This was bloody great. Now my brain is jumping to the sustainment challenges your force is going to start to feel as it fights its campaign through Gondor and Mordor. How do you leverage local forces to reduce the expenditure of your modern kit? When and how do you decide to roll out those tools to act as force multipliers? Do you need the diggers to learn how to ride horses for mobility or are we getting the locals to pull them around in carts or something? Cheers for putting this one together.
If you're interested in that kind of thing, the book "Janissaries" by Jerry Pournelle actually does a really good job of portraying the sustainment issue in the scenario of a small "modern" (in the 1980s when the book was written I guess) force with guns tasked with controlling an area occupied by several large armies in possession of swords and armor.
@@PxThucydides As a German I am all for recycling, even if it’s jokes. If you wait long enough it’s a brand new joke for most. My grandfather had joined the imperial Navy (SMS Koenig) and took part in the battle of Jutland, or Skagerrakschlacht as it is named in Germany in 1916. He was to old to take part in WW2 (and a Social Democrat) but since he was a coalminer he had to rescue people or what was left in Nuremberg. Unfortunately PTSD was not a thing back then. He never said one word about both wars.
As a fan of modern military stuff kicking ass in a fantasy world, what I love the most here isn’t even how thorough you are (though I love it lots) but how you refused to treat the enemy as a joke. You treated the Uruk-Hai as a very real threat who in the right circumstances could be utterly dangerous to the riflemen and presented the real, present downsides the modern forces would have in this scenario. It’s worth remembering that, no matter what, you should NEVER treat the enemy as a joke, even with an overwhelming advantage in key areas. To underestimate the foe is to sign the death warrant of your troops. Awesome stuff, subbed.
Technology has improved, but humans have not. We still die after getting stabbed. But yeah, I think it makes sense here. With just 500 troops, even a small number of casualties due to lucky shots from a crossbow could compromise the entire operation. And like he said, your typical Uruk-Hai would slaughter modern soldiers in melee combat. I wouldn't say the battle was hard, just very risky. Things either go very right or very, VERY wrong.
@@classarank7youtubeherokeyb63 Yup. As mentioned, the numbers and range issues in this one are huge. Range is a big advantage, but once range changes, those boiis are bred for melee. Your modern kit won't protect your neck from a giant cleaver. The other thing, which I'm not sure if the lists of assets and liabilities was ordered in order of importance, but communications was last in its list, but I'd say crucially important to pulling this one off. In order to take on this mass with 500, everyone has to be doing the right thing at the right time. There are ways to communicate without modern equipment on a battlefield this size, but the efficiency and ease of modern comms tech would be a huge advantage still in coordination. Plus the tower being hard to target due to the limited range of the enemy and its advantage in keeping track of exactly what's going on. Being able to quickly and discretely signal a greater amount of information than you could manage with lights and basic sounds from that distance would help in keeping your forces organized on tactics, while giving the enemy zero chance to anticipate what's coming or when it's gonna happen.
They usually prefer to allow thier enemies or quarrel to leave australia for another less desireable country so that our local rules of engagement do not apply. Usually at sea or in some place lacking people
They rarely allow us to carry swords when not on parade duty. Orc Scimitars however? That's just a long handled FRED, and we're trained to use them while on deployment.
The real concerns would be: 1. The digs cracking onto elven maidens at the Mad Cow 2. The combined consumption of Rohirrim mead with Bundy rum 3. Junior NCOs buying Mustangs from the stablemaster at 18% APR 4. The blacksmith forging enough gongs for the battalion 5. The RSM cracking down on pipe weed with random piss tests
18% horse loans? I thought that was just an American thing. Knew plenty of 21-year-old sergeants with brand new muscle cars and payments higher than their monthy salary. Dealerships will finance anyone for anything when they know they can call your CO if you miss a payment.
Yeah the internet is very north american-centric, I see a ton of canadian youtubers proportionate to canada population size. Im pretty interested in geography so it would be cool to see other countries make videos like this like south africa or uruguay or thailand making interesting videos about their military.
Prior USMC here, I did a joint exercise with II RAR in 2010, and mate lemme tell ya, I'm glad they're on our side. Excellent soldiers. Especially in jungle or heavily forested terrain, which is kind of their specialty due to all their operational experience in New Guinea, Malaya and the like. We learned a lot from them, really great time and great guys. Still love Aus to this day because of that experience.
In theater and live event safety we call that a "crowd crush" and it can absolutely kill hundreds of people. Many of the deaths in theatre "fires" are actually deaths due to crowd crush as patrons all try and rush for the exits. Hell, the whole reason the classic limit on the American First Amendment is "yelling fire in a crowded theater" is that the panic that ensues, even in the absence of any real threat, is lethal. Honestly the realization that they were intentionally causing one was kind of unsettling, even though this is a fantasy of a fantasy.
I've been US Navy for almost 19 years now, and this was one of the most brilliant, succinct, and accurate TA's I've ever seen. Absolutely fucking wonderful.
Legolas: "Their armour is weak at the neck and under the arms" Some random Digger punching holes in the centre mass: "Cheers big ears, I think we got this mate" 😜
I think you should give the Uruk armor more credit than that. It likely would be somewhat effective against the 5.56 at least at longer ranges. It is after all fairly thick steel armor.
You forgot to take into account the egos and strong Australian accents resulting in massive force multipliers as the urukai are confused in determining the leadership structure of the Australian forces between “Davo”, “mate” and “big boy”
Military Appreciation Process Its a planning method where junior officers take turns at guessing what the enemy forces could do, what friendly forces should do, and ultimately discovering what will not end up happening so senior officers can blame the digs for their own failures
Completely unrelated to the core video, but Aussie's calling their infantry 'Diggers' instead of Rifleman, Fusilier, Trooper etc. is just so charming it can't help but make me smile.
amidst all the racket? "CAN I HAVE A TURN ON THE BIG GUN?" "WHAT WAS THAT, MATE?" "I SAID--" "NAH I'M TAKIN' THE PISS MATE, I HEARD YA. GIMME A SECOND, I'LL LET YOU HAVE A GO"
@@flyingintervation4188 Tolkien elves in general would be the best sniper team, given powerful enough rifles, since the curve of the planet simply doesn't exist to their sight. How do you compete with a sniper who can squint and see their own arse if their standing on a tall enough peak?
I'm hoping this becomes a series. I'd like to see the Battle of the Five Armies next. “You see that guy on the top of the mountain giving orders? Well, I don’t want to.”
I believe gentlemen this is the start of a beautiful series, every intellectual debate had amongst comrades in the smoking corner, on guard duty and in the firepit brought to life. 10/10 Tolkien himself being a veteran himself would've wrote this himself. Can't wait for the sequel "What if the Hobbits heli inserted into Mordor a la Neptune Spear"
Lmao that quote at the end is what I picture when people complain that the giant bird not being able to carry the ring itself to Mordor is a 'plot hole.'
Am I going to spend half an hour watching a detailed breakdown of what is clearly an obsessive spiral into insanity involving two things I have too much knowledge of already, on a Sunday when I'm supposed to be putting up curtain rods or some other bullshit while the wife's at work? Abso-fucking-lutely I am.
Mate your channel is getting pretty well known now with a pretty wide spanning audience. I come from a sig background so I obviously live for this shit, I think many will find entertainment in it, but some out of this large audience will have criticisms. I suppose that’s the life of a UA-camr. Just keep doing what you do brother real ones will be here for it 💪
@@coralsearc This was very entertaining and more than a bit informative, you have probably found yourself a nice little format to rack up a lot of views mate.
No word was sent back to Saruman from his army about the outcome of the battle. He did receive a strange message from Rohan. "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho."
So I'm a 1LT in the US Army National Guard and I've never watched this channel before. Gonna go out on a limb and guess you're an experienced vet because this shit was absolutely textbook for planning a defensive operation. Unironically i would share this with my classmates if I was still in ROTC or BOLC, amazing video! LOL
Glad I'm not the only one who recognised this guy has a bit of experience delivering orders. Sounds like he's reading straight from a TAMS with not only the order of plan and terminology, but his pace of delivery, as well as stress & emphasis. He's definitely done a cadre or two
I ignored this video several times in the algorithm thinking it was one of those old battle simulators with no commentary and dramatic orchestra music the whole time. Little did I know my algorithm was built brick by brick. The genuine use of doctrine, but specifically ADF doctrine and philosophy is super cool.
Hey dude this probably wasn't your intent but as someone worldbuilding their own world to write stories in, the way you broke down the battle, and forces from a modern tactical point of view, is so insightful and helpful in giving me ways to approach how i conduct battles in my world, as well as highlighting so many factors I had never considered before, I think i'm going to adapt your method as a workflow for setting up and planning the battles
Check out the US Military OPORD and similar operational planning documents. They provide a great way to analyze and generate operational plans. Just be worried about the last step in the planning process "Supervise & Refine" aka ""adapt & overcome" aka " eff it, lets wing it" (which is my favorite part tbh)
@@jacobdallas7396 Thank you, personally how i was doing it before was just running battles from Total War games and then adapting them to narrative form, but obviously that has it's limitations
@@MasterIceyyMarine here. Don't forget that all warfare is composed of two key elements: operations and logistics. If you can create tension with realistic logistical limitations, and work to overcome them with in-world solutions, you'll be far ahead most other writers.
