>What was the most dominant military force of all time? >And

being the best at driving your heel over the necks of your contemporaries isn't laudable

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Not really.
It was and still is US armed forces.

Mongols
The Chinese
The Muslims

Who would win in a fight, the Roman Army circa 100 AD, or the Soviet Army in 1946?

>>2953484

if the playing field was level, hard to say, they were both provincial armies weren't they, depending on the era of the empire, its army's composition would be composed largely of subject peoples like the USSR

>>2953480
It is when it grants you dominian over three continents.

>>2953481
Literally the pussiest armed forces of all time, made 'great' because of the tremendous firepower and nuclear capabilities.

>m-muh ptsd!
>help me I'm homeless!

fuckin pussies. Name one US general that can hold a candle to Scipio.

I'll wait.

>inb4 muh Patton

>>2953500
As a U.S. Army Veteran, honestly this. The modern military is very pussified.

>>2953484
Roman Army. They have their unbreakable Testudo formation.

Also Romans highly trained warriors, meanwhile Russians are peasant conscripts.

>>2953508

is it really?

when were you last under orders?

>>2953493
>>2953512
Are you guys shitposting? An army from the 17th century could destroy the Romans.

>>2953512
>Roman Army
>Beating any opponent with gunpowder

Is this bait?

>>2953512
kek very well done

>>2953500
>made 'great' because of the tremendous firepower and nuclear capabilities
Firepower makes armed forces great, retard.

>>2953483
>Pussies
>Faggots
>Child Molesters

>>2953447
>most dominant of all time
>regularly curb stomped by g*rman barbarians
pick one

>>2953546
>Having such a limited view of what makes an army great

kys

>>2953543
Can't you read? Romans have unbreakable testudo.Guns mean fuckall against testudo.

>>2953447
the Roman legions never did anything like the Han in the wars with the Xiongnu

its a shame the two empires weren't in contact though, maybe the chinese could have explained to the romans how to properly destroy steppe nomads

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>>2953556

>>2953582
Fair enough.

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>>2953556
No autistic tactics and/or strategies can stand against superior firepower and logistics.

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>>2953606

No?

>>2953481
You're a joke

Keep paying 1000 trillions of dollars per year to mantain that "army"

>>2953670
Military didn't fuck up in Vietnam, politicans did as in any asymetrical war.
>>2953673
Why not?

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>>2953553

>regularly

>>2953575
>its a shame the two empires weren't in contact though, maybe the chinese could have explained to the romans how to properly destroy steppe nomads

the Romans dealt with them just fine, it was the other kind of nomad that gave them trouble.

>>2953898
>>regularly
they were though, how else can you explain the fact that the german tribes were never conquered, and eventually sacked rome several times?

>>2953447
The German Heer in 1914 was probably the best army in world history. Excellence and brilliance on every level.

The Wehrmacht of 1939-1941 was similar, but because of their inferior equipment I hesitate to rate them that highly

>>2953929
>how else can you explain the fact that the german tribes were never conquered

because the german tribes were genocided to the point there was nothing left to conquer, not that they had any worthy land, infrastructure or resources

>and eventually sacked rome several times?

goths were of baltic and scandinavian origin, and they were fought off effectively for a long, long time

>>2953575
>the Roman legions never did anything like the Han in the wars with the Xiongnu

WE WUZ CHANGZ N SHIET

You chinks have had no relevance in human history. A roman senator in the imperial period had more influence on the future of the world than a chinese emperor.

>>2953942
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Noreia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Burdigala
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arausio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abritus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Placentia_(271)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fano
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adrianople
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thessalonica_(380)
the list goes on and on. you can replace germanic tribes with baltic/scandinavian tribes, the point remains that if the """""most dominant military in history""""" gets defeated regularly by tribal barbarians, perhaps they are not the most dominant military in history.

>>2953952
Chinese influence made Japan able to not only control their population throughout history, but also to modernize, which led to Japan becoming a great power in the 20th century. Imperial Japan, in turn, was essential for the history of mankind, as their incredible strength and resourcefulness stemming from Chinese learning made them a difficult opponent for the Allies during WW2, and enabled the first utilization of nuclear weaponry ever.
Thus without China, the Manhattan Project would've never been a success, and the Cold War would've never happened.

If Alexander hadn't died of botulism or whatever, then Rome would have been subjugated. I wish to live in that timeline.

