Epic Last Stands: 10 Historical Battles to the Death

A fighting force’s last stand is often romanticized, blurring the line between historical fact and pop culture, leading to embellishment over time. Here are ten instances, both well-known and obscure, where defenders chose death over surrender, refusing to yield any ground to the enemy.

The Battle of Karbala (AD 680)

Mu’awiya, the Umayyad Caliph, died in April 680, naming his son, Yazid, as his successor. Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, contested this nomination. When Yazid demanded Husayn’s allegiance, Husayn refused and sought support in Mecca.

Yazid’s ascent ignited the first Muslim Civil War, within which the Battle of Karbala unfolded. On September 9, 680, Husayn, accompanied by approximately 70 to 150 men, journeyed across the Arabian Desert towards Iraq.

Reaching Karbala on October 2, they were intercepted by a 4,000-strong force commanded by Umar ibn Sa’d. Negotiations failed, and on October 10, the battle commenced. Husayn’s small cavalry faced a barrage of arrows. Hand-to-hand combat ensued in the open desert, with archers relentlessly firing.

Eventually, Husayn’s men dismounted as their horses succumbed to wounds. All of Husayn’s men were killed, and their tents were burned, save for the one sheltering his family.

Umayyad soldiers hesitated to attack Husayn due to his revered status as Mohammed’s grandson until Shemr incited them to action. Husayn was then wounded, stabbed, and beheaded. ^[1]

Natalya Kovshova and Mariya Polivanova: German Summer Offensive (1942)

In 1941, Kovshova and Polivanova joined a self-defense regiment in Moscow, preparing to defend against the German invasion. Fueled by Soviet propaganda, they despised the Germans, especially after indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas. Kovshova joined a sniper unit, and both women excelled in marksmanship. Polivanova acted as Kovshova’s spotter, also sniping when possible.

Following the Battle of Moscow, they were deployed to the Northwestern Front, fighting south of St. Petersburg. Kovshova trained numerous snipers, significantly hindering the German offensive in the Novgorod area. By August 1942, near Sutoki-Byakovo, German machine gunners and artillery decimated the Soviet snipers.

Ultimately, only Kovshova and Polivanova remained. Refusing to surrender, they exhausted their ammunition, pulled the pins on their grenades, and awaited the German advance. They detonated the grenades in close-quarters combat, sacrificing themselves. Whether their grenades killed any Germans remains uncertain. ^[2]

The Battle of the Persian Gates (330 BC)

By 330 BC, Alexander the Great’s Macedonian forces were advancing through the Persian Empire, fresh off a major victory at Gaugamela. After seizing Babylon and Susa, Alexander declared himself King of Persia. He split his army, entrusting half to Parmenion and leading the rest himself.

Traveling through Persis (modern-day Fars, Iran), Alexander’s forces were ambushed by Ariobarzanes, commanding roughly 2,000 men. Despite Alexander’s 10,000 soldiers, Ariobarzanes aimed to exploit the narrow pass of the Persian Gates, reminiscent of the legendary Battle of Thermopylae, to protect Persepolis, the capital of Persis.

As Alexander’s troops entered the narrow passage, Persians unleashed boulders and arrows, causing heavy casualties. Alexander, who detested leaving dead unburied, suffered significant losses. The Persians held the pass for a month until prisoners revealed an alternate route to Alexander’s army.

Surrounded, Ariobarzanes and his men fought to the death, grappling with Macedonians until none remained. Alexander then proceeded to sack Persepolis. ^[3]

The Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066)

This battle occurred just weeks before the famous Battle of Hastings. King Harold Godwinson marched his army 185 miles (298 km) in four days to surprise the Vikings, led by Harald Hardrada, King of Norway. The engagement transpired west of a wooden bridge over the River Derwent in Yorkshire.

The battle’s last stand came at its onset when a lone Viking, wielding an ax, defended the bridge against the entire English army. He reportedly killed up to 40 soldiers before someone swam under the bridge and killed him with a spear.

This Viking delayed the English long enough for the remaining Viking army to form a shield wall. However, the Vikings’ decision to forgo armor proved fatal. The English relentlessly attacked, leading to the Norse army’s collapse and near-total annihilation. ^[4]

Operation Anthropoid (1942)

Operation Anthropoid was the codename for the Czech Resistance’s assassination of Reinhard Heydrich on May 27, 1942. Jan Kubis and Jozef Gabchik, trained by British Intelligence, were tasked with either shooting Heydrich or using an anti-tank mine to blow up his car.

Gabchik’s Sten gun jammed as he attempted to shoot Heydrich. Instead of fleeing, Heydrich ordered the car to stop and returned fire. Kubis then threw a briefcase containing the mine, which detonated near the rear wheel, mortally wounding Heydrich with shrapnel and upholstery fragments, leading to a fatal infection.

The assassins hid for a month before joining their squad in the Cathedral of Sts. Cyril and Methodius’s basement. Abandoned by Karel Curda, who accepted a Nazi reward, they were besieged by 750 SS troops. After failing to dislodge them with tear gas, the Nazis flooded the basement.

