferior English army. The French gathered intelligence on the size, status, and location of the English army and concluded that victory was inevitable. They neglected to analyze the terrain and ignored lessons-learned. French forces lost the battle of Agincourt due to over-confidence based on intelligence that suggested an easy victory, and a breakdown in military discipline.
Overview of the Battle
The Battle of Agincourt occurred on 25 October 1415 between the French and English armies. King Henry V had just led the English to victory in taking the French port city of Harfleur as part of his campaign to renew the Hundred Years War. The town proved difficult to seize, took much longer than initially planned, and Henry lost nearly a third of his army to fighting and disease (Beck, 2005). This forced Henry to abandon the rest of his campaign and march, as a show of force, to the English-held city of Calais, some 120 miles away. French forces intercepted Henry’s army near Agincourt and challenged him to battle.
The Battle
The battlefield consisted of recently ploughed farmland bordered by two forests that narrowed in the direction of the English line. Recent rains turned the fields soft and muddy. Henry ordered his men, exhausted from the long march and some still ill from Harfleur, to be silent and rest the night before the battle. The French, however, were confident of victory and stayed up to drink and gamble. Some French knights had even constructed a special cart to parade around the soon-to-be captured English king (Beck, 2005).
The morning of the battle, the English, numbering around six thousand men, formed a single line of men-at-arms and knights, with longbowmen on either flank. The infantry split into three formations: Henry led the main body, the Duke of York commanded the right, and Lord Camoys the left. Likewise, the French, numbering between twelve and twenty thousand men, formed three lines of men-at-arms and knights: the vanguard, the main body, and the reserves. Cavalry flanked the infantry on both sides, with crossbowmen, archers, and more mounted
Wars were also part of the crisis, notably the Hundred Years War between England and France. In 1328 the French Capetian line ended. England’s Edward III (d.1377) claimed the French throne, but a cousin to the Capets, Philip of Valois, became king (d.1350). War soon began. Armored knights on horseback were the backbone of medieval armies, but English peasants using the longbow had begun to change the face of war. When the French king was captured, a treaty was signed in 1360: France agreed to pay ransom, the English received land in France, and Edward renounced his claim to the throne. Using guerilla tactics, the French regained their lands, but in 1415 England’s Henry V (d.1422)
Drill and discipline, are what make it possible for a victory in battle. If warriors going into battle are not accurately trained in the practice of drill and discipline it can result in a mere senseless blood brawl ending with large amounts of casualties and grave losses. In the battle of Agincourt 1415 is was a battle between King Henry V of England whom wanted to reclaim lands both “won and lost during the previous century” from France which was under the rule of King Charles VI although the army outnumbered the English, it was in this battle the French suffered many casualties due to poor strategy. In the battle of Waterloo 1815 two hundred years later it was a battle between the English army commended by the Duke of Wellington and
On June 6th 1944, the U.S. and allied forces executed an amphibious assault named Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day, along the north-western coastline region of France. The operation covered in this paper will discuss a key battle during the Invasion of Normandy. The Invasion of Normandy was a successful operation focused towards German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. This paper will also cover a brief history and key points of The Battle of Omaha Beach. Critical reasoning and battle analysis will be expressed through what intelligence assets were applied, utilized and available during the time era. The analysis outcome will lead to an expressed alternative ending on The Battle of Omaha Beach. A detailed explanation of how intelligence assets could have been used to change the course of the battle will defend the explained alternative ending discussed. The main points of discussion will include Adolf Hitler’s decision to move most of his tank divisions and infantry units 150 miles north to Calais, the significance of the highly effective group known as the French Resistance and a famous illusionist Jasper Maskelyne.
Although he was victorious in both of them, his troops were exhausted and did not have sufficient energy to perform at their best. At the beginning of the battle, he managed get a good advantage - he positioned his troops on top of a hill, making it difficult for William to get to his army and attack him. However, towards the end of the battle, William set a trap to draw Harold from his strong position – and he fell for it. Once they were on even ground, Harold’s exhausted troops could not counter the attacks from William’s well-trained and nourished army.
Henry Tudor left France on August 1 with 2,000 men and gathered more men as he travelled through Wales; by the time of battle on the 22nd of August he had a 5,000 strong army (Hickman, 2009). Richard III had an army of 10,000 men. Henry had sent messengers to Lord Stanley and Sir William Stanley requesting assistance, they both agreed to desert Richard III during the battle. When both Stanleys swapped sides, this turned the numbers in favour of Henry's army. The battle only lasted approximately 2 hours ending with Richard’s death and Henry Tudor, despite being 13th in line for the crown at the time, was crowned King Henry VII.
On the 14th of October, the Saxon and Norman forces clashed in the Battle of Hastings. Harold took up a defensive position on Senlac Ridge. The Norman army was forced to attack uphill, placing them at a disadvantage.
