Aurochs | 05 Jul 2018 7:28 a.m. PST |
Who are your favorite mercenaries? This question does not refer to any indidual mercenaries but to bands, groups or armies of soldiers or warriors who fight for money or loot in any period from the bronze ages to the present. |
Winston Smith | 05 Jul 2018 7:49 a.m. PST |
Hessians. That's what they're popularly called, but they really weren't. They were the usual State army, "recruited" by the usual means of coercion, conscription, not enough food, etc. The army of the state was then rented out to the British. |
dragon6 | 05 Jul 2018 7:58 a.m. PST |
The ones that stay bought |
Wackmole9 | 05 Jul 2018 8:24 a.m. PST |
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Jeff Ewing | 05 Jul 2018 8:35 a.m. PST |
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Please delete me | 05 Jul 2018 8:44 a.m. PST |
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miniMo | 05 Jul 2018 8:48 a.m. PST |
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Jlundberg | 05 Jul 2018 8:55 a.m. PST |
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robert piepenbrink | 05 Jul 2018 9:08 a.m. PST |
5 Commando and "Mad Mike" Hoare. |
Saber6 | 05 Jul 2018 9:11 a.m. PST |
Wild Geese and Flying Tigers |
21eRegt | 05 Jul 2018 9:15 a.m. PST |
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rustymusket | 05 Jul 2018 9:16 a.m. PST |
LandsKnechts. I like the colors. |
Cacique Caribe | 05 Jul 2018 9:26 a.m. PST |
Conquistadores for me! It's only when you look at them as "mercenaries" that what they did, and how they went about doing it, suddenly makes a ton of sense. And, when you factor in all the loot from Mexico and Peru alone, they might just be about the MOST successful ones I can think of … even if they squandered most of their shares later. Good money management skills are not exactly what I think of when I hear the term "mercenary" anyway. :) Dan |
Roderick Robertson | 05 Jul 2018 9:41 a.m. PST |
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Winston Smith | 05 Jul 2018 9:41 a.m. PST |
Mamertines. Pay the men! Don't try to plead poverty! |
ZULUPAUL | 05 Jul 2018 9:44 a.m. PST |
Flying Tigers, Swiss, Irish,Scots |
Aethelflaeda was framed | 05 Jul 2018 10:00 a.m. PST |
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Frederick | 05 Jul 2018 10:02 a.m. PST |
The Wild Geese Followed by those crazy Swiss "Pas d'argent, pas de Suiss" |
DeRuyter | 05 Jul 2018 10:08 a.m. PST |
Don't forget the modern ones, now called "contractors" ie; Blackwater |
Patrick Sexton | 05 Jul 2018 10:46 a.m. PST |
The Wild Geese, the Flying Tigers, the Swiss, the Ten Thousand and 5 Commando. |
Garand | 05 Jul 2018 10:47 a.m. PST |
Toss-up between Hansen's Roughriders & The Fighting Uruk-hai. No Wolfs Dragoons for me! Damon. |
Cerdic | 05 Jul 2018 10:55 a.m. PST |
Money and loot? Got to be Vikings… |
redbanner4145 | 05 Jul 2018 10:59 a.m. PST |
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Gunfreak | 05 Jul 2018 11:08 a.m. PST |
If we use the Hessain definition. Then Danes working for the British/Dutch and Austrians during Spanish succession would be my choice. If we use the other definition then landsknecht |
Wildman | 05 Jul 2018 11:10 a.m. PST |
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JimDuncanUK | 05 Jul 2018 11:20 a.m. PST |
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Legion 4 | 05 Jul 2018 11:26 a.m. PST |
Yep Hammer's Slammers ! And the FFL of course !
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BorisTheSpider | 05 Jul 2018 11:52 a.m. PST |
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The Virtual Armchair General | 05 Jul 2018 11:53 a.m. PST |
Yes, Ghurkas! I was afraid as I got to this point no one would mention them. Good on you, JimDuncanUK! "Aiyo Gurkhali!" TVAG |
Herkybird | 05 Jul 2018 11:59 a.m. PST |
Another vote for the 10,000, and perhaps the poor army of Milan at Marignano… I am a supporting member of the Ghurkha welfare trust, and I don't see them as 'Mercenaries', rather as Foreign regulars, as in the Legion des Etrangers in the French army. |
The Virtual Armchair General | 05 Jul 2018 12:31 p.m. PST |
Granted, the Ghurkas are far more professional and reliable than the popular image of most mercenaries, but they do take the White Queen's salt and their service for Britain. The FFL is a force which while serving the interests of France, is really an army--even a country--unto itself. My pair of farthings. TVAG |
JimDuncanUK | 05 Jul 2018 12:41 p.m. PST |
Doesn't really matter how you define the Ghurkas. If it comes to having them on your side or the other side then there is only one credible answer. |
Glengarry5 | 05 Jul 2018 1:22 p.m. PST |
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Daithi the Black | 05 Jul 2018 1:28 p.m. PST |
Yriel's Eldritch Raiders Sunblitz Brotherhood Illyrians |
Son of MOOG | 05 Jul 2018 1:41 p.m. PST |
Wildman beat me to it………..Hammers boys all the way! |
RittervonBek | 05 Jul 2018 1:59 p.m. PST |
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Kropotkin303 | 05 Jul 2018 2:19 p.m. PST |
Glad that the Black Company got a couple of votes. Now what if someone wrote a company history of a mercenary band from the 30 Years War. That would be good. The Last Valley was good as a film. Not sure Clavell wrote a novel about them. |
jdpintex | 05 Jul 2018 2:36 p.m. PST |
Roland the headless Thompson gunner |
dBerczerk | 05 Jul 2018 2:44 p.m. PST |
The Dorsai were pretty fearsome. |
Ten Fingered Jack | 05 Jul 2018 2:48 p.m. PST |
John Christian Falkenberg's troops |
Parzival | 05 Jul 2018 2:59 p.m. PST |
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evilgong | 05 Jul 2018 4:55 p.m. PST |
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Perris0707 | 05 Jul 2018 6:25 p.m. PST |
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miniMo | 05 Jul 2018 6:40 p.m. PST |
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KeithRK | 05 Jul 2018 6:49 p.m. PST |
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warwell | 05 Jul 2018 7:29 p.m. PST |
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goragrad | 05 Jul 2018 8:50 p.m. PST |
Swiss Guard. Seven Samurai. |
Katzbalger | 06 Jul 2018 4:49 a.m. PST |
Gotta go with the Slammers, but I've always enjoyed the uniforms and history of the Landsknechts. Rob |
Chuckaroobob | 06 Jul 2018 9:44 a.m. PST |
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Oberlindes Sol LIC | 31 Jan 2019 1:50 p.m. PST |
The Hakapellis, as they were called by many, were Finnish mercenaries who served the king of Sweden during the 30 Years' War. Their name is their battle cry, "hakkaa päälle", usually translated, "strike them down!", but if my Finnish is correct, it actually means, "cut to the head!" |