Captain Edward Fegan, commanding the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Jervis Bay (a former passenger liner)was escorting a convoy to Britain in the early days of WW2. Confronted by the German battleship Admiral Scheer he ordered "prepare to ram" and headed straight towards his massive opponent. A hit on the bridge severed both Captain Fegan's legs. His ship's surgeon tied him to his chair and applied tourniquets. The guns of the Scheer stopped and sank the Jervis Bay before it reached the battleship. Some 130 sailors, including Captain Fegan, were lost.
However the Scheer had lost time and only five ships of the convoy - which had scattered on Captain Fegan's order - were lost. About sixty of his crew were rescued from the water by a neutral Swedish merchant ship which returned when the Scheer left the scene. The captain of this ship received some sort of commendation.

Captain Fegan received a posthumous VC. We got our own back soon after at the River Plate.

Originally Posted by ark-angel

Originally Posted by CQMS

Cannae 216BC

50,000 en cas, 8000 own cas (est)

Hannibal punches above his weight again.

I will raise you a Kohima

edited for grammertime

I see your Kohima, and play Imjin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Imjin_River

adding a wild crad with the first battle of Imjin 1592:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Imjin_River_(1592)

I will see all the above and raise you both Market Garden and the Battle of Goose Green.
Out.

Re Captain Fegan and the Jervis Bay

There is a somewhat similar example of David and Goliath which involves the Scharnhorst.
A Royal Navy Frigate ( I can't remember its name but some Royal Navy veteran will tell us) discovered, almost by accident, (Bletchley Park and Enigma also had something to do with this) the German battleship in the North Sea.
The frigate captain danced around the battleship and more or less challenged it to combat. The frigate escaped generally unharmed but delayed the German ship long enough for other ships to get into position to intercept.

Talk about punching above your weight! Agility and poor weather ( and sheer cheek!) saved the frigate. Moving away wasn't an option as the Scharnhorst's big guns would then have been brought to bear.

I see all that has gone before, and raise you...

The 300 spartans at Thermopylae

Correction to my last - it may have been "sheer cheek" - but it was also incredibly brave.

Monte Battaglia

...It was due to Gdsm R Wood MM, that the attack was repulsed. The man lying next t him was killed at short range and, when Wood started to fire back, his Bren gun jammed after a few rounds. His citation reads : "He picked up the gun and knocked the leading German over the head, stunning him. The next he struck with his fists, and when four Germans tried torush the trench, Wood hurled grenades at them at 5 yards range, and, continued to throw anything he could lay his hands on"

Originally Posted by Gren

I see all that has gone before, and raise you...

The 300 spartans at Thermopylae

Disallowed, their was more than just the 300 spartans fighting there at the end,their was about 1100 other Greeks with the 300.

So i will go for Maiwand.

I have always rather liked HMS Glowworm - During WW2 after being discovered by the 'Admiral Hipper' Glowworm rammed and damaged the Hipper. I think the Captain got a VC as the German Captain sent a letter via the Red Cross to the British.

Originally Posted by scarletto

Originally Posted by Gren

I see all that has gone before, and raise you...

The 300 spartans at Thermopylae

Disallowed, their was more than just the 300 spartans fighting there at the end,their was about 1100 other Greeks with the 300.

So i will go for Maiwand.

You forgot to add, that the total of 1100 were facing a combined force of 2,641,610, so I re see your trump.