Gurkha
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Gurkhas are Nepalese soldiers in the service of the British Army and the Indian Armed Forces , in which they form their own associations and units. The army of Brunei with the “Gurkha Reserve Unit” as well as the police of Singapore with the “Gurkha Contingent” have Gurkhas.
The British and Singaporeans recruit their Gurkhas together, mainly from mountain tribes of Tibetan Burman origin ( Gurung , Magar , Tamang , Limbu , Rai ). The Indians also accept other Nepali ethnic groups.
history
The protectorate treaty of 1816 with the Kingdom of Gorkha (present-day Nepal ) gave Great Britain the right to recruit Nepali mercenaries for the army of the British East India Company and later the British Indian Army. The English name "Gurkhas" is derived from this. The Gurkhas were considered tough and frugal and fought in many parts of the Empire , in the First World War for. B. also in the trenches of Champagne .
In the period that followed, Gurkha warriors fought in the service of the United Kingdom in every British war. Over time, ten standing Gurkha battalions emerged, most of which were stationed in India. Most of these Gurkha came from the Magar and Gurung tribes, but there were also Sunuwars and Rais from the east of Nepal and from Khasa in the west. The necessary contingents for the respective wars were withdrawn from these Gurkha troops and sent to the war zone, for example in 1903, when Gurkha units were deployed in Somalia.
Use in the world wars
When the First World War broke out, a rapid and comprehensive increase in the British army could only take place via the colonial armies. For the first time since the Sepoy uprising , larger numbers of Gurkhas were recruited again. At the end of the war, 114,000 Gurkhas, almost all of the war-ready male population, were fighting on the side of the United Kingdom. Above all, these were used against the Ottomans , but also fought on the Western Front in France and on remote fronts such as Afghanistan , where uprisings broke out as a result of the war, and the British could not spare any other troops to suppress them.
The 8th Gurkha Rifles in Flanders , who fought against a superior German division and single-handedly halted its offensive, stood out in particular . In the process, however, the association was wiped out because no one surrendered and there was no desertion. The 6th Gurkha Rifles were the only allied association that managed to break into the Turkish lines on the hills near Gallipoli and to hold one of these hills against the most massive Turkish counter-attacks.
Two Gurkhas received the Victoria Cross in the First World War : Kulbir Thapa in November 1915 for a mission in France and Karnabahadur Rana in June 1918 for a mission in Egypt.
In the years before the Second World War , the Gurkha troops maintained its rule in many parts of the British Empire, as the United Kingdom was very weakened by the previous war and only a small number of professional soldiers was maintained.
During the Second World War, the number of Gurkha soldiers deployed rose to 250,000, a total of 45 battalions were set up, which were mainly deployed against Japan . Their missions in Burma and Malaysia showed that the Gurkhas were excellent jungle fighters. They were used in North Africa , Italy , Malaya and the Chindits in Burma , among others . The Gurkhas were also used in Africa, Tunisia, Greece and Italy, where they proved themselves several times against German elite associations. The best known is the Battle of Monte Cassino , where the British, knowing that German paratroopers were present, put the Gurkhas in the lead. Ten Gurkhas were awarded the Victoria Cross .
Operations after 1945
With the partition of India and its independence, the remaining Gurkha associations were divided between India and the United Kingdom. With the 2nd, 8th, 7th (which actually consists of two battalions) and 10th battalion, the British received five Gurkha infantry battalions. These each bear the name Gurkha Rifles . There are also support units, such as their own telecommunications and transport units. The six Gurkha battalions (renamed Gorkhas) taken over by the Indian Army soon fought against Pakistan in the Kashmir conflict and also proved themselves there. The Gurkhas also stood on the Indian side in the Indo-Chinese border war . Today around 40,000 Nepali serve in Gorkha units in the Indian army.
