Gurkhas in the Second World War. Gurkhas

All of us, at least once in our lives, have thought about whether our nationality is included in some top or ranking of the most, most. Now we will check it! :

The most drinking nation in the world

So: This is surprising, but according to OECD data, the residents of Lithuania turned out to be the heaviest drinkers, although each of us was sure that no one would surpass the Russians and Germans in this matter.

Austrians, Estonians and Czechs sat comfortably behind them. Russia ended up only in fifth place.

The most non-drinkers were Indonesians, as well as Turks, Indians and Israelis.

The most beautiful nation in the world

We have already introduced you to the most beautiful nation in the world in the post..... .

The ugliest nation

The ugliest The nation is, perhaps, the Jews; it just so happened historically that for the sake of procreation, for centuries they were forced to intermarry with close relatives. Here's the result. Also on this list are the Germans and the British.

The most powerful nation

Many consider the inhabitants of the Caucasus, as well as Russians and South Africans, to be the most powerful nation in the world. It is among these nationalities that there are a lot of athletes who take prizes.

The most ancient nation on the planet these are the Bushmen tribes living in Namibia and Botswana. Following them are Jews, Chinese and Armenians.

It is very difficult to judge the youngest nation; here we can talk more about a young country, because even any new country inhabit long-established nations.

The smartest nation in the world

As for the smart nation, then the controversy here still does not subside. More than five contenders are vying for the blanket, including Jews, Japanese, Armenians, British and Chinese.

The Montenegrins and Dutch are rightfully considered the highest nation, followed by the Danes, Norwegians and Serbs.

The shortest nation these are Kets living on the banks of the Yenisei. Following them in terms of stunting are residents of Asia and the Philippines.

The largest in number, of course, are the Chinese and Indians.
The smallest in number of the most famous are the Japanese, as well as the inhabitants of the smallest islands, where people belong to small ethnic groups. Fiji, Malta, etc.

The happiest are the inhabitants of tropical islands (ha, that's understandable), of which the inhabitants of Fiji are the happiest, followed by the Nigerians, Norwegians and Swiss.
The most unfortunate are the Romanians, Palestinians and Serbs.

Sexiest Nation

The sexiest nation. Here the data is quite contradictory. And yet in all the lists there are quite famous representatives cult of sex. These are, of course, Turks, Spaniards, Italians and Germans. (The latter, by the way, are famous for their production of porn films).

The Japanese are recognized as the most unsexual nation, who simply have no time to indulge in love due to being overly busy.

The healthiest nation

The healthiest nation in the world are the Japanese with their correct eating and living habits. Residents of Singapore and residents of Scandinavian countries can also be classified as healthy nations.

The sickest, of course, are the residents of America, where mortality exceeds all imaginable limits.
Most cruel nation here we can perhaps name those who often appear in wars against other nations, who organize terror and kill their own. Here I think everyone has heard of these groups.

Most Reading Nation

I present to you the five most reading nations in the world:
1. India 10.7 hours per week.
2. Thailand 9.4 hours per week.
3. China 8.0 hours per week.
4. Philippines 7.6 hours per week.
5. Egypt 7.5 hours per week.

Richest nation

Among the richest nations you can see are the Swiss, Japanese, Danes and the Netherlands.
The poorest nations are the inhabitants of Haiti, Burundi and Moldova.
The cleanest nation you can probably call the Germans
Nothing can be said for sure about the dirtiest nation. Some sources say that they are British, some that they are Arabs, others even refer to Russians.
The most cunning nation these are the Chinese and the Jews.
And the British are considered the most honest and decent.

The laziest nation is, of course, the French, with their daydreaming and passion for lying in bed. You can also add Americans and Spaniards with their siestas to this list.

The most hardworking nation you can safely consider the Japanese and Koreans.

The most brave nation, these are, perhaps, Russians, Chechens and residents of Central Asia.
As for the top of the cowardly nation, hardly anyone would dare to make a rating.

The list of the most depraved nations includes the Swiss, Brazilians, Mexicans, Spaniards, Greeks, Malaysians, as well as the Dutch.

