British Gurkhas?

[DeLiltMon 0]

If a Gurkha heard you call it a "big ass knife" he'd probably swiftly draw his Kukri, rush you and next thing you know you'd be staring at your trachea on the ground.  They've never been known to take prisoners; when asked, they smile.

He'd be more likely to laugh, they're not psychopathic knife wielding maniacs, they're trained soldiers

As for them never taking prisoners, I bet they have, they didn't go in and kill everyone in sight when they were in Kosovo did they?

[walker 0]

Hi all

The Gurkha's are selected from a Tibeto-Mongolians genetic stock Nepalese group who also claim cutural descent from the Rajputs, another famous warrior people who are well worth reading about. As well as the two battalions the UK takes from Nepal, India takes four battalions last I saw although the link below says they take six. Volunteers are put through very vigorous testing.

Last I checked the Gurkhas regularly won UK national army rifle shooting competition.

There is a picture of the famous curved blade, which must always take blood when drawn from its sheaf, in the link below. They cut there thumb with the blade to test it every time it is sharpened. If it is drawn in anger it is considered normal for it to take blood from the enemy. [Edit] as pointed out by Pathy this is a myth, one I was told by my great uncle who fought along side them in SE Asia [End Edit] .

They are good in jungles high altitudes cold and desert; comming as they do from areas of Rhodedendedron Forest Jungle and farming right up to the glaciers on the himalayan mountains they actualy live in all those environments.

Gurkhas won the right to live in the UK and to the same pension as other british soldiers this year a land mark case.

As usual Wiki is agood start for learning about the Gurkhas

Quote[/b] ]Gurkhas claim descent from the Rajputs of Northern India who entered modern-day Nepal from the west. They take their name from the warrior Hindu saint Guru Gorkhanath of the eighth century A.D.. Guru Gorkhanath had a Rajput prince-disciple, the legendary Bappa Rawal (real name Kalbhoj), founder of the house of Mewar, who became the first Gurkha and is the ancestor of the present Royal family of Nepal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghurka

Best place for info on the Gurkhas is from their UK Ministry of Defense site

http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/

Kind regards Walker

[Messiah 2]

Also will UKF have any Gurkhas?

nope... just put the cap badge on a maroon beret using the beret script and find some gurkha faces

[somebloke 0]

Didn't they recently pull off one of the last few successful bayonet charges in Iraq?

Ah, now that was just normal brit infantry. They bayoneted 23 people, with only 2 minor wounded brits (probably injured when trying to remove the bayonet after it snapped off).

[kevbaz 0]

Gurkhas were also involved in the Falklands War, they were given the task of taking a certain "hill" but the argies discoverd who was coming for them and promptly gave up withought a fight :P

[hellfish6 7]

When I was in Bahrain, the naval base had Ghurka PMCs that all wore their kukri. Very intimidating weapons... you didn't want to walk off base drunk when they were on gate duty.

[Bordoy 0]

Quote[/b] ]Gurkhas won the right to live in the UK and to the same pension as other british soldiers this year a land mark case.

That was last year, the rule was changed 30 Sept 2004

http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/hmfir.htm

[miles teg 1]

What is interesting about the Kukri is that it is curved downward for a reason.  It gives more leverage.  When using the knife you use wrist action as you slash with it.  This gives it a lot more slashing power due to the downward curve of the knife.  Also what is interesting is that against the British before they became allies, the Gurkha terrified the British soldiers by using the knife in a very unorthodox manner.  What they would do against bayonet equipped British troops is attack under their guard (if they held their rifles horizontally) and flip the knife so that it curved upward.  By attacking under the British soldier's defensive guard he would slash upward and disembowl the British soldier with an upward slash and upward wrist movement to pull the penetrating section of the blade back out of the victim's gut thus leaving an enormous gap in their belly through which their intestines would spill out easily.   All in all a horrible way to die, and a massive psychological blow against the enemy on the battlefield seeing their comrad's guts getting spilled out.