>>2953984

>mixing skirmishes and decisive battles
>bunching up tribes that had nothing to do with eachother and many of whom were actually anihilated as a single foe
>mixing up widely separated time frames

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbrian_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Idistaviso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Argentovaria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcomannic_Wars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alemanni#Conflicts_with_the_Roman_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Catalaunian_Plains

>>2953481
But Trump said the US military was, and i quote, "in shambles".

>>2954022
literally none of what you said addresses the original point that the romans were regularly defeated by barbarian tribes. the fact remains that they were, and they lost several decisive battles as well. how then, can you justify the claim that the romans were the most dominant military force of all time?

>>2954029
Trump did not saw military outside of shaking hands with veterans during his campaign.

>>2954051

because they also regularly dominated against the Germanic tribes too, and their decisive victories often ended in the complete genocide of entire ethnic groups. The Germans they fought in their last days were not the same they fought in the early ones, because they erased them from the face of the earth.

you also ignore they fought a non-stop war against the Persians in the east at the same time, against nomad raiders in Africa and expanded north halfway into the British Isles, they encountered enemies in every direction and scored victories against them, holding vast territory under one rule and spreading their culture for centuries.

Machiavelli considered the swiss army as being the best. Nobody fucks with them.
I kinda approve knowing that hitler did not invade them because they were the only country ready for war at the begining of ww2

>>2954022
>>2954051
Maybe dominant is the wrong term, but isn't it up to you to posit a more dominant force?

Also, lots of these battles were against enemies that didn't really have a settled area you could occupy. Also, extending force across the alps and the forests of europe was way too costly.

>>2954051

He doesn't want to shatter his illlusions from videogames

Fact remains, guerrilla tactics worked effectively for the barbarian tribes, especially by a populace who knew the area intimately, and could funnel them into slaughters. Romans constantly complain bitterly about dealing with them

>>2954065

Conquering any mountainous terrain is pretty rare.

>>2954069
>especially by a populace who knew the area intimately, and could funnel them into slaughters.

Teutoburg only happened once, other Roman defeats were on open battles where they were either outmanouvered or ground down during the initial skirmishes, mostly due to less stellar command and logistical complications from long campaigns and economic fallout.

>>2954082

Not that uncommon, didn't the British tribes do the same thing?

>>2954096

the only noteworthy rebellion was Boudicca's and she just gathered an absolutely gigantic mob and bumrushed small garrisons and towns, butchering unarmed citizens and burning shit.

her army lost against a tiny, tiny force of ragged survivors and second line reserves

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Watling_Street

here's perhaps Rome's most ridiculously loopsided victory ever.

>>2954079
Makes sense. Just like afghanistan against ussr. You don't need a good army to defend a fucked up terrain.

>>2954068
the modern day USA military is far more dominant imo. there is not a single nation in the world that would dare launch a military assault on US soil from fear of being completely outmatched and annihilated, while tribal peoples regularly raided and invaded roman territories.

>>2954109
actually that was the second battle. Camulodunum is where the Iceni nearly eliminated a legion.

Entirely coincidental, but this legion (IX Hispania) disappears from the historical record during a later uprising of the Picts in Scotland.

>>2954124
forgot to paste : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camulodunum

>>2954114
That's a very fair point. Of course, the technology is different but the question was most dominant and not hardest to invade.

>>2954124
>>2954133

hence the ragged survivors part. Her only success was in the first raiding phase. Romans were very, very good at smashing numerically superior armies at that point in their history.

also the lost 9th legion is an interesting legend though they were probably just disbanded and sent to reinforce another legion, as it was somewhat common.

>>2954140
It wasn't ragged survivors. Suetonius had the XIV and some of the XX legion.

>>2953447
>segmentata(trajan era)
>spears(pre-marius/late empire)

cringe

>>2953564
must be overlapped over 10,000 times

>>2953673
I gladly will.
>>2953508
Would someone really do that? Just go on the internet and lie?

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>>2953527

You really think someone would do that, just go on the internet and tell lies?

>>2953447
Royal Navy was the Roman Army of the seas for the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

>>2954333
Probably pilla tbqh senpai

>>2954377
dont look like pilla imo desu fampaichankunsama

>>2953500
Obviously PTSD is a real thing but its like people want to have it now. There are people who claim to have gotten PTSD while stationed on US soil during peacetime.

>>2953606
Why on earth would you post an Russian Marshal of Poland while debating US Army?

>>2953480
Might makes right

>>2953929
Because Germany was out of bounds for would-be conquerors due to Augustus' decree after teutoberg.
But even then germanicus (i.e. conqueror of the fucking Germans) fucked their shit up right afterwards, and any time the romans wanted to they'd give the germans a stern dicking to keep them in line.

