phalanx

Im just curious what everyone thinks is the most important piece/system of military hardware ever invented. You can go back to ancient babylon if it floats your boat.

I just thought of this as i'm too tired to even think about what i think :p

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Lunatock

Gunpowder, invented by the Chinese. Who started using fireworks in a tactical role.

The Chap

Cold, hard, cash.

Semper Fi

A knife it has so many uses that reminds me gotta buy a Kabar.

The Chap

That would be "buy" a Kabar, eh?. With what pray tell ...? CHC.

Lunatock

Trade someone a garbage bag full of illegal fireworks for it of course.

The Chap

The illegal fireworks purchased on credit card ... ? Nothing illegal ever being aquired using CHC, of course!

How did I forget both the oldest currency and profession? Empires and heroes have fallen for the chance to get laid. Mind you, for an invitation to one of Heff's parties with this month's Playmate as a Sure Thing, my loyalty to life itself would be sorely tested.

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Shek

This is a very old post, so I'll brush off the dust. Very low tech, but very Johnny on the spot - the hedgerow buster welded onto the front of Shermans in Normandy. It allowed a truly combined arms fight since armor could now lead through the hedgerows without exposing their underbellies to the Panzerfaust.

If something like that had happened this day and age, it would be cited in the MSM as a grave intelligence failure for failing to identify the countermobility effects that the Norman bocage would have on our operations. It does demonstrate the limitations of imagery intelligence, although I'm sure our modern systems could pick up the heights of the bocage much better.

Anon

That's a good selection, and so is the P-51 Mustang(definitely the right plane at the right time), but i think in the end i gotta go with the other poster, and say gunpowder.

Major Dad

Fatman and Littleboy.

Anon

That's a good pick too.

Confed999

Not exactly an invention, but the first fella to pick up a rock and throw it at his enemy/prey was pretty slick.

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I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
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Praxus

First one to throw on armor, and pummel the cowardly rock thrower

FlyingCaddy

I have to agree the most influential military system ever invented is the firearm, it took someone to use his brains to realize when you take a metal tube with one opening and a holding piece, gunpowder, and a projectile, you get an amazing missle launcher. One that punches through armor, one that makes rocks obsolete and one you can use to gank another person of his cash.

BTW Cash is not a military system or piece of military hardware, now the most influential invention in Civilzation, perhaps, but then again maybe you should give John Locke a gander. Also I doubt the A bomb, in our time has been as influential as the firearm, all it has done, so far is help us aviod WW3, but with the current situation who knows how long that will last....

TopHatter

I was thinking the aircraft carrier as being both influential AND Johnny on the spot.
It was there when it was suddenly needed and it certainly has been the Long Arm of US foreign policy and military action.

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