List of last stands

A last stand is a military situation where a (normally) small defensive force holds a position against a significantly more powerful attacking force. The defending force usually takes heavy casualties. This can take the form of a rearguard action, holding a defensible location, or simply by refusing to give up a position. Last stands are a last resort tactic used when retreat or surrender is either impossible, or when fighting is essential to the success of their cause. While the defending force will most likely be defeated, they sometimes survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive and force the retreat of the attackers, or even force the enemy away by themselves.

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List of land-based last stands

Name	Year	Defenders	Attackers	Description	Outcome
Battle of Thermopylae	480 BC	Greek City-States	Persian Empire	A force of 7,000 Greek soldiers blocked the pass of Thermopylae from the Persian army numbering 70,000-300,000 soldiers. The Greek defenders held their position for several days before being overrun. The battle has since become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds.^[1]	Persian victory
Siege of Numantia	133 BC	Celtiberians	Roman Republic	The Roman consul Scipio with an army of 20,000 roman legionnaires plus 40,000 allies and mercenary troops, surrounded the city of Numantia during the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Scipio's army constructed a wall around the city, created an artificial lake between that wall and the city walls, and erected several 10 feet towers from which archers could shoot into Numantia. The Romans asked for the full surrender of the Celtiberians. The inhabitants of Numantia refused to surrender and decided to die free before becoming slaves. Little by little the Numantians succumbed either from starvation, Roman arrows, or mass suicide. Overall the siege lasted between 8 and 16 months (depending on the sources) and ended with the burning and complete destruction of the city.	Roman victory and culmination of the Numantine War and the Celtiberian Wars.
Battle of Roncevaux Pass	778 AD	Franks	Basques	A large force of Basques ambushed Charlemagne's army. To escape, Charlemagne assigned a rearguard to delay the Basques until the Franks could retreat. The rearguard action was successful, but all of the soldiers who took part in it were killed.^[2]	Basque victory
Battle of Stamford Bridge	1066 AD	Kingdom of Norway	Kingdom of England	The battle was part of the Viking invasion of England. The battle took place near the town of Stamford Bridge. A force of 9,000 Vikings were opposed by ~15,000 English soldiers who achieved a decisive victory after extremely heavy fighting.^[3]	Decisive English victory
Battle of Agincourt	1415 AD	Kingdom of England	Kingdom of France	The battle had a numerically inferior force of English soldiers fight against French forces. The English use of longbows is what allowed them to defeat the French, whose armor was ineffective against the fired arrows.^[4]	Decisive English victory
Fall of Constantinople	1453 AD	Byzantine Empire Republic of Genoa Republic of Venice Kingdom of Sicily Papal States Ottoman defectors	Ottoman Empire	The conquest of Constantinople was directly after a 53-day siege. It dealt a heavy blow to Christendom, as the Ottoman armies were able to freely invade Europe without fearing and attack from the rear. It also helped the renaissance, as several intellectuals fled the city and immigrated to Italy.^[5]	Decisive Ottoman victory
Battle of Naseby	1645 AD	Royalists	New Model Army	The Battle of Naseby had the main army of King Charles I effectively destroyed by the New Model Army led by Oliver Cromwell. This last stand didn't involve total Royalists casualties, as the majority of the army surrendered to Cromwell.^[6]	Decisive Parliamentarian victory
Battle of the Alamo	1836 AD	Republic of Texas	Mexico	The battle was part of the Texas Revolution. Following the Siege of the Alamo, Mexican soldiers stormed the building, killing all of the defenders. In the following years, the battle is regarded akin to the legendary Battle of Thermopylae.^[7]	Mexican victory
Battle of Camarón	1863 AD	France	Mexico	The Battle of Camerón had 65 Foreign Legionnaires fight against 3,000 Mexican soldiers for 10 hours. The Legionnaires only surrendered after an attempted bayonet charge, and a promise that they would receive medical attention and be allowed to keep their weapons and equipment.^[8]	Tactical Mexican victory Strategic French victory
