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Lachhiman Gurung VC (Nepali: लाछिमान गुरुङ; 30 December 1917 – 12 December 2010) [2] was a Nepalese–British Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
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.
Nepali soldiers; drawing by Gustave Le Bon, 1885 Monument to the Gurkha Soldier in Horse Guards Avenue, outside the Ministry of Defence, City of Westminster, London A khukuri, the signature weapon of the Gurkhas Kaji (equivalent to Prime Minister of Gorkha Kingdom) Vamshidhar "Kalu" Pande and Chief of the Gorkhali Army; one of the most highly decorated Gorkhali commanders
Until that time the highest award that Gurkhas were eligible for was the Indian Order of Merit. Since 1911 however, of the 16 VCs awarded to men serving with Gurkha regiments, 13 have been bestowed on native Gurkhas. [3] The most recent award was made in 1965 to Rambahadur Limbu, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. [3]
Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. [3] 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 . [ 4 ]
Men of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles inspect a captured German 75mm anti-tank gun near San Clemente, Italy, 8 September 1944. The 43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade, also called the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade or the 43rd Gurkha Lorried Infantry Brigade, was an infantry brigade of the Indian Army during World War II.
Gurkha soldiers march through Kure, Japan as part of the allied occupation force. When Japan went to war with the United Kingdom in December 1941, the British presence was threatened in the Indian subcontinent. Britain deployed its troops in India to the Burma front. Nepalese battalions – Arpan Chapai, Sher, Kali Bahadur and Jagannath - were ...
During the war, the Gurkha regiments raised a further two battalions each, while the Indian regiments raised up to fifteen each. Two further regiments (the Assam Regiment and the Burma Regiment) were created during the war. The Indian Army started World War II underprepared and short of modern weapons and equipment. [5]