On the British side, the Gurkhas fought in the colonial wars that followed World War II because they had proven themselves as jungle fighters. All associations fought in Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia and Sarawak . Gurkhas were also used as blue helmets in the Cyprus conflict for the first time , albeit in small numbers. During the fighting for Sarawak, Gurkha Ram Bahadur Limbu was awarded the 13th Victoria Cross for the Gurkhas in a century. After the collapse of the British Empire, most of the British Gurkha units were moved to a camp near Hong Kong, where the Gurkha Field Force , which was ultimately the size of a brigade with four battalions, stood until it was dissolved and handed over to the Chinese . A Gurkha battalion was then stationed at Aldershot in England and trained as a paratrooper unit and reinforced the 16th Air Assault Brigade .
After the Falklands War, the discussion arose in the United Kingdom as to whether these relics from the past should still be afforded. After all, the main task is peacekeeping and the Gurkhas are simply no longer modern in terms of their attitude and skills. In addition, they caused additional costs, while conversely you would have enough British troops of your own for all tasks. The discussion came up again when the Crown Colony of Hong Kong was handed over, which, in the opinion of many British people, meant that the Gurkhas had lost their right to exist and the Gurkha Field Force had to withdraw. In the Second Gulf War that followed, the Gurkhas were used again for the first time since the Falklands War, but had hardly any contact with the enemy.
Gurkhas were also used in small groups in Bosnia and temporarily in Kosovo and East Timor . They promised an enormous reinforcement of the fight. In the Third Gulf War the Gurkhas were again heavily deployed, but again not all units were deployed and apart from a few minor skirmishes and shootings, they were involved in few engagements, which was partly due to the relatively calmer situation in the "British part" of the Iraq was related.
Recent developments
In 1995 some companies of the Royal Gurkhas Regiment (RGR) were deployed in Bosnia as part of the IFOR , together with units of the Queen's Gurkha Signals (Gurkha Telecommunications) and the Queen's Gurkha Transport Regiment .
As with all units in Europe, the proportion of Gurkhas in support troops continued to rise while the combat troops were reduced. From 1990 onwards, the British Army had an increasing problem of recruiting British units, while the Gurkhas had too many applicants. Therefore, various companies were separated from the Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment and subordinated to other British units in order to maintain their numerical strength and combat effectiveness. Gurkhas serve not only with the RGR, but also with the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots, the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment (PWRR) and the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA). In addition, two more companies were set up in the Infantry Training Center in Wales for training purposes for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and at the School of Infantry in Brecon in 1994/95 and the combat troops were further reduced.
In 1995 4,100 Gurkhas were stationed in Hong Kong along with 1,600 British soldiers . In 1997, large parts of the 1st PWRR were deployed in Zaire and with them the affiliated Gurkhas. In 1998 the Gurkhas of the Royal Gurkhas Rifle Regiment were again active in Bosnia and in 1999 parts of the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment and the Airborne Gurkhas were among the first British troops in Kosovo . The 5th Airborne Brigade had to cope with a difficult operation, it was supposed to secure an airfield on which Russian paratroopers had landed a few minutes earlier. As a result, there was almost an argument between the Gurkhas and the Russians.
Meanwhile, the second battalion of the Royal Gurkhas Regiment was moved from Brunei to East Timor and operated there under Australian command.
In 2000, C Company of 2 PARA, which was attached to the 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment for this mission, was in Sierra Leone and there was the first British force in Freetown and spearheaded the operation. The Gurkhas pushed ahead at an enormous pace, initially the operation was a pure NEO (for Non-combatant Evacuation Operation) to evacuate civilians from a war zone, the successes of the Gurkha company and the general situation then turned it into a PSO (for Peace Support Operation ).
