The Combat Support Personnel of Edward III - by Ronald W Braasch (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Medieval armies required an extensive support structure to maintain operations against their adversaries, but its number and nature remain contested. Those working "behind the scenes" are often referred to as noncombatants, but this term wrongly implies they had no role in an army's efforts to defeat the enemy. This book focuses on the expeditionary armies of Edward III of England, arguing that treating these individuals as combat support personnel offers a unique lens through which to examine and evaluate their efforts within the larger military community.

Evidence from royal wardrobe accounts, chronicles, military treatises, literary works, and contemporary illuminations is used to show how such personnel enhanced, sustained, and transported English expeditionary armies during the Hundred Years War, providing the combatants with the best chance of success during battles and sieges. A database analysis of contemporary chronicles tracking personnel, equipment, actions, and events - cross-referenced against wartime finances - illustrates the contributions of such individuals, and reveals that they accounted for more than forty per cent of the total force during campaigns.

Each chapter highlights the contributions of four major categories of combat support personnel (engineers, chaplains, medical providers, and transportation specialists), analysing their roles, numbers, and status, and highlighting how essential they were to warfare in the period.