I would like to put my vote down for the ANZACS who fought a Gallipoli, First the were landed at the wrong beach. A beach with high cliffs which definatly gave the Turks an advantage. but instead of turning to mud theys tood and fought oand held on to the beach head for 4 months.
( sorry for the bias #:-) )

I am going with the guys who just pushed their way thru Iraq. You can't find a better force than the GIs, Marines, Tommies and Diggers who crashed in with maximum force and minimum collateral damage.

Think again guys:

During Operations Modular and Hooper:

South African losses during operations in support of UNITA came to 31 members of the SADF and 12 members of the SWATF killed and some 90 wounded.

Equipment losses were one Mirage, one spotter aircraft, three Olifant MBTs and four Ratels as well a number of vehicles damaged. The SADF and the SWATF suffered other losses during this period, but these were taken in various operations against SWAPO terrorists and SWAPO facilities in southern Angola. Some of this fighting involved FAPLA elements. UNITA lost some 270 men killed in the southern fighting. FAPLA losses in the fighting which involved the South African forces supporting UNITA, had by 25 February amounted to over 7,000 killed. Equipment losses during this fighting included:

8 MiG-23
4 MiG-21
2 Su-22
8 Helicopters
94 Tanks
94 BMP-1s
64 BTR-60s
32 BRDM-2s
2 BTS-4 tank transporters
4 M-46 130 mm guns
11 D-30 122 mm guns
33 BM-21s
3 BM-14s
7 SA-8 SAM systems
5 SA-13 SAM systems
3 SA-9 SAM systems
33 SA-14 and SA-16 man-portable SAMs
1 ZSU-23-4 SPAA
20 ZU-23 AA guns
5 Radar systems
4 Communications vehicles
7 TMM Bridging vehicles
377 logistic vehicles

Minor equipment items lost included one Grad-1P single-122 mm rocket launcher, three B-10 recoilless guns; two 120 mm, fourteen 82 mm and four 60 mm mortars and seven AGS-17 grenade launchers.

(Quoted from: South African Defence Force Review, 1989)

All this was done without numerical or Air superiority! There were only three friendly fire incidents recorded, leading to one death and four wounded (one serious - three minor).

http://home.wanadoo.nl/rhodesia/modhoop.htm

Cheers Folgore and Andy, couldn't agree with you more. Sometimes, having a small, yet well trained, equipped and motivated defence force doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Australian sailors, soldiers and airmen have fought doggedly in every conflict of the 20th Century from the Boer War to operations in the Gulf and have served far and beyond the expectations of a small force and country.

Perhaps one of the most inspirational efforts can be summed up as:

"Hearty congratulations to the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment and a Company of the 6th Battalion RAR for their show in Operation SMITHFIEID. Your troops have won a most significant victory over the enemy and one of the most spectacular in Vietnam to date."
Signed W.C. Westmoreland
General, Commander USMACV.

the outcome was thus:

Morning revealed that the Viet Cong force, estimated at 2,500, had been badly mauled. 245 Viet Cong bodies were found in the battle area. It was apparent that the Viet Cong commanders had failed to appreciate the effectiveness of artillery fire and had paid dearly as a result.

The Australians had lost 18 killed, 17 from D Company (including the young platoon commander of 11 platoon) and one from 1st APC Squadron, and 24 wounded.


Thus, a company sized force managed to repel and inflict high losses on an opponent numbering in the thousands, fighting on their on territory. For more info and an amazing story of courage and mateship check out: http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/vietnam/longtan.html

The Finest Fighting Force in the World?
Hands down in order of greatness:

United States Marine Corp/Recon
United States Navy Seals
US Army Airborne/Rangers/Green Berets/Delta
USAF PJ's
US Army Infantry
Name another country with a military Like the United States. Small units of some other countries - British SAS, maybe equal to, but there are no betters.
GSP

Alright theS.A.S. The Parachute regiment, The Royal Marines.but what about the Ghurka rifles how would you fancy one of those little guys creeping up on you in the Jungle night,also the I.D.F. they certainly kicked some for such a small country.

