List of military operations involving Gurkhas

Last updated

This is a list of operations carried out by the Brigade of Gurkhas (United Kingdom), Gurkha Contingent (Singapore), Gorkha regiments (India), and other Gurkha armies but not by the Nepal Army.

Contents

Asia

Men of the 2/9th Gurkha Rifles being instructed in the use of camouflage in the Malayan jungle, October 1941. The British Army in Malaya 1941 FE248.jpg
Men of the 2/9th Gurkha Rifles being instructed in the use of camouflage in the Malayan jungle, October 1941.

First Anglo-Sikh War (India, 1846)

After the Anglo-Gorkha war, a conflict arose between the British and Punjab. Both wanted to avoid conflict. However, after the death of Ranjit Singh, the ruler of Punjab, the Sikh army fought wars against the British. In 1845 the Sikhs invaded the British territory at Satluj. [1]

In December 1846, an inconclusive battle was fought at Ferozeshah, and in January 1846, the Sikhs attempted to cut the British lines of communication. To counter, the combined force of British, Indians, and Gurkhas was sent to intercept the Sikhs. The Sikhs were forced to retreat. The next month, a final battle was fought at Sobraon. Gurkha reinforcements from the Sirmoor and Nasiri Battalions took part in the battle. The Sikh army surrendered and peace agreement was reached in early March 1846. [2]

Siege of Delhi (India, 1857)

Siege of Delhi took place in June–September 1857. The troops from the British East India Company who had grievances against the British officers came to Delhi. To suppress the revolt, the antecedents of the modern Brigade of Gurkhas were called. After Delhi was recaptured, Queen's Truncheon was awarded to the battalion. Forces of the Nepalese Army also fought during the aggression that was sent by Jang Bahadur Rana to assist the British. [3]

Second Anglo-Afghan War (Afghanistan, 1878-1880)

The battalion of 2nd Gurkha Rifles fought in the northern village against the Afghans. After the war, Afghanistan came firmly under British influence. [4]

Boxer rebellion (China, 1900)

The Gurkhas fought against Chinese forces in the Boxer Rebellion to suppress the uprising against foreign influence in China. [5]

Third Anglo-Afghan War (Afghanistan, 1919)

British Indian government declared war upon Afghanistan on 6 May 1919. Gurkhas and Sikhs were sent to Landi Kotal for reinforcement.

Anglo-Iraqi War (Iraq, 1941)

On 18 April 1941, the 20th Indian Infantry Brigade landed at Basra with the 2nd battalion 8th Gurkha Rifles, 2nd battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles, and the 3rd battalion 11th Sikh Regiment. They fought at various cities in Iraq.

Battle of Jitra (Malaysia, 1941)

In 1941 Gurkha army was involved in a battle against the Japanese in Malaysia. The battle was lost, and all armies were transferred to Singapore.

Battle of Wadi Akarit (Tunisia, 1943)

The Battle of Wadi Akarit took place on April 5 and 6, 1943 at Wadi Akarit in Tunisia. The purpose of the battle was to assist the Allied forces. Gurkha army took part in the battle under the 4th Indian Division. Lalbahadur Thapa was awarded a VC in the battle for making a night assault at the Fatnassa Heights. [6]

Battle of Imphal (India, 1944)

Battle of Imphal was fought in Northern India in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur. The battle occurred from 12 March to 21 June 1944 between the British force and Japanese forces. Three battalions of the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles were involved in the battle. 184 were dead and 820 were wounded. The honour of Imphal was awarded to the Royal Gurkha Rifles, the antecedent regiment, after the battle. [7]

Brunei revolt (Brunei, 1962-1966)

The first battalion of 2nd KEO Gurkha Rifles was the first armed force used against the Brunei Revolt in December 1962. The troop was sent to Brunei in December via airdropping. The Gurkhas fought against the Indonesian Regular Army in Sabah and Sarawak. [8] The operation took four years in total. The campaign ended in 1966. In November 1965 that Rambahadur Limbu got Victoria Cross in the battle for attempting to rescue two wounded comrades. [9]

Battle of Sylhet (East Pakistan, 1971)

In 1971, 4/5 Gorkha Rifles from the Indian army took part in the Battle of Sylhet in East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh) against the Pakistani brigades. The operation lead to the surrender of the Pakistani brigades on 16 December 1971. [10]

Sri Lanka peacekeeping operation (Sri Lanka, 1987-1990)

On 1 October 1987, the 4/5 Gorkha Rifles from Indian Army were deployed as peacekeepers to Sri Lanka. However, there they had to fight against the rebels. The Gurkha army first rescued the 13 Sikh Light Infantry and a team of 10 Para-commando. After the rescue operation, LTTE attacked the Gurkha army and the long battle started. The operation continued up to 1990. During the period, the Indian army supplied arms to local Tamils to fight against LTTE and a portion of the Gurkha army was appointed to train them. Due to substantial damage, the Indian army had to retreat from the operation bringing back the Gurkha army from Sri Lanka. [11] [10] Prem Thapa was awarded Param Vir Chakra for leading the troop after the death of his superiors in one of the battle. [12]

