Ghengis Khan's Mongol hordes

No, thinking about it, I'd say Athenian hoplites/citizen soldiers.

NINJAS!!!

Digital

The sophists of ancient greece.

Bezerkers

Raping the horses and riding off on the women.

Definitely the number 6:



"That's where we go a-ridin' into town, a-whoppin' and a-whoopin, ever little thing, within an inch of its life."

Vikings - because they weren't just professional soldiers, but many of them were regular farmers, who went viking ocasionally, yet still manged to be the most feared fighters on the planet in their time.  And, they were more than just warriors, but explorers and pioneers as well.

Plus, they were far from savages and barbarians, with thier own system of writing (the futark rune alphabet), sophisticated prose, valued poets and had unparalled ship-building and navigations skills - as well as good metalworking.

(And they had the berzerkers mentioned by POW-MIAneverforget mentioned above)

The Winged Horseman: Polish Hussars

well my political leanings could be aptly described as to the right of Genhis Khan...

Probably the western frontiersman of the late 1800's.  I love lever action rifles.

My two ancestors: Charlemagne and Attila.

JEDI!

either the celts, vikings, or spartans

Quoted: My two ancestors: Charlemagne and Attila.

I never knew those two hooked up!  Good for them

Lothar of the Hill People

Samurai - honor and dignity with a combination of 1700s american revolutionary. freedom above all else.

Freedom!!!!!



____________________________________
The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you are already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function, without mercy, without compassion, without remorse.

Spartans

Quoted: Freedom!!!!! www.movieconnection.it/schede/braveheart.jpg

Quoted: Freedom!!!!!

Probably the Greeks.

the Apache tribe. if they have had modern weaponry, oh shit.

Viking all the way! I had to edit this, I failed to notice pre 20th century when I first replied.

To the winner go the spoils.

Quoted: If it was possible to erase their crimes during the Holocaust/ anti semitism and other war crimes, it would be the Waffen SS "classic" divisions for me.  I'm not talking about the scum concentration camp guards of the regular SS or the late war divisons, but the soldiers of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 12th  divisions. They certianly were on the wrong side, but they but up a hell of a war record.

could you compare the SS to US Marines? how would they stack up against each other? what was their primary role? i know a lot about WWII hardware but not much about the SS. sorry to hijack.

The Religion of Peace?

CW

Are you kidding? Any Confederate Soldier!

El Sid!

Famous for running the Islamic horde out of Spain.

Tj

Victorian stiff-upper-lip.

These days I'm more and more inclined to side with the early Templars, defending the Holy Land and trade routes to and from the Holy Land.  Those laddies were tough as nails.

The Spartans, without question.

A true warrior society from the top to the bottom.  Born and raised as warriors. Every aspect of society and government was structured to support the warrior class.

I would have to go with the spartans, as they were some very bad dudes.

Although I have always liked my barbarian germanic heritage.

Edited: cuz I cant speall.

Say all you want about the bravery & spirit of pre 20th century soldiers, but IMO, nobody touches WWI Infantry.

Canadian soldiers maning a Vickers gun in Ypres:  (note that any vegitation that survived the artillery coudn't survive the gas)

Quoted: Quoted: If it was possible to erase their crimes during the Holocaust/ anti semitism and other war crimes, it would be the Waffen SS "classic" divisions for me.  I'm not talking about the scum concentration camp guards of the regular SS or the late war divisons, but the soldiers of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 12th  divisions. They certianly were on the wrong side, but they but up a hell of a war record. could you compare the SS to US Marines? how would they stack up against each other? what was their primary role? i know a lot about WWII hardware but not much about the SS. sorry to hijack.

In terms of dismounted infantry vs dismounted infantry, it would be very close. Both were very good.

The SS typically deployed in armoured divisions using very modern tactics. For example, their panzer granadiers would ride into combat in armoured half tracks alongside the tanks. By comparison, the USMC used tanks more in an infantry support role. In battle in an open field with an SS division any USMC division would have been toast. The USMC just didn't have the hardware, training, or tactics for that kind of fight.

The Romans.
Stomping around Gaul, amphibious assaults on the British Isles....
Being a Centurion would be a good life.

Quoted: Freedom!!!!! www.movieconnection.it/schede/braveheart.jpg ____________________________________ The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you are already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function, without mercy, without compassion, without remorse.

I look good in woad and a kilt.

The Irish drunks!!!

Vikings for sure, Plains Indians(one of the best light cavalries on earth)Ninjas(sneek in, sneek out, no one gets hurt, got to love that but they could fight as well.)