I still have to say the Roman Legions. All BS aside, in the context of their time and their history they were some heart breakers and life takers. Their marches of 20 miles a day (or night) are still the topic of discussion in every military academy in the world. Think about the "firsts" the Romans pulled off. First integrated engineering units, first army to understand logistics, first army to take advantage of artillery, naval support, etc.

Sure, the current military forces are mighty impressive in terms of our times but these guys wrote the book when there was no book.

Shaun

I forgot to add one, ME! I had to say that because I am a fighting force. You should see me when I play cards with the guys! I clean house!

~Chip :-)

Hello All
What a great subject this is. Just my two cents here, and I freely admit that I am
biased here. I d like to add to the mix the 291st Engineer bn circa ww ll, for holding
a german spear head in the battle of the bluge with little more combat engineer
equipment.

ponysoldier

The British Army in the Peninsular campaign. Frequently outnumbered and frequently badly -led (particularly the cavalry), they fought (and won) one of the most successful campaigns in the history of warfare... jim

I have to go with the current US Military: best trained and educated force in HISTORY, best equipment (yea there are better individual weapons and/or weapons systems in other countries, but not so many idifferent, excelletnt, AND RELIABLE weapons systems in one military ), and the best doctrine for joint operations. The only real issue I have is that the US military is getting stretched tto thin!

There is so much to consider to come up with a definitive "greatest fighting force of all time." Do we consider the greatest to be the force that has conquered the most enemies, or is it the force that has repelled the most attacking enemies?

I'd probably opt for the Spartans, Could have been a long term elite fighting force if it wasn't for their Pure breading policy.

Definetly the Iraqi army of 2003, they are there but no one can see them, the are winning but they have not killed anyone. NOT!!

Throughout the ages there has been one force that can't fight in any condition, anywhere with the least equipment and supplies and win, with a large smile :-) on there faces and always cheerful, they are the Gurkhas . Insult them and I will find you and take your head off with my kukri!

Secondly all the soldiers of the Forgotten Army in Burma/India (except Stilwell )
For obvious reasons!

(++)

This one's easy....my ex-wives and their teams of lawyers.

glack

my first vote goes to the S.A.S followed by delta force.

My vote goes to the USMC. They are often the tip of the spear. The first to be committed when a crisis breaks and they get the job done. They have built a reputation that earns the respect of allies and fear to foes. Semper fi, you guys. Ooorah! Ditto with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. They too built a reputation and you can be sure the present generation will live up to it, if not suprass the achivements of those before them.

Next would be the Zahal (IDF). What's admirable is even though they are small in number, they held off and defeated larger armies. It goes to show that quality wins over quantity.

Special Ops troops are a class of their own, nevertheless worthy of praise. They help equalize, if not tip the odds on their side.

Best fighting force in History???

Wow - where to begin.
What point of history do you choose? Ancient world? The Middle Ages? The American Civil War? WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, OIF ???

Personally, (and what's its worth) my pick for the best fighting forces are:

USMC -
Airborne 101st, 82nd
Rangers, Green Berets, Seals, Recon - all the into the night - shoot and scoot guys.
Armored Infantry - 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions in OIF.

To each and every man and woman in uniform I salute you and Thank you for your service and sacrifice.. Semper Fi and God Bless

In all of history from the Egyptians who fought off the Hyksos to the galiant troops of OIF, the best of the best:

The Spartans: though they were eventually brought down by hoplites who were simply taught not to always sidle to the right and by destroying their way of life.

Alexanders and Philip's Macedonians: the companion cavalry and the phalanx, they conquered and marched farther than any army until the Mongols and Napoleon.

Rome: the legion, the greatest and "first" professional soldiers of all time. Most things soldiers do today comes from them, the rate of march, the standard load engineering feats not equaled until the 17th Century.

The Mongols: they alfter all conquered the greatest empire in the history of the world and used some of the most brilliant and effective battle tactics and strategy. Read about their defeats of the Europeans at Leignitz, or of the vast Islamic armies in Asia. No other army of their era could stand up to them, and it would not be until 100 years later that an army came into being that could have defeated them:

The English of Crecy, Portiers and Agincourt, "these blessed few...this band of brothers..."
The longbow destroyed the mounted knight and along with gunpowder signaled the end of chivalric warfare.