On June 6, 2000, the entire 1st Royal Gurkha Regiment held a parade in front of the Prince of Wales. The battalion was then moved from Church Crookham to Shorncliffe in Kent . Meanwhile, the Gurkhas in the Balkans were replaced by two companies affiliated with the 1st PWRR and The Royal Scots. The following year, the 1st Battalion changed the 2nd Battalion in Brunei , while this moved to Shorncliffe. An extensive maneuver was undertaken in Belize during this change . In 2001 the C Company (the most frequently deployed Gurkha Company at all) was deployed in Macedonia as part of the “Task Force Harvest” (TFH). In December 2001, the C Company went to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment . In spring 2002 she was with the troops that were the first to reach Kabul.
In February 2003 parts of the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, the Queen's Gurkha Signals and the Queen's Gurkha Engineers were stationed in the Middle East in order to create a military threat against Saddam Hussein with the other troops. The corresponding Gurkha combat troops then moved to the Gulf with the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment and as part of the 16th Air Assault Brigade and took part with these units in the war that followed later. In March 2003 a company of the 2nd RGR was deployed in Sierra Leone to strengthen the units there for Operation Keeling. And from 2003 to 2004 parts of the 1st RGR were used in Bosnia again. A company of the Gurkhas, attached to the 1st Battalion The Highlanders, was stationed in the Falkland Islands .
In a suicide attack by the radical Islamist Taliban on a minibus carrying Gurkhas on June 20, 2016 near Kabul, at least 14 were killed and eight injured. The Nepalese soldiers were assigned to secure the Canadian embassy.
Gurkhas in today's British Army
It was not until 1866 that people began to organize the recruitment of Gurkhas and set criteria for their recruitment. Recruiting has remained almost the same since then. The so-called Gallah Wall Ahs are responsible for fixed recruiting areas and are on the lookout for suitable candidates. These recruits are former Gurkha NCOs and work on a commission basis. That is, they are paid based on the number of recruits they find. After there has been massive criticism from the UN in recent years that a large number of young people, including those who are 14 to 15 years old, are among the recruits, we now ensure that a minimum age of 17 is observed. The Gurkhas have to commit themselves for at least 15 years, but there are still, or again, many more applicants than positions.
recruitment
There are approximately 270 places available in the British Gurkha Units per year, for which approximately 25,000 Nepali apply. Most still come from the Magar and Gurung tribes in the west of the country and are often recruited into the second and third generation.
Nowadays the traditional visits of the recruiting officers of the Galla Wallahs on site only take place to inform potential applicants and to help them with the application to the center in Pokhara, comparable to the military service advisors in Germany. Only recruits who meet the already high basic requirements are even allowed to take part in the preliminary rounds, which are known as the "Hill Selection". These take place every autumn. Above all, you check your health, fitness and, for some time now, your mental abilities. Those who pass then come to the Central Selection in Pokhara.
The first test there deals with knowledge of English and basic arithmetic . The best in this test then come to a special training as PRT ( Potential Technician Recruits ), which then leads them to the Queen's Gurkha Signals or the Gurkha Engineers . Then there is another detailed medical examination, in which surprisingly many fail because of high blood pressure and above all tuberculosis problems. This mainly affects recruits from particularly poor or remote areas. This makes it easier for the descendants of Gurkha soldiers to return to the same service because they are less sick. Various physical tests follow, the first being the normal PFT used by the British Army, which is not a particular hurdle. In addition, there are various additional performance requirements and above all a Nepalese specialty, the Doko run.
The doko is a large basket that can be carried on your back and is used in Nepal to transport all kinds of goods. The recruits now run 2.5 miles uphill on mountain paths, the basket filled with stones. The aim is to get up as quickly as possible. Anyone who only stops once will be rejected just as much as someone who is too slow. Due to the preliminary rounds and the very strict selection made before this run, however, the overwhelming majority of applicants achieve the required minimum performance. Between 1990 and 1995, only three contenders failed the Doko run (Source: Soldier Magazine ). Tabbing , an acronym for tactical advance to battle, is particularly important to the Gurkhas . This means forced marches with complete equipment, after which the soldiers then have to prove by shooting and in exercises that they are still capable of fighting.
education
The successful recruits are then sworn in by touching the British flag in a ceremony . They will then be flown to the UK where they will begin basic training. This lasts nine months today and takes place at the Infantry Training Battalion in Catterick . In addition to normal military training, there is also language training in English and etiquette. Particular emphasis is placed on the targeted single shot, and the Gurkhas have been going to the shooting range more and more frequently for years compared to before.