South America

Falklands War (Argentina, 1982)

The Falklands War was fought in Argentina in 1982. [13] On 2 April 1982, Argentinian troops invaded the Falkland Islands which was controlled by the British Government. In response, a naval task force sailed to the island. In the battle, Gurkhas were assigned to take Mount William. The Argentine artillery aggression caused several injuries among the Gurkhas. All Argentine forces on the Falklands surrendered at the end of the war. [14]

Africa

North Africa (Arabia, 1943)

Gurkha forces fought in Arabia in North Africa attacking Turkish soldiers. Gurkhas were sent to hold the critical port of Tubrik when it fell; they became German prisoners where they faced loss. The remaining soldiers were sent to the mountain area to hold off the Germans. After the battle, Rommel's Africa Corps surrendered. [15]

Europe

Italy campaign (Italy, 1944)

The Gurkha forces were sent to Italy in May 1943, to prevent the Germans from advancing. Italy surrendered when the Allied troops invaded, but the German soldiers remained in the mountains of Italy. The Gurkhas reached Italy on 11 February 1944 as a part of the 4th Indian Division. They started an offensive on February 16 and 17. Both attacks were a failure, causing 20% casualties. On May 14 the Polish Division finally took the position. During the period, the Gurkhas managed to take several mountains while losing 4,000 men. [15]

Kosovo operation (Kosovo, 1999)

The British Gurkhas disarmed 70 fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army in a raid led by NATO. The Gurkha troops counterattacked after fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army started shooting at them in the Kacanik area. After the operation, the Kosovar fighters surrendered with their weapons. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigade of Gurkhas</span> British Army units composed of Gurkhas

Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The brigade draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that served for the East India Company. The brigade includes infantry, engineering, signal, logistic and training and support units. They are known for their khukuri, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade, and have a reputation for being fierce and brave soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurkha</span> Indian and Nepalese national soldiers

The Gurkhas or Gorkhas, with the endonym Gorkhali, are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Infantry Division (India)</span> Infantry division of the Indian Army

The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, it took part in campaigns in East Africa, Syria, North Africa and Italy. Post independence, the division is part of the I Corps and headquartered at Prayagraj.

Gurkhas are soldiers from Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)</span> Military unit

The 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India's independence in 1947. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Battalion, 8th Gorkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), where it exists to this day. As part of the British Army, the regiment served in Malaya, Hong Kong and Brunei until 1994 when it was amalgamated with the other three British Army Gurkha infantry regiments to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles. It is the only Gurkha regiment which did not have a khukuri on its cap badge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Gurkha Rifles</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United Kingdom nor a member of the Commonwealth.

The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles,, was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a number of changes in designation and composition. It took part in a number of campaigns on the Indian frontiers during the 19th and early 20th centuries, before fighting in the First World War, the Third Anglo-Afghan War and the Second World War. Following India's independence in 1947, the regiment was one of four Gurkha regiments to be transferred to the British Army. In the 1960s it was active in the Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation. It was amalgamated with the other three British Gurkha regiments to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)</span> Military Unit

1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), often referred to as the 1st Gorkha Rifles, or 1 GR in abbreviation, is the most senior Gorkha Infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally formed as part of the East India Company's Bengal Army in 1815, later adopting the title of the 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), however, in 1947, following the partition of India, it was transferred to the Indian Army and in 1950 when India became a Republic, it was redesignated as 1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment). The regiment has a long history and has participated in many conflicts, including many of the colonial conflicts prior to Indian independence, as well as the First and Second World Wars. Since 1947 the regiment has also participated in a number of campaigns against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 as well as undertaking peacekeeping duties as part of the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Gorkha Rifles</span> Indian Army infantry regiment

The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars and Gurung tribes. They were present at a number of actions and wars including the siege of Delhi in 1857 to the First and Second World Wars. After the Partition of India in 1947 the regiment was one of the six Gorkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army as part of the Tripartite Agreement signed between India, Nepal and Britain at the time of Indian independence. Prior to independence, the regiment was known as the 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles. In 1950 the regiment's title was changed to 3rd Gorkha Rifles. Since 1947 the regiment has participated in a number of conflicts including the 1947 and 1971 wars against Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Gorkha Rifles</span> Military unit

The 11 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army that was re-raised after independence. The regiment consists of primarily the Kirant Tribes Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, Sunuwar of Eastern Nepal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars of West Bengal, Sikkim and other parts of Northeast India. Though it is considered to be the youngest of the Gorkha regiments its lineage is as long as those of the 7th Gurkha Rifles and 10th Gurkha Rifles.