The most complete (with overweight) nation these are the Mexicans, then the USA and Syria.

The slimmer nation you can safely count Africans, Japanese and Chinese.

The kindest nation in the world these are New Zealanders. The Japanese and Canadians are also considered peace-loving.
Well, the reddest nations are, of course, the Scots, Irish and English.

For me, as for many, it is no secret that the largest number of people live in China. However, I got to thinking: are the Chinese the largest people? Perhaps the country is multinational, and the share of Chinese is modest and inferior to neighboring Hindustani?

Largest nations of the world

Large nations are those that number more than 1 million people. Today there are just over 300 known such peoples. If you put them together, you get about 96% of the total population of the planet. I won’t talk about everything, but I’ll name the top five by number:

1. Chinese (1,294 million, compactly concentrated in East Asia).
2. Hindustani (1,041 million, concentrated in South Asia).
3. Bengalis (288 million, concentrated in South Asia).
4. Americans (USA) (217 million, concentrated in Anglo-America (USA)).
5. Brazilians (175 million, concentrated in Latin America).

Chinese (Han)

It is worth clarifying that we are talking about the Han people. By “Chinese” we most often mean all the peoples of China. So it is the Han who are the leaders in numbers in the world. In fact, almost every fifth person on the planet is a member of the Han people. In their native China they account for 92%. This nation also dominates Republic of China(98%), in Hong Kong (95%), in Macau (92%), in Singapore (76.8%), in Taiwan (98%). In general, 81% of Huaqiao live in Asia. The remaining representatives of the nationality are located in North America(14.51%), in Europe (2.6%), in Oceania (1.5%) and even in Africa, specifically in South Africa (0.3%).

Hindustani

The Chinese are from China, and where are the Hindustanis from? From Hindustan? I have not heard of such a country. In fact, this nationality is Hindi-speaking Indians. This is the largest population of India. The people settled in Asia quite compactly: India, Pakistan, Nepal.

Bengalis

The same question with the Bengalis as with the Hindustanis: where are they from? The people make up the main population of Indian states such as Tripura and West Bengal, in the Ganges delta, as well as Bangladesh. Representatives of Bengalis live in Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Singapore, Pakistan, USA, UK and other countries.

Time: autumn 1814. Place: Nepal. Ninety kilometers north of the Kathmandu Valley. The small Gurkha principality of Gorkha. More recently, its ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah, having won bloody battles, united the fragmented principalities and became the king of Nepal.

At this time, India was already completely under the rule of the British East India Company. She reigns supreme. Sometimes by cunning, sometimes by bribery, sometimes by force with the help of the army, it captures almost the entire Hindustan and moves east along the Himalayan ridge. Almost no one is seriously resisting British troops anywhere. They only know the taste of victory and they are used to running easily.

The territorial conflict that arose with tiny Nepal did not seriously worry anyone at first. However, the British do not intend to cede the territories under their control to anyone. In addition, the East India Company is tempted by the prospect of conquering yet another additional country. The British decide to quickly and mercilessly deal with the enemy and suppress his possible claims.

Indestructible and legendary

For this purpose, the British send 30 thousand soldiers.

They are opposed by the Nepalese armed forces, the backbone of which is the Gurkha people, numbering 14 thousand people. They only have 4 thousand rifles and pistols. In addition, there are several more unreliable light guns, the age of which has exceeded two centuries. The rest of the weapons are only . But the mountaineers have excellent knowledge of the terrain and know how to fight in the mountains, and have experience in war against an enemy of superior strength.

And here's the first one big battle this war. A war that would last until 1816 and would be called the Gurkha War.

An eyewitness wrote about the combat training of the Nepalese: “Fast and flexible like monkeys, brave like lions, angry like tigers, sinewy and short, they jumped into the attack, moving quickly and maintaining such a distance between themselves that our muskets were useless against them. . Once nearby, they suddenly crouched down, ducked under the bayonets and struck their kukris straight up, cutting our soldiers with one blow, and then retreated as quickly as they came.”

