'Mad' Jack Churchill: The Arrow that Answered the Cannons

No list of marksmanship feats is complete without Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill – better known as "Mad Jack." This extraordinary British soldier during World War II literally took a step back in time to equip himself. He often carried a Scottish broadsword and, incredibly, a longbow! His personal motto was: "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

His most famous, and probably only of its kind, feat occurred in 1940 during a raid in France. When he and his men attacked a German position at L'Epinette, "Mad Jack" gave the signal to charge by firing an arrow – his last arrow – into the enemy. He was later quoted as saying he "killed a German sergeant with an arrow in the chest."

His use of the bow in modern warfare is a testament to his unwavering belief that skill and personal bravery could overcome conventional superiority. He was a man who blended medieval warfare with modern, and his audacious use of the bow on the battlefield secures him a unique place in the history of precision shooters.