GURKHAS

[AL MOUNT]

A few days ago I was reading an article about Prince Harry going back to Afganistan after he made the news in Vegas.

One of the commentors to the article said,
"He was with the Gukhas", like being with them meant therefore he was super safe.
This piqued my curosity and I did some research and found this...

"The Gurkhas are a unique unit in the British Army with a reputation of being amongst the finest and most feared soldiers in the world.
The Gurkhas are military units in the British or the Indian army enlisted in Nepal.
Gurkhas have been fighting as part of the British Army for almost 200 years, these are fearsome Nepalese fighters? "

Having served with an elite unit myself in Vietnam, I was damn impressed.

Did a search on Zazzle (the people I have a store on) and found only 11 items out of millions pertaining to Gurkhas.

Worked for a couple of days and now there are over 200.

Have a look and feel free to forward to your favorite Gurkha friend or Brit

[jack404]

i did a 6 month tour with The Royal Gurkha Rifles as a SNCO as part of the deployment in Cambodia

we had a small group of 40-50 KR operating in the area and a call came in to take em out as they where firing on planes .

well they had this spot set up with a few bunker dug in around the peak of a pyramid shaped hill

no way up in daylight without being spotted and the 12.7 mm they had was rather accurate

come night though ..

come morning we had the 12.7 two mortars and a wombat recoiless that would have cut us to pieces if we'd had of tried a assault ( 105 mm canister and fletchette rounds )

and a few dozen personal weapons and a couple prisoners to tell the tale

good folks eh ..

[AL MOUNT]

I was hoping you would chime in Jack.. ..thanks

[whirley]

People don't read much anymore, but the gurka regiments have always been know for their "efficiency".

[fuzebox40]

Their cigars aren't bad either!

[Carne Frio]

I like their traditional weapon. Very effective.

[jbmid1]

I heard a story once.
A unit of Ghurkas was going to be airdropped into a risky behind the lines operation.
The comander of the op informed the Ghurka's leaer that they would be dropped from a very low altitude <500ft.
The Ghurka talked with his men, came back and said they felt they would be safer jumping from maybe 50".
The commander sxplained that 50' feet would not allow enough time for the parachutes to open.
To which the Ghurka replied, Ahh, we didn't realize we'd be using parachutes.

[BlackEagle]

Ghurkas are a legend over here, but all too often unsung heros.

Joanna Lumley fought a campaign for justice for the Ghurkas-- http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/ --to allow them to settle in Britain.

[JohnHenry]

OOoops .... My bad .... that was supposed to go somewhere else

Sorry !

[fuzebox40]

Originally Posted by JohnHenry

In Korea we knew them as the "Ladies From Hell" ..... want to guess why ?

do tell

[H-D]

My grandpa was in India in ww2 he said they were good soldiers but didn't talk much he said he saw one of them behead someone with a kukris , he said if they drew their kukris they had to have blood on it before they put it up, I loved those stories when I was a kid

[jack404]

true story eh
a blessed knife MUST have blood on it before replacing

these are knives passed down , not the issue knives most carry

these blessed knives now bring thousands but you can buy standard Koukries for $30 from them

the Ghurka where the group next to us on the line outside goose green , the second night three of their sgt's teamed up to snatch a prisoner , they got the intel officer , the CO the sgt mjr of the opfor (Argy's) and folks wonder why the battle the next morning was such a slaughter

kids no leadership and we had all their positions and maps

and later , chatting and having a beer they thought it was the best fun they had in years ..

gotta love that attitude eh ..

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by fuzebox40

Their cigars aren't bad either!

Being a cigar aficionado myself you beat me to the punch on that one, I just finished a pack of them.

Also the other GURKAS sound like one good fighting force!

[jack404]

some pic's

2001 agio cleaning up after a patrol

training the ghurka's live fire with the royal Khmeri resistance

[deertracker]

As a kid,i had a History teacher that had been a captain in the Indian Army in Burma during World War two,as CO of a Gurkha company,he told us at one point when the Japs were pressing his unit hard at the battle of Imphal in 1944 he lost his equipment including his dress uniform....his Gurkha batman was totally ashamed and felt that he had dishonored his "boss"by allowing it to be lost....the guy went awol and my teacher thought he had deserted.....crazy thing was a couple of weeks later the Gurkha batman turned up disheveled and emaciated looking like he had been dragged backwards through a thorn bush.....but you know what he had his captains dress uniform in immaculate condition and had gone back through Japanese lines to get it rather than face the shame of losing it....true story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Imphal

[mjp28]

WHOA!!

[tekarra]

The Ladies from Hell were the Black Watch who earned the nickname from the Bosch in WWI in, I believe, was the last time kilts were worn in combat.

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by jbmid1

I heard a story once.
A unit of Ghurkas was going to be airdropped into a risky behind the lines operation.
The comander of the op informed the Ghurka's leaer that they would be dropped from a very low altitude <500ft.
The Ghurka talked with his men, came back and said they felt they would be safer jumping from maybe 50".
The commander sxplained that 50' feet would not allow enough time for the parachutes to open.
To which the Ghurka replied, Ahh, we didn't realize we'd be using parachutes.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Target

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by BlackEagle

Ghurkas are a legend over here, but all too often unsung heros.

Joanna Lumley fought a campaign for justice for the Ghurkas-- http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/ --to allow them to settle in Britain.

Where ever they settled-I'll bet there is no crime

[AL MOUNT]

Originally Posted by jbmid1

I heard a story once.
A unit of Ghurkas was going to be airdropped into a risky behind the lines operation.
The comander of the op informed the Ghurka's leaer that they would be dropped from a very low altitude <500ft.
The Ghurka talked with his men, came back and said they felt they would be safer jumping from maybe 50".
The commander sxplained that 50' feet would not allow enough time for the parachutes to open.
To which the Ghurka replied, Ahh, we didn't realize we'd be using parachutes.

Being a former jumper myself, I loved your story and included it in my Gurkhas FB page, take a look

[jack404]

want a Gurkha story

Sang Tung was a corporal in the RGR ( Royal Gurkha Rifles ) he parachuted in with the rest of his group along with the british paras to just north of goose green on the faulklands

he and two others took 3 argy MP's clothing and stood up on a jeep type thing giving orders and directions and sending the argy support to the wrong area ( and to a rather nasty running ambush )

he did that for a day and a half until a senior officier group came by at which they became Gurkha's again captured the officers and took em to their base

sadly i forget the brit para sgt and the other gurka with them names , but i'd trained with Sang in one div battle school here a couple times

[jjmitchell60]

My father in law will not talk much abot his time in the Korean War saying no Christian should tell of the death he saw but if you mention fierce UN fighters of the war he talks of the Gurkhas and the Turks. He said you did not want to be on the bad said of either of those two. He tells very little but what he does tell from time to time is eye opening as to what he witnessed. Doing what he did, he was in constant contact with all different units from all UN countries in Korea. He and a buddy strung communications wire on poles when it was cut often by NK or Chinese snipers hoping on killing them as they repaired the wire.