Dude, I literally had this entire conversation multiple times in high school. What is the minimum number of machine guns and ammunition needed to defend Helm's Deep. Arguably, only one or two guns teams are needed: one to defend the main gate and one overlooking the storm drain. Those two places were the points of failure in the defense, everything else could be contained with the existing elves and soldiers on the walls.
I just gave myself a fit of laughter with the thaught of Gandalf arriving, being greeted by an Australian sergeant sitting on a pile of Uruk-Hai bodies with "G'day, mate!"
And Gandalf asks about casualties, civilian losses, etc, and the Sgt just looks at him. "Casualties? None, mate. Well, Jimmy fell on his way to the dunny and sprained his moot. But other than that, naw yah naw, we're good, mate."
@@sean748we don't have yank Apaches, we have outdated and poorly maintained tigers from the white flag wavers. Better just to use our hornets or whatever crazy ass wunderwaffer weapon (That is outdated)we have bought from the seppos this time.
Please tell me the engineers made those IEDs look like giant coconuts with crosses sticking out of the tops and wrapped with something that looks like pearls... The American version: "LT...looks like a whole lotta bad guys heading our way." "Yep...let's see...we've got an AC-130 overhead, 4 A-10s on the way, a troop of Apaches close behind them, and a pair of Strike Eagles each carrying nine CBU-87 cluster bombs." "Anything else, LT?" "Well, the Colonel told me the Navy wanted in on the fight and will send Tomahawks if we want, but I said no thanks. Those 1,000 pound warheads will deafen us, and then the VA will tell us it's not a service-related disability."
This is genuinely one of the greatest things I've ever watched. Deadpan, intermittently hilarious and completed by one of the all time great comment sections. Outstanding work mate!
I am at 0:49 i suspect that if the Aussies have one forward observer and one F18 Block 3 Superhornet with 10 500lb JDAM's the battle ends in about 3 mins
As a former 15R, I always imagined how a modern combined arms group would fair in the Battle of Pelennor Fields and by extension the Siege of Minas Tirith. Also in the reverse how would an operation to invade Mordor and eliminate Sauron by a combined arms force occur. In a similar vein, the Siege of Winterfell would be interesting. I appreciate the work put in here and hope this becomes a series! You most definitely got my subscription! Edit: Spelling and grammar corrections.
Siege of Winterfell, humans couldve absolutely wiped the floor with thy undead using some basic tactics Acutal infantry up on the walls would easily be enough too And if were talking combined arms no way they would even make it close to the walls, such a beautiful field for an IFV
@ i agree, the only complication would the the “rules” the white walkers play by. What I mean is what does their death condition look like, do traditional munitions work or do we gotta get custom dragon glass ordinance. Or would liberal application of various incendiaries like white phosphorus and napalm work?
@@janys6502Everyone talks about the defense of Winterfell, but leaves out that the humans had dragons and horsemen. They should have been harassing and degrading the undead the moment the wall came down.
This! (These?) Would love to see the winterfell and pellenor fields version of this analysis. Having trolls large and strong enough to wear armor and carry shields that could stop 50cal fire and would make for more interesting tactical options for the attacking orcs. Perhaps this should be imagined from the perspective that Sauron and his commanders and blacksmiths/siege engineers are fully aware of the capabilites of the modern defenders and have ample time and resources to prepare accordingly. Also, having air support from the nazgul would be an important factor, if for nothing else then their morale debuff Great vid! For thr next one give us a closer battle please. 0% casualties is boring
A bit late to the party here, but I think I noticed a critical flaw in your plan- you assume the wire stays up. Urik-hai have thick armor intended for attack by - among other things - small sharp blades, such as is present on concerntena wire, so they're already more resistant to it than a stock human. More practicaly, they have no respect for the dead- something the super-claymores have already given them an abundant stock of (along with a spare supply of extremely long, steel-reinforced wood pikes). In the initial stages of the battle, they would have both supplies and motivation to make multiple large breaches of your wire, which would have to be countered.
@@terminator3768our reinforcements come from US not NATO and while we don't have AC-130s, the USAF does and yes our FOs can call them if we encounter a problem we require assistance with. Thankfully for the Uruk-hai he didn't include the USMC with the Aussies... things would really get out of hand then as the biggest "hold my beer" contest takes place
Bro this video was actually so well made, very informative on the military side and very well edited and entertaining to watch. And to everyone else who loves this type of story, I would highly recommend giving Manifest Fantasy and Summoning America a read.
CSRC: *performs 30 minute tactical analysis of enemy and friendly forces and terrain to devise perfect battle plan to counter the Uruk-Hai threat* Me: Just use more dakka
I mean yes, but also remember that a 1914 British division had only 24 machine guns which comes out to 2 per battalion. Meanwhile infantry platoons today have 2 GPMG/MMGs and the rifle squads have 2 LMGs each. Quite arguably an infantry company today has more small arms firepower than divisions of 1914 and a battalion definitely would.
@@Mmmmmmdonuts under the heavy rain conditions of the helm's deep battle, barrel changes would be moot for air cooled belt fed mgs too, just drop the FN MAGs to ~450
Well, then send a german infanteriebattalion of 1914. Each batallion had 4 rifle companies and one machinegun company. They had the highest number of machineguns per soldier at the start of WW1.
there was an old Counter Strike: Source map that recreated the battle of helm's deep, and i LOVED playing it. it was interesting to see how battle played out with modern weapons. it always ended up being (for the attackers) a mad rush under suppressing fire to get a bomb to the culvert. we would try to take the fortress directly, but it was a death trap. once you actually got close to the wall where the culvert was, you were not as exposed. once the wall was blown, you could flank the fortress and split the defense and it was an even fight from there. defending was always just focused on that damn culvert lol. i remember plenty of times on defense that we actually just completely abandoned the keep because we knew that no one would even try. i miss when CS had awesome maps like that. now its all just CoD style maps or Dust again
@@plwadodveeefdv At some point, anime decided to purposely lean into all the cringiest tropes, embracing the most obnoxious and unenjoyable stereotypes. It wasn't always like that, though. Yeah, anime had cringe moments, but the cringe moments were massively outnumbered by cool or thoughtful moments or were at least self-aware. Now it's all cringe, none of it self-aware. Like a Star Wars fanfiction page. That's why I enjoyed One Punch Man so much, it was self-aware and made fun of the tropes while not being totally dismissive or disrespectful towards them.
This style of video is awesome. Clear outline, pleasing graphics, easy to understand pronunciation, comprehensive thought put into the content. I feel like I just got out of an evening seminar. Excellent job. Massive thumbs up and thanks for your effort. Left an abo and looking for more content to come
“...The Royal Australian Regiment exists primarily to inflict state-sanctioned violence on the enemies of Australia.” This statement is simultaneously accurate, unsettling and cool af. 👌
Perun would probably question the logistics of where all the ammunition is coming from, not to mention the barrel changes needed to sustain fire against a Uruk-Hai force of this size and for how long. But a nice tactical analysis none the less.
Ammo in manpackable. Especially if expecting reinforcements, you can forego additional rations and other kit in favour of the best kind of ammo, which is more. Barell changes occur by the individual. It was pretty cold and miserable there, so as long as the guns talk and barell changes are carried out on time shouldn't be an issue.
Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well. I'm sure he'd have an aneurysm at the mere thought of the logistics for this. That much barbed wire HAD to be moved by a truck. So who drove it, where did the fuel to drive it come from, do there men need MRE's while out in the field, who's moving all the ammo durring the firefight? You're also gonna need a recovery plan in place in case a truck breaks down on route to Helms deep.
Chocs did OK at Lone Pine, Pozieres, Hamel, Kokoda, Milne Bay and Tarakan. ARA who think they’re God’s gift to warfare forget that it was citizen soldiers who forged the Australian military tradition in the fire of two World Wars.
