RE: The fall of post invasion Iraq
June 17, 2014 at 8:30 pm
(This post was last modified: June 17, 2014 at 8:35 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(June 17, 2014 at 6:04 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Actually, he was an idealist. He convinced Florence to equip a citizen militia on the ancient Roman model and when the French invaded they ran like rabbits. Sounds like shi'ites, no?
And what did Charles VIII use to scatter the redoubtable army of citizen militia? Oh, right, Swiss mercenaries.
When french monarchy was later brought low during the revolution, of all his armies which units fought to the last man to defend the king? Oh, right, Swiss mercenaries.
Not that I have any high opinion of mercenaries, but there is market segmentation even for the race of soldiers of fortune, and some trade on their reputation for reliability, while others are good only for taking bullets in the back, provided they didn't stab you there first.
(June 17, 2014 at 4:41 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote:(June 17, 2014 at 4:27 pm)Minimalist Wrote: "private contractors"
That's odd. When I was in the military we called them 'mercenaries'.
They should be called canon fodder.
