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What if: US marines vs Roman legions

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  • What if: US marines vs Roman legions

    Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger

    Warner are apparently going to make this into a movie link. The first eight days has already been written in the reddit link.

    So I've been watching HBO's Rome and Generation Kill simultaneously and it's lead me to fantasize about traveling back in time with modern troops and equipment to remove that self-righteous little **** Octavian (Augustus) from power.

    Let's say we go back in time with a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), since the numbers of members and equipment is listed for our convenience in this Wikipedia article, could we destroy all 30 of Augustus' legions?

    We'd be up against nearly 330,000 men since each legion was comprised of 11,000 men. These men are typically equipped with limb and torso armor made of metal, and for weaponry they carry swords, spears, bows and other stabbing implements. We'd also encounter siege weapons like catapults and crude incendiary weapons.

    We'd be made up of about 2000 members, of which about half would be participating in ground attack operations. We can use our four Abrams M1A1 tanks, our artillery and mechanized vehicles (60 Humvees, 16 armored vehicles, etc), but we cannot use our attack air support, only our transport aircraft.

    We also have medics with us, modern medical equipment and drugs, and engineers, but we no longer have a magical time-traveling supply line (we did have but the timelords frowned upon it, sadly!) that provides us with all the ammunition, equipment and sustenance we need to survive. We'll have to succeed with the stuff we brought with us.

    So, will we be victorious?

    I really hope so because I really dislike Octavian and his horrible family. Getting Atia will be a bonus.
    With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.

    Steven Weinberg

  • #2
    Marines win without breaking a sweat. Duh.
    Click here if you're having trouble sleeping.
    "We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones." - François de La Rochefoucauld

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    • #3
      The morale of the legions would be shattered as soon as the first artillery shell fell.

      Find some legions that care more about winning than loyalty, and you're really set. Do it like Cortes against the Aztecs.
      John Brown did nothing wrong.

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      • #4
        I expect would take one marine attack helicopter to eliminate an entire roman legion.
        If there is no sound in space, how come you can hear the lasers?
        ){ :|:& };:

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        • #5
          This is truly retarded.

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          • #6
            The Roman Legion's strength was pretty much entirely their discipline. They were able to get close to the enemy by not breaking ranks when they were scared and then stabbing the baddies to death at close range. US Marines' strength lies primarily in their physical fitness, training, and equipment. Trying to compare them is nonsense.
            If there is no sound in space, how come you can hear the lasers?
            ){ :|:& };:

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            • #7
              Sounds like an episode of Deadliest Warrior

              Paramount Network is home to boundary-pushing scripted and non-scripted shows, featuring unforgettable characters and immersive stories on Yellowstone, Bar Rescue, Ink Master and more.
              And indeed there will be time To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?". t s eliot

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              • #8
                Deadliest Warrior is a terrible show.
                John Brown did nothing wrong.

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                • #9
                  Without a magical supply line how are you supposed to keep all those tanks and humvees and helicopters running? Wouldn't you just be 2000 guys with guns and limited ammunition?

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                  • #10
                    It'd probably only take one or two very limited battles though to crush any opposition.

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                    • #11
                      Depends on where the marines start. If they start on the outskirts of Rome, no big deal. Now imagine they start in northern Africa, that'd be interesting.

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                      • #12
                        Something like this has already happened with the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, and the difference between inca and aztec warfare and european renaissance warfare was much smaller than the difference between classical warfare and modern warfare.

                        The marines would win and wouldn't even need allies to win (the Spanish used thousands of natives from tribes opressed by the aztecs and incas as allies).
                        I need a foot massage

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                        • #13
                          I forgot about the limited ammunition. In that case you may be able to conquer Rome quickly, but if the Emperor somehow managed to Escape to Alexandria, or another big city on the other side of the Mediterranean, he may reconquer the lost land as you run out of ammo
                          I need a foot massage

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                          • #14
                            Kitted out properly, they could go for a while. 5.56 NATO is all you'd need to outclass the Roman legions, and it's easy to carry thousands of rounds in a truck. Assuming that you have fuel to make it to Rome, you could keep your vehicles there, and just send out detachments to quell the occasional uprising. Most Romans won't mess with a crew that has modern assault rifles, much less mortars and grenades.
                            John Brown did nothing wrong.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Supr49er View Post
                              Sounds like an episode of Deadliest Warrior

                              http://www.spike.com/shows/deadliest-warrior
                              Vampires vs. Zombies.

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