My suggestions for improvement in the strategy: Uruk Hai would probably largely ignore the barbed wire. At best, they would pause to hack their way through it. At worst, they would simply push through it, sacrificing a relative few to ensure the greater force reaches the wall. As they are armored totally, it would be almost completely ineffective. Instead, the metal poles would be better suited in several 30cm deep, 3m wide trenches. Too shallow to provide cover, to wide to jump across, and with sharpened and darkened metal stakes protruding 5cm to force them to slow down when crossing them. Leaving gaps in the trench would provide a more effective funnel for targeting. This provides a triple benefit over the barbed wire you proposed. Firstly, for the reasons I gave it is far more likely to provide a hindrance to the Uruk Hai as they would need to navigate the trench and sharpened and darkened stakes in near total darkness. Secondly, it denies the enemy the morale hit that the defenders would suffer to see their enemy pushing through a barbed wire fence with relative ease. Thirdly, it makes bringing the siege weapons close to the walls much harder as they would have to either be carried awkwardly through the ditch, or through the narrow channels we left in the ditch which would already concentrate the enemy. The Uruk hai would have no effective way to counter ditches in the way they could counter barbed wire. They could throw some of their number onto the stakes to neutralize them, which provides them little benefit as the Uruk Hai they throw would likely be killed. They could try and cover the stakes with dirt, but under fire, they would struggle to do so, and it still completes our goal of slowing the enemy advance. Both options result in uneven terrain and a lengthy delay to the enemy while denying them heavy siege weapons like the ballistae. Finally, the claymores would be set in the ditches facing up and out towards the enemy formation to be triggered when the enemy attempts crossings local to the explosives, and the IEDs would be placed in the channels left in the ditches. The IEDs would be triggered simultaneously when large numbers of Uruk Hai are crossing the channels to provide maximum effect. For optimum effect, all claymores and IEDs would be triggered at the same time to start the battle. Couple that with an initial volley into the most tightly packed enemy formations from the mortars and grenade launchers, deliberate explosive targeting of the siege mines, and the strategic elimination of unit commanders, the whole battle will become a turkey shoot immediately. It's important to note that the vast majority of the enemy force is irrelevant unless it can actually reach the top of the wall. They are shown to be incapable of doing this individually, requiring ladders to reach the top. As a result, while they wouldn't be ignored, riflemen would be given the tasks of eliminating anyone holding a ranged weapon, or anything other than a sword or pike, targeting the rest only if they stopped milling around and tried to actually organize or pick up ranged weapons. The result is we actually want to encourage those without ranged or siege weapons to be close to the wall, so would focus our heavy fire on grouped targets further away. To begin the final stage of the battle would be the deployment of all handheld grenades and portable grenade launchers on the enemy at the base of the walls, attempting to shock them into route, whereupon they would be forced to attempt retreat over uneven ground, through the ditches and their dead comrades slippery from the rain and various fluids. If they stay at the walls, they are slaughtered, and if they flee, almost none will leave alive.
suits of plate wouldn't negate wire. high density concertina is nothing like the single loops you see on fences. while they could press through themwith decent chances of noninjury, the purpose of the wire is to slow them down and make them targetable.
@@sunrisejackdaw1779 I agree and if it was a relative few Uruk hai, I would agree that it would be effective, but an army the size we see packed as closely together as we see and disregarding casualties as they do (when they detonated the wall in the movie, they probably killed at least 100 of their own both on the wall and around it) they would simply push through with those behind pushing forward in the same way a crowd of people can push down a chain link fence, but they are all armored and far stronger than humans. Absolutely those in the front would be killed by the defenders, but then they serve as a shield for the attackers as they are pressed against the wire and held up. While a single plate of armor wouldn't stop a shot, 2 plates with a dense body in between would block everything short of the .50s and a 3rd plate will probably block the .50s too. On the other hand ditches 30cm deep with 5cm stakes neither provide effective cover, nor can be neutralized in the same way as the wire. They provide more effective funneling as the Uruk Hai traversing them either slow down to watch their footing or get staked in a way that can't be neutralized by simply pushing them with superhuman strength. If they tried, they would end up tripping into the stakes which would kill several and make the ditches even harder to run across. This gives a funneling effect that can't be negated by the combination of incredible strength, resistance to pain, heavy armor, and indifference to casualties that the enemy possesses.
@cxfxcdude You ever tried to walk on irregular, moving, bending, wet steel while wearing wet steel? Or more relatably wet, wobbly rocks, except instead of any kind of hiking boot, you have wet, muddy leather soles? And that's the best case scenario where you're stepping on a vaguely pinned in place breastplate without 100 other people pushing you from behind. Even when these trenches are so full of bodies that they aren't trenches anymore, they would be an absolute nightmare to try and walk across. It would be almost impossible to even walk across them normally, let alone run in full armor in the dark.
thats a overkill, anyone in the series with a gun would end everything in the moment voldemort shows his face, if someone had a gun it would have ended in less than 3-5 movies XD
@@gamingrex2930it would work on the guns. The real question is can the shield spell(s) defend against bullets, as well as magically augmented equipment like goblin forged arms and armors. All antimagic tactics would have to revolve around long distance first strikes, as being within magic user’s cognizance renders conventional forces extremely vulnerable to magicks such as charms, configuration, elementals, kinetics, etc. Magic, as depicted in the HPU, is not as useless as it’s often disparaged to be against conventional military’s, their strengths are just asymmetrically displaced. Modern weapons and tactics hold the advantage in terms of wiping out magicians before the latter can retaliate, but the latter is actually unbelievably well suited for guerrilla warfare and other such asymmetrical combat doctrines to the point of changing the landscape of warfare entirely, as they would immediately supersede all forms of special forces/defensive warfare with an overwhelming range of new options. From polyjuice potion (total physical disguise), imperius curse (mind control, can be chained by use on magic users who can be made to mind control others) invisibility/concealment/deception magicks, apparition (teleportation), familiars (golems, telekinetically charmed objects that act according to magician’s whims), the options are endless. TL;DR, HPU magic is phenomenal for toppling countries or subverting them, while being vulnerable to long distance attacks in conventional warfare.
At the beginning I was like: How is this even a question? 500 troops with modern weapons and indirect fire options will *slaughter* even 10k assaulters who are (in modern terms) unarmored. But when you introduced the strategic element of "we want to kill them, not rout them", it became an interesting tactical conundrum indeed. One you managed to solve admirably, I might add.
Love my recon bros so felt bad leaving them out, but with the dismounted speed & mobility advantage going to the Uruk-hai, leaving recon out beyond the walls felt unsat.
@coralsearc not to mention for this particular job against this particular threat, Snipers do a fairly good job of early warning and initial threat assessment. It's not like 10,000 blokes in parade formation are a recon nightmare. They were blowing horns and banging drums and shit.
as a 45T (bradley turret mech) attached to 2/7 Inf BN scouts in the first half of the 90s (because of previous 12B Combat Engineer training) I was close enough to the action (frequently under 500m) to know what the BN engagement plan was. Watching this was fun as hell! I was looking at the map before you brought it up and thought "yeah, the triple-strand obstacle should be about there with emplaced claymores, maybe bury a few 55gal diesel/ammonium nitrate barrels along the axis of approach for command detonation...". Then you outlined almost exactly what I had in mind. Well done. As a suggestion, how about gaming the AAR as a 'lessons learned' video before moving on to the next battle?
Lord of the Rings Online "Light of the Rising Dawn" Lore-master power does that to one target at a time. "Oh, you're building up for your big attack? NOPE!"
@@_Morph1ne_ok go stare directly into a light bulb immediately after sitting in total darkness for a few hours and see how well you can maintain your concentration
Geez, when I was an Aussie infantry officer in the 90s the enemies were Kamaria (insurrection and low level ops - Indonesia) and Musouria (Large scale conventional warfare - the Soviets basically). Would have been a lot more fun learning appreciation, TEWTS and tactics analysing Sauron and Saruman's forces.
As a kid I spent many hours thinking of how epic defending Helms Deep with a battalion of US WWII soldiers would be. Somewhere in Australia someone had a very similar idea! Well done sir. Also, great analysis.
I am thrilled the algorithm chose to show me this video, and this channel. The Dry humor is top notch. I had to pause at "Engagement Area: Frodo" to let out a hearty laugh before continuing.
I appreciate the ludicrously in depth analysis and the decision to omit long range artillery and air support that would turn this from a grinding down a numerically superior force to “drop a lot of ordinance on them”.
Good idea but the lack of cement runways in Middle Earth prevents air cover? Danger Close is a real thing, as is the risk of a Quala-I-Jangi style mishap where the pilot dropped the JDAM right on the JTAC...
You don't even need it. 500 dudes that can engage point targets at 300m to 400m? Each guy has to off 20 Orcs starting at ~400m out. That's it. There's a reason the British absolutely rofl-stomped the Mahdist's at the battle of Omdurman. Modern (late 19th to early 20th century) firearms simply outclass an army that takes to the field with linear tactics, close order tactics, or formation warfare. The Orcs in this scenario were fucked every way you could imagine.
American here with some love and respect for our allies. Your analysis is on point; RAR would clean up here. I admire the tenacity and courage shown by the ANZAC forces at Gallipoli and beyond. That same spirit clearly lives on in the Royal Australian Regiment today, and it's an honor to recognize their contributions to global peace and security, whether that's in the real world or in Middle Earth. Gandalf's facial expression says it all.
As a US Marine and huge huge fan of LOTR and an autistic fascination with Helm’s Deep, this video has scratched my autistic itch! Great video and breakdown man!
@PsyloAlpha We will need to make some major assumptions about how powerful an AT-AT's armor and shields are along with Stormtrooper armor. But another fun scenario would be having modern troops fighting the rebels at Hoth instead.
@@mill2712 Stormtrooper armor is mostly decorative, as ewoks were able to kill'em'all. Imperial armored vehicles are also kinda thin-skinned, as Ewoks were able to for example crush AT-STs with some logs, like it was some tin can BTR. So... AT-AT = modern MBT level protection?
Always figured stormtrooper armour was pretty good against bullets (what poor oppressed people might have access too), but hopeless against spears, blunt weapons and blasters. The fear and sheer numbers and comms and support elements able to be called-in stops melee assaults, and in theory only the Empire has a decent amount of blasters. (Honestly, analyzing Star Wars is doomed from the start. Why do Storm Troopers on the Death Star have grappling hooks assigned as standard (ala, Luke swinging over the bridge gap)? We will never know. Cheaper than handrails and maintenance for them? Safety first!)
