Last stands are when individuals or groups make one last, desperate attempt to resist overwhelming force. They have fascinated us for centuries as they show people choosing to fight against all odds, often resulting in their own sacrifice. While they are often romanticized, last stands serve many different purposes, for example, slowing the enemy, protecting leaders, or standing up for a belief when surrender means certain death.
Sometimes, they result in ultimate defeat, and other times in unexpected victory. Despite the outcome, their legacies are measured in moral, not just military, terms. Over the years, many legendary last stands have become part of who we are and continue to inspire us. Let’s look at nine of the most epic last stands in history.
1. Thermopylae
In 480 BC, Leonidas I, the king of the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, and his 300 Spartans were joined by a few thousand allies as they held the narrow mountain pass of Thermopylae in Greece. They fought against a massive Persian army, led by Persian king Xerxes I, but were ultimately defeated.
However, their sacrifice was not in vain. They delayed the Persians long enough for Greek city-states to mobilize and prepare for the Persian invasion, directly influencing the eventual Greek victories at Salamis and Plataea. Many believe that this last stand helped save Western civilization from Persian conquest.
2. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising took place in 1943, when Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland decided to fight against Nazi forces who tried to take them to the gas chambers of the Majdanek and Treblinka extermination camps.
They had smuggled weapons and explosives into the ghetto, hoping to delay their deportation. They were outnumbered and outgunned, but their resistance lasted for nearly a month. Despite their defeat, their revolt became a powerful example of standing up against oppression and changed how the world saw Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.
3. The Swiss Guard at the Sack of Rome
During the 1527 Sack of Rome, a brave group of 189 Swiss Guards defended Pope Clement VII from a 20,000-strong invading army. The troops were composed mainly of mercenaries under Emperor Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The attack happened because of a complex power struggle involving political rivalry and military conflict.
The Swiss Guards held the 20,000 soldiers off long enough for the Pope to escape through secret tunnels. Almost all of the guards died, but their loyalty and bravery have been honored by the Vatican ever since.
4. The Battle of Saragarhi
The Battle of Saragarhi was a last-stand battle between the British Indian Empire and Afghan tribesmen on September 12, 1897. During the battle, 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army held off an army of about 10,000 Afghan attackers at Saragarhi, refusing to give up despite the impossible odds.
Led by Havildar Ishar Singh, the 21 Sikh soldiers inflicted heavy casualties and delayed the Afghan tribesmen, allowing nearby forts to prepare for their invasion. All 21 were killed, but their sacrifice is honored every year in India as a supreme example of duty and courage.
5. The Last Stand at Maiwand
The Battle of Maiwand was fought on July 27, 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Ayub Khan, a large Afghan army defeated much smaller British and Indian forces, which Brigadier General George Burrows led. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the British-Indian troops didn’t give up.
The battle ended in a significant defeat for the British, with heavy casualties. Despite their defeat, the small group was mythologized in Britain as an example of imperial heroism.
6. The Fall of Constantinople
During 1453, the last reigning Byzantine emperor, Emperor Constantine XI, and a hugely outnumbered garrison tirelessly defended Constantinople against the Ottomans. Constantine refused to flee and led a final charge, reportedly declaring, “Whoever wishes to escape, let him save himself… whoever is ready to face death, let him follow me!”
The city fell, ending the Byzantine Empire, but Emperor Constantine’s last stand became a symbol of resistance and loss for Greeks and the wider Christian world.
7. The First Battle of Mogadishu
The First Battle of Mogadishu took place on October 3 to 4, 1993, when two US Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by Somali militiamen, leading to a major rescue operation. Two American snipers named Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, among about 100 others, decided to do the unthinkable. They volunteered to defend a downed helicopter and its wounded pilot against hundreds of Somali fighters.
They knew rescue was unlikely, but they continued to fight for as long as they could, killing dozens of Somali fighters before being overrun. They were posthumously awarded Medals of Honor for their brave act.
8. Werner Voss
Werner Voss, a World War I German flying ace, had his last stand on September 23, 1917. That day, Voss single-handedly engaged eight British, Canadian, and Australian aces in a legendary World War I dogfight.
He had the chance to escape, but he continued fighting, putting bullets in each opponent before being shot down. His last stand is unique for its individual heroism and the mutual respect it earned from adversaries.
9. The Pohorje Battalion
It was in 1943 that approximately 69 Slovene Partisans, including women and children, were surrounded by approximately 2,000 German troops in a winter camp. They refused to be captured and chose to fight to the death instead.
They fought for hours, and the Partisans who weren’t killed took their own lives. Their annihilation turned into a symbol of Slovenian resistance.
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