Raid on Godfrey Ranch	1865 AD	United States	Lakota Cheyenne	The ranch was defended by 3-4 men who fought against 130 Native American warriors. Godfrey was aware of the planned attack and had fortified his ranch in preparation. The attack happened at night and continued until morning when the attackers retreated.^[9]	American victory
Custer's Last Stand	1876 AD	United States	Lakota Dakota Northern Cheyenne Arapaho	Custer's Last Stand was part of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. George Custer † found himself on a hilltop with a significantly larger force of Native Americans attacking them. Even though, according to Lakota accounts, the attack on Last Stand Hill produced the most casualties, the Lakota destroyed Custer's force within an hour.^[10]	Native American victory
Battle of Shipka Pass	1877 AD	Russian Empire Bulgaria	Ottoman Empire	During the second battle, 38,000 Ottomans decided to capture three positions guarded by 7,500 defenders. The Ottomans spent six days trying to capture the positions, but eventually retreated after Russian reinforcements arrived.^[11]	Ottoman attack repulsed
Battle of Shiroyama	1877 AD	Samurai of Satsuma	Imperial Japanese Army	500 samurai were surrounded by 30,000 Japanese soldiers. The samurai held their position, engaging in close-quarter fighting, as the Japanese soldiers were not trained for it. They continued to hold until their leader, Saigō Takamori †, was killed. They then decided to charge downhill and were subsequently killed.^[12]	Imperial Japanese victory
Battle of Rorke's Drift	1879 AD	British Empire	Zulu Kingdom	The battle had 141 members of the British Army defend a mission station against a force of 3,000-4,000 Zulus. The battle happened soon after the British defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana. The British at Rorke's Drift had time to prepare defensive positions in anticipation of a Zulu attack. After a fierce assault, the Zulu's attack was repulsed. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, among other decorations.^[13]	British victory
Battle of La Concepción	1882 AD	Chile	Peru	A force of 300 Peruvian soliers accompanied by around 1000-1500 guerillas assaulted a garrison of 77 chilean soldiers at Concepción. The Chileans entrenched themselves in the town's church and withstood the attack for a period of 27 hours, eventually being totally anihilated by the Peruvian forces.	Peruvian victory
The Shangani Patrol	1893 AD	British South Africa Company	Matabele Kingdom	During the First Matabele War, 34 men of the Shangani Patrol were ambushed by ~3,000 Matabele warriors. The Matabele leader offered to spare the Shangani Patrol if they surrendered, but they refused and kept fighting. Under the orders of Major Allan Wilson †, the remaining British took cover behind their dead horses and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers. After they ran out of ammunition, the remaining survivors were finished off by an assagei spear charge. The British took total casualties, but killed ~500 of their attackers.^[14] Usually, the Matabele mutilate the bodies of the enemy, but made an exception for Wilson's men. One of the Matabele leaders explained after the battle, "The white men died so bravely we would not treat them as we do the cowardly Mashonas and others."^[14]	Matabele victory
Battle of Saragarhi	1897 AD	British India	Pashtuns	On 12 September 1897, 21 Sikhs of the 36th Sikhs defended an army post from the 10,000 Pashtuns trying to capture it. The defenders all chose to fight, buying enough time for a British Indian relief party to recapture the fort. September 12 is remembered as Saragarhi Day among Sikh military personnel.^[15]	Tactical Pashtun victory Strategic British Indian victory
Battle of Tirad Pass	1899 AD	Philippine Republic	United States	The Battle of Tirad Pass is a famous battle where a rearguard of 60 Filipino soldiers fought a delaying action against a 300 strong American advance. The defenders suffered near total casualties, but fought long enough for President Aguinaldo and his troops to escape. The battle is now sometimes called the "Philippine Thermopylae".^[16]	Tactical United States victory Strategic Filipino victory
Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge	1915 AD	Canada	German Empire	The Battle of Gravenstafel was one of the six engagements that made up the Second Battle of Ypres. The battle had members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force hold their position, as well as the position of the French Moroccan and Algerian divisions, who had retreated after the gas attack. The Canadians fought for three days, despite being surrounded on three sides, gassed again, outnumbered, and outgunned.^[17]	German attack repulsed