Now do "What if Théoden showed up with a NATO Armored Regiment and Motorized Infantry to the battle of the pelennor fields 😂 LOVED this video, glad I found a new channel to enjoy and hope to see more!
They come from a tribe that level mountains, and did turn night into day. There weapons was made of the finest iron, hardened in fire hotter than a dragons flame. There compassion was only surpassed by their willingness to kill. They did not fear the Uruk-Hai, they did not even fear the gods. They was the warriors of the industrial age.
This was bloody great.
Now my brain is jumping to the sustainment challenges your force is going to start to feel as it fights its campaign through Gondor and Mordor. How do you leverage local forces to reduce the expenditure of your modern kit? When and how do you decide to roll out those tools to act as force multipliers? Do you need the diggers to learn how to ride horses for mobility or are we getting the locals to pull them around in carts or something?
Cheers for putting this one together.
Is that freakin' Perun?
Now I want ta see a collaboration...
Much appreciated mate, stoked you enjoyed it 🤝
I was thinking of Perun the whole time while watching this video, legendary that he saw and commented
If you're interested in that kind of thing, the book "Janissaries" by Jerry Pournelle actually does a really good job of portraying the sustainment issue in the scenario of a small "modern" (in the 1980s when the book was written I guess) force with guns tasked with controlling an area occupied by several large armies in possession of swords and armor.
Jerry pournelle does a small series about faulkenberg's the main character great author sad he is dead now
Aragorn „ *DID YOU COME HERE TO DIE?* “ Aussie soldier:“….nah mate, I came here yesterday.“
My Grandfather told this joke. And he was with the Canadian First Division at the battle of Ypres.
Oh man that's a good one
had to think about that
Excellent
@@PxThucydides As a German I am all for recycling, even if it’s jokes. If you wait long enough it’s a brand new joke for most. My grandfather had joined the imperial Navy (SMS Koenig) and took part in the battle of Jutland, or Skagerrakschlacht as it is named in Germany in 1916. He was to old to take part in WW2 (and a Social Democrat) but since he was a coalminer he had to rescue people or what was left in Nuremberg. Unfortunately PTSD was not a thing back then. He never said one word about both wars.
Battle for Minas Tirith next, I take it?
"Gondor has called for aid!"
"And Australia shall answer, mate!"
I had mates in 2 Cav. I could just about see this.
@@garyfoale3707 combined arms defense + assault = yes please!
..and Australia shall answer, ya c*nts
I reckon a combined arms battlegroup could get it done
@@coralsearc 100%
As a fan of modern military stuff kicking ass in a fantasy world, what I love the most here isn’t even how thorough you are (though I love it lots) but how you refused to treat the enemy as a joke. You treated the Uruk-Hai as a very real threat who in the right circumstances could be utterly dangerous to the riflemen and presented the real, present downsides the modern forces would have in this scenario. It’s worth remembering that, no matter what, you should NEVER treat the enemy as a joke, even with an overwhelming advantage in key areas. To underestimate the foe is to sign the death warrant of your troops.
Awesome stuff, subbed.
Yup. Even to this day, a bit of sharp metal can put your inside bits on the outside too damn quick if you don't respect the guy holding it.
After this, find the anime 'gate' if you have not already
Technology has improved, but humans have not. We still die after getting stabbed. But yeah, I think it makes sense here. With just 500 troops, even a small number of casualties due to lucky shots from a crossbow could compromise the entire operation. And like he said, your typical Uruk-Hai would slaughter modern soldiers in melee combat. I wouldn't say the battle was hard, just very risky. Things either go very right or very, VERY wrong.
@@classarank7youtubeherokeyb63
Yup. As mentioned, the numbers and range issues in this one are huge. Range is a big advantage, but once range changes, those boiis are bred for melee. Your modern kit won't protect your neck from a giant cleaver.
The other thing, which I'm not sure if the lists of assets and liabilities was ordered in order of importance, but communications was last in its list, but I'd say crucially important to pulling this one off. In order to take on this mass with 500, everyone has to be doing the right thing at the right time. There are ways to communicate without modern equipment on a battlefield this size, but the efficiency and ease of modern comms tech would be a huge advantage still in coordination. Plus the tower being hard to target due to the limited range of the enemy and its advantage in keeping track of exactly what's going on. Being able to quickly and discretely signal a greater amount of information than you could manage with lights and basic sounds from that distance would help in keeping your forces organized on tactics, while giving the enemy zero chance to anticipate what's coming or when it's gonna happen.
@@sjonnieplayfull5859 came to say this. The JSDF treated the imperial forces seriously, and the results are a similar slaughter
"The Royal Australian Regiment exists primarily to inflict state-sanctioned violence on the enemies of Australia" is such a banger of a line.
They usually prefer to allow thier enemies or quarrel to leave australia for another less desireable country so that our local rules of engagement do not apply.
Usually at sea or in some place lacking people
I mean that is literally just what an army does.
Enemies of america is usually how it's turned out though
That's literally the description of every national army, ever.
@@Lustanda It's still nice to see this spelled out directly, instead of the patriotic, ideological euphemism of "defending freedom" or whatever.
"Gandalf returning to see Australians collecting war trophies" has me dying
They rarely allow us to carry swords when not on parade duty. Orc Scimitars however? That's just a long handled FRED, and we're trained to use them while on deployment.
"Gundalf"
@@julianbrutsch8721 Gundalf standing in front of unconstitutional gun laws saying "You Shall Not Pass!"
collecting war crimes more like
Oi! lookit this bonzer shield mate! Some wankah slapped his handprint all oer it in white paint! It'll look a beut on me den wall.
"...but you've already had a smoko"
"Yeeah, but what about second smoko?"
"I don't think he knows about second smoko mate"
The real concerns would be:
1. The digs cracking onto elven maidens at the Mad Cow
2. The combined consumption of Rohirrim mead with Bundy rum
3. Junior NCOs buying Mustangs from the stablemaster at 18% APR
4. The blacksmith forging enough gongs for the battalion
5. The RSM cracking down on pipe weed with random piss tests
18% horse loans? I thought that was just an American thing. Knew plenty of 21-year-old sergeants with brand new muscle cars and payments higher than their monthy salary. Dealerships will finance anyone for anything when they know they can call your CO if you miss a payment.
@@Raskolnikov70 Aussie enlisted make just as many poor finanical decisions, they just buy utes and jetskis instead of muscle cars and trucks.
Good to know the junior enlisted were going broke of mustangs before automobiles existed 😂
War never changes, and neither do newly enlisted privates😂
Waitaminit… junior NCOs buying muscle cars isn’t just an American thing? 🤯
"I bet he's thinking of other women" (500 Modern Troops Vs 10,000 Uruk-Hai).
500 women troops ☝️
@@jeremyhares979 The women from the LOTR series or out world?
@@jeremyhares979 damn, she caught me ;)
@@jeremyhares979don't exist
ISIS in Syria most likely wished those Kurdish banshees weren't killing them.
Usually the videos I find are Americans using American forces. As an American, i appreciate this video comes from a refreshing AUSTRALIAN perspective.
Yeah the internet is very north american-centric, I see a ton of canadian youtubers proportionate to canada population size. Im pretty interested in geography so it would be cool to see other countries make videos like this like south africa or uruguay or thailand making interesting videos about their military.
Prior USMC here, I did a joint exercise with II RAR in 2010, and mate lemme tell ya, I'm glad they're on our side. Excellent soldiers. Especially in jungle or heavily forested terrain, which is kind of their specialty due to all their operational experience in New Guinea, Malaya and the like. We learned a lot from them, really great time and great guys. Still love Aus to this day because of that experience.
Gandalf shows up. Aussie sitting on the bodies says " G'day mate. They did not pass."
That’s freaking hilarious, I can see that happening
Yes they did...away!
The slaughterhouse strategy of making the uruk hai simultaneously retreat inwards and outwards is amazingly diabolical
I began to cackle uncontrollably
mate really read that their morale is resistant to shock and awe and decided to fact check it himself.
In theater and live event safety we call that a "crowd crush" and it can absolutely kill hundreds of people. Many of the deaths in theatre "fires" are actually deaths due to crowd crush as patrons all try and rush for the exits. Hell, the whole reason the classic limit on the American First Amendment is "yelling fire in a crowded theater" is that the panic that ensues, even in the absence of any real threat, is lethal. Honestly the realization that they were intentionally causing one was kind of unsettling, even though this is a fantasy of a fantasy.
We want those war trophies, bro. I'm gonna be the first kid on my block with an orc ear necklace.
@@mattmccaffrey5514 Get me an Orc teeth necklace
I've been US Navy for almost 19 years now, and this was one of the most brilliant, succinct, and accurate TA's I've ever seen. Absolutely fucking wonderful.
Legolas: "Their armour is weak at the neck and under the arms"
Some random Digger punching holes in the centre mass: "Cheers big ears, I think we got this mate" 😜
I like to think that Aussies are closer to Dwarves than elves so it only makes sense that we do jabs like that.
I think you should give the Uruk armor more credit than that. It likely would be somewhat effective against the 5.56 at least at longer ranges. It is after all fairly thick steel armor.
@@TheLadderman lol
Yeah at like, maybe a kilometer away
@@TheLaddermandefinitely not lmao.
