Roman \'Special Forces\'?

[Quintus Marius Lucullus]

But "Special Forces", as defined by Websters, as "élite, highly trained military forces, specially selected to work on difficult missions" then you can arguably trace the lineage of the idea back to the Persian Immortals. Whether through specialized military training or inbred native skill, Generals throughout history have had access to special troops for special missions.

Well observed Lucullus, and welcome to RAT. Examples for specialised native troops could be the Cretan archers, elite missile troops of their day, along with Balearic slingers. The Batavians were the elite amphibious assault troops, and if I remember correctly, Gallic cavalry had a very good reputation also. But can we consider these troops special forces?

Yes and no. Like I said,the concept of using special troops for special missions is very old.

Modern Special Operations units be they military or police, are at the zenith of their evolution. Units like the US Army Rangers, British SAS and Long Range Desert Group, etc. all started out as extremely light, and mobile, infantry units specially trained and tasked for unusually difficult missions. As time moved on, the mission(s) became more diverse and the training even more specialized. Deep Reconnaissance become one of their major missions because modern Cavalry is a bit too noticeable. Like I said, they have evolved to fill gaps that other units are no longer capable of fulfilling. Helicopter assaults, hostage rescue, COIN, etc. are all very recent developments. These units have evolved to survive in the modern bureaucracy as much as they have on the modern battlefield.

Would I define Cretans, Gauls, and Batavians as an "elite"? I don't believe they were viewed as being so in their time, and I don't believe they would be considered so today. Were they called upon to use special skills to perform unusual missions? Certainly in the case of the Batavians, yes. Better examples of elite, specially selected, troops would probably be the Praetorians, the Theban Sacred Band, The Companions of Phillip II (and the Diadochoi), and the Palatini. The concept of "SpecOps" has been around for a long time, probably since war took on a larger scale than my family clubbing your family (Ug the Caveman's 1st Irregulars; We throw sticks, not just swing them!).

Unfortunately the terms "Special Forces" and "Special Operations" have taken on a life of their own. It is the mission that defines the unit, not the other way around.

Concerning Roman special forces however, I came across an interesting theory as I was discussing the subject with someone. Apparently, though I myself must look more into it, there was some form of Roman 'special forces' group stationed in Deva (Chester, UK) for a planned assault on Hibernia (Ireland), which, supposedly, never happened in the end. However, this is mere conjecture until something is actually found that can support the thoery. Has anyone else come across this theory before?

- Lorenzo/Virilis

No, but that sounds incredibly intriguing.