How many men with modern weaponry...........

[BigPoppa]

...........would it take to rule pre-gunpowder Europe?

And how would you equip them?

When I say "rule", I do not mean to garrison every town, but to be able to demolish any army that could be raised against it and take any fortification.

My answer is 400-500 men with body armor, automatic weapons and an assortment of man-portable heavy weaponry (mortars, recoilless rifles, or whatever else would work against a masonry castle). I might drop the number down to 200-300 with a couple of helicopter gunships (assuming fuel).

I actually don't think ammo would that big an issue, as the enemy would be operating out in the open and continually trying to close with us. The small number of men and antibiotics would also keep disease at bay.

Armor would be out as Europe was almost completely forested and criscrossed by rivers without a single bridge able to support the weight of a tank. Even with fuel, you wouldn't be able to get anything mechanized all the way across Europe without building a whole new road system.

If we were allowed prepared defensive positions, then I think a few dozen could carry the day against any assault since you could negate archers and have clear fields of interlocking fire.

However, this would not be nearly enough if we assume the need for mobility and to travel to meet new threats. Any small group would be vulnerable both to suprise attack by overwhelming numbers and to massed archers (or both at the same time).

The English had over 5000 archers at Agincourt and I would not doubt that they could wipe out a few dozen men with automatic weapons in the open field. Remember that archers can fire over obstructions and take advantage of cover even better than our men could.

Once it became obvious that armored knights were useless, I'd expect to see an army of 20,000-30,000 archers and crossbowmen with melee weapons at their side if needed (as at Agincourt). I think 400-500 men could spread out over almost any battlefield and mow down any archers that got close enough.

Oddly, this was the first thing that popped into my head when I woke up this morning.