And he adds: “Many died at the hands of these few opponents. They chopped and cut our soldiers with razor-sharp knives, and they themselves often jumped out unharmed from the palisade of our bayonets. And then they quickly slipped under the belly of the officer’s horse, ripping it open with one instant blow of their curved knife, and while the officer and his horse were falling, he, already on the other side, hit the officer in the leg.”

The British suffered a crushing defeat in this battle. And in subsequent hostilities, the Gurkhas successfully resisted the British troops. Without winning English manual negotiations began.

Nepal, without becoming a protectorate of the British Crown, remained an independent state.

And brave, courageous, persistent and loyal Nepalese warriors began to be hired to serve in the British army. Initially, preference was given to natives of the Gurkha province, but later they began to accept representatives of other nationalities of Nepal. Moreover, interestingly, in relation to the Gurkhas, the British did not use the word “mercenary”.

Modernity and the Gurkhas

The Gurkhas became especially famous in the twentieth century. Nature has endowed them with a low pain threshold, short stature, broad chest, dark skin, making them invisible in the twilight of the terrain, and life in the mountains has made them fantastically resilient and strong.

In Gurkha families, boys are taught with early age the martial art of “kukri”, the same name as the legendary curved knife. A child receives a kukri knife at the age of five. And he doesn’t part with it all his life.

This is the traditional weapon of the Gurkha, which gave him the glory of the bravest of brave warriors: after all, you can shoot at the enemy from a distance, but you can only use a knife face to face with the enemy.

A short story about their courage and fearlessness. They say that once volunteers were selected from among the soldiers. airborne assault. We talked about the plane's flight altitude. The third group volunteered to step forward. It turned out that the Nepalese did not know about parachutes and intended to land without them.

One British field marshal said that if anyone claims that he is not afraid of death, then he is either a liar or a Gurkha.

And here is an example of their highest military discipline. During the war, when they crossed the English Channel and landed in Normandy, the order was given to jump into the waters of the strait. There was no one who disobeyed the order. Everyone jumped. But the inhabitants of the mountains, for the most part, did not know how to swim...

For almost two hundred years, Nepalese have been fighting for Great Britain, serving it faithfully, protecting and preserving the lives of its citizens, and giving their own if necessary. There are many graves of Nepalese warriors scattered around the world.

During the First and Second World Wars they fought bravely German soldiers, who were considered one of the best. Germans with panic horror they talked about dark-skinned short Asians who, without bending down, walk straight towards machine guns and never retreat. And those who, having survived machine-gun fire, burst into the trenches, hand-to-hand combat They give no mercy to anyone, letting their terrible curved knives enter.

And during the Falklands War in 1982, the Argentines, having heard that a Gurkha brigade was arriving on the island, threw down their weapons and surrendered in units.

Now Nepalese serve, in addition to their homeland, in the armies of Great Britain, India, and the Singapore police.

British troops pay tribute to their Nepalese colleagues serving alongside them. 13 Gurkhas awarded the Victoria Cross - the most high award for military valor in Great Britain. Of these, the most famous is Havildar Lakhiman Gurung. He fought in 1945 in Burma. The battle was just beginning when a grenade hit his trench, followed by two more. The brave warrior managed to throw two of them back, but did not have time to throw the last one, and it exploded, depriving him right hand. The seriously wounded soldier continued the fight for another four hours, shooting and reloading his rifle with his left hand.

These are the proud, independent, loyal, brave, strong sons of Nepal - the Gurkhas, who glorified their country and people.

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Royal Gurkha Fusiliers sergeant with kukri knife, Afghanistan

When we discussed with you on the blog, I mentioned there about the Gurkhas (in some readings Gurkhas), Nepalese commandos serving in the British Army. It was thanks to the Gurkhas that khukri became widely known in Europe and then in America.

