Which is better: to die fighting or to run away to live another day?

Let’s say there is a war. Things are going terribly for your side. In fact, your team is turning to guerrilla tactics. Many comrades are already dead. Your commanding officer has discretion whether to launch a final desperation attack or not.

He tells you that he would not launch a desperation attack as it is futile. However, he does have a experimental powerful rifle that you could use to attack the enemy base, should you choose to do so alone as a guerrilla. The rifle might or might not work. Odds of it working does not look good based on test results. The terrain does, however, favor you as a guerrilla.

1. Should you take the experimental rifle and attack the enemy anyways, knowing that the situation for your side is bleak and you might be killed during the attack?

OR

2. Should you follow your commanding officer’s lead and not launch the desperate attack?

Note 1: You commanding officer would be ok regardless of what path you chose. i.e. You will not be court-martialed for attacking with the experimental weapon, but you could in fact end up a hero.

Note 2: The gun has been recalibrated after tests. No further tests have been done. Nobody knows how powerful (or weak) the gun would be at this point.