this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
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A Comm for Historymemes

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[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 50 points 1 day ago (6 children)

If you were commanding a mass of archers "Spaff!" was the correct command.

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 4 points 7 hours ago

I don't like this.

[–] deet580@lemm.ee 50 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The best part was when they said "ITS SPAFFFIN' TIME" and spaffed all over those guys.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 11 points 1 day ago

"So I started spaffing"

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (4 children)

"Ready your bows!"

"Nock!"

"Mark!"

"Draw!"

"Loose!"

[–] smee@poeng.link 4 points 6 hours ago

Whoever decided to call it "Draw" instead of "Tighten" should be loosed out of a cannon. Into the sun.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 6 points 6 hours ago

Guy named Mark: "What?" *gets shot*

[–] OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

"Nock! Nock!"

"Who's there?"

"Mark!"

"Mark who?"

[–] smee@poeng.link 3 points 6 hours ago

Mark Oni, inventor of the wireless telegraph!

[–] antbricks@lemmy.today 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Volley fire wasn't a thing with bows. You ever try holding a 90lb war bow at full draw waiting for someone to yell "Loose"? Never happened.

[–] HK65@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wikipedia seems to disagree:

The Persians army employed volleys of arrows, slingshots, and javelins against the Greeks in Gaugalema[21] and Thermopylae.[22][23] Ancient Greeks and Romans used arrow volleys.[24][20][19] The goddess Artemis was called "‘of the showering arrows".[25][26]

In medieval Europe, after the initial volley, archers would fire single shots at individual enemies.[27] Examples include the Battle of Hastings in 1066,[28] Battle of Crécy in 1346[19] and the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.[29]

I'd imagine it's possible that a volley meant that they started drawing at the same time rather than drawing and waiting.

[–] Frostbeard@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

I understood that English archers trained to hit certain distances. So as the enemy advanced they would get a volley at x, y, and xy, and so on. Not aim at individuals at that distance.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

wow I'm glad that changed

[–] gmtom@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah they would just spaff all over the enemy, multiple times.

[–] Entropywins@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Step enemy, help I'm stuck in the dryer...

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 8 points 1 day ago

Spaffing Brits were the most underhanded of the lot.