The Tripartite Agreement between the United Kingdom, India and Nepal is a treaty signed in 1947 concerning the rights of Gurkhas recruited in military services of United Kingdom and India. This agreement does not apply to Gurkhas employed in the Nepalese Army. Under the agreement, six of the ten Gurkha regiments remained as part of the Indian Army, while the remaining four joined the British Army. As of 2020, India has 39 Gorkha battalions serving in 7 Gorkha regiments. Those transferred to the British Army were posted to other remaining British colonies. In Malaya and Singapore, their presence was required in the Malayan Emergency, and they were to replace the Sikh unit in Singapore which reverted to the Indian Army on Indian independence. Those units in Malaya and Singapore, after these British colonies gained independence, are still part of Brunei and Singapore armed forces respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Indian Army unit

5th Gorkha Rifles, also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions served in the First World War (Mesopotamia) and Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles</span> Military unit

The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th Indian Infantry Division</span> Infantry Division of the Indian army during World War II

The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Invasion of Syria-Lebanon, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the North African Campaign, and the Italian Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorkha regiments (India)</span> Military unit of the Indian Army

Since the independence of India in 1947, as per the terms of the Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite Agreement, six Gorkha regiments, formerly part of the British Indian Army, became part of the Indian Army and have served ever since. The troops are mainly from ethnic Gurkha communities of India and Nepal. A seventh Gorkha Rifles regiment was re-raised in the Indian Army after Independence to accommodate Gorkha soldiers of the 7th Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Gurkha Rifles who chose not to transfer to the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Gorkha Rifles</span> Military unit

The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I and World War II, before being one of the six Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independence in 1947. Since then it has served in a number of conflicts including the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971. Today the 8th Gorkha Rifles is one of the most celebrated regiments of the Indian Army, having received numerous citations for bravery in the field of battle, and even producing one of the two field marshals of India, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, of the Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations</span> Part of the Allied Burma campaign in WWII

The Battle of Pakokku and Irrawaddy River operations were a series of battles fought between the British Indian Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and allied forces over the successful Allied Burma campaign on the China Burma India Theater during World War II. The battles and operations were instrumental in facilitating the eventual capture of Rangoon in summer 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">23rd Indian Infantry Division</span> Military unit

The 23rd Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Burma Campaign. It was then reformed as a division of the independent Indian Army in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Army during World War I</span> Military unit

The Indian Army, also called the British Indian Army, was involved in World War I as part of the British Empire. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurkha Reserve Unit</span> Nepalese elite special guard force in Brunei

The Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) is a Nepalese special elite guard force in the Sultanate of Brunei. It was formed in 1974 and maintains approximately 2,000 Gurkhas.

References

  1. ↑ "Gorkha & Sikh War - Government of Himachal Pradesh, India" . Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  2. ↑ "Gurkhas and the First Anglo-Sikh War". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  3. ↑ "Gurkhas and the Siege of Delhi". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  4. ↑ "Battle of Kandahar - Summary". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  5. ↑ "A History of the Gurkha Soldiers". WSJ. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  6. ↑ "Subedar Lalbahadur Thapa V.C. and the Battle of Wadi Akarit". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  7. ↑ Latter, Mick (2019-06-21). "2 Royal Gurkha Rifles Imphal Day" (Text). Welcome to the Gurkha Brigade Association. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  8. ↑ Latter, Mick (2013-03-26). "Borneo – The Brunei Revolt and Confrontation with Indonesia" (Text). Welcome to the Gurkha Brigade Association. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  9. ↑ "The Brunei Revolt and The Borneo Confrontation". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  10. 1 2 "Fighting for India in a foreign land". The Indian Express. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  11. ↑ "Last Indian Troops Leave Sri Lanka : Peacekeeping: Nearly three years of fighting failed to crush Tamil separatists. It was a hard lesson for New Delhi". Los Angeles Times. 1990-03-25. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  12. ↑ "श्रीलङ्कामा तमिल विद्रोहीसँग लडेका नेपाली: कसैलाई वीरचक्र, कसैलाई जीवनभरिका लागि चोट". BBC News नेपाली. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  13. ↑ "Gurkhas and the Falklands War". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  14. ↑ Latter, Mick (2020-04-02). "On This Day in 1982 Argentinian troops invaded The Falkland Islands" (Text). Welcome to the Gurkha Brigade Association. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  15. 1 2 Elijah Wohl. From Pokhara to Kandahar: The Two HundredYear Journey of the Force That Made Nepal Famous. SIT Study Abroad.
  16. ↑ Watt, Nicholas; Norton-Taylor, Richard (1999-06-15). "Gurkhas disarm KLA guerrillas". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2021-10-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.