Le Grande Armee, Napoleon's army of Austerlitz to Wagram. The "grumblers" who marched sweated and performed feats equal to the Roman legion.

Wellington's Light Corps in the Penninsular: the light infantry, the Portugese curracos, and the 5/60th and 95th Rifles, long live the feats of Sharpe and Frederickson (even if they are fictional) :-)

The Stonewall Brigade under Thomas Jackson; move fast and strike hard.

For the 20th Century, the greats have already been counted, whether the ANZACs, the Canadians, the USMC, the 1990's US Army, the Special Forces, Ranger, SAS, Paras and Airborne, to name a few. Soldiers who have built on the traditions of the great armies before them in what has been one of the most violent centuries (not by any means the MOST violent though, we actually had the longest era of peace without a major war since 1945)

Ola People

My vote for best fighting force in History goes to the People who served in the deception forces during WW2.
I think they are often forgotten but they really did good jobs during the war. Without them probably more losses could be mourned after D-day. A lot of the successes during the Africa Campaigns where because of the work of the Deception Planners and the people who realised it. False radio traffic, Fake invasions, Fake invasion forces, Fake plans, Exploding Camel Dung, Exploding Charcoal and lightbulbs, Fake Airports, Trainmarshall yards and complete fake docks with Pyrotechniques and even more stunning letting complete lakes and rivers dissapear.
This is only a small list of what these men did during the war only to make the Enemy drop their bombs on the wrong places only ruining a old field or putting the soldiers and reinforcements to the wrong directions. The Guys at Deception Op`s had a big share in making Hitler Believe the Invasion would go from Dover to Calais and they succeeded in that wonderfully in that by building a complete fake invasion force.

I can go on and on about the Masters of Deception But my vote goes to the especially as they are the forgotten force of WW2

I would also like to add the Japanese samurai of the 14th to the 19th century. They are the epitome of a true warrior even though we may find some of their behavior bizarre such as seppuku. They give their all in battle.

I would also like to add the military units in my country. The Philippine Marine Corps. they too built a reputation like their American bretheren and it's a reputation they live up to until now. US Marines who trained alongside them swear by this and they admit they learned a lot from them as much as they taught them.

The same goes for our elite Scout Ranger Regiment. The Philippine Army's first SpecOps unit. US Special Forces who trained with them swear they are really good at what they do.

Only Brave has mentioned the Mongols, though many have mentioned Roman, Spartan or even Samurai.

Consider this, start from 1200 the Mongols haven't lost any single battle for a century. They only stopped the fight when the Khan was dead, as the Generals would go back to Mongolia to fight for becoming the next Khan, or to help his friend to be the Khan.

They started with a couple thousand people, and their number was not that much through their hundred years of expansion.

I forgot the samurai. Even without the impact of the "kamikazee" wind storm impacting the invasion forces trying to conquer Japan, the samurai did inflict horrific defeats on the Mongol armies when they tried to invade.
They were a different samurai, more a force of horse archers (using long bows!) than the master swordsmen they would later become.
The only other force to stop the Mongols and defeat them? The Mamluks of Egypt because they were steppe horse archers themselves.

Yes, the Mongols were "defeated" by the samurai. But there was like 1/3 of the Mongol force made it to the land. And most were not real Mongols horseman, but the conscripts from China and middle Asia. One critical factor was they didn't have horses.(they didn't bought a lot in the first place, and the small number they did bring was lost in the sea) It was the first as well as the last time Mongols tried to cross sea. The tragic thing was the Japanese killed everyone except those from China, whom they enslaved.

The defeat of Mongol armies only happened a century after they started their expansion. No forces in history can remain invincible forever, Mongols were no exception. But in that century no one could withstand them. Their fall only came when they have an empire too larger for them to manage, and they become corrupted.

Except the first time he went to war, when he was against another Mongol tribe, Genghis Khan won every battle. As well as his sons. You have to wait until his grandsons or great grandsons to be in command to defeat them.

[quote

The Spartans: though they were eventually brought down by hoplites who were simply taught not to always sidle to the right and by destroying their way of life.

[/quote]

Who can never forget that many an admonition given to them, "return with your shield or on it." This underscores what they are expected to do.