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Last stand is a loose military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 term used to describe a body of troops holding a defensive position in the face of overwhelming odds. The defensive force usually takes very heavy casualties or is completely destroyed, while also inflicting high casualties on the opponent. Apart from rare exceptions, such as Rorke's Drift
Rorke's Drift

Rorke's Drift was a mission station in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, situated near a natural Ford on the Buffalo River at . During the Anglo-Zulu War, the defence of Rorke's Drift immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana earlier in the day....
 and the Battle of Longewala
Battle of Longewala

The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagement in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistan Army forces and Indian army defenders at the Indian Army of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan States and territories of India in India....
, the defending force is usually annihilated.

The situation can arise in one of two ways.






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Last stand is a loose military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 term used to describe a body of troops holding a defensive position in the face of overwhelming odds. The defensive force usually takes very heavy casualties or is completely destroyed, while also inflicting high casualties on the opponent. Apart from rare exceptions, such as Rorke's Drift
Rorke's Drift

Rorke's Drift was a mission station in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, situated near a natural Ford on the Buffalo River at . During the Anglo-Zulu War, the defence of Rorke's Drift immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana earlier in the day....
 and the Battle of Longewala
Battle of Longewala

The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagement in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistan Army forces and Indian army defenders at the Indian Army of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan States and territories of India in India....
, the defending force is usually annihilated.

The situation can arise in one of two ways. Sometimes, perhaps because of geography or lack of supplies or support, the troops in question cannot retreat from their position without being instantly destroyed by the enemy. At other times, the troops in question are forced to follow orders and cannot consider retreat, even though the moral choice is open to them. In both cases, surrender to the enemy is an option, but either the group as a whole or their commanding officer decides instead to "go down fighting". In some cases the soldiers may consider that surrender
Surrender (military)

Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their commissioned officers....
 may also result in their deaths, and that to fight to their deaths is a better choice in the circumstances. This sometimes comes from strategic or moral considerations, as the defenders conclude that their own sacrifice is essential to the wider success, or at least survival, of their campaign.

A siege
Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by Battle of attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender ....
 will often lead to a last stand by the defenders of the besieged city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
. However, while sieges are generally characterised by a lengthy engagement, last stands are generally brief and decisive.

480 BC - 1000 AD


1000 - 1700


1700 - 1870


1870 - 1930


1930 - 1945


1946 - Current Day


See also

  • Suicide attack
    Suicide attack

    A suicide attack is an attack intended to kill others and inflict widespread damage in the knowledge that one will die in the process....
  • Forlorn hope
    Forlorn hope

    Forlorn hope is a military term that comes from the Dutch language verloren hoop, literally "lost heap", and adapted as "lost troop". The Dutch word hoop is not cognate with English hope: this is an example of false folk etymology....