And now I came across it on the resource http://warspot.ru/, which I would offer you for study and discussion. So …

200 years ago, in January 1815, in armed forces ah British East India Company The first units staffed by Gurkhas appeared. These Nepalese mountain tribes traditionally occupied a niche in South Asia reserved in Europe for the Swiss mercenary infantry and German landsknechts. The Gurkhas, known for their iron discipline, courage and loyalty to the oath, have since taken part in almost all armed conflicts UK. Nowadays, there are units of these fearless Himalayan mountaineers in the armies of other countries.

And now more details...

Origin

Gurkhas – code name a group of peoples (Jats) of Tibetan and Indian origin inhabiting the foothills of the Nepalese Himalayas. In addition, large communities of Gurkha tribesmen in last decades appeared in the regions of India bordering Nepal.

These are short, strong mountaineers, distinguished by amazing endurance and fearlessness. Gurkhas are born warriors who never part with their famous kukri knives. From time immemorial, their craft was military labor: they were hired by squads to the rajas in lowland India.

In the 18th century, they were united in a military alliance by the Rajputs who fled from the Great Mughals. Led by the ruler of the Principality of Gorkha (hence the name “Gurkhas”) Prithvi Narayan, they conquered the Kathmandu Valley and created modern Nepal. The dynasty of Narayan's descendants ruled the country until the overthrow of the monarchy in 2008. In Nepal itself, mountaineers serving in foreign armies are traditionally called “lahure” - even before the arrival of the British in India, the main “mercenary market” of the subcontinent was located in Lahore, Pakistan.

There are eight tribes in total from which Gurkhas can be recruited.

The Gurungs and Magars live in the mountains of the Midwest of Nepal (in fact, the indigenous territory of the Gorkha principality). The Gurung language is closest to Tibetan. The Magars experienced a stronger Indian influence - to the point that they stopped eating beef.

Gurungs in national clothes to Kathmandu

The Kirati are the original inhabitants of eastern Nepal. They are usually divided into paradise and limba, the border between which is the river Arun. They look more Mongoloid than the Gurungs and Magars; they also speak languages ​​of the Tibeto-Burman group, but their languages ​​are closer to the dialects of Assam than to Tibetan.

Rai's neighbors are the Sunwars, a small tribe related to the Magars who moved to eastern Nepal. All these tribes are formally Hindus, but at the same time elements of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) and shamanism are widespread among them.

Tamang village in Nepal

The Gurkhas also include the Tamangs living north of Kathmandu and the descendants of immigrants from India - the Brahmin Thakurs and Kshatriya Chetris. But out of these three jats military service is gaining much fewer people. For example, the 2010 selection data:

• Magars – 21%;
• paradise – 20%;
• Gurungs – 18%;
• limbu – 15%;
• chetri – 7%;
• Tamang - 6%.

In the service of the British colonial empire

The history of Nepalese Highlanders serving Britain began during the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–1816, when the British were amazed at the fighting qualities of the Gurkhas they opposed, including their ability to quickly learn from their enemies. Already during the war, on January 24, 1815, the British commander, Major General David Ocherlony (a North American who chose to remain British), ordered the recruitment of Gurkhas from among the prisoners.

In February 1815, the first unit (the Sirmour Battalion) of 800 Gurkhas was created under the command of Lieutenant Friedrich Young, and in April the Nasiri Battalion led by Lieutenant Peter Louth. It was his night attack on April 14, 1815 at the Battle of Malaun that marked the beginning of the Gurkha service British Empire. By the end of the war, 5,000 Gurkhas had already fought in the ranks of Ocherloni’s army.

The peace treaty following the war included an article that monopolized the British East India Company's right to recruit Gurkhas for military service.