Battle of Wizna	1939 AD	Poland	Nazi Germany	The Battle of Wizna was fought during the early stages of the Invasion of Poland. The 700 Polish defenders held a fortified position for three days against a Nazi force that outnumbered them ~ 60-1. Captain Władysław Raginis † eventually ordered the last two bunkers to surrender after they ran out of ammunition, then committed suicide.^[18]	German victory
Pavlov's House	1942 AD	Soviet Union	Nazi Germany	Pavlov's House was a fortified apartment building that was defended against heavy German attack during the Battle of Stalingrad. The defense would be led by Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, who's understrength platoon would hold the tactically vital building for 60 days, following Stalin's Order No. 227. Sergeant Pavlov would be awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his actions.^[19]	Soviet victory
Last Battle of Pohorje Battalion	1943 AD	Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation	Nazi Germany	Pohorje Battalion was an armed unit of Slovene Partisans, resistance army of Slovenian people, organized on territory, occupied by Third Reich during the Second World War. As other units of Slovene Partisans, it performed its actions in a guerrilla-like way, avoiding larger conflicts against way stronger opponent. Their last battle was fought in winter camp, where they were planning to spend the winter. On the 8. January, 69 fighters (among them women and children) were surrounded by some 2000 men of German armed forces. In two and half hour long fight, all but one of defenders, who was too severely wounded to kill himself, were killed (their commandant gave the order, that none should be captured alive). Captured partisan was shot subsequently, yet the last stand of the battalion became a symbol of heroic stance against occupation and a legendary action of Slovenian people in a fight for their freedom.	Germany victory
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising	1943 AD	Jewish Resistance ŻOB ŻZW Polish Resistance Home Army People's Guard	Nazi Germany	The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was an act of Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto, opposing Nazi Germany's final effort to transport the remaining Ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp. They fought for 27 days until the Ghetto was burnt down by the Waffen-SS.^[20]	German victory
Battle of Tali-Ihantala	1944 AD	Finland Nazi Germany	Soviet Union	The battle saw 50,000 highly trained Finns with German equipment defend against 150,000 poorly-supplied Soviet forces. The Finns defended against heavy Soviet attack for 14 days. The Red Army failed to make their planned breakthrough, so the battle is regarded as a Finnish victory.^[21]	Finnish defensive victory
Battle of Hill 262	1944 AD	Poland	Nazi Germany	Hill 262 had encircled and entrenched Polish soldiers fight against German soldiers retreating from the Falaise Pocket. The Poles were able to direct heavy artillery fire on the Germans, which prompted a counterattack. Exhausted and low on ammunition, the defenders resorted to close-quarter combat to defeat a German attempt to overrun their position. They ensured the closure of the pocket and were relieved by the Canadian Grenadier Guards.^[22]	Polish victory
Battle of Arnhem	1944 AD	United Kingdom Poland	Nazi Germany	The Battle of Arnhem had the British 1st Airborne Division and the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade trapped and unable to be relieved. They put up a heavy resistance and fought for several days. Five of the British soldiers that fought would be awarded the Victoria Cross. The 1st Airborne suffered very heavy casualties, and would never recover.^[23]	German victory
Warsaw Uprising	1944 AD	Home Army	Nazi Germany	The Warsaw Uprising was planned by the Polish Government-In-Exile and Home Army. The purpose was to liberate Warsaw from the occupying Germans. The Home Army was to resist for four days, then be relieved by the advancing Red Army. The Soviets stopped their advance on the city outskirts and the Home Army was forced to fight for 63 days before they surrendered.^[24]	German victory Destruction of Warsaw
Siege of Bastogne	1944 AD	United States	Nazi Germany	Members of the 101st Airborne were ordered to defend the vital crossroad at Bastogne from capture by the XLVII Panzer Corps. Outnumbered, under-equipped, and surrounded, the Americans held out for seven days, before being relieved by elements of General Patton's Third Army.^[25]	American victory
Battle of Berlin	1945 AD	Nazi Germany	Soviet Union Poland	The Battle of Berlin was Hitler's attempt at delaying the Soviets long enough so that the nearby 12th army could arrive and defeat the Soviets. The battle lasted 16 days before the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was declared.^[26]	Decisive Soviet victory