@FLMKane you're vastly overestimating the performance of a lightweight intermediate cartridge
You forgot to take into account the egos and strong Australian accents resulting in massive force multipliers as the urukai are confused in determining the leadership structure of the Australian forces between “Davo”, “mate” and “big boy”
Robbo on the .50, Johnno in Mortars, and Smithy (Charlie company Smithy, not Alpha company Smithy)
the AGL provides a rate of fire similar to that of hurled slurs with similar effects on morale
Didn’t work against the emus
@@jb76489straight in the balls
As the Australian SAS were chosen, you can also add in a good amount of warcrimes.
"Cor, never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Emu."
"What about side by side with a friend?"
"Bonzor mate, I could do that."
This will be played in a classroom at RMC in the future I guarantee it
Beat me to it 💯
I reckon you are correct.
Being played in a US Militia group meeting right now.
@@jddunebuggy gay
I've never paid this much attention to any brief in my entire life. It's a great tool haha.
im high as fuck rn and thought this was a real documentary for like 20 mins
Wdym, it is
Don’t blame that on smoking the devils lettuce. That’s more like smokin crack.
Pass the pipe my man
Thats exactly how this video should be watched i feel
Stop it. Get some help
A completely unnecessary video with extreme detail and length and effort, I watch the entire thing. Well done.
This is unironically a great way of showcasing the MAP in a digestible way
Glad to hear that, was hoping to make MAP less boring
@@coralsearc what does MAP mean? i reckon its something about the specific usage of each weapon system?
Military Appreciation Process
Its a planning method where junior officers take turns at guessing what the enemy forces could do, what friendly forces should do, and ultimately discovering what will not end up happening so senior officers can blame the digs for their own failures
100% it would probably be worth playing in part or whole for those on Sub 1
Just a tip, when you’re collecting trophies, leave any fook’in rings you find alone!
You just want it for yourself precious!
Actually, make sure to collect any rings, or anything else that may be magical, and turn them in for analysis by Gandolf.
I mean, looting is forbidden anyways, innit?
@@ReallyRealBenMills "Looting"? Nah mate, collecting battlefield intelligence....
or prosthetic legs
Completely unrelated to the core video, but Aussie's calling their infantry 'Diggers' instead of Rifleman, Fusilier, Trooper etc. is just so charming it can't help but make me smile.
I assumed that must be some military term for a force entrenched in a single fortified position, but honestly no idea.
Him saying "Mini-my" is also just nice in a way
I like to think of the fellowship standing back in awe, with Aragorn asking if he could have a turn on the .50 cal.
I can see him being a world class sniper with some training- dunno if the skills overlap but we know he's got the eyesight for it
@@josiahzabel8596 Legolas would be 360 no scoping with sniper rifles
amidst all the racket?
"CAN I HAVE A TURN ON THE BIG GUN?"
"WHAT WAS THAT, MATE?"
"I SAID--"
"NAH I'M TAKIN' THE PISS MATE, I HEARD YA. GIMME A SECOND, I'LL LET YOU HAVE A GO"
@@John-if9igLegolas would be a word class spotter.
@@flyingintervation4188 Tolkien elves in general would be the best sniper team, given powerful enough rifles, since the curve of the planet simply doesn't exist to their sight. How do you compete with a sniper who can squint and see their own arse if their standing on a tall enough peak?
Video request: Assaulting Helms Deep with 500 Modern Troops
"The RTOs spend 3 days calling in fire support missions from artillery and air assets. The installation is obliderated."
@@talleywa5772 the IDF way of handling a siege
@@joebob3719 "Helms deep was a Hamas asset"
@@joebob3719 FAFO / Bringthemhome
P l e a s e
I'm hoping this becomes a series.
I'd like to see the Battle of the Five Armies next.
“You see that guy on the top of the mountain giving orders? Well, I don’t want to.”
YES!
Single Gun shot in the distance ... Yea he's gone mate
"The Battle of Five Aussies"
"Aye sir!" *loads up indirect*
I believe gentlemen this is the start of a beautiful series, every intellectual debate had amongst comrades in the smoking corner, on guard duty and in the firepit brought to life.
10/10 Tolkien himself being a veteran himself would've wrote this himself.
Can't wait for the sequel "What if the Hobbits heli inserted into Mordor a la Neptune Spear"
Helicopters are far too slow, tilt-wing or bust!
Lmao that quote at the end is what I picture when people complain that the giant bird not being able to carry the ring itself to Mordor is a 'plot hole.'
What if the hobbits HALO jumped into Mordor
@@TheDrLeviathan Now we're getting somewhere, somewhere noncredible, but definitely somewhere.
Forgotten Ruin by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach. This video describes that book series perfectly.
Am I going to spend half an hour watching a detailed breakdown of what is clearly an obsessive spiral into insanity involving two things I have too much knowledge of already, on a Sunday when I'm supposed to be putting up curtain rods or some other bullshit while the wife's at work?
Abso-fucking-lutely I am.
Sunday is the day 🤝
Update: absolutely worth the earbashing I'm going to get
If she didn't want you do disappear down UA-cam rabbit holes, she shouldn't have left you unsupervised.
Or some other bullshit. Like replacing the roof on the shed and building a pantry under the stairs. 🤦♂️
@@Dafmeister1978yes, it is her fault
Hearing the AOE 2 "Under attack" sound lit up my brain like I was a sleeper agent
OP forgot to mention that all idle military units could be selected with a hotkey during the engagement
I was listening to this while doing other things, and the horn always produced a momentary panic response.
Pavlovian response
The final sniper shot eliminating the last red dot killed me. 🤣
You're an Uruk-Hai, eh? How's the food?
@@j.trades9691 probably good, meat was back on the menu before he got killed
@@j.trades9691"meat's back on the menu, boys!“
so you were the last red dot?
@@andrewsauer2729
That witty reply deserves a like.
2025 we getting autistically obsessed with LOTR alt history
What did you think of this on mate? curious for feedback
Mate your channel is getting pretty well known now with a pretty wide spanning audience. I come from a sig background so I obviously live for this shit, I think many will find entertainment in it, but some out of this large audience will have criticisms. I suppose that’s the life of a UA-camr. Just keep doing what you do brother real ones will be here for it 💪
It's been building in popularity since a few years ago. Last year almost every recommendation and meme my family encountered was LOTR related.
@@coralsearc This was very entertaining and more than a bit informative, you have probably found yourself a nice little format to rack up a lot of views mate.
Before GTA 6
No word was sent back to Saruman from his army about the outcome of the battle. He did receive a strange message from Rohan. "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho."
So I'm a 1LT in the US Army National Guard and I've never watched this channel before. Gonna go out on a limb and guess you're an experienced vet because this shit was absolutely textbook for planning a defensive operation. Unironically i would share this with my classmates if I was still in ROTC or BOLC, amazing video! LOL
I am not at all surprised to find an Lt here. Getting lost and finding nerd shit is as textbook a move for a junior officer as it gets!
Was this a defensive operation or a big trap?
Glad I'm not the only one who recognised this guy has a bit of experience delivering orders.
Sounds like he's reading straight from a TAMS with not only the order of plan and terminology, but his pace of delivery, as well as stress & emphasis.
He's definitely done a cadre or two
Mmmmmm butterfinger
I'm happy to read this. It sounded legit but I'm no Rogal Dorn.
I ignored this video several times in the algorithm thinking it was one of those old battle simulators with no commentary and dramatic orchestra music the whole time.
Little did I know my algorithm was built brick by brick.
The genuine use of doctrine, but specifically ADF doctrine and philosophy is super cool.
"Gandalf, you're late. The battle is over"
"A wizard arrives exactly when he means to"
Work smarter, not harder.
"Then what the fark was up with the Prancing Pony, on-time-Gandalf??"
@@oskarzimmerman5484"... I was delayed."
@@oskarzimmerman5484am I the only one who thinks the prancing pony sounds like a strip club?
Man.. no wonder gandalf was late
Hey dude this probably wasn't your intent but as someone worldbuilding their own world to write stories in, the way you broke down the battle, and forces from a modern tactical point of view, is so insightful and helpful in giving me ways to approach how i conduct battles in my world, as well as highlighting so many factors I had never considered before, I think i'm going to adapt your method as a workflow for setting up and planning the battles
Check out the US Military OPORD and similar operational planning documents. They provide a great way to analyze and generate operational plans. Just be worried about the last step in the planning process "Supervise & Refine" aka ""adapt & overcome" aka " eff it, lets wing it" (which is my favorite part tbh)
@@jacobdallas7396 That last part is really important. No plan survives implementation.
@@jacobdallas7396 Thank you, personally how i was doing it before was just running battles from Total War games and then adapting them to narrative form, but obviously that has it's limitations
@@alexanderjordan2506Reminds me of a quote: _"Plans are nothing, but planning is everything,"_
@@MasterIceyyMarine here. Don't forget that all warfare is composed of two key elements: operations and logistics. If you can create tension with realistic logistical limitations, and work to overcome them with in-world solutions, you'll be far ahead most other writers.
Dude, I literally had this entire conversation multiple times in high school. What is the minimum number of machine guns and ammunition needed to defend Helm's Deep.
Arguably, only one or two guns teams are needed: one to defend the main gate and one overlooking the storm drain. Those two places were the points of failure in the defense, everything else could be contained with the existing elves and soldiers on the walls.
