Afghans Crush British at Maiwand: Empire's Worst Loss
Afghan forces under Ayub Khan overwhelmed a British brigade at Maiwand, killing nearly a thousand soldiers in one of Britain's worst colonial defeats. The 66th Berkshire Regiment was virtually wiped out in a last stand that became a Victorian legend. The disaster forced Britain to dispatch reinforcements under General Roberts, whose retaliatory march to Kandahar restored British control.
July 27, 1880
146 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Afghanistan
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British Army
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Second Anglo-Afghan War
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Battle of Maiwand
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pyrrhic victory
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Ayub Khan (Afghan commander)
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Maiwand
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Mohammad Ayub Khan
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Second Anglo-Afghan War
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Battle of Maiwand
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Afghanistan
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Mohammad Ayub Khan (Afghanistan)
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Maiwand
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