At the end of the basic training, the Gurkhas are then assigned to the respective units; For special elites within their troops, such as the Airborne Gurkhas, you have to pass further tests. The service contract is no longer automatically concluded for 15 years, as it used to be, but for four years and is then extended by three years until the 15 years are reached, if there are no reasons to prevent an extension.
The recruits must be at least 17 years old today, following a complaint by the UN about the recruitment practice in Nepal. The minimum age used to be 15, but the new limit was not inconvenient; the younger ones could no longer cope with the physical demands that had been increased. The upper age limit is 22, but mostly people over 20 are no longer accepted. The recruit must also be at least 5 feet 2 inches tall and weigh a minimum. There is no maximum weight, with the physical demands of the selection and the need in Nepal there are no really overweight recruits, so the problem does not arise.
After Hong Kong was handed over, the classic recruiting methods and training were changed again a little. The recruits go to the recruitment center in Pokhara Valley. After very strict examinations, the best recruits are selected there and sent to England or Brunei for training. Today's training lasts ten months in a row, and then the Gurkhas are considered private who, so to speak, have passed basic training. Today there is also training for peace missions.
structure
On July 1, 1994, the 2nd King Edward's VII Own Gurkha Rifles ( The Sirmoor Rifles ), 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles and the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles were merged into a larger association, but at the same time numerically reduced. The new association is the Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment (RGR). It initially consisted of three battalions following its formation, but was reduced to two battalions as part of further savings. The 1st RGR Battalion is in Church Crookham in Hampshire , the 2nd RGR Battalion in Brunei, where it serves as an additional force at the expense of the Sultan of Brunei. In recent years it has become common practice for the 1st RGR to be recruited mainly from Gurkhas from the west of Nepal, but the 2nd RGR mainly from Gurkhas from the east of their settlement area.
In 2004 the current Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment had a strength of 1,480 Gurkha Rifles in two battalions of 740 men each. It is numerically stronger than a British infantry regiment, the same goes for the battalion . The reason is that the force originally consisted of three battalions. Each battalion was divided into three combat companies and each company into three platoons with a platoon. The A and B companies are equipped with MILAN guided missiles or similar anti-tank guided weapons, the C company consists of storm pioneers.
In addition to the Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment , the actual combat force, there are also other combat support troops or logistics troops.
In addition, the British Army has the pioneer association Queen's Gurkha Engineers . The proportion of pioneers in the Gurkha troops is therefore relatively high today. The QGE consists of the 69th Gurkha Field Squadron and the 70th Gurkha Field Support Squadron . Both are part of the 36th Engineer Regiment and are based at Maidstone in Kent.
In 2004, the former Telecommunications Unit 246th Gurkha Signal Squadron was reclassified. Today's 250th Gurkha Signal Squadron consists of 250 soldiers and is part of the 30th Signal Regiment . Another Gurkha Signal Squadron is being set up as part of the 21st (Air Support) Signals Regiment .
The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment consists of the headquarters, the 28th Squadron and a training unit. While most Gurkha units are slightly larger in number than their British counterparts, this regiment is smaller and consists of only 164 soldiers. It's in the Roman Barracks in Colchester .
The 10th Airborne Gurkhas are among the other Gurkha units affiliated with associations . In 1996 it was re-established as the first Gurkha paratrooper unit after the Second World War. The airborne troops stayed there with India's independence. Today the Gurkhas form the famous C Company of the 2nd PARA , which with three platoons has the strength of a normal company of the Royal Gurkha Rifle Regiment . It has been used in Afghanistan as well as Iraq in recent years. C Company is by definition not a special unit.
