In Southeast Asia, at the height of World War II’s ferocious jungle war, a British Army colonel turned to a subordinate Sergeant Major with a vital task.  The NCO’s unit was to be dropped by transport aircraft behind enemy lines, in order to harass the Japanese from the rear while the latter assaulted the Allied lines, disrupting the attack.  The Sergeant Major asked from what height his men would make the jump, and the colonel responded “500 feet.”  The grizzled NCO pondered this information longer than seemed natural before reluctantly informing his commander that he needed to consult with his men.  Surprised at the hesitation, the officer nodded and the Sergeant Major went off muttering to himself.  Less than an hour later, the NCO returned with a determined look, “The boys say they’re willing to make the jump.”  Pleased with the answer, though still confused by the normally courageous man’s seeming reticence, the colonel nodded slowly before adding, “Good, have your men requisition their parachutes from the Supply Officer.”  The NCO’s stern visage cracked into an unbelieving smile, “Oh, we’ll get parachutes?”  Allow me the great honor of introducing the Gurkhas.

I’ve likely butchered the story—it was told to me many years ago, after all—and it may be apocryphal, but it so nicely characterizes the courage and fighting spirit of these Nepalese warriors long in service to the United Kingdom.  You read the exploits of these troopers and you just shake your head in wonder.  How can this kind of conspicuous bravery be the norm in any unit, much less remain that way across two centuries of service?  I don’t really have an answer to that question, and so, without further ado, let’s take a look at these incredible troops and their phenomenal combat record.

The United Kingdom first encountered Gorkhas—the term Gurkha is actually a British mispronunciation—during the invasion of Nepal by the East India Company in 1814.  Struggling to defeat tiny, mountainous Nepal, the Anglo-Nepalese War lasted for a year and a half, ending with the treaty of Sugauli in 1816.  The ferocious defense by Nepal’s outnumbered forces greatly impressed the British officers and men they faced, and mid-war, in 1815, the Company began recruiting Gorkhali, Kumaonis, Garhwalis and other Himalayan hill men into the Nasiri Regiment.  These fierce Nepalese warriors would in time come to be referred to by the singular if erroneous term “Gurkha”, and that initial regiment would be renamed the “1st King’s Own Gurkha Rifles”.

Since that time, the beginning of a long and profitable relationship for both the British and the Nepalese, there have been only sixteen Gurkha regiments, an astoundingly small number of units and troops considering the outsized nature of their reputation throughout history.  Gurkhas were present in nearly every war fought by the United Kingdom since their inception.  They long formed the backbone of the British Indian Army, with two more regiments formed in 1815, a further three in 1817, and six more by the time of the First World War, with a final four organized prior to World War II.  In all that time British Gurkhas have fought in no fewer than fourteen conflicts, to include both Anglo-Sikh Wars from 1845, the Second British Aghan War in 1878, the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, both world wars, the Falklands in 1982, Afghanistan again in 2001, and Iraq, for the second time, from 2003.

While the units gained significant acclaim for their 19th Century actions in the service of the crown, they came to the attention of the wider world audience with their exploits on a wide range of battlefields in World War II.  Gurkha regiments participated in every theater of war trod by British soldiers, earning 12 Victoria Crosses and an astounding 333 Military Crosses during that conflict alone.  And they achieved these results while fighting across the worst of that war’s hellish battlefields to include Burma, India, Malaya, Singapore, North Africa, Italy—to include two brutal assaults on Monte Cassino—and New Guinea.

Following India’s Independence in 1947, the Gurkha regiments were split between the British Army and the Indian Army.  Four regiments remained in service to the crown forming the Brigade of Gurkhas that serves still today.

I can’t hope to do justice to the long list of accomplishments and accolades earned by Gurkha units throughout their 200-year period of existence, so I’ll simply cite a few highlights.  In 1945, Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung single-handedly held off an assault by 200 Japanese, and did so while firing his rifle left-handed after a grenade shattered his right.  In Burma, Rifleman Ganju Lama crawled across the battlefield, having already suffered a broken wrist, and by himself destroyed three Japanese tanks and killed all crewmen who escaped.  Both of these men were awarded the Victoria Cross. 

More recently we’re reminded that the warrior ethos survives even amongst the all-encompassing technological innovations that have so affected modern combat.  Acting Sergeant Diprassad Pun held his ground at a checkpoint in Western Afghanistan in 2010, single-handedly fighting off an assault by 30 Taliban fighters armed with RPGs and AK-47s.  In an hour-long gunfight, Sergeant Pun killed every last one of the attackers, expending all of his ammunition and 17 grenades in the process.  Out of ammunition and options, he killed the last attacker by throwing his now worthless machinegun tripod at the enemy.  Sergeant Pun was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his action.  Yet his story has added value to me, and I’ll never forget his exploits, since I vividly remember receiving the combat report while in Afghanistan.

Even more interesting—and perhaps telling—is the story of 35-year-old retired Gurkha Bishnu Shrestha who was riding a train across India when 40 armed bandits stopped the train and began to rob the passengers.  Still carrying the ubiquitous kukri blade that has become the Gurkha trademark, Shrestha alone took on the robbers carrying knives, swords, and pistols.  During the encounter he managed to kill three and wound another eight, enough, it would seem, to convince the others to flee.  All 32 of them!

And this, perhaps, highlights what makes these tough Nepalese soldiers famous amongst the world’s elite military organizations.  There’s a fierceness to the Gurkhas that is unmistakable in every single account that emerges from the bloody annals of human conflict.  It served them well from first contact with the British in 1814 through to modern battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan today, and seems likely the Gurkhas will carry it with them into whatever trouble the future may bring them and the far-off nation they serve.

While I remain in awe of their historical record in combat the Gurkha motto wonderfully sums up their outlook on life and military service, “Better to die than to live as a coward.”  More than anything else, perhaps, I’m just glad they’re on our side!

M. G. Haynes 

* If you’re interested in learning more about these incredible units, check out: “Gurkha: Better to Die than Live a Coward: My Life in the Gurkhas”; “Gurkha: 25 Years of the Royal Gurkha Rifles”; “The Gurkhas”; or “The Gurkhas: An updated in-depth investigation into the history and mystique of the Gurkha regiments”.