Nepal Earthquake: India sends Gorkha soldiers to help in relief and rescue work

[Ichingcarpenter]

India has sent army's Gorkha soldiers to quake-hit Nepal to help in relief and rescue work, an official tweet said on Wednesday.

"India enlarges rescue operations in Nepal; sends Gorkha soldiers of Indian Army to Himalayan nation," PIB retweeted an All India Radio tweet.

Tapping its 38,000-strong force of Gorkha soldiers, the Indian Army has sent "quite a few of them" to various parts of Nepal to ascertain the requirements in remote places.



"We have got a large number of Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army who belong to Nepal. Quite a few of them have been sent to Nepal, to their areas, to physically go and ascertain what are the requirements," Additional Director General of Military Operations Maj Gen Ranbir Singh said here.

Meanwhile, IAF helicopters evacuated 19 mountaineers from Nepal's Lukla, even as 251 were rescued by land.



Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nepal-earthquake-india-send-gorkha-soldiers-rescue-work/1/432728.html

[Recursion]

1. One of the best mountain units in the world

Good for them.

[Lurks Often]

2. The best battalion sized mountain unit in the world

You may see individuals or carefully selected platoon/company sized units that are superior, but none better at the battalion/brigade size.

They are also some of the best "pure"* light infantry in the world and 200+ years of history have seen them fight with distinction in every type of terrain.

*"Pure" by my definition means no tanks or other armored vehicles and without artillery support, air support or any other forms of support not part of the battalion.

[Recursion]

3. Absolutely

I think they're on paper a Regiment, but obviously a "weak" Regiment (realistically more like a strong Battalion). (But regimental identity has recruiting purposes so obviously there will be outliers like this.)

We trained with the Gukhri's once on the Denali massif. Those guys were like the SEALs of altitude work. I seriously can't describe it.

[Lurks Often]

4. A regiment in both the US & British military is used

for historical identity as you correctly pointed out as well as for administrative, organizational and recruiting purposes in the British Army.

The British went to the roughly equivalent sized brigade as an actual combat formation around 1875 and after that most brigades would be compromised of 1 British, 1 Indian/Sikh battalion and 1 Gurkha/Sikh battalion. It was very rare for 2 battalions of the same regiment to serve in the same combat brigade. Since the British Army and the British Indian Army normally recruited men and formed units from a specific town or region of the country it prevented a town or region of Great Britain, India or Nepal from suffering the loss of too many of it's young men in a single battle.

Right now the British Brigade of Gurkha's consists of the Royal Gurkha Regiment with two 2 infantry battalions, one of which is always on loan and paid for, by Brunei as well as assorted support units:

http://www.army.mod.uk/gurkhas/27820.aspx

I own most of the available books on Gurkha's that one can find on Amazon. It is extremely rare to hear criticism from anyone who has served with or alongside. Instead they almost invariably show enormous respect and found serving with or alongside to be a enjoyable experience.

"A Gurkha runs somewhat awkwardly on flat ground, very well uphill and no one on earth can catch them going downhill"

I'll end with this link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/gurkha-obituaries/8199764/Havildar-Lachhiman-Gurung-VC.html