Eventually, the Nazis entered and found the defenders dead; Kubis and two others died from gunshot wounds during the standoff. The remaining assassins, including Gabchik, chose suicide over capture and torture. ^[5]

The Last Stand at Wu River: Battle of Gaixia (202 BC)

This battle pitted the Kingdoms of Han and Western Chu against each other in what is now Guzhen County Anhui, China. After unifying the country under the Qin Dynasty, Emperor’s death triggered uprisings. They rose into a civil war primarily between the Han and the Chu.

By the Battle of Gaixia, the Han Dynasty had gained dominance with a substantially larger army. Outnumbering the Chu’s final 100,000 soldiers with around 300,000, Han commander Han Xin employed tactics similar to Hannibal Barca at Cannae.

The Han center initially advanced but then feigned a retreat, luring the Chu center. This allowed the Han flanks to encircle the Chu army. Approximately 80,000 Chu soldiers were killed, and 20,000 surrendered. Han’s losses are unknown but believed lower. Chu commander Xiang Yu fled with a few thousand men to the Wu River.

Desertions dwindled his forces, and facing rapid Han cavalry pursuit, Xiang Yu turned to fight to the death at the river. He killed hundreds of Han soldiers, sustained numerous wounds, and ultimately chose to commit suicide. His body was torn apart. ^[6]

The Siege of Szigetvár (1566)

Suleiman I, the Magnificent, spent much of his reign attempting to expand the Ottoman Empire into Catholic Europe. After failing to take Vienna, he besieged Szigetvár, a fortress town strategically located in the Mecsek Mountains.

From August 6 to September 8, 50,000 to 100,000 Ottoman soldiers with 300 cannons besieged the Hungarian and Croatian garrison of 2,300 to 3,000 men under Nikola IV Zrinski. Zrinski’s defense was so resolute that Suleiman offered him Croatia in exchange for surrender, which Zrinski refused.

Suleiman died of old age at 72 on September 6, the night before the final day of combat. The next morning, Ottoman forces breached the innermost fort. Zrinski and the last 600 survivors of the Szigetvar garrison charged the Ottoman lines rather than surrender.

Zrinsky was killed on the bridge between the outer and inner forts. Before charging, he ordered the powder magazine in the inner fort ignited. The resulting explosion killed 3,000 Ottomans. With Suleiman’s death and winter approaching, the Ottoman commanders withdrew. ^[7]

The Battle of Britain (1940)

The Battle of Britain, fought entirely in the air, was essentially Britain’s last stand. Germany needed air superiority to launch a successful land invasion. The Luftwaffe came close to achieving this until Hitler ordered them to shift from bombing military targets to bombing civilian areas in the London Blitz.

Hitler hoped to break the British resolve, but this indiscriminate mass murder only strengthened their will to fight. Churchill vowed to defend every inch of ground.

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding’s leadership of Britain’s air defenses defeated Hitler’s Operation Sea Lion. Dowding’s refusal to send warplanes to France and his careful management of resources saved Britain from a German invasion.

While the Luftwaffe bombed London, the British Air Force bombed Luftwaffe bases in France and Belgium. London endured, and the Luftwaffe eventually retreated. ^[8]

The Battle of Wegrow (1863)

Although a smaller battle, the Battle of Wegrow became known as the Polish Thermopylae, immortalized by Henri Barbier. The Polish, under Russian rule, launched an uprising, seeking independence. Russia aimed to crush the revolt in Wegrow.

A Russian force of 1,000, with infantry, cavalry, and cannons, under Colonel Georgi Papaafanasopulo, aimed to retake the town. They faced 3,500 Polish infantrymen led by Jan Matlinkski. Recognizing the vulnerability to cavalry and cannons, Matlinkski ordered a retreat, leaving 500 scythe-armed men as a rearguard.

Knowing their fate, these Poles charged the Russian left flank, targeting the cavalry. They successfully repelled the cavalry and attempted to capture the cannons but were overwhelmed by Russian infantry fire. ^[9]

The Siege of Masada (c. AD 72–74)

The Roman Tenth Legion, led by Lucius Flavius Silva, besieged Jewish rebels at Masada for months. These rebels, the Sicarii, opposed Roman rule, engaging in assassinations. Rome sought to eliminate them after they murdered 700 Jews at Ein Gedi.

The siege involved the Romans constructing walled camps and building an earthen ramp to the mountaintop. The defenders, under Eleazar ben Ya’ir, could only watch. By the next spring, the ramp was complete, and a siege tower was erected.

The Romans used ballistae and catapults, breaching the wall. Upon entering, they discovered the Jews had burned everything and committed mass suicide. They likely feared crucifixion if captured alive. Masada, now a national park, preserves the ruins of the fortress and Roman siege works. ^[10]

These historical last stands exemplify courage, sacrifice, and the will to resist, even in the face of certain death. They remind us of the extraordinary lengths to which individuals and groups will go to defend their beliefs, freedom, and honor.

What other historical last stands do you find inspiring? Share your thoughts in the comments below!