Gurkha world war 2
As soon as the British declared war on Germany in 1939. They immediately started mobilizing troops from the Commonwealth
Men from all over the Empire joined the British forces to contribute to the fight among them were the Gurkhas
Before the Second World War the Gurkhas were in service of the British Army for more than a century
fighting in all corners of the world for the British Empire once enemies during the Anglo Nepalese war from
1814 to 1816 the British found a mutual respect for the fighting abilities of the Gurkhas and large numbers volunteered for the British Army
Afterwards they came from the kingdom of Nepal a small country in the southern slopes of the Himalayas
Working as farmers and Shepherds
Life in such a rough environment made the minted tough soldiers who never questioned orders and did not see retreat as an option
Their motto was better to die than be a coward
Being among the finest soldiers in the entire Empire the British Army recruited Gurkhas whenever reliable manpower was required
Among the Gurkhas were several tribes that are considered more warrior-like than the others
But in times of war meant from other less martial tribes were being recruited as well
During the war nearly
250,000 Gurkhas were recruited by the british in more than 40 battalions in addition to the eight
Battalions of Nepalese army that also entered the war on the side of the Allies
Being a part of the British Indian Army in the first years of the war
The Gurkhas were deployed to the British Middle East
territories such as Iraq and Syria and to northern Africa where they fought against the Axis forces
It was after December 9th when the United Kingdom declared war on Japan that the Indian Army and Gurkhas were engaged in a higher scale
primarily to protect Malaya from the Japanese forces
They would go on to fight in Italy Greece Singapore India and Burma
Even though the Gurkhas had a special reputation in the British Army. They were not organized as a separate formation
Battalions of Gurkha regiments were deployed to regular units of the army being a part of the indian army, which was under British command
Gurkhas wore the typical dress the m37 khaki drill uniform with bombay bloomers
Long leg trousers that could be buttoned up to become shorts
They also carried the standard 1937 pattern web equipment by the end of the war
This uniform was replaced with a more practical olive-green battle dress for jungle warfare
Gurkha soldiers that were deployed to Africa and later engaged in Italy wore the distinctive British uniform for these campaigns
What was distinctive for the Gurkha uniform was their slouch hat the trademark of the Gurkhas since the beginning of the 20th century?
When not wearing the standard steel helmet Gurkhas wore their terre hats which were actually made of two hats sewn together to make them more
Rigid hats were wrapped with a light buggery and were worn tilted to the right side
being incorporated in army units Gurkhas were equipped with standard british weapons such as the
Lee-enfield number for rifle and Bren light machine gun and American weapons such as the Thompson M
1928 and m1a1 submachine guns
however
Each Gurkha carried a close-combat weapon of his own a weapon that was distinctive to his Himalayan nation
More famous than their Terra hats were their Cooper II lives
Kukris were the Gurkhas favourite close combat weapon and were carried in almost every assault on
Numerous occasions Kirk has attacked the enemy with a rifle in one hand and a kukri in the other
Ku curries were designed to be cutting knives their lengths varying from 16 to 18 inches
they are distinctive for their forward curving blade which is sharp only on the lower concave side a
Legend goes that the shape of the blade resembles the shape of Nepal
Gurkhas were very skillful with their ku crease and were known to have inflicted
Severe damage and close combat on the enemy by using only these knives
Because of this ku curries gained an almost mythical status with many stories told about them
One of the most famous cookery legends was that a Gurkha has to spill blood every time he took out his kukri from its scabbard
Therefore if a Gurkha took out his kukri just to show it to someone he would have had to cut at least his thumb in
Order to respect a tradition
The Gurkhas proved to be fearless and ruthless warriors in combat
If they never questioned orders and always fought vigorously no matter how strong the opponent or how important the battles
Their attack was always followed by the battlecry IO Gorkhali meaning the Gurkhas are upon you
12 Gurkhas were awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry against the enemy during the war more than
43,000 Gurkhas lost their lives fighting alongside the British Army during World War two
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