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View Full Version : A Gurkha soldier with a kukri is really a handful!


PSM
02-02-2011, 18:18
From the article:

The band of about 40 robbers, some of whom were travelling as passengers, stopped the train in the Chittaranjan jungles in West Bengal around midnight. Shrestha-- who had boarded the train at Ranchi in Jharkhand, the place of his posting--was in seat no. 47 in coach AC3.

“They started snatching jewelry, cell phones, cash, laptops and other belongings from the passengers,” Shrestha recalled. The soldier had somehow remained a silent spectator amidst the melee, but not for long. He had had enough when the robbers stripped an 18-year-old girl sitting next to him and tried to rape her right in front of her parents. He then took out his khukuri and took on the robbers.

“The girl cried for help, saying ´You are a soldier, please save a sister´,” Shrestha recalled. “I prevented her from being raped, thinking of her as my own sister,” he added. He took one of the robbers under control and then started to attack the others. He said the rest of the robbers fled after he killed three of them with his khukuri and injured eight others.

(…)

“I am proud to be able to prove that a Gorkha soldier with a khukuri is really a handful. I would have been a meek spectator had I not carried that khukuri,” he said.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=27100

I reckon TS’s sig line applied here as well: "Speed, Surprise & Violence of Action"

Pat

greenberetTFS
02-02-2011, 18:45
I reckon TS’s sig line applied here as well: "Speed, Surprise & Violence of Action"

Pat

I agree,he is one bad 'effering,not to be messed with for sure!..........:D That also goes for "either one "!................;)

Big Teddy :munchin

GratefulCitizen
02-02-2011, 20:11
Found this part interesting:


He still finds it hard to believe that he took on 40 armed robbers alone. “They may have feared that more of my army friends were traveling with me and fled after fighting me for around 20 minutes,” he explained.


40 to 1, still fighting after 20 minutes of melee combat, and the "1" is winning.
Yup, they might have feared that there were 2 of them.

dr. mabuse
02-02-2011, 21:42
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Snaquebite
02-02-2011, 21:50
Had 50 working for me when I was i n Iraq with Edinburg Risk. Greatest guys you could meet. Extremely loyal. Everyone had at least 13 yrs in regiment. I loved these guys. But you never wanted to cross them they did not take crap from anyone. Will try and find a few pics. They were my guard force when the ISF compound was being built. Some chickens and a goat a month they were happy. Had to watch out for the drinkers though. I'd go anywhere with these guys.

craigepo
02-02-2011, 22:13
Is anyone familiar with the story/rumor about the gurk's in the falklands?

Dusty
02-03-2011, 00:53
Had 50 working for me when I was i n Iraq with Edinburg Risk. Greatest guys you could meet. Extremely loyal. Everyone had at least 13 yrs in regiment. I loved these guys. But you never wanted to cross them they did not take crap from anyone. Will try and find a few pics. They were my guard force when the ISF compound was being built. Some chickens and a goat a month they were happy. Had to watch out for the drinkers though. I'd go anywhere with these guys.

I read everything I can get my hands on about those guys. I hope you find the pics, and welcome any and all anecdotes you may have.

wet dog
02-03-2011, 03:14
I worked with several British Royal Marines, who had at the time, Gurkha soldiers assigned to their teams during the Falkland Islands War.

As they told the story, at one point in the battle, the Brits were running low on ammo, the Gurkhas gave their ammo to their British brothers and fixed bayonets without second thoughts.

mark46th
02-03-2011, 09:28
1 Ghurka against 40 robbers? Sounds like an ambush to me...

Dusty
02-03-2011, 09:32
"Gurkha" means "Chuck Norris" in Nepalese.

tonyz
02-03-2011, 09:44
"Gurkha" means "Chuck Norris" in Nepalese.

:D

Former Chief of staff of the Indian Army - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once famously said about Gurkhas:

" if a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha"

Sohei
02-03-2011, 09:46
I worked with several teams of them in the late 80’s. Like what was posted earlier, they were loyal. The guys that were assigned to my team were extremely loyal and very aggressive when it came to training. The thing I first noted about them was their eagerness to train and learn. They all had over ten years of active duty, but you would have sworn that they were brand new to the service. I would work with them anytime.

