David Campbell

David Campbell writes military history that explains how weapons, training, and battlefield conditions shaped combat. Longbowman vs Crossbowman examines two celebrated missile troops during the Hundred Years’ War from 1337 to 1360. Published by Osprey in its Combat series, the study pairs Campbell’s text with Peter Dennis’s illustrations and uses the encounters at Sluys, Crécy, and Poitiers as its principal case studies. Campbell compares the English and Welsh longbow tradition with the professional crossbowmen employed by France and its allies, paying attention to range, rate of shooting, protection, and tactical deployment. That structure makes the book more than a list of equipment. It shows why commanders valued each weapon and how terrain, preparation, and combined forces affected results. Longbowman vs Crossbowman is therefore a compact introduction to a famous medieval rivalry, grounded in specific campaigns and designed for readers who want both visual reconstruction and a clear account of battlefield practice.