No Retreat, No Surrender: 5 Incredible Last Stands

No Retreat, No Surrender: 5 Incredible Last Stands

Patrick Lynch - June 18, 2017

No Retreat, No Surrender: 5 Incredible Last Stands
Depiction of Berserker fending off the Saxons. Loren86 – DeviantArt

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3 – One Man Army at the Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066)

At the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25, 1066, Harold, the King of England, defeated his brother Tostig and the Norwegian King Harald. Although Harold’s 15,000 man force won a decisive victory as both enemy leaders died in battle, he lost up to 5,000 troops. As a result, he was significantly weakened and ultimately suffered defeat at the Battle of Hastings soon afterward; Harold died in that battle.

The Battle of Stamford Bridge is also known as the scene of one of the greatest one-man stands ever seen on a battlefield. The Norse army was stunned by the sudden arrival of Harold’s Saxon forces and was completely unprepared. Harald of Norway tried to regroup and form a defensive line to give his men a fighting chance. A flimsy wooden bridge was all that stood between the Saxons and the vulnerable Norse army. One giant Norse berserker manned the bridge and dared the enemy to charge; they did and met death via the defender’s ax and sword.

Dozens of Saxon warriors tried to get past the Berserker, but they all failed as he killed at least 40 of them single-handedly. He apparently held his ground for almost an hour; long enough for his fellow Vikings to regroup. Alas, he did not see a clever Saxon who rowed to the bottom of the bridge and emerged to stab the berserker in the groin.

The great warrior’s sacrifice was in vain as the Saxons stormed the bridge and defeated the Viking army. King Harald of Norway died via an arrow to the throat, and with the loss at Stamford Bridge, the influence of the Vikings on the British Crown died. Despite their defeat, the legend of the Berserker lives on as for a brief period; the mighty Saxon army was defied by a single man.

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