On August 26th 1346, English forces under Edward III defeated a larger French force under Philip VI at the Battle of Crécy, near Crécy in northern France during the Hundred Years' War

The English forces (which included Welshmen) numbered a mere 9,000 to the French 30,000, yet the former suffered a mere 1-300 casualties and the latter lost 2,000 men-at-arms plus an unknown number of common soldiers and were routed from the field.

The largest component of the English forces were the longbowmen, stiffened by dismounted men-at-arms and spearmen. The longbowmen, armed with the English, or Welsh, longbow - a 6' tall powerful bow preferably made from yew - proved to be the decisive factor, defeating the French from a distance, whilst the Genoese crossbowmen on the French side proved to be ineffective, possibly due to wet bows.

Image: Jean Froissart [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_crecy_froissart.jpg)