I can’t remember the type of rifles they had at the time, but to be blunt, they weren't the best. They were extremely small in length and would routinely jam. After watching us train and fire ours all day, they wanted to play with our toys. So, we took an entire day off from training and just let them shoot everything we had. They were like kids in a candy store. I can’t even imagine the ammo we shot that day. It was fun for all. Great group of guys.

MtnGoat
02-03-2011, 12:06
Gurkha's are the Shiznit!!

I have had the pleasure of working with them before while working with some UK brothers. They basically use them are Range Battalions are used in OIF and OEF. Some ferocious fighters and loyal soldiers. Loved having them around where pulling security or BSing around.

akv
02-03-2011, 12:11
Dusty,

FWIW the best Gurkha books I read were by John Masters, Bugles and a Tiger, and The Road Past Mandalay.

The former is about fighting in Afghanistan and the latter in Burma, by a British officer in a Gurkha regiment. There are all sorts of stories about Gurkhas, a few of my favorites...

A young British officer assigned to the Gurkhas in India was engaged in the bushes one night with a young lady when a Gurkha Regiment marched past them. The young man made the decision to stand up and salute them anyway in the raw. They said they liked to think he made General someday.

In Burma, the Brass visited a Gurkha regiment asking for volunteers for an airborne unit, men who would jump out of planes to fight. This was briefly explained to the Gurkhas and half of them stepped forward to volunteer. The General was miffed, commenting I thought given their reputation more would volunteer. The Gurkha officers struggling to maintain composure replied, Sir they don't know what parachutes are.

A Gurkha patrol, near El Alamain returned from a patrol into German lines claiming 38 enemy kills. The intelligence officer debriefing them chastised them for embellishing body counts, at dawn they returned throwing a sack full of bloody ears on to his desk. The Gurkhas were said to creep into foxholes in the dark with one hand on the kukri and the other feeling for the ridge on German helmets, if they felt the ridge they took the head, this tended to demoralize the Africa Corps.

An Italian POW was quoted as saying, " a pack of little grinning men coming at you with knives is scarier than big men."

An Indian doctor treating a gravely wounded Gurkha told his officer, he will not make it unless he has the will to live. The British officer went to the bedside and ordered the Gurkha to live. He did.

Hope this helps.

greenberetTFS
02-03-2011, 12:37
Dusty,

Reminds me of a story a guy I met at the VA,he told me about a Sgt. who was placed in charge of a group of them,It was in Korea............. Anyway,during the heat of the battle the Sgt. thought that they were going to be over run by the Chinese and gave a command to retreat.......... They misunderstood,quickly fixed their bayonets and started to attack... The Chinese were caught totally off guard and ended up retreating themselves........ They wanted to give that Sgt. a medal(not sure which one) however he refused it and gave them the true account of the story..........;)

Big Teddy :munchin

Team Sergeant
02-03-2011, 12:44
Is anyone familiar with the story/rumor about the gurk's in the falklands?

Yes, I am.... and I don't think it's a rumor......;)

Might not want to post what they did to some of the Argentinian's during that conflict in public. I was under the impression (and still am) that the Argentinian forces waving of the white flag was an indirect result of the Gurkha's actions.

The SAS also did some things that were very "unexpected" by the Argentinian forces.

Dusty
02-03-2011, 14:19
There's a story I remember called, I think, "The Silver Kukhuri", but I can't find it. It's about a Gurkha who does what the previous poster said about sneaking into positions at night and cutting throats. If it's a book, I'll buy it if I come across it...

Richard
02-03-2011, 14:55
And what's the one thing in life a Ghurka with a khukri fears?

A Ghurka's angry wife with a khukri! :eek:

Richard :munchin

frostfire
02-04-2011, 16:23
Found this part interesting:

Quote:
He still finds it hard to believe that he took on 40 armed robbers alone. “They may have feared that more of my army friends were traveling with me and fled after fighting me for around 20 minutes,” he explained.