Pension and right of establishment in the UK
The treatment of the Gurkhas and their families was the subject of controversy in the United Kingdom when it became known that Gurkhas received lower pensions than their British comrades and some had to leave the country after the end of their military service. The nationality status of the Gurkhas and their families was also a point of contention. On March 8, 2007, the British government announced that all Gurkhas who signed up after July 1, 1997 would receive a pension equal to that of their British comrades. In addition, the Gurkhas would be able to transfer to another army unit for the first time after five years of service, and women would also be allowed to join, albeit not in combat units, which is the policy of the British Army. The law also guaranteed UK residency rights for retired Gurkhas and their families.
Despite the changes, many Gurkhas who had not yet served five years to be eligible for a pension faced hardship on their return to Nepal. In a landmark judgment of September 30, 2008, the High Court ruled that the Home Secretary's policy of allowing Gurkhas who left the army before 1997 to petition for a settlement in the UK was irrationally restrictive in its criteria is, and picked it up. In accordance with the High Court's ruling, the Home Office undertook to review all cases affected by this ruling.
On April 29, 2009, a motion by the Liberal Democrats to offer all Gurkhas the same right of residence was accepted by 267 votes to 246 in the House of Commons . This was the only first day application defeat for government since 1978. On May 21, 2009, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that all Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years of service would settle in the UK allowed to.
British Gurkha units from 1941 to the present day
- 2. King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) (merged in 1994 as the Royal Gurkha Rifles)
- 6. Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles (combined in 1994 as the Royal Gurkha Rifles)
- 7. Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles (merged in 1994 as the Royal Gurkha Rifles)
- 10. Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (combined in 1994 as the Royal Gurkha Rifles)
- The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (2001-present)
- Gurkha Army Service Corps (1958-1965)
- Gurkha Transport Regiment (1965–1992)
- Queen's Own Gurkha Transport Regiment (1992-2001)
- Queen's Gurkha Engineers (1977-present)
- Gurkha Engineer Training Squadron, Royal Engineers (1948–1951)
- 50th (Gurkha) Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers (1951–1955)
- Gurkha Engineers (1955-1977)
- Queen's Gurkha Signals (1977-present)
- Gurkha Signals (1948–1949)
- Gurkha Royal Signals (1949–1954)
- Gurkha Signals (1954–1977)
- Gurkha Provost Company, Royal Military Police (1949–1957)
- 17. Gurkha Divisional Provost Company, Royal Military Police (1957–1969)
- 2nd Gurkha Parachute Battalion (March – November 1945)
- 3rd Gurkha Parachute Battalion (March – November 1945)
- 153rd Gurkha Parachute Battalion (1941–1945)
- 154th Gurkha Parachute Battalion (1942–1945)
- Gurkha Independent Parachute Company, Parachute Regiment (approx. 1960-1970)
Current units of the Gurkha Brigade
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles
- The Queen's Gurkha Engineers
- The Queen's Gurkha Signals
- Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment
- The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas
- Gurkha Company, 3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Center Catterick
- Gurkha Company ( Sitang ), Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Gurkha Wing ( Mandalay ), Infantry Battle School Brecon
- Brigade of Gurkhas Training Team
- Gurkha Language Wing, Catterick
Web links
- The Gurkha Museum (English)
- Information about Gurkhas (English)
- Gurkhas, Gorkhas, Ghoorkhas .... (English)
- The Gurkhas - England's Foreign Legion on kriegsreisen.de
swell
- ↑ http://www.photius.com/countries/nepal/national_security/nepal_national_security_origins_of_the_legen~10146.html
- ↑ 14 dead in suicide attack in Kabul. Deutsche Welle , June 20, 2016, accessed July 3, 2016 .
- ↑ Parker, John (2005): The Gurkhas: The Inside Story of the World's Most Feared Soldiers. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1415-7 .
- ↑ Gurkhas win right to stay in UK BBC
- ↑ Brown defeated over Gurkha rules BBC