Professor Freeman, in her lecture titled: “The Logic of a Campaign (or, How in the World Did We Win?)”, talks about “logistical” problems that the British Army faced. First and foremost was the simple problem of supply and demand; regarding both fighting men and basic supplies. England was an ocean away and America’s ports were not always welcoming. Second was the actual lay of the land. British forces were not accustomed to fighting over such a vastly spread out region, nor were the accustomed to guerilla style warfare (Freeman).
It took place at Miller’s Cornfield, right before harvest time. The cornstalks were tall, thick, and everywhere, causing minimal visibility to begin with. However, to add to the confusion the smoke from the guns tingled in the air, causing a black mist to cling to the air. Even worse, the battle was in the early morning, from 6-9:30 a.m. This probably made the visibility even worse, with the rising sun causing soldiers to shield their eyes. Overall, the first phase was not a good way to start the day for either side.
By now the fighting on Cups hill had caused and the battlefield became relatively quiet. Soldiers on each side sweated in the midday heat, waiting for whatever was going to happen next – witch to most of them was unknown (Gottlieb pg
In “The Face of Battle,” John Keegan analyzed the experiences of the individuals involved in the battles of the Somme and Waterloo; he thoroughly examined the advancements of industrialization in warfare and battle strategy between 1815 and 1916. The industrialization of modern warfare during the battle of the Somme, while progressive, was very much still in its experimental stages. While the inventions during this time period were later evolved into much more useful products, it seems as though the organized warfare in Waterloo was much more effective; the soldier’s mediocre training for the Somme was obvious in the chaotic events that occurred. While each battle was disastrous in their own ways, industrialization certainly improved means of warfare and the experience that the soldiers had.
John Keegan describes his book, The Face of Battle, as "a personal attempt to catch a glimpse of the face of battle." This personal aspect that Keegan mentions is essential to his book and is excellently articulated, driving home his point. Keegan, who taught at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for over 25 years, begins by acknowledging his uneasiness with the fact that even though he taught British cadets military history, "I have not been in a battle; not near one, nor heard one from afar, nor seen the aftermath . . . And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like." Keegan is clear to state his proposition that almost all military history has functioned simply as a “battle piece” description in which one can see all the larger moving aspects followed by the outcome. However, this sort of recounting fails to acknowledge the personal side of war, the experience of battle. What really ensues when a cavalry unit meets an infantry unit? What are the vital features in determining whether soldiers stand and fight or turn and run?
Henry VIII realized that he needed to expand his territory in France, so in 1513 Henry VIII and his troops invaded France. They defeated France, and this battle came to be known as the Battle of the Spurs. At the time of this battle the Scottish invaded England as an attempt to distract Henry VIII from invading France. The Scottish’s attempt failed to get Henry VIII’s attention. Not long after this event, the Scottish were defeated at the Battle of Flodden Field. The battle between England and Scotland went from 1513-1517.
A few years later, Henry V landed in France with ten thousand men and besieged Harfleur, a port town along the French coast. The siege lasted for a month, and Henry marched into the town, victorious, with very few men, because most of them died from disease. He then set course for Calais, but was stopped by French forces in Agincourt. Henry had only about six thousand men and the French force had twenty thousand. Henry used the woodland to give his forces a better chance. The French, on the other hand, set up three lines with knights in front. The knights were easily taken down by English longbowmen, the second line was slowed down by muddy swampland, and the third line retreated. This was a decisive victory for Henry and his outnumbered army. Henry continued advancing to Calais. Next, Scottish and French armies join forces and raid English holdings in Normandy. The English forces were decimated by the combined forces of France and Scotland. Soon after that battle, The French and Scottish tried once more to remove English control of Normandy, but their forces were easily cut down by longbowmen. Scotland stopped aiding France in the war, and England kept their hold in Normandy. The English started to take control of most of France again, started winning more battles. “The balance of power changed in 1429, with the appearance of Joan of Arc,
The king does this so that the governor will surrender and Henry can conquer Harfleur without a bloody battle. Although his speech sounds menacing, a quality not found in the characteristics of a hero, it is only a tactic Henry uses to achieve the outcome he wants. Henry's reluctance to make good on his promise of this massacre is proven when he states, "use mercy to them all" (III.3. 54). Henry is not the monster he appears to be; instead, he is a leader using any method he can to gain land while keeping his troops out of harm's way. At the final Battle of Agincourt, Henry's ragged army expresses concern about their odds against the French; the British are outnumbered five to one. Henry's Cousin Westmoreland. Henry, being the talented rhetorician that he is, soothes the army's fears by delivering the inspirational speech: "[...] If we are marked to die, we are now To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honor. [...]But if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive." (IV.3. 21-30). Henry explains that there is a certain amount of honor to go around once the British defeat the French. It is fortunate of those soldiers that are at the battle that they do not have to share that honor with men who are fearful and therefore unworthy of honor. Henry says that honor is most important to him and that it should also be important to
Keegan chooses the three well documented campaigns of Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and Somme in 1916 to answer the question of his thesis: To find out how men who are faced with the threat of single-missile and multiple-missile