Earliest famous photograph Gurkhas (Mussor Battalion) circa 1858

In the service of the East India Company, Gurkhas fought in the wars with the Sikhs. During the Mutiny they remained loyal to the British and became part of the British Indian Army from its inception. Gurkhas fought in Burma, Malaya, Cyprus, China, Tibet, and participated in all Afghan wars and guarded the northwestern border of British India.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, during the reforms of the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army Kitchener, numerous Gurkha units were consolidated into 10 regiments of two-battalion Gurkha riflemen, which by 1947 had the following names:

• 1st King George V's Own (Malaun Regiment)
• 2nd King Edward VII's Own (Sirmoor Fusiliers)
• Queen Alexandra's 3rd own
• 4th Prince of Wales's own
• 5th Royal (Border Force)
• Princess Mary's 10th own

Painting depicting a battle between Gurkhas and Pashtuns on the northwestern frontier of British India in 1920

The system of military ranks in the Gurkha regiments was similar to that adopted in the British Indian Army:

• Privates: shooter.
• Non-commissioned officers: lance-naik, naik, havildar, company quartermaster-havildar.
• Warrant officers: company havildar major, regimental havildar major.
• Vice-regal officers(that is, their officer's patent was signed not by the king/queen, but by the Viceroy of India): jemadar, subedar, subedar major.

Jemadars and subedars usually served as platoon commanders and second-in-commands, and the subedar major was the advisor to the senior British officer. The Gurkhas could not advance higher. Unless upon retirement, those who particularly distinguished themselves had the opportunity to receive the rank of honorary lieutenant or captain. The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, which in the 20s gave Indians the opportunity to occupy full-fledged officer positions, did not apply to the Gurkha regiments.

In total, by the start of the Second World War, Gurkhas made up 14% of the personnel of the British Indian Army.

Gurkhas in France during the First World War

Gurkhas fought in both world wars. During World War II, their regiments were expanded to four battalions. On the initiative of the King of Nepal, three more regiments were formed. In addition, two Gurkha parachute battalions were created. Gurkhas also fought in the ranks of the Chindit special forces that carried out raids into Japanese-occupied Burma.

In total, more than 52,000 Gurkhas fell on the fronts of the two World Wars, almost 5,000 received various military awards. Gurkha regiment personnel received 25 Victoria Crosses, but 13 of these were awarded to British officers. The first of the "real" Gurkhas of the highest military award Great Britain awarded the rifleman Kulbir Thapa from the 2nd battalion of the 3rd regiment, who distinguished himself in the fall of 1915 in France.

Gurkhas march on Japanese city Kobe, 1946

How Britain and India divided the Gurkhas

When the British left India, the question arose about the fate of the Gurkhas. The Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, bombarded London with proposals to create “something like Foreign Legion in His Majesty's service."

Negotiations on the division of the Gurkha units between India and Britain, despite Nehru's public rants about his concern about the use of the Gurkhas "in the interests of the colonial regime and the suppression of national liberation movements", were successful. On August 8, 1947, a week before Indian independence, the division of Gurkha units between the two armies was announced.

The British received four regiments (2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th), the remaining six went to India. At the same time, a referendum was held in 4 regiments that were going to the British. Of the soldiers of these regiments who did not want to stay in british army, On January 1, 1948, the 11th Gurkha Rifles Regiment was formed. It is curious that all Gurkha Victoria Cross recipients chose the Indian Army for further service.

In order to stipulate the issues of further service of the Gurkhas, Britain, India and Nepal signed a trilateral agreement in Kathmandu on November 9, 1947. Its main provisions were:

• A Gurkha recruits as a Nepalese citizen, serves and retires as a Nepalese citizen.
• The fulfillment and maintenance of all Hindu religious vows are ensured for the Gurkhas.
• Gurkhas in foreign armies receive pay at the same level as ordinary army soldiers.
• Once every three years, Gurkhas receive extended (up to five months) leave to travel to Nepal.
• Gurkhas are fully integrated into the army and are considered part of it.
• The ban on the use of Gurkhas “against Hindus” was specifically stipulated.

Every 10 years the parties may sign additional protocol, clarifying certain provisions of the contract. This usually referred to the number of recruits per year. The latest protocol, signed in May 2007, increased the pension of Gurkha retirees threefold - before that, they received a third of the pension of an ordinary British soldier upon retirement or indian army. Also, the 2007 agreement allowed the recruitment of women.

