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by PokerPaul on July 17th, 2005

PokerPaul

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If a modern army was transported back in time to 1939, how long would it take to win World War 2?

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  • by Shabba on November 24th, 2005

    Shabba

    First of all, it depends on the size of the army. (Yes, size does matter!)
    However, a lot has changed in 66 years. Tactics, weaponry, and technology have all evolved to a point that would totally overwhelm the equivalent 1939 army.

    First of all, does the modern army get to take all of its modern equipment with it? Does that mean it gets a supply of its modern weapons? Here are some things to consider if so:

    1. Air power - high powered fighters and bombers with radars and advanced electronics. Guided missiles, and precision guided bombs. Air cavalry and gunships. Imagine Gallipoli with a dozen Apache gunship helicopters buzzing overhead... In fact, imagine Gallipoli never happening... the modern army would perform a pre-landing strike with cluster bombs and bunker busters to wipe out the entire enemy defense, and then the landing troops would have just walked over the hill.

    2. Sea power - Aircraft carriers, guided missile destroyers, advanced submarines. Factor in also anti-submarine aircraft with Magnetic Anomaly Detectors - these pick up the disturbance in the earth's magnetic field caused by a large metal object. Kiss the U-Boats goodbye. Harpoon missiles. Kiss the enemy ships goodby. Phalanx close defense systems. There would be no chance of airborne attack.

    3. Land power - High powered tanks and much more advanced vehicles. Sloped armour with blazer reactive padding. Precision, computer aimed tank turrets. Armour piercing rounds that are designed to punch through the outer armour and explode inside the tank.

    4. Special Forces - Yes, the equivalent special forces were good. The modern ones would be better. Better training, better weaponry and items, better tactics.

    5. Equipment - man-portable rockets and guided rockets (TOW, Stinger, etc). Highly accurate infantry weaponry. Night vision equipment. Radio and data communication.

    6. Tactics - I highly doubt a modern army would let itself get dragged into trench warfare. I'm guessing they would use their non-melee forces to bleed the enemy, then send in the infantry to occupy the ground. Trenches wouldn't last too long under a haze of cluster bombs.

    If the modern army cannot take any equipment with them, then I guess it will come down to the better trained, better disciplined army.

    In short, a fully equipped modern army could pull the wolf's teeth in less than a month of sustained strikes. The 1939 army wouldn't know what hit it. However, a modern army with period equipment would have to fight just as hard as the original army did, and may even do worse.

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