>>2954051
What is your criteria for most dominant military then? Because no nation has ever been undefeated

>>2953512
Bro, the Russians had airplanes. How are a bunch of guys with swords and spears even going to fight that?

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>>2953500
/k/ here, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret about Veterans. There is literally 0 reason for a veteran to be homeless or unemployed, we have way to many resources available for that to even be possible. So whenever you see a young homeless veteran he's either A) was separated dishonorably for being a piece of shit, B) someone who couldn't make it in the real world AND the military or C) he really is just a poor bastard down on his luck (this is pretty rare). As for PTSD, well most of us get over it, I can't help it that social media gives the can't hack it's a platform to bitch and moan.

And as for your question I'd say Sherman was a pretty good general but either way you can't compare modern Generals from any country to a legend like Scipio, they just haven't been able to prove themselves in a real war. Closest I could say is Gen. Mattis but all he's really done was win some tactical victories for a war that cannot be won.

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>>2953447
Wanna hear a joke?
>Roman Cavalry
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

>>2954372
The US Navy is the Royal Navy of the modern world.

>>2953447
>Using the pila like spears in a shield wall
Is that accurate? It looks dumb.

>>2953500
This

>Some goatfucker 400 meters away with a rusty AK hipfires in your general direction
MUH PTSD

>>2953500
>>2953508
>>2954581
There are accounts of Roman legionaries and auxiliaries getting PTSD

>>2953508
>US Army Veteran
fuck off you pussy ass bitch

>>2954430
Macedonians under Alexander?

>>2954474
Horse archers are pretty much OP. Sassanids really out did themself by adding support camels lmao.

>>2954666
Oh wow a whole 10 year period compared to the 1000 years Rome endured
Great example

>>2954614
And that's completely justified

The stuff they would've went through was hardcore

>>2953447
US armed forces circa 1990. Literally no peers at all, unlike rome.

Indisputably the United States Army.

No nation in the history of history has had the capability of such overwhelming cross-shore power projection.

>>2954430
one who at least isn't losing to underdogs in their own territory

The intelligence alliance and all it encompasses between dominant current Anglo hegemony of USA UK CAN AU NZ aka FVEY, FIVE EYES. Dominant economic and military bar none.

>>2953550
>Mongols
>Pussies

>>2954681
Spam crossbows and cavalry like the Chinese. Or just a lot of gunpowder units with good formation.

>>2954062

>they encountered enemies in every direction and scored victories against them, holding vast territory under one rule and spreading their culture for centuries.

Fucking this.

This is the definition of dominant.

And fuck people comparing the US Army to the Romans. Of course if the two forces fought nowadays there wouldn't be a fight. Technology has advanced too much.

>>2953481
Has literally NEVER won a major war by itself. Not ONCE
Couldn't even beat rice farmers in Vietnam or poppy farmers in Afghanistan.
>b-but muh drones and muh carriers
Well done America, well done
HOWEVER
They are useless against a dug in enemy

>>2953550
>arguement

>>2956344

Won every modern war the world has ever seen, carrying it's allies.

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>>2953550
>Mongols
>Pussies

>>2953483
>The Muslims
Got wrecked by mongols and europoors alternatively throughout the ages. Muhammad himself was pretty good but they're shit tier generally.

>>2956511
>Who is Saladin

>>2956571
>one example
Do you know what the word "generally" means?

>>2954581
kek'd hard

>>2954377
>forming a shield wall with pilla
absolutely barbarian

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>>2956344
I dunno mate. They kicked Granada's ass pretty convincingly.

>>2958207
/fa/ as fuck

>>2953533
Are you sure about that?

>>2954474
>#5) Gyan-avspar Peshmerga
What?

>>2953483
>look guize I'm a contrarian and I like to suck dicks!

i mean i think this is sort of a flawed question. the US has never gotten to use the same means as the Romans in enabling its goals. Do you think that if we had just str8 up genocided every other North Viet and arrested the other ones, then populated it with America colonists, we would've lost the war? War back then was more brutal, but it was also more decisive. there are rules n sheit now

>>2956454
You mean besides Vietnam and Korea?

>>2958207
not a major war

>>2953556
>Having such a limited view of what makes an army great
What the fuck is the point of this thread then if you're not going to define what "great" means and then move the goal posts every time someone gives an alternative?

>>2953447
Mongols, 1200s

>>2959294
Canada, the Taliban and the iraqi jihadi resistance also doesnt count.

>>2956344
We won the Civil War by ourselves. We didn't even need another country to fight on the other side.

>>2953481
one word: Vietnam

>>2959935
Lol