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[Kot]

Cargo subs, planes, nuclear-powered icebreakers (they reached North Pole, they can reach Canada, also imagine a fucking convoy of cargo ships lead by an icebreaker), they could even supply some on land using those crazy Arctic truck trains.

Also, yeah, you could just go through majority of the journey by Arctic and then under cover of Commonwealth fleet go by Atlantic to major port. Also, it wouldn't be that unthinkable for Canadians to just plop an major military sea port in Hudson Bay (they have some infrastructure in Churchill already, I belive).
As for Russians, either go from Sankt Petersburg through the North Sea (and still be relatviely safe due to proximity of UK and their fleets) or through Murmansk which has a considerably sized port, I belive.

[Tack]

Also lol @ the commonwealth having any real power any more.

The Commonwealth is powerless; the nations of the Commonwealth are powerful. It would certainly be weird if the Commonwealth nations and the USA went to war, you'd get that weird situation where two sides that frequently train each other's soldiers and officers go to war

Smirk @ the nazis going to war with China

[Kot]

I don't think Nazis ever actually went to war with China. They ceased support, true, but never did a German soldier fire a shot at Chinese one during WW2.

[smjjames]

If the entire population of the rest of the world decided to assault the United States using human wave tactics, would the US win?

Probably, but only because human wave tactics are obsolete.

You mean zerg tactics.

That kind of only works when you have tons of cannonfodder and don't care about losing said cannonfodder.

Doesn't china currently have the highest manpower military in the world currently?

Also lol @ the commonwealth having any real power any more.

And WAY more people, about a billion more.

[Tack]

The kind of thing only works if you have more cannonfodder than they have bullets and/or reliable bullet conveyors.
Modern assault rifles would fix that all too quickly.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The statistic I will remember until the day I die was a thread from somewhere back in 2006 or so where it was calculated that a single invincible and implacable person with an M16 containing infinite ammo could not exterminate the human race due to an inability to overcome the birth rate.

[Egan_BW]

Does that take into account that as they kill they'd lower the birth rate?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't remember, but this thread went on for literal dozens of pages debating the various effects of an unstoppable mass murderer making their way across the Earth killing all who enter effective range, so I imagine so. The general consensus seemed to settle into it being impossible in any set of circumstances for the godmode shooter to accomplish human extinction or even substantial reduction over any period of time.

[Egan_BW]

I mean, he could probably damage vital infrastructure, right? Not sure I buy it.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't think so. That basically falls into the same category as "drop nukes on him until he is encased in molten rock, not harming but permanently halting him". It's not really the point of the scenario.

To give you an idea of how this went, I seem to recall at one point there being a cited and sourced discussion of how long one can reasonably expect an average person to survive while being targeted by an experienced marksman with an M16. There were also permutations of granting an M249 and/or global teleportation powers. I don't think there was any tank version, but I'm sure Strife is already furiously working it out in his head upon reading this.

What it comes down to in the end is that it is simply not possible for an individual with a handheld weapon to kill enough people in 24 hours to overcome the birth rate, even accounting for societal disruption and global panic while ignoring the vast number of humans spread out in low-density or isolated areas.

[Tack]

The math doesn't check out.
An M16 under perfect conditions has a cyclic rate of fire of 950 rounds a minute.
If every shot were a kill shot (which is unlikely) and there was always a ready crowd of people waiting to get butchered (which is unlikely), it would outstrip the world's current birth rate of 250 bpm.

So I guess the 'deranged gunman' idea involves not being able to move fast enough for a proper reaping, or that it takes more than four bullets fired to kill one person, because mechanically alone it's kosher.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The question isn't of a person with an M16 being propelled down a conveyor belt while executing humanity in a line full auto. It's of a single godmode individual on planet Earth, trying to wipe out humanity as established. They have to travel, or in the improved scenario at least teleport.

[Tack]

At which point yeah the limits of the gun are going to be the first big roadblock.
Some kind of rotary cannon might work better for that crowd penetration potential.

Also:

"drop nukes on him until he is encased in molten rock, not harming but permanently halting him".

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Loud Whispers]

I don't think Nazis ever actually went to war with China. They ceased support, true, but never did a German soldier fire a shot at Chinese one during WW2.

They did have German advisors training and fighting with the Chinese
Most of the Chinese soldiers were relatively useless and more concerned with killing Chinese soldiers than fighting the Japanese, but with the exception of a few prominent warlords who relentlessly drilled their soldiers, the German-led armies were pretty ard as nails

Cargo subs, planes, nuclear-powered icebreakers (they reached North Pole, they can reach Canada, also imagine a fucking convoy of cargo ships lead by an icebreaker), they could even supply some on land using those crazy Arctic truck trains.
Also, yeah, you could just go through majority of the journey by Arctic and then under cover of Commonwealth fleet go by Atlantic to major port. Also, it wouldn't be that unthinkable for Canadians to just plop an major military sea port in Hudson Bay (they have some infrastructure in Churchill already, I belive).
As for Russians, either go from Sankt Petersburg through the North Sea (and still be relatviely safe due to proximity of UK and their fleets) or through Murmansk which has a considerably sized port, I belive.

That would make sense, but still doesn't quite cover the air superiority of the USA
Russia might have enough air dakka but cracking fortress USA is ard

[Kot]

They did have German advisors training and fighting with the Chinese
Most of the Chinese soldiers were relatively useless and more concerned with killing Chinese soldiers than fighting the Japanese, but with the exception of a few prominent warlords who relentlessly drilled their soldiers, the German-led armies were pretty ard as nails

STOP IMPLYING MY HISTORY-FU IS WEAK.
I know that Nazis helped China, the point was that even after Germany allied with Japan and ceased all support to China, they never, ever, actually took hostile action. Sure, yeah, China as part of Allies declared war on the Axis, but there was no fighting between Germany and China specifically.

That would make sense, but still doesn't quite cover the air superiority of the USA
Russia might have enough air dakka but cracking fortress USA is ard

It is, which is why I said it would proably devolve into some kind of modern attrition war (provided noone uses nukes, in which case it's a moot point anyway) where it would boil down to noone getting significant advantage, albeit with constant attacks on rear (special forces, terrorists, Tomahawks and shit) which would finally end up in complete isolation of America, Big Brother-esque internal security. Ultimately, it would result in USA loss, since the rest of world simply has more land, which means more resources and also more people.
Also, a lot depends on how far we're willing to go. Nukes are out in any scenario that implies actual combat, but what about biological and chemical weapons? Russia invested (and supposedly invests) a lot into that and it would significantly impact the war - sure, the troops have NBC gear (but gas mask filters will wear out eventually) but majority of civilian population does not have any real way to protect themselves.