Battle of the Imjin River	1951 AD	United Nations	China	The Chinese had attacked positions on the lower Imjin River in an attempt to breakthrough and recapture the South Korean capital, Seoul. The UN forces fought a delaying action against the numerically superior Chinese and held their position for three days. This allowed the UN to prepare defensive positions to the north of Seoul and halt the Chinese advance.^[27]	Disputed Successful UN delay action
Battle of Kapyong	1951 AD	United Nations Australia Canada New Zealand South Korea United Kingdom United States	China North Korea	The battle had most of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the area attack the Australians on Hill 504 and Canadians on Hill 677. The Australians and Canadians were outnumbered, but refused to give up their positions. The two battalions defended against the entire Chinese division and eventually forced them to withdraw and regroup. Their fighting was key in preventing a breakthrough on the United Nations Command central front.^[28]	United Nations victory
Siege of Jadotville	1961 AD	ONUC Ireland	State of Katanga Luba warriors Belgian settlers Mercenaries	155-158 Irish UN troops were attacked by ~3,000 Katangese troops. The Irish were able to repel attacks for six days before their ammunition and supplies were exhausted. The attackers suffered heavy casualties, before the defenders (none of whom were killed) surrendered. The Irish were captured, but released one month later.^[29]	Katangese victory
Battle of Hill 488	1966 AD	United States	North Vietnam Viet Cong	A small reconnaissance platoon was attacked by ~250-300 PAVN and Viet Cong soldiers. They held out for three days, losing few men. Before they were evacuated, the Marines had to forbid automatic fire, resort to hand-to-hand combat, and throw rocks in the hope that they would be confused for grenades. The commander of the platoon, Jimmie E. Howard, would be awarded the Medal of Honor.^[30]	Tactical American victory

List of naval last stands

Name	Year	Defenders	Attackers	Description	Outcome
Battle of Myeongnyang	1597 AD	Joseon Navy	Fleet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi	The battle had Admiral Yi Sun-Sin take the remaining 13 ships of the Joseon Navy and hold the Myeongnyang Strait against the 133 warships of the attacking Japanese force. Due to Admiral Sun-sin's remarkable skill as a naval commander, he destroyed 33 enemy ships and forced a Japanese retreat. Admiral Sun-sin only losing 10 sailors as none of his ships were sunk.^[31]	Joseon Victory
	1940 AD	Royal Navy HMS Glowworm	Kriegsmarine Admiral Hipper	The engagement was between the 1,370 ton destroyer HMS Glowworm and the 16,170 ton cruiser Admiral Hipper. The Glowworm had attacked two German destroyers, who requested help from the cruiser. After the British destroyer fired all her torpedoes, and having her guns destroyed, she collided with the Admiral Hipper, and sunk. The Germans recovered 40 British sailors. Its commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Gerard Roope † was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross on the recommendation of the German captain.^[32]	German victory
The Sinking of Bismarck	1941 AD	Kriegsmarine Bismarck	Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal HMS King George V HMS Rodney 3 cruisers 6 destroyers	After the German victory at the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the Royal Navy deployed a large force tasked with the destruction of the Bismarck to counter the destruction of the battlecruiser HMS Hood. Three days after the engagement, the Bismarck was found and engaged in its final action. Over the course of the night, the British forces crippled the Bismarck's steering gear and repeatedly harassed the Germans with attacks by British destroyers. On the morning of May 27, the HMS King George V, HMS Rodney, and the cruisers finally sank the Bismarck.^[33] Admiral Tovey, who commanded the engagement, said that "The Bismarck had put up a most gallant fight against impossible odds worthy of the old days of the Imperial German Navy, and she went down with her colours flying."^[33]	British Victory
Battle off Samar	1944 AD	United States	Empire of Japan	The Battle off Samar had Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3") fight against Japanese Center Force. The Japanese flagship was the Yamato, who alone outweighed all of Taffy 3 together. The Americans had a few destroyers, escort carriers, destroyer escorts, and 400 aircraft. The Japanese fleet had several battleships and heavy cruisers. Despite the mismatch, the Americans put up so much resistance, Admiral Kurita thought he was facing the entire Third fleet and retreated.^[34]	American Victory