I'm proud to live in a country where a guy can ask himself this question, put it online, and get a half million views in four days.
You forgot that Sauromon also had 6 emu as reinforcements.
Australian kryptonite! A cunning sorcerer indeed.
Gandalf: this enemy is beyond any of you
Unleash the emu!!!
The Australians delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Campion District... feather and beak.
lol dont forget the female sniper whos only job is to look out for nazghul, give her like 3 spotters too.
This is exactly why UA-cam is such a beautiful platform
I would not want to get into a knife fight with a 6 foot 5 350 pound armoured meattower Uruk-hai now I think of it...
Very much so, the hold the CQC advantage
Too close for knife fighting, switch to full auto
@@FLMKane Brother, deploy the flamer, the Heavy flamer...
That is where the war crime stick comes into play, the Germans hated it for a reason on WWI.
@@carlosdgutierrez6570 Geneva doesn't have jurisdiction over middle earth, so such thing as a war crime 😈
I just gave myself a fit of laughter with the thaught of Gandalf arriving, being greeted by an Australian sergeant sitting on a pile of Uruk-Hai bodies with "G'day, mate!"
And Gandalf asks about casualties, civilian losses, etc, and the Sgt just looks at him. "Casualties? None, mate. Well, Jimmy fell on his way to the dunny and sprained his moot. But other than that, naw yah naw, we're good, mate."
"Oi, cunt. A bit late, anchya?"
Thanks! Bloody legend you are!
Many thanks mate, appreciate you
Guess we gotta do battle for Gondor next.
With the modifiers of aerial units and magic soldiers of the Nazghul and witchking.
For sure, thats a Brigade job minimum I reckon
I think the second episode of Gate showed perfectly what happened to fantasy aerial units meeting the Gepard and equivalent systems.
9 Nazgul vs. 1 Apache heli
@@carlosdgutierrez6570imagine a Nazgûl trying to upturn a Patriot missile or even a stinger or IGLA 😂
@@sean748we don't have yank Apaches, we have outdated and poorly maintained tigers from the white flag wavers. Better just to use our hornets or whatever crazy ass wunderwaffer weapon (That is outdated)we have bought from the seppos this time.
I’ve been out of the Marines since 2015.. and didn’t realize how much I needed this PME. Never know when you gotta defend helms deep. Oorah.
Which area of the defense do you think you would be located at during such a siege?
I love that you described the Fires of Isengard used to breach the culvert as IEDs😂
Mate, this is brilliant. That last sniper shot. Couldn’t even leave one alive to spread fear hey?!. Love it
"My Lord Saruman, I regret to inform you that the entire Uruk-hai force has been lost. Presumed eaten by the locals."
I think an Aussie unit would have allowed one to get away to tell the tale.
Please tell me the engineers made those IEDs look like giant coconuts with crosses sticking out of the tops and wrapped with something that looks like pearls...
The American version:
"LT...looks like a whole lotta bad guys heading our way."
"Yep...let's see...we've got an AC-130 overhead, 4 A-10s on the way, a troop of Apaches close behind them, and a pair of Strike Eagles each carrying nine CBU-87 cluster bombs."
"Anything else, LT?"
"Well, the Colonel told me the Navy wanted in on the fight and will send Tomahawks if we want, but I said no thanks. Those 1,000 pound warheads will deafen us, and then the VA will tell us it's not a service-related disability."
"Also, I guess there are some soldiers around to tell them where to shoot."
Perfect.
You gotta do more of this. Just any random battle from any fictional universe!
Currently working on the Battle ofHoth
This is genuinely one of the greatest things I've ever watched. Deadpan, intermittently hilarious and completed by one of the all time great comment sections. Outstanding work mate!
I am at 0:49 i suspect that if the Aussies have one forward observer and one F18 Block 3 Superhornet with 10 500lb JDAM's the battle ends in about 3 mins
Gotta wonder what’s more cost effective
“Still only counts as one!’ -- Gimli most likely…
@@mr.griffin8903USA here. Cost-effective? We (for good or bad) have no concept of cost-effective. FAC calls for 1 GBU-43/B MOAB.
@@DaveQZ85why one when you can bring 2 for total overkill?
Maybe this is the one time the Panama tornado can shine
I still remember that meme about how the LOTR book being too thick, and how thin it would be if Legolas had an M240
As a former 15R, I always imagined how a modern combined arms group would fair in the Battle of Pelennor Fields and by extension the Siege of Minas Tirith. Also in the reverse how would an operation to invade Mordor and eliminate Sauron by a combined arms force occur. In a similar vein, the Siege of Winterfell would be interesting. I appreciate the work put in here and hope this becomes a series! You most definitely got my subscription!
Edit: Spelling and grammar corrections.
Siege of Winterfell, humans couldve absolutely wiped the floor with thy undead using some basic tactics
Acutal infantry up on the walls would easily be enough too
And if were talking combined arms no way they would even make it close to the walls, such a beautiful field for an IFV
@ i agree, the only complication would the the “rules” the white walkers play by. What I mean is what does their death condition look like, do traditional munitions work or do we gotta get custom dragon glass ordinance. Or would liberal application of various incendiaries like white phosphorus and napalm work?
"invade" :) clustermunitions dropped from b52s and b2s
@@janys6502Everyone talks about the defense of Winterfell, but leaves out that the humans had dragons and horsemen.
They should have been harassing and degrading the undead the moment the wall came down.
This! (These?) Would love to see the winterfell and pellenor fields version of this analysis.
Having trolls large and strong enough to wear armor and carry shields that could stop 50cal fire and would make for more interesting tactical options for the attacking orcs.
Perhaps this should be imagined from the perspective that Sauron and his commanders and blacksmiths/siege engineers are fully aware of the capabilites of the modern defenders and have ample time and resources to prepare accordingly.
Also, having air support from the nazgul would be an important factor, if for nothing else then their morale debuff
Great vid! For thr next one give us a closer battle please. 0% casualties is boring
Dude the editing in this is actually top, would love to see Digs vs the Empire on Endor
Endor would be tricky to do because it's so spread out, but you've given me the idea that battle of Hoth would be fun 🤝
@@coralsearcbattle of Hoth would be sweet!
@@coralsearchell yeah!
@@coralsearc demonstrating a better amphibious assault on Scarif from "Rouge One" might be something different
@@coralsearcdo diggers defending Omaha
A bit late to the party here, but I think I noticed a critical flaw in your plan- you assume the wire stays up.
Urik-hai have thick armor intended for attack by - among other things - small sharp blades, such as is present on concerntena wire, so they're already more resistant to it than a stock human.
More practicaly, they have no respect for the dead- something the super-claymores have already given them an abundant stock of (along with a spare supply of extremely long, steel-reinforced wood pikes). In the initial stages of the battle, they would have both supplies and motivation to make multiple large breaches of your wire, which would have to be countered.
The problem isn’t so much c wire cutting you up as it is c wire snagging on things.
@@arcblooper2699I think the point is if it’s covered in bodies it doesn’t matter?
@@jonsimpson6240 the last part of his comment acknowledges this but the middle part is what I was referring to
Uruk-hai arriving to the battlefield suddenly hear, "Enemy AC130 above!"
Ah yes NATO reinforcements... Actually do the Aussies have AC-130's?
@@terminator3768Only the USAF operates AC-130s
@@terminator3768our reinforcements come from US not NATO and while we don't have AC-130s, the USAF does and yes our FOs can call them if we encounter a problem we require assistance with. Thankfully for the Uruk-hai he didn't include the USMC with the Aussies... things would really get out of hand then as the biggest "hold my beer" contest takes place
The 105 Eagles are coming!
Absolutely right brother!
Hope the lads at work are ready for me to force them to watch this. Great video as per usual mate!
Thanks dig
I have fantasized about this exact thing for over twenty-three years. Thank you. Thank you for fulfilling one of my wildest fever dreams.
Bro this video was actually so well made, very informative on the military side and very well edited and entertaining to watch. And to everyone else who loves this type of story, I would highly recommend giving Manifest Fantasy and Summoning America a read.
Thanks mate
CSRC: *performs 30 minute tactical analysis of enemy and friendly forces and terrain to devise perfect battle plan to counter the Uruk-Hai threat*
Me: Just use more dakka
And that's how the uruk-hai lost
Not enough dakka
Well, this is a 30 minute analysis to maximize dakka.
i wonder how da boyz would react to their "distant cousins" from lotr
angry
@@Pillshere31 disappointed lol
Gandalf, you told us to “fly, you fools”
so we brought Apaches.
Even a 1914 battalion using Maxim guns and Lee Enfield rifles would lay waste to 20 000 urukai. Great presentation 👍
I mean yes, but also remember that a 1914 British division had only 24 machine guns which comes out to 2 per battalion. Meanwhile infantry platoons today have 2 GPMG/MMGs and the rifle squads have 2 LMGs each. Quite arguably an infantry company today has more small arms firepower than divisions of 1914 and a battalion definitely would.
The maxim has a better sustained rate of fire being water cooled as well. No need for barrel changes.
