Fantastic Swordsman vs WWII infantry enemies

If there is a (supernatural) soldier that has bulletproof armor almost all over his body (and I mean bulletproof, as in, the armor can take the damage from the GAU-8 gatling gun and be unscratched, the only part that isn't covered with such armor is his face) who can run as fast as 72km/h which also uses an Absurdly Sharp Blade (that cannot be broken, bent or dulled by any realistic way and can penetrate tank armor), is it plausible for that very soldier to rush through the battle, using a sword (and an invincible large shield which he typically uses to cover part of his face) against enemy soldiers that have WW 2-era guns?

If it isn't, well...

Short of taking something that explodes (thus taking shrapnel to the face) I'd say okay.

He's bulletproof and super fast, why do you even need to ask? It would not take a suspension of disbelief if the reader already accepted a superpowered bulletproof swordsman, so go for it; getting them to accept it in the first place should be your concern.

I wasn't sure if I had been clear of most problems against guns.

The main problem I can see is that his body may be able to survive, but his head is probably a different matter, especially if at some point he's pitted against explosives or rapid firing guns (see: AAA, aircraft, any machine gun, especially if it's vehicle mounted). These put a veritable hail of metal into the air, meaning that even if he's as fast as you say, he can't avoid all of them.

In my opinion though he seems kind of like a Boring Invincible Hero, in that he's somewhat overpowered.

He's only overpowered to humans.

Also again, shield. (physical shield he carries around, though. Not some sort of forcefield)

That can cover his face, so.

Also, the reason why he isn't using a gun instead is because of his bad eyesight.

He's only overpowered to humans.

So he fights supernatural enemies?

Also again, shield. (physical shield he carries around, though. Not some sort of forcefield)

That can cover his face, so.

Ah, I missed that. I'm guessing he's got quick reflexes to go with the super-speed, huh? If not, then I strongly suggest he does, because apart from heavy AAA he'll have only a short time to react.

Also, the reason why he isn't using a gun instead is because of his bad eyesight.

Makes sense, especially if he's got allies working with him. I'm sort of thinking "why doesn't he just use a rapid fire weapon?" but you don't have to answer that since the point's probably moot.

Well he can't move fast enough to dodge bullets even without any heavy clothes on, so no, his reflexes aren't really anything special.

Usually when he's charging the shield is already over his face (and yeah, he has allies, that use guns.)

Thanks for clearing it up. What's the plot, anyway?

The devil is here to bring judgment to those who he considers good or evil. (that's probably the most simplified version I can think of)

Nice.

I foresee a lot of the Shooting Superman trope for a work like this.

Actually, they mostly stop shooting when they realize it's futile, so.

Then the human soldiers bring out the grenades, tanks, etc. to try to hit his face in some way. Which isn't always futile, but it isn't as effective as they would like.

Is the armour heat resistant? if not then fire or explosives might take him out through the armour.

Flamethrowers!

So it's bullet proof enough to leave him without a scratch. Is it bullet proof enough to leave him standing up? He would probably end up with quite a few bruises if anything struck him. The bullets would still be hitting him really fast, and they're still made of metal. He'd be on his back with, at the very least, the wind knocked out of him after a couple shots if the armor is as strong as you make it seem. Not to mention his shield would eventually be battered out of the way leaving his face open and then all it takes is one shot.

Yeah, the problem with the shield is that he can only hold it up for as long as he can.

The armor is heat resistant, but that won't prevent the guy himself from getting too much heat. Also, wasn't there a case where a soldier didn't feel a thing when someone shot his helmet?

^ There was a case in Afghanistan not too long ago where a Marine was shot in the face and barely felt it. (He lived being no worse for wear.)

EDIT: This.

edited 19th Sep '10 11:23:35 AM by MajorTom

That isn't being shot in the face, it's being hit on his helmet.

Oh also, when I said "face" I meant from the chin up to the eyebrows, since the rest of his head is covered by a helmet.

As above, why do you need to ask? The only ones who'll hit him reliably are SMG users, and they'll do jack.

Again, flamethrowers. Magic armor or not he's gotta breathe and being on fire is a little hard to breathe in. Add to that, if the flame gets him in the face he's guaranteed to be in a world of hurt.

edited 19th Sep '10 12:10:03 PM by MajorTom

Flamethrowers are an option, yes.

Still, keep in mind he also has allies that use guns.

Don't forget about physics, either. Sure the guy might be able to survive a 50 caliber, but it will still probably knock him a back a few feet. Also, the ground upon which he stands probably won't be invulnerable, either, so if his footing is removed, he could also be in some serious trouble. Another thing, what if they simply dropped a heavy cage around the guy and not bothered trying to kill him? Or just shot him with several tank rounds?

Tank rounds, for the most part cause terrible bruises on him. His armor still ends up unscratched.

The ground under him is still vulnerable, but usually they are fighting outside so.

Bullets pushing him back doesn't seem to be much of a problem.

However, there are massive mechanical differences between the types of collision. A bullet is a streamlined, hard object which focuses a large amount of kinetic energy onto a small area, but has relatively little momentum due to its small size in comparison to a human, meaning it has little ability to drive an object back. A boxer's fist, on the other hand, has far more momentum and a much broader contact area. The much higher pressure will cause the bullet to impart massive stress to a tiny area, causing it to penetrate rather than shove backwards; conversely, you are unlikely to see a boxer put his fist through his opponent's torso because of the very low pressure caused by the large contact area. High-powered rifles just make the bullet still more likely to go through the target rather than be stopped and have to shove it back.

Additionally, in a hand-held firearm the shooter or weapon must deal with a backward force equal to the force of the projectile being fired; in a non-recoiless operation like a movie small arm, this would mean the gun would hit the shooter with enough force to also throw him fifteen feet into the air on firing, with the addition of all the energy the bullet lost due to friction on the way to the target.

But still! 50 cal...armor piercing!