Ukraine - Defiance
Russia is attacking Ukraine. So far, Ukraine has been resisting Russia’s incursion. The country has been defiant in the face of a staggering military disadvantage.
Thermopylae
History contains several examples of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds.
Leonidas of Sparta (480 BC) - The Persian empire invaded Greece with a massive army. 300 Spartans defended a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae in Greece. Estimates vary of the size of the Persian force, but they range to over 100,000. King Xerxes of Persia tried to negotiate with the Spartans, asking them to “Lay Down Your Weapons.” Spartan King Leonidas responded, “Come and Get Them.” The Greeks fought to the death, delaying the Persians by several days.
Sparta (346 BC) - King Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father, invaded Greece. Facing the Spartans, he said, “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city.” The Spartan reply, “If.” Sparta is located in a part of Greece called Laconia. The word Laconic is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “…using or involving the use of a minimum of words: concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious.” The origin of the word laconic dates back to the Spartans.
Elazar Ben Yair (73 AD) – The Jews rebelled against Roman Rule. The Romans defeated most of the Jewish forces, leaving a remnant on the mountain top of Masada in the Judean desert. After holding off the superior Roman forces for several years, the Romans were ready to breach the fortress. Elazar Ben Yair, leader of the Jews, said, “Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, Who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice...We were the very first that revolted, and we are the last to fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom.” Rather than submit to Roman slavery, the Jews killed themselves so they could die as free men and women.
Nathan Hale (1776): "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." The British defeated George Washington’s army in the 1776 Battle of Long Island. Washington needed information on British troop movements, and Hale agreed to go behind enemy lines as a spy. In September 1776, the British captured him and planned to execute him. A British officer reported Hale’s last words.
Captain John Paul Jones (1779): John Paul Jones was sailing his ship, the Bonhomme Richard, in the British North Sea. His goal was to disrupt British shipping. During an encounter with the British ship Serapis, Jone’s ship was severely damaged. The British captain asked Jones to surrender. He declined, saying, “I have not yet begun to fight.” After several hours of combat, Jones won the contest. His ship was so severely damaged that it sunk, and Jones transferred to the British ship.
William Barrett Travis (1836): Texas seceded from Mexico, declaring itself an independent republic. Mexico opposed this secession and sent in an army to conquer Texas. A small Texas army held the Alamo, a mission set up by Spanish priests. Surrounded and outnumbered, their leader, Travis sent out an appeal for help. In this letter he stated, “If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country —Victory or Death.” The Mexican army won the battle, killing virtually all the Texas forces. ‘Remember the Alamo’ became of battle cry for Texas, which defeated the Mexican army and won independence later in 1836.
David Farragut (1864): The Union Navy was attempting to take the port of Mobile, Alabama, a vital supply point for the South. The Navy encountered mines (called torpedos at the time). One Union vessel hit a torpedo and sunk, killing over 100 sailors throwing the attack into disarray. Admiral Farragut ordered the Union navy to continue into Mobile Bay, shouting, “Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!” The Union won the battle.
Ferdinand Foch(1914): At the start of World War I, Germany flanked France’s army by attacking through Belgium. French forces were forced to retreat, and the Germans got to within 20 miles of Paris. French General Foch is reputed to have said, "My center is yielding. My right is retreating. Situation excellent. I am attacking." Stubborn resistance by the French forces halted the German army. Four years later, the War ended with an Allied victory.
Winston Churchill (1940): France had fallen to the German armed forces along with the rest of Western Europe. Churchill was the new prime minister, with Great Britain facing Germany by itself. He spoke to Parliament: “…we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…” Britain went to defeat German in the Battle of Britain.
Ioannis Metaxas (1940): Italy, led by Mussolini, presented Greek prime minister Metaxas with an ultimatum to give up territory to Italy. Metaxas’s response was “Ohi” (no). Greek armies defeated Italy, but when Germany joined in, the country fell. ‘Ohi Day’ is a national holiday in Greece celebrated on October 28, the anniversary of Metaxas’s refusal to allow Italian armed forces into the country.
Mordechai Anielewicz (1943): As part of the holocaust, Germany forced many Polish Jews into the Warsaw Ghetto. From there, Jews were transported to death camps. In 1943, led by Mordechai Anielewicz, the Jews fought back, resisting overwhelming German forces for several weeks. In a letter, Anielewicz said, “What happened exceeded our boldest dreams. The Germans fled twice from the ghetto… I cannot describe to you the conditions in which the Jews are living. Only a handful will survive. All the rest will succumb, sooner or later… The main thing is this: My life's dream has become a reality. I have seen the Jewish defense of the ghetto in all its strength and glory.” Although the Germans completely destroyed the Ghetto and killed Anielewicz, the uprising became of symbol of resistance to the holocaust.
General Anthony McAuliffe (1944): In December 1944, Germany launched a surprise attack in the Ardennes forest, known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans met with initial success. The key town of Bastogne under General McAuliffe held out against superior German forces. The Germans gave the Americans a chance to surrender. McAuliffe’s reply? “Nuts” - The German major who received the letter appeared confused, so he asked one of General McAuliffe’s officers what the message meant. Colonel Joseph Harper replied: “In plain English? Go to hell.” Bastogne successfully held off the Germans.
Ukraine is determined to resist Russian aggression:
“Go F*ck yourselves” – A Russian warship approached a small island in the Black Sea guarded by 13 Ukrainian soldiers. The Russian ship said, “I suggest you lay down your arms and surrender; otherwise, you’ll be hit.” The Ukrainian Outpost replied, “Russian warship, go f#ck yourself.” The video is linked on this page.
“I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition” – President Biden offered Ukrainian President Zelensky safe asylum out of Kyiv. Zelensky replied that he wanted weapons to fight
An interpreter translating one of Zelensky’s speeches into German, broke into tears. Click here to view.
I’ll end with this. The Metropolitan Opera started its performance with the Ukrainian National Anthem. One of their singers is from the Ukraine. Link at the bottom of the page.
The words to the National Anthem:
The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine,
and we, too, brothers, we'll live happily in our land.
We’ll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom
and we’ll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin.
It was formally adopted following the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.