@@Mmmmmmdonuts under the heavy rain conditions of the helm's deep battle, barrel changes would be moot for air cooled belt fed mgs too, just drop the FN MAGs to ~450
Well, then send a german infanteriebattalion of 1914. Each batallion had 4 rifle companies and one machinegun company.
They had the highest number of machineguns per soldier at the start of WW1.
there was an old Counter Strike: Source map that recreated the battle of helm's deep, and i LOVED playing it. it was interesting to see how battle played out with modern weapons. it always ended up being (for the attackers) a mad rush under suppressing fire to get a bomb to the culvert. we would try to take the fortress directly, but it was a death trap. once you actually got close to the wall where the culvert was, you were not as exposed. once the wall was blown, you could flank the fortress and split the defense and it was an even fight from there. defending was always just focused on that damn culvert lol. i remember plenty of times on defense that we actually just completely abandoned the keep because we knew that no one would even try. i miss when CS had awesome maps like that. now its all just CoD style maps or Dust again
i remember playing the zombies mode for this on CS GO zombies
Left for Dead 2 also had a fantastic Helms Deep map that was insane.
This topic has crossed my mind everytime I watch LOTR, but I never realised how much I needed this video in my life.
Outstanding work!!
"Saruman's IED's", great way to start off the year
We need a remake of GATE with Diggers instead of the JSDF, directed by CSRC
I kept on thinking of GATE throughout the entire video
We need a remake of GATE that isn't 90% cringe and 10% fanservice.
@@DomR1997don't get the Japanese to do it then 😂
@@plwadodveeefdv At some point, anime decided to purposely lean into all the cringiest tropes, embracing the most obnoxious and unenjoyable stereotypes. It wasn't always like that, though. Yeah, anime had cringe moments, but the cringe moments were massively outnumbered by cool or thoughtful moments or were at least self-aware. Now it's all cringe, none of it self-aware. Like a Star Wars fanfiction page. That's why I enjoyed One Punch Man so much, it was self-aware and made fun of the tropes while not being totally dismissive or disrespectful towards them.
@@DomR1997 amen to that🙏🏻 that's why i love the wolf brigade and patlabor movies
Could you beat a modern army with fantasy medieval forces? Perhaps with some magic spells combined with genius tactics and mastery of the terrain
This style of video is awesome. Clear outline, pleasing graphics, easy to understand pronunciation, comprehensive thought put into the content. I feel like I just got out of an evening seminar. Excellent job. Massive thumbs up and thanks for your effort. Left an abo and looking for more content to come
Legolas "that is no orc horn" as the sounds of Waltzing Matilda is heard at the gates of the hornburg
For anyone interested in a show like this. There’s an anime that’s basically this genre. It’s called GATE
No one tell them that Gandalf went and brought back 2Cav.
2CAV RULES!
2,000 Cav 😂
Need to bring back 1 Armoured aswell. Bushmaster should do the job against the big guys
@@joshuakeitaanpaa8895 I think there are some Bushmasters already fighting some Orcs already
My 2Cav dad loved this comment, thanks for the chuckle 👍
“...The Royal Australian Regiment exists primarily to inflict state-sanctioned violence on the enemies of Australia.”
This statement is simultaneously accurate, unsettling and cool af. 👌
Doesn't every regiment in every country exist for the same reason?
"Carl Gustav, meet Mountain Troll. Mountain Troll, this is Carl".
Perun would probably question the logistics of where all the ammunition is coming from, not to mention the barrel changes needed to sustain fire against a Uruk-Hai force of this size and for how long. But a nice tactical analysis none the less.
Please reference the United States Marine Corps Pacific Island Campaign during WW2 as a start.
Ammo in manpackable. Especially if expecting reinforcements, you can forego additional rations and other kit in favour of the best kind of ammo, which is more.
Barell changes occur by the individual. It was pretty cold and miserable there, so as long as the guns talk and barell changes are carried out on time shouldn't be an issue.
Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well. I'm sure he'd have an aneurysm at the mere thought of the logistics for this. That much barbed wire HAD to be moved by a truck. So who drove it, where did the fuel to drive it come from, do there men need MRE's while out in the field, who's moving all the ammo durring the firefight? You're also gonna need a recovery plan in place in case a truck breaks down on route to Helms deep.
@@robvandixhoorn4783*air drops troops and supplies into the valley prior to engagement.*
The eagles air dropped all the supplies and the Aussie soldiers
We all know such creatures are native to Australia
Redo it with chocs where 20% didn’t turn up for the Ex Helms Deep weekend, 15% go down with heat and 10% are on med restrictions.
Ooh and 60% of the riflemen are 510s getting a famil on all the dfsw weapons
That's okay, we Chocs came to do a job, not get one...
Chocs did OK at Lone Pine, Pozieres, Hamel, Kokoda, Milne Bay and Tarakan. ARA who think they’re God’s gift to warfare forget that it was citizen soldiers who forged the Australian military tradition in the fire of two World Wars.
Not like any of y'all are going to war anyway 😂
@ oh really? Citizen soldiers have fought in every foreign war in Australia’s history, from the Sudan in 1888 to Afghanistan in 2021.
My suggestions for improvement in the strategy:
Uruk Hai would probably largely ignore the barbed wire. At best, they would pause to hack their way through it. At worst, they would simply push through it, sacrificing a relative few to ensure the greater force reaches the wall. As they are armored totally, it would be almost completely ineffective. Instead, the metal poles would be better suited in several 30cm deep, 3m wide trenches. Too shallow to provide cover, to wide to jump across, and with sharpened and darkened metal stakes protruding 5cm to force them to slow down when crossing them. Leaving gaps in the trench would provide a more effective funnel for targeting.
This provides a triple benefit over the barbed wire you proposed. Firstly, for the reasons I gave it is far more likely to provide a hindrance to the Uruk Hai as they would need to navigate the trench and sharpened and darkened stakes in near total darkness. Secondly, it denies the enemy the morale hit that the defenders would suffer to see their enemy pushing through a barbed wire fence with relative ease. Thirdly, it makes bringing the siege weapons close to the walls much harder as they would have to either be carried awkwardly through the ditch, or through the narrow channels we left in the ditch which would already concentrate the enemy.
The Uruk hai would have no effective way to counter ditches in the way they could counter barbed wire. They could throw some of their number onto the stakes to neutralize them, which provides them little benefit as the Uruk Hai they throw would likely be killed. They could try and cover the stakes with dirt, but under fire, they would struggle to do so, and it still completes our goal of slowing the enemy advance. Both options result in uneven terrain and a lengthy delay to the enemy while denying them heavy siege weapons like the ballistae.
Finally, the claymores would be set in the ditches facing up and out towards the enemy formation to be triggered when the enemy attempts crossings local to the explosives, and the IEDs would be placed in the channels left in the ditches. The IEDs would be triggered simultaneously when large numbers of Uruk Hai are crossing the channels to provide maximum effect. For optimum effect, all claymores and IEDs would be triggered at the same time to start the battle. Couple that with an initial volley into the most tightly packed enemy formations from the mortars and grenade launchers, deliberate explosive targeting of the siege mines, and the strategic elimination of unit commanders, the whole battle will become a turkey shoot immediately.
It's important to note that the vast majority of the enemy force is irrelevant unless it can actually reach the top of the wall. They are shown to be incapable of doing this individually, requiring ladders to reach the top. As a result, while they wouldn't be ignored, riflemen would be given the tasks of eliminating anyone holding a ranged weapon, or anything other than a sword or pike, targeting the rest only if they stopped milling around and tried to actually organize or pick up ranged weapons. The result is we actually want to encourage those without ranged or siege weapons to be close to the wall, so would focus our heavy fire on grouped targets further away. To begin the final stage of the battle would be the deployment of all handheld grenades and portable grenade launchers on the enemy at the base of the walls, attempting to shock them into route, whereupon they would be forced to attempt retreat over uneven ground, through the ditches and their dead comrades slippery from the rain and various fluids. If they stay at the walls, they are slaughtered, and if they flee, almost none will leave alive.
suits of plate wouldn't negate wire. high density concertina is nothing like the single loops you see on fences. while they could press through themwith decent chances of noninjury, the purpose of the wire is to slow them down and make them targetable.
@@sunrisejackdaw1779 I agree and if it was a relative few Uruk hai, I would agree that it would be effective, but an army the size we see packed as closely together as we see and disregarding casualties as they do (when they detonated the wall in the movie, they probably killed at least 100 of their own both on the wall and around it) they would simply push through with those behind pushing forward in the same way a crowd of people can push down a chain link fence, but they are all armored and far stronger than humans. Absolutely those in the front would be killed by the defenders, but then they serve as a shield for the attackers as they are pressed against the wire and held up. While a single plate of armor wouldn't stop a shot, 2 plates with a dense body in between would block everything short of the .50s and a 3rd plate will probably block the .50s too.
On the other hand ditches 30cm deep with 5cm stakes neither provide effective cover, nor can be neutralized in the same way as the wire. They provide more effective funneling as the Uruk Hai traversing them either slow down to watch their footing or get staked in a way that can't be neutralized by simply pushing them with superhuman strength. If they tried, they would end up tripping into the stakes which would kill several and make the ditches even harder to run across. This gives a funneling effect that can't be negated by the combination of incredible strength, resistance to pain, heavy armor, and indifference to casualties that the enemy possesses.
