11. The Retreat from Kabul (1842)
During the disastrous British retreat from Kabul in the First Anglo-Afghan War, around 16,000 soldiers and camp followers attempted to escape through snow-covered mountain passes. Relentlessly ambushed by Afghan tribesmen and battered by the harsh winter, almost all perished along the way. Only a handful reached safety, making this retreat one of the most tragic and humiliating marches in British military history. BBC History
