What if: US marines vs Roman legions

[Al B. Sure!]

Dude, the Romans didn't even have Arabic numerals, something we are all familiar with from kindergarten! Our knowledge base is vastly superior.

Al, all that knowledge is irellevant. F.ex. mechanics - whats that worth witout acces to advanced tools ? Medicine ? You are joking, rigth ? 2K marines wouldn't be able to produce an aspirine, though, their knowledge of hygiene would protect them to a degree. Geography ? You are stuck on the italian pennisula with no viable escape routes. Agriculture ? Well, some may know how to start a tractor etc. but there really aren't so many of those around.

Who needs advanced tools? Even the most basic medieval-level machines would be unknown to the Romans but easily constructed by the Marines. The Romans had no knowledge of windmills, for freaking sakes! Agriculture? Even just basic things like crop rotation and fertilization would exceed the knowledge the Romans had. Medicine? You are aware that a MEU comes with corpsmen and doctors, right? As for the infantry, even the most basic military first aid and knowledge of germ theory would give them a huge advantage.

[Tupac Shakur]

Dude, the Romans didn't even have Arabic numerals, something we are all familiar with from kindergarten! Our knowledge base is vastly superior.

Who ****ing cares? The Marines' superior general knowledge will mean jack **** when their bullets and fuel run out and they have to integrate into a local society that they don't understand.

[Al B. Sure!]

Dude, the Romans didn't even have Arabic numerals, something we are all familiar with from kindergarten! Our knowledge base is vastly superior.

Who ****ing cares? The Marines superior general knowledge will mean jack **** when their bullets and fuel run out and they have to integrate into a local society that they don't understand.

Yeah until they build a windmill, build a steam engine, demonstrate crop rotation, etc. and build a society centuries more advanced than the Romans.

[Tupac Shakur]

You think the Marines are going to be able to build a ****ing steam engine? I never thought I'd say this to anyone, but you're honestly too ****ing stupid to make it in the Corps...

[Hauldren Collider]

Steam engines are pretty complex. They'd probably require higher-quality steel or iron than you could find in Roman times as well.

[BlackCat]

You think the Marines are going to be able to build a ****ing steam engine? I never thought I'd say this to anyone, but you're honestly too ****ing stupid to make it in the Corps...

The romans probably had knowledge about steam engines, though not in a modern concept link, but you are right. The idea that marines should be able to build a steam engine with the materials and tools available is quite rediculous.

[Al B. Sure!]

You think the Marines are going to be able to build a ****ing steam engine? I never thought I'd say this to anyone, but you're honestly too ****ing stupid to make it in the Corps...

Are you only posting to denigrate the Marine Corps and the intelligence of Marines or do you honestly think a 2,200 man force which includes officers, pilots, medical staff, logistical staff, engineers, and mechanics wouldn't have a vastly superior practical knowledge base and couldn't build anything they wanted to up to early 19th century level of technology?

[BlackCat]

Do you honestly think a 2,200 man force which includes officers, pilots, medical staff, logistical staff, engineers, and mechanics wouldn't have a vastly superior practical knowledge base and couldn't build anything they wanted to up to early 19th century level of technology?

I'm pretty sure that they would not be able to do such

[Tupac Shakur]

Are you only posting to denigrate the Marine Corps and the intelligence of Marines or do you honestly think a 2,200 man force which includes officers, pilots, medical staff, logistical staff, engineers, and mechanics wouldn't have a vastly superior practical knowledge base and couldn't build anything they wanted to up to early 19th century level of technology?

Of course they couldn't. I doubt they could even build a proper windmill.

[The Mad Monk]

I think they could, given enough time and resources.

Another reason to take Elba. The locals would be skilled in the state of the art in their craft for that time. Build from there. There will be no huge leaps, everything will still be iterative, but there will be no false starts and no dead ends, and with goals in mind to work for the technologies should come along fairly rapidly.

[Tupac Shakur]

Good luck trying to convince a bunch of jarheads to spend the rest of their lives involved in a painstaking effort to reinvent technology they vaguely understand rather than living a carefree life raping and pillaging the countryside...

[The Mad Monk]

Have you looked at the wiki for Elba? It's a mediterranean paradise known for its wine. Granted, most of the jarheads will be doing what jarheads do best. That leaves all the officers and the airforce personnel, as well as the civvies.

...and I think even the jarheads will miss indoor plumbing and electricity more than you think.

[Al B. Sure!]

Speaking of alcohol, the Romans didn't even have knowledge of distillation! The Marines could make a still and make stuff that would rock the Romans' worlds.

I don't think there is a full appreciation of just how little the Romans knew compared to us. Even basic modern understanding of things would be otherworldly to the Romans.

[giblets]

Wait, are we assuming that one of the 2000 marines has knowledge of distillation?

[Al B. Sure!]

Wait, are we assuming that one of the 2000 marines has knowledge of distillation?

Of this, I am certain.