Whether it be the terrifying madness and savage reputation of the Viking berserkers and the Maori warriors, the life-long dedication and training of the Spartan Hoplites and the Aztec Jaguar warriors, or the advanced tactical brilliance and fearsome weaponry of the Mongol horde and the Samurai, history's elite super soldiers had their own set of weapons, tactics, and training that earned them their frightening reputations. But which of them was the toughest?
Here are 14 of the toughest elite super
soldiers in history.
1- Spartan Hoplite
When a
male Spartan was born, he was inspected by a council of elders and left at the
base of Mount Taygetos to die if deemed unfit to fend for himself in life. At
age 7, Spartan boys entered an agog, where they began rigorous military
and warfare training, learning combat techniques and battlefield tactics.
The
Spartan army was created to serve as a living wall, and they fought in a
tight, interlocking formation with their shields serving as a defensive barrier
and their long thrusting spears doing the bulk of the damage when facing off
against opposing armies. Since they were essentially bred from birth to be fighters,
their might was nearly incomparable.
2- Viking Berserker
While
much of the berserker training and preparation is steeped in legend and myth,
it's believed that they would put themselves into a semi-hypnotic state before
battle. In this condition, they would have little reaction to pain and even
less self-control when it came to the violence they inflicted on others.
Icelandic
historian Snorri Sturluson wrote in his Ynglinga saga around 1225,
"[They] rushed forwards without armour, were as mad as dogs or wolves, bit
their shields, and were strong as bears or wild oxen, and killed people at
a blow, but neither fire nor iron told upon them."
Berserkers
were walking towers of madness clad in wolf skins or nothing at all in
battle. They were so bloodthirsty that they could often present a
danger to the Viking soldiers that fought alongside and behind them.
Believed to have almost superhuman pain endurance and strength, they were some
of the most formidable yet least strategic warriors in history.
3- Mongol Warrior
Training for Mongol warriors began at an early age. They
would enter the formal army in their early adulthood, and the formidable horde
would run formation drills and practice diversionary tactics to have a wide
variety of defensive and offensive measures that could be implemented against
different enemies across various terrains.
The
two greatest strengths of the Mongol warriors were their endurance and
their speed. The Mongol army could cover 100 miles in a day and each soldier
took with him four or five mares so that he could rotate between horses as
each began to get tired. In fact, it was their equestrian skills - especially
their unmatched talent for horseback archery and superb marksmanship - that
made each man in the Mongol horde a formidable foe and allowed their empire to
expand to unequaled size.
4- Samurai
Training
started in childhood and took place at a designated school that emphasized
physical fitness and agility, as well as Chinese studies and spiritual
pursuits. In adulthood, samurais trained daily, even though they were only
used in battle when called upon, and were expected to live their lives by the
strict code of ethics known as "Bushido."
Samurai
entered combat accompanied by armies of foot soldiers and archers, and
they faced off against opposing forces in head-to-head combat, sometimes on
horseback and often on foot. The feared samurai vanguard would be the first to
charge into combat, typically with spear in hand, while katanas were drawn when
the battle presented one-on-one combat situations. One of the greatest honors
for a samurai was to earn the "first spear," which means
being the first warrior to actually engage the enemy in physical combat.
5- Roman Centurion
Joining the Roman army was a 25-year commitment;
those hoping to join had to be physically fit, healthy, and strong. To
keep the army a well-oiled machine, soldiers would march 20 miles per day in
full armor and would have to set up and take down camp each night and morning.
Whenever they weren't at war, they trained for battle in combat formations and
in one-on-one sparring, and helped build roads, shelter, and aqueducts in
the ever-expanding territories.
Centurions were the big men in charge, leading 80-man groups known
as "centuries" into battle. Their commands were followed to the
letter as they led their men into combat, typically in tight defensive
formations until nearing enemy frontlines, when they would burst into combat
with javelins and swords. Centurions were appointed through merit, meaning they
were grizzled veterans who'd earned their command through combat and bloodshed,
making them some of the most skilled and effective warriors among the widely
feared Roman army.
6- Apache Warrior
Apaches were renowned for their athletic endurance, and it was
believed by many at the time that young Apache men could run nearly 100
miles a day and climb both trees and entire mountains with ease.
From childhood, Apache boys were taught how to fight, hunt silently,
and use their surroundings to their advantage while defending their tribes.
Apache warriors were considered to be some of the greatest
guerrilla fighters in history. They would lay traps and ambush their enemies.
While fighting invading white settlers and the US Army, the Apache's
distinct advantage came from their life-long training and their superior
knowledge of the terrain. They fought with such ferocity that the very word
Apache took on a mythical, near-superhuman quality.
7- Celtic Warrior
The Celts were a warrior culture and were raised to appreciate the
importance of combat. Young Celts looked to older warriors and veterans in
their culture for inspiration and guidance. Many Celts trained to become
mercenaries with the goal of being hired as private soldiers for warlords,
including Hannibal.