I can't remember where I read it, but it may have been an essay from Rudyard Kippling.  

At any rate...the Gurkhas also make the best curry known to mankind according to one British soldier I talked to.

"Ayo Gurkhali!!!"

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[Pathy 0]

Please, it´s not like me to be pedantic but when i see Lilty posting a link then people carrying on to post uninformed tosh and myth about the Ghurkas it gets my goat.

Link AGAIN

http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/history/Kukri_History.htm

Quote[/b] ]It is important to remember that the kukri is a tool of all work, at home in the hills and on active service it will be used for cutting wood, hunting and skinning, opening tins, clearing undergrowth and any other chore. From this it is plain there can be no truth in the belief that a Gurkha must draw blood every time before he may return the kukri to its sheath.

Quote[/b] ]

Associated Myths & Legends

The kukri has somehow produced a fertile crop of myths and legends in the western world; and the most impossibly wild amongst them are the most tenaciously believed.  Two already mentioned are that a kukri once drawn in whatever circumstances must taste blood before it is resheathed.  Also that a Gurkha, if he possibly can, will take careful aim through the symbolic “kaura†or notch and then hurl the weapon like a boomerang, snick off the enemy’s head and casually snatch the kukri out of the air as it returns.  If the first of these were true no Gurkha would survive to adulthood: He would lose pints of blood every day as he chopped wood, sharpened a wooden peg, opened a tin of beans and slashed down encroaching undergrowth.  After each task he would have to shed some of his own blood.  The second fails to stand the test of a little thought.  Much as anyone would hate to be in the path of a flung kukri, one would hate much more to oppose one in the hand of an angry Gurkha.

[DracoPaladore 0]

The bloodening one would make sense at least if it were true, but the boomorang one is rediculous. How could people even think these things

[miles teg 1]

Yeah basically the Kukri is a really cool machete (almost like an axe in some ways). In truth most soldiers end up using their combat knives as utility knives most of the time. I used my old double bladed trench knife in the military for cutting thin wire, stripping electrical wire, cutting rope, opening MRE's, opening plastic zip ties, etc... It's a great knife that has held up well even though its just a cheap pakistani made knife. Fortunately I never had to stick anyone with it.

What I wish they let me carry was my Indonesian Kris knife. Now thats a combat knife as it's designed exclusively for stabbing as well as for ritual purposes.

At any rate alot of the Gurkha I'm sure like to encourage those myths because it does give them a psychological advantage and scares the hell out of their enemy. Sadly, the Iraqi militants don't seem to intimidated. They've killed a whole bunch of Gurkhas working for private security companies.

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[SFWanabe 0]

I still prefer a K-Bar.

[Major Gripe 0]

I'd prefer not to get stabbed with either to be honest.

[Warden 0]

The Ghurka Regiments are Stationed In Catric in Yorkshire, it used to be a RAF base years ago when i lived on it, Phantoms i think.

The last Bayonet charge was during the falklands apparenlty, the last hill they took overlooking port arthur. (also the last VC till iraq? may be wrong)

My mates dad was a doctor in the navy, and they had some Ghurkas on board now as they where in the army they where hazed essentially, told to jump of the front of the ship and swim to the end of it. problem was they couldnt swim and didnt tell anyone!

[Bordoy 0]

The Ghurka Regiments are Stationed In Catric in Yorkshire, it used to be a RAF base years ago when i lived on it, Phantoms i think.  

The last Bayonet charge was during the falklands apparenlty, the last hill they took overlooking port arthur. (also the last VC till iraq? may be wrong)

My mates dad was a doctor in the navy, and they had some Ghurkas on board now as they where in the army they where hazed essentially, told to jump of the front of the ship and swim to the end of it. problem was they couldnt swim and didnt tell anyone!

ITC Catterick is an Infantry Training Centre, my brother is currently there training people.

The last bayonet charge was in the Iraq War.