Gurkha attack during fighting in Tunisia in 1943

Recruitment

Since 1953, Britain has been recruiting Gurkhas in Nepal. Recruitment centers are located in Pokhara (formerly Paklikhawa) and Dharan. A third recruitment center was recently established in Kathmandu for Gurkha children living in the capital region.

The selection process takes place annually from September to December. The requirements for candidates are as follows: age from 17 and a half to 22 years, height not less than 160 cm, weight not less than 50 kg, chest circumference not less than 79 cm, education at least six grades, good health. At the first stage, from 10–11 thousand applicants, from 800 to a thousand people are selected and called to recruitment centers.

Selection in Pokhara

There, for 17 days, candidates undergo a medical examination and interview, take exams in English and mathematics, and pass strength and endurance tests. Based on their results, 250 people are selected in December: 170 for the British Army, 80 for the Singapore Armed Forces.

Those who pass the selection will undergo 9 months of training at the brigade training center at Catterick garrison in North Yorkshire. For the first 11 weeks, recruits are locked up in barracks while undergoing general military training. This is followed by a 9 week educational course– Gurkhas are taken out into the city, explained how to live in Western society, and taken on excursions to London and other historical places. After this, a 19-week special combat course takes place. Shown best ratings in mathematics they are sent to serve as signalmen and engineers. All servicemen of rifle battalions undergo parachute training.

Gurkhas serve in the British Army for at least 5 years. The maximum service period is 30 years, and to receive a pension you must serve at least 15 years. Gurkhas receive their first home leave after three years services. Since 2004, military personnel who have served at least four years, were given the right to claim British citizenship.

As part of the British Army

Since the mid-90s, all Gurkha units of the British army have been consolidated into one two-battalion regiment - the Royal Gurkha Rifles. It also has squadron-sized auxiliary units - signalmen, engineers, logistics. The total number of Gurkha units is 3640 people.

Regimental Chief Prince Charles awards Gurkhas upon their return from Afghanistan

Since 1948, the Gurkhas switched to standard military ranks British Army, with the exception of the category of vice-regal officers. They became known as lieutenant (Royal Gurkha officer), captain (RGO) and major (RGO). The Royal Gurkha Officer's Certificate was issued after completing a short course at Sandhurst without the right to command in non-Gurkha units. Only in 2007, these patents were abolished, and Gurkha officers were equal to ordinary British officers.

By the beginning of the 60s, British officers in the Gurkha units remained only at the level of battalion and regiment commanders. In recent decades, at least two Gurkhas have risen to the rank of battalion commander.

The Royal Gurkha Fusiliers are headquartered at Airfield Camp near Netheravon in Wiltshire. One battalion is based at Shorncliffe near Folkeston in Kent, the second is based in Seria (Sultanate of Brunei). Battalion rotation occurs every three years.

In the 40s and 50s, the Gurkhas actively participated in the war against communist rebels in Malaya, and in the 60s in the confrontation with Indonesia in Borneo. It was there that the Gurkhas received their only Victoria Cross after World War II: in 1965, Corporal Rambahadur Limbu of the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Regiment distinguished himself.

Gurkhas with captured guerrillas in Borneo, early 60s

In 1982, the 7th Gurkha Regiment went to the Falklands - it did not really have time to take part in battles, but the British actively used the image of “bloodthirsty highlanders who despise death” in psychological warfare against Argentine conscripts.

In the 90s, Gurkhas participated in peacekeeping operations in former Yugoslavia, in East Timor, in Sierra Leone, and already in our century they returned to Iraq and Afghanistan. During the last Afghan campaign The Gurkha regiment lost 6 soldiers.

Gurkhas in Afghanistan

Corporal Deep Prasad Pun became the first Gurkha to be awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. On the night of September 17, 2010, he single-handedly repelled a Taliban attack on a post in Helmand province, killing 12 of the attackers.

In the service of India

Recruitment centers for the Gorkhas of the Indian Army are located in India itself - in Gorakhpur and Darjeeling. The requirements for candidates and selection procedures on paper are similar to the British ones. The selection is carried out twice a year - in spring and autumn.

