Posted on 02/17/2017 10:16:40 AM PST by C19fan
James Erwin was browsing Reddit on his lunch break when a thread piqued his interest. A user called The_Quiet_Earth had posed the question: "Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU?"
The question struck a chord with the 37-year-old Erwin, a technical writer from Des Moines, Iowa, who happened to be finishing a book called The Encyclopedia of U.S. Military Actions (Through Facts on File). Erwin tells PM that he wasn't impressed by other users' early attempts to answer this question, and so, posting under the username Prufrock451, he came up with his own response. Erwin wrote a 350-word short story chronicling the fictitious 35th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which suddenly disappears from modern-day Kabul and reappears on the Tiber River in 23 B.C. Erwin posted the piece, finished his meal, and went back to work.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Yes...as long as they don’t run out of gas!
That would one LONG supply line.
In a similar vein: What if in April of the year 2000, a six-mile sphere centered on Grantville, West Virginia was displaced in space and time to Germany and May, 1631. The inhabitants of Grantville decided to start the American revolution early; the nobility of Europe were not amused.
go to: http://1632.org/
It is a great series of historical fantasy books. I’ve read them all, and 2 or 3 new volumes are added every year.
One of the great Internet classics. Worth reading.
Appears the movie version is in development limbo.
I do not believe a single unit could destroy the Roman legions. They would have run out of supplies (and men) before reaching the capital.
The Romans were not equivalent to the inferior Aztecs.
It would take more than a single unit to defeat the combined might (300,000 well trained warriors) of the Roman Empire.
The Instapundit is a big fan.
Kirk in “Time Tunnel” sent Jiggs back to the plains of Troy with a machine gun and grenades....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95IOCHJWeec
(~28:00)
Another Erwin, different spelling. :)
Reminiscent of the Lost Regiment series by William Forstchen.
I get the feeling that steam-powered battleships would survive longer in terms of being able to refuel on short notice, so long as the fireboxes were adapted for wood and other similar materials; wooden ships could even be dismantled as a fuel source.
I’ve got all that series as well. Excellent series. First book (”1632”) is free
http://www.baen.com/authors/eric-flint-4.html
My guess is they would win a few early battles then the Romans would adapt and eventually destroy them. That is assuming their supplies were unlimited.
Other wise it would be over after a couple of engagements.
Reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode where Warren Oates with his crew and their Sherman tank found themselves at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Cool concept.
Not sure, but if Skynet sent a Terminator back...
No. Eventually the Marines would be destroyed.
They would win as long as they had fuel and ammo, then lose.
Even if they could reload ammo, recharge batteries, and make their own lower tech weapons, the logistic challenges of staying ahead of consumption would eventually cause them to be overwhelmed.
The Romans, after learning that pitched battles end in disaster, would cut them off from food (scorched earth) and use guerilla tactics to disrupt them. (Read about Fabius Cuncator - Fabius the Delayer)
Eventually, logistics and friction would grind the unit down and it would be destroyed.
However, Romans are nothing, if not pragmatic. The Marines could become wealthy Roman Citizens if they decided to join the Republic or Empire and employ their weapons and expertise on the Romans’ behalf.
The Aztecs also pissed off all their neighbors, so the Spanish had plenty of friends when they marched against the them...
The Marangian Guard. :)
Its amusing to speculate about things like this but given the support and infrastructure necessary to support a Marine unit that wouldn’t be available in 150 AD, the answer is no. After the Marines destroyed the Romans in a battle or two, they’d run out of fuel and bullets, etc. and it would turn into hand-to-hand combat. The Romans would overwhelm them.
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