As an army, the Celts were terrifying, yet somewhat
ineffective during longer skirmishes. They attacked with a violent mad dash at
the opposing army, sometimes unclothed as a means of psychological
warfare, which the Romans referred to as "the Furor Celtica." They
were often physically imposing in both height and musculature, but they
were often brought down by long-distance weapons that devastated their
attacking forces. However, as powerful mercenaries, the Celtic warriors
were revered and turned the tide of many battles fighting as hired
warriors for different generals and warlords.
8- Teutonic Knight
Recruited at a young age, those in the Teutonic order dedicated
their lives to training. They all took vows of communal poverty as
part of their monastic rules, meaning they had almost no personal belongings or
collected wealth. Additionally, they were not allowed to enjoy the frivolity of
any form of entertainment, so their only pastimes were praying, preparing for
war, and wood carving.
Teutonic knights fought battles like most European armies,
allowing long-range archers and artillery to devastate opposing forces before
charging in on horseback and on foot to take down their enemies in
one-on-one combat. They were well-armored, well-trained, and vicious.
Throughout their existence, they were accused of brutal practices and
full-on slaughter, although it's possible those were rumors circulated by
detractors.
9- Maori Warrior
Like many cultures in which warfare and combat played a central
role in their society, Maori began learning how to fight, wrestle and
use weapons as children, and formal communal training began in their teen
years where they sparred with padded weapons. Maori warriors would prepare
themselves for battle mentally and spiritually with a war dance known as a
haka, which included loud chanting, waving their weapons, rhythmically stomping
their feet, pounding their chests, and making frightening faces.
Maori warriors were physically intimidating, both in terms of
their size and ta moko tattoos that covered their faces and bodies. They were
also famously brutal and unrelenting in their attacks. The warriors often
entered battle in small fighting units known as hapu, and often preferred
surprise attacks in which they ambushed enemy parties, attacking with shocking
viciousness and leaving opponents paralyzed by fear. Adding to their
fearsome reputation, Maori warriors collected the severed heads of their
vanquished enemies, and it is believed by some historians that Maori warrior
chieftains may have cannibalized those they defeated in battle
to consume their mana.
10- Zulu Impi
Zulu Impi training began as early as age 6, when young
boys served as porters and aides to their older brothers and fathers in
combat. Shaka revolutionized Zulu military training, not only with
the introduction of the iklwa and a superior shield, but also with his
emphasis on mobility and formation drills for his soldiers. As Impi fought
without sandals or footwear to improve their mobility and speed, their training
included hardening the soles of their feet by stomping on throned bushes and
tree branches.
Under Shaka, the Zulu warriors fought to utterly annihilate their
enemies, and they employed a "scorched earth" policy of destroying
anything that could be used by their opponents while advancing through their
terrain. The highly-trained Zulu Impi, who have been compared to the
Spartans, often bested militaries with greater technological might and
more advanced weaponry through their surprisingly brilliant tactics. Bolstered
by an ingrained and intense pride for their culture and their fellow soldiers,
the Zulu Impi were fearless fighting machines.
11- Aztec Jaguar
Warrior
As the Aztecs were a warrior culture, the importance placed on
warfare and combat was ingrained in their people from birth. Warriors were
usually drawn from elite and noble classes, but each potential warrior had
to prove themselves on the battlefield. You couldn't be promoted to the rank of
Jaguar or Eagle Warrior - a different but similar position - until you'd captured
at least four enemies, alive, and brought them back for ritual sacrifice.
Jaguar Warriors were among the most feared at the time, as they
were battle-hardened and not afraid of danger. They were often positioned
in small groups among units filled with more inexperienced warriors to keep
them from breaking formation or panicking in the face of the opposing army.
They were also placed at the forefront of battle, as their reputation for utter
fearlessness gave the Aztec forces a psychological advantage.
12- Persian Immortal
At the age of 5, those chosen to fight
in the Persian elite unit were taken from their families and began training in
military compounds, learning a variety of combat skills. At age 15,
they would finally be allowed to join the ranks of the Immortals. They would serve
until they died or turned 50, whichever came first.
They were known as the Immortals because they maintained a
standing army of 10,000 warriors. If a soldier ever passed, got sick, retired,
or abandoned their post, they would be immediately replaced by a reservist.
They were fierce warriors who were also adaptive to the needs
13- Landsknecht
They were trained by (and began as an imitation of) the Swiss
Reisläufer, a clan of mercenaries that became their bitter rivals. Landsknecht
came from all walks of life, all classes and creeds, and were unified by their
appreciation for payment. However, they practiced and trained in tight
formations to perfect their battle tactics.
The power of the Landsknecht came from their battlefield strategy,
which involved fighting in large, closely formed phalanxes of pikemen that
could stand their ground against cavalry charges, and allowed the lower-class
mercenaries that made up the ranks of the Landsknecht to bring down
well-trained, elite knights.
14- Egyptian Mamluk
Mamluk, which is the Arabic word for "owned," were
literally slave warriors. They were bought to serve their leaders, so training
and warfare were their only known way of life. They trained to fight every day
under other, older Mamluks warriors, and their lives were dedicated to
learning the art of warfare.
Mamluk warriors were renowned across the land for their
archery skills and their use of a lance and sword while attacking on horseback.
Shortly after establishing their empire in 1250, the Mamluks famously defeated
the seemingly invincible Mongol invaders.
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