Well as I am descended from a Templar and there were actually several companies of Templars that actually functioned as Commandos or Niinja,

The camp followers (the wives and children, support people, not the modern meaning of harlot) of the army of Alexander the Great...

Hopefully not the huge group that were killed in a flash flood in what is now Afghanistan

Gwen

"The greatest joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him. To ride their horses and take away their possessions. To see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in his arms."

Ahh when a pillage was honorable. F*ck that noise.

Rome: Its all about the expansion of the empire, baby. When professional warrior was a political position.

Quoted: The Irish drunks!!!

Runnin' a fine line between them and the Apache, leaning closer to the Irish drunk.

Quoted: Samurai - honor and dignity with a combination of 1700s american revolutionary. freedom above all else.

Freedom except for that whole feudal caste system & virtual enslavement of the working class, right? Samurai are interesting but Tom Cruise paints them with a very romanticized brush, theirs was a very brutal & oppressive culture.

I will see you all in Valhalla!

Quoted: The Winged Horseman: Polish Hussars

The poles pretty  much single handedly stopped the last islamic attempt at conquering europe. And they were incredibly outnumbered when they did it,too.

To be in Japan during the Sengoku Jidai, and to be a samurai.  Wow.  Honor, duty, discipline, death.  

But I think I would rather be a Comanche before the Texans arrived.  Gus and Call had some interesting commentaries about whether or not they had been fighting the wrong people.

Vikings are pretty kick ass too, as several have pointed out.  

The Greeks and most of the Romans viewed homosexuality as a normal part of a warriors life, so thats out.  

The Hordes of the Khans would be cool too.  

I love being a history major!
[

If you study Japanese Sword Arts you will be inundated by pro-samurai propaganda.  The thing is that it is true....as far as it goes.  Just as there were codes of Chivalry that European knight were supposed to uphold, The Samurai had ideals that they were supposed to try to live up to.   But as in Europe, the power that the Samurai had, their exalted social rank, tended to currupt them a bit.  The values systems in place at the time were also different, so behaviors that would seem wrong to us, were good and right to them.

It is a good maxim to never take a movie's version of "history" too seriously, "Braveheart" was an utter fabrication from start to finish.

William Wallace was no commoner, his father was a landed knight.  Neither was Wallace an ethnic Scot and certainly not a highlander, he was of mixed extraction, probably English and Flemish with a bit of French.

Wallace was also not the political outsider he was portrayed as.  He was made Lord High Protector of Scotland and given vice-regal powers over Scotland.  His warrant was to hold Scotland for the rightful King in exhile, John Balliol.  Wallace likewise DID NOT support the Bruces' claims to the throne, he supported Balliol because Balliol's claim was clearer than Bruce's.   Wallace may have repented that decision at some point in his career since Balliol was a weak man and unable and/or unwilling to stand up to Edward, but he remained publically loyal as honor and his personal integrity demanded.   In reality, when Wallace commanded the soldiers of the nobles at that meeting before the Battle of Falkirk, he possessed the legal power to actually command them.  

Bruce himself was well acted but poorly portrayed.  Bruce had no doubts about who he was and what his destiny was.  He was absolutely commited to the independence of Scotland and seizing the throne.  He did what was necessary to get there and sacrificed greatly, even seeing his family imprisoned cruelly by the English.   The battle of Bannockburn DID NOT begin as a meeting wherein Bruce would do fealty for his throne.  It was a battle intended specifically to drive the English out and seize the throne, the last thing England wanted was Bruce on the throne, he was too strong in himself.   The real story of Wallace and the Bruce are far better than the movies.  Randall Wallace, who wrote "Braveheart" is on record as saying that he would never allow history to get in the way of a good story.

Robert the Bruce was Scottish only on his mother's side.  The family name is Norman/Flemish and the Bruce's fortune was built on the Flemish wool trade.  That didn't stop Bruce from becoming the strongest possible advocate for a free and independent Scotland.  He strongly favored his mother's ethnicity and the land of his birth.

The Scottish throne at the time was in contention not merely among Scottish nobles, but among foreign princes as well.  Ultimately the strongest claim prior to Bruce and Balliol was that of the Maid of Norway, the daughter of the Norwegian King.  She was to be married to Edward's son and thus legitimize Edward's claim on the throne and unite the island under one rule.   She died before she could be enthroned or betrothed to Edward II, thus throwing the whole matter back into contention.  The politics were incredible.