In a 'last stand' situation, how would you deploy your troops?

Question

If you were the defender with c.100 infantrymen armed with rifles and grenades only (plus 1 heavy machinegun and 1 sniper).

Circular enclosure c.50 yards in diameter. Enemy charging from no more than two directions at once to close-quarters (e.g., Zulu, but with updated weaponry).

Cover behind low walls and sandbags only- no chance of reinforcements or air support.

Answer 1

Depends on the situation:
either:

Keep half my men in the circle (not the sniper or HMG) and have the other half under cover facing towards the approaches of the circle. The HMG will be set up to give enfilading fire from an approach and the sniper the other but given express instructions to hit high ranking officers/NCOs/leaders. Keeping an ammo dump in the middle of the circle and distributing enough to the men outside the circle in caches so if someone dies the ammo can be found

Or

I'd recon the direction they are coming from and set the sniper up along a direction they are not coming with the HMG giving enfilading fire next to the sniper and about 10 riflemen for close support. Leaving some (c.45) riflemen in the circle to fend off the attacks I'd tell the others to break out towards the channel kept open by the sniper/hmg. Then use the riflemen's fire to allow the rest from out the circle, after this use the 90 riflemen to allow the sniper, hmg and their escort to a place further back and continue as above.

Answer 2

Sounds like a Rourke's Drift type of question.

Spaced out evenly in the circle round the defences with orders to wait till they were less than 50 meters then FIRE.

Now, issue is that the killed 'Zulu' warriors would soon start piling up and would create a barrier that the others had to climb over (this was a fact at Agincourt and at Roukes Drift itself.)

The machine gunner & sniper would have orders to go where the thought they were needed WITH STRICT ORDERS TO TO GET KILLED.

If the 'Zulus' got in too close I would order all the men back and form a tight square (another traditional defensive move used by the British) and just hold out as long as they could.

Answer 3

How many Zulus are we talking about here?

Answer 4

I'd recall them back to home and send the Americans instead

Answer 5

In front of me

Answer 6

fix bayonets.

Answer 7

chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargeee!!!! (trumpets)