Last Stand!: Famous Battles Against All Odds

by Bryan Perrett

Custer's wasn't the only one! A "last stand" remains one of the most compelling wartime scenarios, where outnumbered warriors fight on, hoping to defy the odds and win the day. This best-selling collection gathers 13 examples of such battles, which often influence entire campaigns. Alongside less well-known cases, appear some of the most unforgettable Napoleon at Waterloo, the Alamo, Little Big Horn, Rorke's Drift, and Arnhem Bridge. "...part of the...Cassell Military Classics series...hair-raising stories of military skirmishes throughout history."--Library Journal.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War, Historical

240 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1991

About the author

Bryan Perrett was born in 1934 and educated at Liverpool College. He served in the Royal Armoured Corps, the 17th/21st Lancers, Westminster Dragoons, and the Royal Tank Regiment, and was awarded the Territorial Decoration.A professional military historian for many years, his books include "A History of the Blitzkrieg" and "Knights of the Black Cross - Hitler's Panzerwaffe and its Leaders". His treatise Desert Warfare was widely consulted during the Gulf War. His most recent works, including "Last Stand, At All Costs" and "Against all Odds" examine aspects of motivation. During the Falklands and Gulf Wars Bryan Perrett served as Defense Correspondent to the Liverpool Echo. His books are widely read on both sides of the Atlantic and have been translated into several languages.

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Si no puedes luchar, huye. Pero si no puedes huir, lucha-.

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Relato de trece situaciones bélicas muy diferentes entre sí, separadas en el tiempo y el espacio, con la incertidumbre de su resultado debido a las condiciones bajo las que se plantearon como denominador común, y en las que en comportamiento de los diferentes implicados tuvo mucho que ver con el desenlace.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance this is yet another half baked collection of military stories of derring-do- re hashed with slightly better pictures. But a closer read will prove that this is a good survey of desperate fights, with more and better added analysis, making tactical and strategic points and offering historical perspective that previous tellings may have missed. From the first discussion of the historiography of the end of Napoleon's Old Guard at Waterloo in 1815, to the full order of battle for the battle of the Imjin in Korea in 1951 (did you know there was a battalion of Belgians, who also fought well?), I found my self learning new things about some battles I thought I knew well, and a few battles that I did not know at all.
For instance, I've been to the Imperial War Museum in London more than 15 times, and wondered at the "Nery Gun"- in this book I learned about that fight, enough to be doubly impressed. I have studied Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift as well, but Perrett picked out a few facts that made me think anew. The two 8th army fights that are covered, "Snipe" and Sidi Nisir, were both covered in other books, but really got depth when given a whole chapter- with good maps and diagrams. The substance of this book is well worth the time.
For the junior reader, the only impediment might be that Perrett tends to describe wounds pretty graphically, so I'd say 12 or 13 should be a minimum age , but apart from that , it's a good introduction to military non-fiction. But it is the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast who will appreciate this book the most. The Maps, the insight, the Diagrams and the orders of battle, are sure to help Dioramas/Scenarios for anyone who gets this book. It's a pearl for the gamer/modeller as it has more than enough background to help learn about pretty much the most popular miniature games around now- Napoleonics, Colonial (Camerone/Isandhlwana) American Wars (Alamo/Little big Horn) WWII-Bolt Action/Flames Of War/BattleGroup/Angriff (Wake Atoll/Snipe/Sidi Nisir/Betio/Tarawa/Admin Box/Arnhem Bridge) and Red Storm Rising/Team Yankee (Imjin). A Strong rec for the military enthusiast reader.

