Military Engineers as Combat Support Forces in the Armies of Edward III

In the armies of the late Middle Ages, engineering forces fell into a gray area between combatant and noncombatant. They might fight if necessary, but that was not their primary role, suggesting that late medieval military engineers might best be defined as combat support personnel. A study of contemporary sources supports the argument that engineers in King Edward III of England’s expeditionary armies, although proportionately few in comparison to his fighting forces, were key to his strategic successes and that they occupy a pivotal spot in the history of military engineering.