I was about to ask the same thing, ninja'd.
I know I could look up "what even is a gurkha" but I want to hear your take. I think they were in Age of Empires 3, as Indians, but I don't think that tells me anything.
The short story of it all is gurkhas are hard as nails infantry who hail from various Nepalese tribes who inhabit the Nepalese mountains and hills, owing to the high altitude, their familial traditions, their harsh lifestyles and selection process, it's no exaggeration that the worst gurkha soldier is superior to the best elite soldiers of many nations. An English squad that is marching too fast is said to be marching at a normal gurkha pace haha
Their origin traces back 200 years to when the British East India Company invaded Nepal, under the then Gorkha Empire. The British forces would often find that the sentries and garrisons they left behind to guard occupied lands had their throats cut open, because the warriors of the Gorkha were just that good. The British signed a peace deal with the Nepalese which crucially allowed them to employ these soldiers and so begins 200 years of the Gurkha soldiers, wherein they won epic renown and fame through their actions - fighting in every continent outside the Americas, with a list of feats that is too long and extraordinary to summarize. But a taster of some gurkha Victoria Cross recipients would get the right idea across:
Kulbir Thapa was fighting in WWI as part of an attack on the German trenches. Kulbir Thapa was leading the vanguard of a diversionary attack on the German trenches, that engagement being the first time he had been under machine gun fire. Their attack took parts of the first German trench, but the Germans simply withdraw to their additional trenches. The British withdrew from the trench, being unable to press further, but as they were withdrawing Kulbir found a wounded soldier from the Leicester regiment behind the German trench. Kulbir, who was wounded himself, refused to leave this wounded soldier behind despite his best protestations to get Kulbir to save himself. Kulbir remains with this soldier day and night, until one misty morning he attempts to move this soldier to safety through the German trenches and wire. Whilst under enemy fire, he returns and moves two injured gurkhas as well, succeeding in bringing all three back to allied trenches.
Lalbahadur Thapa was fighting in WWII, his division advancing upon some hills in Tunisia - the only pass possible for his division being held by entrenched enemy troops garrisoned in the hills with machine guns and anti-tank guns covering the only available pass. Attacking up the hills, whose faces could often be sheer cliffs 200ft high, whilst under constant barrage from mortars, grenades and machine guns, Lalbahadur Thapa led his men with kukri, bayonet and revolver, clearing out the enemy one post at a time - and succeeded, killing all the enemies that did not flee from him. This single-handed capture of the hill determined the success for all ensuing operations by the whole division.
Gaje Ghale, Captain in the 5th Gurkha Rifles, was fighting in WWII in Burma, where the Japanese were invading (and at this point in the war, the British forces had little confidence in possessing matching jungle fighting skills versus the Japanese). The Japanese had occupied a ridge which was vital to allowing further Japanese advances, two attacks to take the ridge had failed because the pass was narrow and would be raked by Japanese mortars and machine gun fire any time an attack was made. Captain Ghale was tasked with taking the ridge, and decided to resolve the whole machine gun fire issue by ignoring it. Despite this being the first time he was under fire, Captain Ghale continued leading the charge. After a Japanese grenade disabled his one of his arms, he threw grenades back with his other arm. After he was shot 8 times, he continued the charge shouting AYO GORKHALI! Inspired by this inspiring bravery, his men overcame the ridge in hand to hand combat. Upon overcoming the Japanese position, Captain Ghale refused to go back to the regimental aid post to treat his wounds until he felt certain the position was secure from counterattacks - and had to be ordered by his superior officer to seek treatment.
The Gurkhas have a consistent reputation for charging into certain death (sometimes literally doing so) and yet, emerging victorious.
The most recent example of their insane quality is 2010 Afghanistan, where Dipprasad Pun was alone on sentry duty guarding his unit's compound. Taliban fighters, having planted bombs on the compound's gate under the cover of darkness, detonated them and launched the assault from all directions. Dipprasad Pun went under immediate AK-47 and RPG fire, stranded on the roof of his post with no chance of help. After radioing in to his commander that he was under attack, he threw his first grenade at the enemy. Moving from building face to face, firing his machine gun and throwing grenades at every fighter attempting to overrun him, Dipprasad Pun ran out of his 17 grenades and 400 machine gun bullets in minutes, having so ferociously fought on all sides - also detonating a claymore mine. He switched to his rifle and continued the fight; when one Taliban fighter attempted to climb up to the roof of his post, Dipprasad Pun bore his rifle to bear, but due to a malfunction his rifle did not fire. Picking up his machine-gun tripod he threw it at the fighter's face, breaking his skull and causing him to fall backwards. Thus in short, a Gurkha is outnumbered 30 to 1 and surrounded on all sides; it takes him 1 hour to kill them all
Hence the idea that conscripts can run around knocking out gurkhas is side-splitting. To quote one of the yt comments, "I knew a guy who punched a Gurkha once. ONCE."
Could this Yank get some context, please?
Also that video is still equal parts tragic and hilarious. What a terrible war... Over oil, apparently? The occasional memey "translation" breaks the tension a bit.
If it was over war there might've been a point to it. Overall it was a pointless war.
On the Argentinian side, the military junta led by General Galtieri was facing some serious issues regarding popularity at home - the Argentinians were chafing under the dirty war, wherein their friends and family would disappear for being dissidents and never be seen again, coupled with the economic stagnation of Argentina. Galtieri had received suggestions from British MPs that there were British politicians sympathetic to Argentina invading the Falklands, and figured that the British defence secretary's decision to withdraw the only RN ship assigned to the islands was a sign that the UK was not going to respond militarily to any invasion. Moreover, Admiral Jorge Anaya was convinced that the British reputation was undeserved, that the Falklands had to be annexed by Argentina, that its annexation would drive patriotism through the roof - and that once occupied, a British retaliation would be logistically impossible.
He had good reason to believe so, even the U.S navy is on record as stating that, “
a successful counter-invasion by the British is a military impossibility.” Considering that the British supply lines were 8,000 miles long, it was not the best of campaign conditions. Unsuspectedly to Galtieri, Thatcher responded immediately, assembling a military taskforce which succeeded in retaking the islands. Argentine television broadcasted victory after victory, so when the Argentinians learned the true outcome of the war - they were not exactly pleased with the junta. The irony of the aftermath is that the British hesitated to give the Falkland islanders full economic freedom and political citizenship out of fear of angering Argentina, that the military junta wanted to improve its legitimacy as the moral arbiter of Argentina - but in the aftermath the Royal Navy became the strongest South American naval power, Falkland Islanders were given full citizenship, self-governance, investment and the military junta became a democracy, one whose navy fell to pieces because it was purchased from the British government
But idk invading countries because their clay is close to you makes sense. Las Faroes son Britannicas
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Topic: [MILK] There were 12 eggs here what did you do with them? (Happy thread?!) (Read 14552095 times)