Name a tiny country with more martial gravitas than Switzerland



    by jackt-up

    19 Comments

    1. Paul_reislaufer on

      The Swiss are awesome because they did a lot of badass stuff in the 15th and 16th centuries and have been riding that high ever since.

    2. The swiss after casually ravaging 1000 years of cavalry dominance with a funny square formation, naming said formation a “pile of violence” and inspiring the Tercio formation with it: “My job here is done”

    3. SnooComics8412 on

      Does the Vatican count as it’s own Country/ City State? Not sure on the whole legality of it and what it is considered.

    4. England.

      Tiny peripheral third-rate power. Roughly 2 to 2.3 million in population in 1500 (around the same time when the Old Swiss Confederacy reached its peak “power” with roughly 750k in population). England went on to do some big things you might have heard about. Switzerland hung around, got clipped by Revolutionary France, and today is best known for taking Nazi gold during WWII. [Sad small country noises]

    5. Someone said vietnam, so i’ll add the DPRK. They were the koreans the most bloodthirsty fuckers in the history of the MIC couldn’t kill, and have lasted stalwart against constant threat, covert ops, and economic warfare since. Plus, they have nukes.

      I guess I don’t know how they actually compare by size though.

      In a darker way, Colombia (which also isn’t that small i guess) not for their overall state military but for the fact that Colombian Mercs are the new global soldiers.

      Where else… in the 80’s cuba had an incredible record considering its size and conditions under US threat. Look them up in Africa/angola if you don’t believe me.

      Edit to add Chechnya. Yeah, they lost- on Russia’s second try. Russia also wasn’t what it is today still far earlier in the process of recovering from the absolute looting and degradation at the hands of the west after the fall. What it is today owes some degree of thanks to the experience of fighting chechnya and the incorporation of veteran chechan fighters into its ranks.

    6. WurstWesponder on

      Hot take: Switzerland’s martial prowess is vastly overestimated and has avoided invasion primarily by being inconvenient and strategically insignificant.

    7. Plus, Switzerland doesn’t need to fight anymore…they’re the bank teller of every nation. You wanna end a war? Attack Switzerland & you’ll see Russia ally with the US to make your ass into ash.

    8. Nepal/Gurkhas. Basically every invasion of Nepal, by Bengal, Mughals, Tibet, China, Britain has ended up in disasters and bungling.

    9. Imaginary-West-5653 on

      And don’t forget about being obliterated by the Spanish Tercios in a battle (the Battle of Bicocca) where, despite being outnumbered by the Swiss, they suffered 3,000 casualties while the Tercios suffered only 1 (a guy died from a mule kick by accident). This battle was such a crushing victory for the Spanish that the expression “this is a Bicocca” is still used in Spanish today to say that something is very easy. Key to achieving this? Use your damn guns if some guys come to poke you with sticks lol.

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