40 to 1, still fighting after 20 minutes of melee combat, and the "1" is winning.
Yup, they might have feared that there were 2 of them.

"You go for a man hard enough and fast enough, he don't have time to think about how many's with him; he thinks about himself, and how he might get clear of that wrath that's about to set down on him"
~Rooster Cogburn :cool:

akv
02-04-2011, 16:55
And what's the one thing in life a Ghurka with a khukri fears? A Ghurka's angry wife with a khukri.
Yes, this appears to be the case.

First female Gurkhas start their training

Women training for assessment to become the first female Gurkhas

Two heavy rocks clasped in her outstretched hands, 19-year-old Tsiring Thapa was shaking with exhaustion. It was only 6.30am, but she and more than 50 other Nepali young women bidding to become the first female Gurkhas had already completed a five-mile run through boulder-strewn mud.

"Stay strong! Hold out the rocks, keep your arms out straight! Five minutes more, this pain is nothing if you want to become a soldier," a retired sergeant major barked at them.

"Are you ready to follow my orders? Are you ready to train to become a Gurkha, to become the best?" The women yelled their reply: "Yes, sir." Long the preserve of only the fittest Nepalese males, securing one of 300 annual commissions to fight as a Gurkha in the British Army is the equivalent of winning the lottery in the Himalayan kingdom. Now, for the first time, recruitment has been opened to Nepalese women after Derek Twigg, Britain's junior defence minister, announced that Gurkhas would in future be covered by rules on sexual discrimination in the workplace. Up to 50 places are being made available for women this year.

For Nepal's young women, many of whom are forced into early marriage by their parents, the opportunity to sign up is a dream come true. Beauticians, hotel receptionists and waitresses have ditched their jobs and flocked to the resort town of Pokhara to enrol in privately run, high-altitude fitness training programmes, designed to prepare recruits for the tough army entrance exams due next month. More than 80 training schools have sprung up to cater for the demand. Many of the girls sport pink laces on their running shoes, brightly coloured hair ribbons and gaudy nail varnish, but insist it is no reflection on their suitability for a regiment renowned for its toughness.

"We shouldn't be underestimated because we are women and we want to look beautiful while we train," said 17-year-old Sushma Lama.

"The men think we are weak. Most of the Gurkha training schools in this valley don't allow women but the reality is they will have to accept us. Most of the women won't make it but 50 will, so they'd better wake up to this. All the men grow up wanting to be Gurkhas. It is their only dream, so it is impossible for them to accept a woman taking their place."

As Sushma spoke, a group of men ran past and jeered. "They are uneducated idiots," she said. "They think that their strength will get them in, but their stupidity will undermine them. "As women we are more disciplined, our English is better because we always worked harder at school, and there is a place for us in the British Army. We are right to seize the opportunity.

The successful candidates, who will be chosen from 15,106 applicants, will receive a salary of about £1,000 a month, a guaranteed 15 years of service, possible promotion and a good pension. Most importantly for the Nepalese, they will also gain a British passport.

The selection criteria are tough. Each young woman must have good marks on her school leaving certificate, and be able to perform 14 heaves to the high beam, 75 bench jumps in one minute and 70 sit-ups in two minutes. She must have no more than two fillings and two gaps in her teeth, have perfect hearing and sight, and be capable of good conversational English. During a three-week assessment, only those recruits who are fit enough to run three miles up the steep foothills of the Himalayas, while carrying 50 lb of rocks on their backs, will be deemed worthy of joining the army.

Even then, the women are unlikely to be deployed in a combat role. Female recruits will join the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, Queen's Gurkha Signals and Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, but will be kept out of the Royal Gurkha Rifles."We are happy that women get the same opportunity as men," said Capt P Manjugurung, a retired Gurkha who now trains potential recruits. "It is harder than ever to become a Gurkha because the educational bar has been raised.

