OT: Deadliest Warrior

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

How can you possibly put up a Spartan against a Ninja for example? The Spartan, while highly trained, carried bronze age weaponry and used tactics that had no relevance whatsoever to the more modern ninja. I think it's easy to see who's the "winner" between them.

The one bit of the show I actually like is the actually weapons testing. Some of the results have surprised me. For example, the Katana, arguably the best edged weapon ever produced by man, was unable to slash through either the Viking's iron ring mail or the Spartan's bronze shield.

The Spartan was declared the winner on the basis of his head to foot bronze armor (including the shield). That said, I'm still not sure I agree with their overall assessment.

I guess the Spetznaz may actually be better pure fighters than the Green Berets, but it's not really an apples-to-apples comparison. Although occasionally tasked with direct action missions, the GB's primary role is to train indigenous troops in counter insurgency warfare. As the operators on the show kept saying, they fight as much with their minds as they do with their bodies. The Spetznaz, at least as exemplified on the show, ...not so much.

A more apt comparison would have been Spetznaz vs. Navy SEALs or Operational Detachment Delta or SAS.

From what I've gleaned here and there, the Spetznaz's combat history has been anything but exemplary. Are there any good, accurate accounts of their operations out there?