Every year, 1000–1500 people are selected from 13–15 thousand applicants. At the same time, priority is officially given to the sons and brothers of those who served in this regiment. As a result, real military dynasties have developed, numbering up to five generations, when father, son, grandson, etc. served in the same platoon of the same regiment.

It is also typical for Indian regiments that individual Gorkha Jats serve in specific regiments. Thus, the 5th and 8th regiments are formed from Gurungs and Magars, the 9th from Thakurs and Chetris, and the 11th from Rais and Limbu.

Gorkha training with kukri

Selected recruits are sent to training centers Gorkha regiments - in Varanasi, Lucknow, Shillong and Sabatu (Himachal Pradesh) near Simla, where they are undergoing a 42-week intensive course training in which great attention focuses on training in jungle warfare and counterinsurgency operations. After this, the Gorkhas take an oath of allegiance to the Regiment and the Country, where, among other things, they undertake not to raise arms against India even after resignation. Minimum term The service of the Indian Gorkhas is the same as in the British units - 5 years, but the maximum is longer - 35.

Presentation of consecrated kukris

In 1949, the word "Gurkha" in the name of Indian regiments was replaced by the word "Gorkha". After the proclamation of the republic in 1950, the word “royal” and all indications of connections with the British monarchs disappeared from the names of the regiments.

Currently, the Indian Army has 7 Gorkha Rifles regiments - 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 11th. Each regiment has 5-6 battalions - a total of 39. About 40 thousand military personnel serve in them, which is 4% of total number Indian Army personnel. Operationally, the regiments operate as battalions within different brigades of the Indian Army.

Gurkhas of the Indian Army in parade formation

The officers in the Gorkha units are mainly Indians; Gurkhas usually occupy the positions of junior officers and lieutenants. However, there are no fundamental obstacles to career advancement. IN present moment The Indian Army has two brigadiers and one major general from among the Gurkhas.

Gorkha regiments actively participated in all Indian wars and various peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the UN.

Gurkhas of the 11th Regiment with captured Stingers in Kargil, 1999

Three Gurkhas have been awarded India's highest military award, the Paramvir Chakra. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment is the most decorated unit of the Indian Army.

In other countries

In addition to Britain and India, Gurkhas serve in a number of other countries.

The Gurkha contingent of the Singapore Police Force is their shock force. He played decisive role in maintaining social and interethnic peace in Singapore in the 60s and 70s. The architect of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, in his autobiography explained the decision to create a Gurkha unit by saying that the Chinese could not be allowed to shoot at the Malays or the Malays at the Chinese. Therefore, a neutral force was needed to maintain order. As leftists like to write, "Gurkhas guard Singaporean despotism."

Singapore Gurkhas on parade

Today, the Gurkha contingent is Singapore's counter-terrorism unit and security force, protecting state leaders and key facilities. He also represents the country in peacekeeping operations. The number of Gurkhas in Singapore is 1850 people (13% of the total police force). On at the moment all officers in the units are Gurkhas. Only the commander, by tradition, is a retired British officer.

The Gurkha Reserve Unit of the Royal Brunei Police plays approximately the same role as the “Praetorian Guard”. It numbers about two thousand people and is formed from veterans of British and Singaporean units.

Brunei Gurkhas

Many Gurkhas, due to the long deployment of the British Army's Gurkha battalions in Hong Kong, settled in this city. Gurkhas also serve in various international private military companies, which, among other things, guard the American base in Bahrain and the American embassy in Kabul.

In the foreseeable future, squat soldiers with impenetrable dark faces and cold eyes, fearlessly attacking with the battle cry “Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali!” (“Glory to the Great Kali, the Gurkhas are coming!”) are unlikely to disappear from the battlefield. Despite the periodically expressed opinion that the days of the Gurkhas are over, and their regiment itself is an anachronism for the British army, the British still continue to hire them, considering them perhaps the best infantrymen in the world. For poor Nepal, the Gurkhas, by apt expression journalists are one of the main export items.