"These women work as porters climbing the Himalayas. They are fit and hardy - there is no reason why they can't take their place alongside the men."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1558844/First-female-Gurkhas-start-their-training.html

Dusty
02-04-2011, 17:33
Not taking combat roles? More power to 'em.

Peregrino
02-04-2011, 18:50
If we can find enough of them willing to learn Pashtu and Dari I say let them join the US Army. Especially if they maintain the current recruitment standards. We need females for select roles and none of ours are cutting it. 50 slots for 15,000 applicants has phenomenal potential for getting exactly what's needed. I can just see Hadji getting stomped by one of these ladies. Not to mention how "motivating" it might be for some of the male slugs in our Army to have the comparison/contrast held up to their face. :munchin

dr. mabuse
02-04-2011, 20:51
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Peregrino
02-04-2011, 22:02
Not more than 2 gaps in the teeth? I don't understand that one. :confused:

50 pound ruck up 3 miles of foothills, that will weed out some. Whew.

The recruitment standards are literally ancient and maintained mostly for tradition. Bad dentition made it difficult to tear paper cartridges in the muzzle loading era.

Utah Bob
02-06-2011, 00:17
Who counted the 40 thieves?
Just wondering.

wet dog
02-06-2011, 00:27
Who counted the 40 thieves?
Just wondering.

Ali Baba

Oldrotorhead
02-06-2011, 12:16
Who counted the 40 thieves?
Just wondering.

OK, maybe it was only 39. What ever the number there were about 8 less when it was over, and is wasn't the lone guy with the knife that quit first. Please forgive him it is really hard to count with with all of those aholes and elbows flying in all directions. :D

wet dog
02-06-2011, 13:40
Could this have happened in America, the Lone Knife Man, (LKM) who saves the day, without being arrested for hurting the sensitivities of the families of the 8 victims?

DaveMatteson
02-07-2011, 08:31
Yes, I am.... and I don't think it's a rumor......;)

Might not want to post what they did to some of the Argentinian's during that conflict in public. I was under the impression (and still am) that the Argentinian forces waving of the white flag was an indirect result of the Gurkha's actions.

The SAS also did some things that were very "unexpected" by the Argentinian forces.


I was trying to find the book I have that was written after the Falklands War which indulged both militaries. They reluctantly got an interview form an Argentine Officer named Piaggi (sp) who was the opposing force to Col. Jones and Keeble (?). Jones was mortally wounded while trying to get his men up and moving. After that engagement Keeble sent a message that according to some only had three parts.

The first was (paraphrased) "drop weapons and helmets walk to us". The second was "continue to fight and accept the consequences". The thrid was I won't paraphrase it was something along the lines of by fighting we will take prisoners in accordance with the Geneva Convention and you will be held accountable for all civilian deaths. Supposedly, according to Piaggi at the bottom of the note he received was the word "Gurkha".

Is this true? Well, Piaggi surrendered himself and 1200 men to a force of 4 rifle companies, one of which being a scout and recon company. I'm not sure how true it is but it was also one of those "Gurkha rumors". :D

I read the WWII exploits of the Gurkha when I was a kid and told my dad I wanted to be one. He laughed and told me as a joke that he would let me join the Army instead. :)

BTW, not sure how many know this but Gurkha's are part of the US Navy Protective Force in Bahrain. A friend of mine who was an MA in the Navy told me this.

PSM
02-07-2011, 17:18
Who counted the 40 thieves?
Just wondering.

UPDATE (thanks to a poster on Equipped to Survive): It may have been 10 fewer thieves but now he's 10 years older. (What are the handicap rules for knife fighting?)

Link (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Soldier-takes-on-dacoits-on-trainGang-Of-30/articleshow/6488820.cms)

Pat

Richard
02-07-2011, 17:39
Wouldn't surprise me to find out the guy just happened to be the former Nepalese mumbly peg champion and a Cutco knife salesman when he was working his way through college. :rolleyes:

Richard :munchin

darbs
02-08-2011, 09:24
...isn't as scary as a little guy with a big knife and a smile.

:munchin