[Dave Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder if he chose 13 main stories to tell deliberately, in any event, in every take, at least one side is unlucky… the other link of course being they all depict decisive actions that usually ended in the annihilation (be that total or near) of the defending force (the old guard at Waterloo being an obvious exception, as they were part of the attacking force and also the core of the successful retreat of Napoleon) …
As a modern anthology I find it interesting that the author can still refer to events such as the ‘Indian Wars’ without once referring to genocide, and find that slightly jarring, as it implies the main actors in that genocide had no detractors or that no sections of society found their conduct deplorable, which is demonstrably false, yet the author often offers wider context for the resulting implications of many of the actions he lists, so this omission reads deliberate IMHO

[Alex Marriott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed and researched but far too much military talk for my personal enjoyment. Nevertheless, some good tales amongst the endless regimental movements and lists of weaponry.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars As a child, I had an unhealthy obsession with Custer and the Little Bighorn, reading every book I could on the topic. So I was really excited to get this book, but I should have read the subtitle closer. I was expecting more stories of last stands. You did get the Alamo and Little Bighorn, but other battles were battles against difficult odds, which I feel like there are hundreds of examples of. The author also used a lot of British examples. That being said, I did like his analysis at the end, looking at the importance of junior leadership and unit esprit de corps.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of 13 battles out of history that were last stands against overwhelming odds, some loses and some wins. Great history book, very recommended

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1999, Last Stand is a short account of battles in which a group of soldiers have fought, mostly, to the last, against the odds. In its 200+ pages, it covers 13 battles from 1815 to 1954, followed by a conclusion. This means that most of the battles get about 10-15 pages each, in which the author not only covers the battle itself, but also the events leading up to it and the aftermath, which is a challenge, but the author copes well. The battles selected all have some kind of merit beyond the battle in its self, for example you learn that Custers last stand hardened public attitudes toward native Americans and made the subsequent genocidal practices of the US Army against them seem more acceptable, but such is military history.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps there is no greater demonstration of a force's personal bravery, and how well they have been trained, than its willingness to stand firm when hard pressed. This book outlines some well-known (and less well-known) defences against the odds and generally does a good job in making the reader feel that they were there to witness.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about a few of the many last Stand battles and some of the reasons as to how or why they occurred.
There is a brief history about how each conflict arose which puts the battle in context. This will be useful for those who do not have a passion for history.

[J.R. Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent collection of desperate fights from the ages. It included an analysis of the events, giving tactical and strategic points from the event. It went on to offer a much needed historical perspective that previous collections like this might have glossed over.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a basic, yet readable oversight on some of the most significant battles of the 19th and 20th centuries.
A detraction is the poor editing of the addition that I read.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book,but only some of the battles interested me.a bit too much detail which confused me.enjoyed the last stands roarkes drift.little big horn and the Alamo.

[Raymond Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it mainly cuz it was on my Dad's bookshelf. Got a bit boring after a while

[Austin Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

some very interesting battles summed up in about 15 page chapters. I recommend it

[Carol Blakeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys wanted me to read this to them. It isn't the type of book I would normally pick up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only complaint was with this particular edition, as it was rife with typos.

[Paul Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers a lot of historical moments when some military units were in the unfortunate situation where they had to make a last stand. The chapters cover a lot of different time periods and battles from the early 1800' to the Korean War.

Some of the chapters were particularly interesting to me, such as the chapters on Custer's Last Stand, The Battle of Islandlwana, and the battle for Tarawa. Some others that were mentioned didn't seem to be to fit the idea of the Last Stand. The Battle of Waterloo, for example, while important seems more like the last during battle in a turbulent period than a last stand by desperate troops. Was also surprised that the battle of Dien Bien Phu was not covered.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book could have been subtitled military blunders seeing as that is what lead to many of the last stand situations. Lots of bravery and daring deeds in the book though. It could introduce events to some who may want to read more in-depth accounts of these stories.

[Kione · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is VERY cool!

[Tim Deforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb and well-researched accounts of famous last stands, such as the Alamo, Rourke's Drift, Wake Island and Tarawa.

[Steven Raszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're familar with the battles described - nothing new. A few I had never heard of and found interesting.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of 13 battles out of history that were last stands against overwhelming odds, some loses and some wins. Great history book, very recommended