The trenches would be instantly filled with bodies within the first ten mins of assault
@cxfxcdude You ever tried to walk on irregular, moving, bending, wet steel while wearing wet steel? Or more relatably wet, wobbly rocks, except instead of any kind of hiking boot, you have wet, muddy leather soles?
And that's the best case scenario where you're stepping on a vaguely pinned in place breastplate without 100 other people pushing you from behind. Even when these trenches are so full of bodies that they aren't trenches anymore, they would be an absolute nightmare to try and walk across. It would be almost impossible to even walk across them normally, let alone run in full armor in the dark.
1 company of Green Berets defend Hogwarts from Voldemort's assault
PLEASE
thats a overkill, anyone in the series with a gun would end everything in the moment voldemort shows his face, if someone had a gun it would have ended in less than 3-5 movies XD
Assuming that the disarm spell even works on steel bullets, i think 2 riflemen would just headshot Voldy.
If it happens in the UK, I'd rather see the SAS
@@gamingrex2930it would work on the guns. The real question is can the shield spell(s) defend against bullets, as well as magically augmented equipment like goblin forged arms and armors.
All antimagic tactics would have to revolve around long distance first strikes, as being within magic user’s cognizance renders conventional forces extremely vulnerable to magicks such as charms, configuration, elementals, kinetics, etc.
Magic, as depicted in the HPU, is not as useless as it’s often disparaged to be against conventional military’s, their strengths are just asymmetrically displaced.
Modern weapons and tactics hold the advantage in terms of wiping out magicians before the latter can retaliate, but the latter is actually unbelievably well suited for guerrilla warfare and other such asymmetrical combat doctrines to the point of changing the landscape of warfare entirely, as they would immediately supersede all forms of special forces/defensive warfare with an overwhelming range of new options.
From polyjuice potion (total physical disguise), imperius curse (mind control, can be chained by use on magic users who can be made to mind control others) invisibility/concealment/deception magicks, apparition (teleportation), familiars (golems, telekinetically charmed objects that act according to magician’s whims), the options are endless.
TL;DR, HPU magic is phenomenal for toppling countries or subverting them, while being vulnerable to long distance attacks in conventional warfare.
@@hugoleroux4460 good call
At the beginning I was like: How is this even a question? 500 troops with modern weapons and indirect fire options will *slaughter* even 10k assaulters who are (in modern terms) unarmored.
But when you introduced the strategic element of "we want to kill them, not rout them", it became an interesting tactical conundrum indeed. One you managed to solve admirably, I might add.
the recon plt had a cheeky eko, and none of them answers their phone to no caller ID, so they missed out on this one
Love my recon bros so felt bad leaving them out, but with the dismounted speed & mobility advantage going to the Uruk-hai, leaving recon out beyond the walls felt unsat.
@coralsearc not to mention for this particular job against this particular threat, Snipers do a fairly good job of early warning and initial threat assessment. It's not like 10,000 blokes in parade formation are a recon nightmare. They were blowing horns and banging drums and shit.
1:46 did you really just say „Orcxillary forces“ or was that just the Australian?
As an Australian here to translate for you, idfk either.
At this point I'm sure it doesn't matter. Orcxillary 😂
As an Aussie, yes he did.
😂
Just found your channel and as a former infantry marine, your attention to details is absolutely impressive.
as a 45T (bradley turret mech) attached to 2/7 Inf BN scouts in the first half of the 90s (because of previous 12B Combat Engineer training) I was close enough to the action (frequently under 500m) to know what the BN engagement plan was. Watching this was fun as hell!
I was looking at the map before you brought it up and thought "yeah, the triple-strand obstacle should be about there with emplaced claymores, maybe bury a few 55gal diesel/ammonium nitrate barrels along the axis of approach for command detonation...". Then you outlined almost exactly what I had in mind.
Well done.
As a suggestion, how about gaming the AAR as a 'lessons learned' video before moving on to the next battle?
2:20 "Pikemen defend against cavalry charges"
You mean like when Gandalf appeared?
YOU HAD ONE JOB!
Not completely fair on the Pikemen in that case Gandalf basically flashbanged them by enhancing the sunlight before the cavalry hit
Lord of the Rings Online "Light of the Rising Dawn" Lore-master power does that to one target at a time. "Oh, you're building up for your big attack? NOPE!"
Gandalf OP
Yeah that scene made no sense
@@_Morph1ne_ok go stare directly into a light bulb immediately after sitting in total darkness for a few hours and see how well you can maintain your concentration
Geez, when I was an Aussie infantry officer in the 90s the enemies were Kamaria (insurrection and low level ops - Indonesia) and Musouria (Large scale conventional warfare - the Soviets basically). Would have been a lot more fun learning appreciation, TEWTS and tactics analysing Sauron and Saruman's forces.
Currently deployed to Ukraine so this video is extremely helpful! Cheers
Risking your life for gay pride parades and BLM marches in east euro hellhole you couldn’t find on a map 3 years ago? Ok lol
Self-deployed?
@@datadavis positive vibes only mate, ❤
@@mickiflower Of course micki!
Lol enjoy the drones
As a kid I spent many hours thinking of how epic defending Helms Deep with a battalion of US WWII soldiers would be. Somewhere in Australia someone had a very similar idea! Well done sir. Also, great analysis.
I am thrilled the algorithm chose to show me this video, and this channel. The Dry humor is top notch. I had to pause at "Engagement Area: Frodo" to let out a hearty laugh before continuing.
I used to teach JMAP …… I wish I had this to play to the students. Brilliant! …… and oddly satisfying to see a plan come to fruition.
LOTR and accurate battle assessment/simulation? You're ticking all my autism boxes boss.
The one Uruk-Hai hiding in a motor hole: 👀
I appreciate the ludicrously in depth analysis and the decision to omit long range artillery and air support that would turn this from a grinding down a numerically superior force to “drop a lot of ordinance on them”.
Good idea but the lack of cement runways in Middle Earth prevents air cover? Danger Close is a real thing, as is the risk of a Quala-I-Jangi style mishap where the pilot dropped the JDAM right on the JTAC...
I believe that this exact scenario is why the ADM 401 round was designed for the gustav.
legit what I thought lmao, 10,000 Uruk-hai versus 1100 Flechettes from each M3 XD
And the Deeping wall ramparts provide excelent permanently clear backblast zones😂
You don't even need it. 500 dudes that can engage point targets at 300m to 400m? Each guy has to off 20 Orcs starting at ~400m out. That's it. There's a reason the British absolutely rofl-stomped the Mahdist's at the battle of Omdurman. Modern (late 19th to early 20th century) firearms simply outclass an army that takes to the field with linear tactics, close order tactics, or formation warfare.
The Orcs in this scenario were fucked every way you could imagine.
Dude, this is now my favorite YT channel
American here with some love and respect for our allies. Your analysis is on point; RAR would clean up here. I admire the tenacity and courage shown by the ANZAC forces at Gallipoli and beyond. That same spirit clearly lives on in the Royal Australian Regiment today, and it's an honor to recognize their contributions to global peace and security, whether that's in the real world or in Middle Earth. Gandalf's facial expression says it all.
As a US Marine and huge huge fan of LOTR and an autistic fascination with Helm’s Deep, this video has scratched my autistic itch! Great video and breakdown man!
Yut
>US Marine
>Autistic
Seems about right sir
>US Marine
>Autistic
Seems about right sir
I love how much of the battle plan boils down to, "And we do this, so the machine guns can continue to pound the center lines."
So... Battle of Hoth now? 🗿
Would be rude not to
Gotta figure out how effective modern AT munitions would be against AT-AT’s
@PsyloAlpha
We will need to make some major assumptions about how powerful an AT-AT's armor and shields are along with Stormtrooper armor.
But another fun scenario would be having modern troops fighting the rebels at Hoth instead.
@@mill2712 Stormtrooper armor is mostly decorative, as ewoks were able to kill'em'all.
Imperial armored vehicles are also kinda thin-skinned, as Ewoks were able to for example crush AT-STs with some logs, like it was some tin can BTR. So... AT-AT = modern MBT level protection?
Always figured stormtrooper armour was pretty good against bullets (what poor oppressed people might have access too), but hopeless against spears, blunt weapons and blasters. The fear and sheer numbers and comms and support elements able to be called-in stops melee assaults, and in theory only the Empire has a decent amount of blasters.
(Honestly, analyzing Star Wars is doomed from the start. Why do Storm Troopers on the Death Star have grappling hooks assigned as standard (ala, Luke swinging over the bridge gap)? We will never know. Cheaper than handrails and maintenance for them? Safety first!)
That one sniper shot at the very end felt personal af 😂
Now do "What if Théoden showed up with a NATO Armored Regiment and Motorized Infantry to the battle of the pelennor fields 😂
LOVED this video, glad I found a new channel to enjoy and hope to see more!
More to follow amigo
After the Battle, Gandalf does a Shoey.
Hahaha gold
They come from a tribe that level mountains, and did turn night into day. There weapons was made of the finest iron, hardened in fire hotter than a dragons flame. There compassion was only surpassed by their willingness to kill. They did not fear the Uruk-Hai, they did not even fear the gods. They was the warriors of the industrial age.
They come from a land Down Under,
Where women glow and men plunder...