Is the spf Gurkha Contingent the most formidable elite?

baer SG

I have a Khukiri and I don't feed it blood each time I draw it (though it is a nasty piece of work, it has a forward CG which makes any stroke frount heavy resulting in a deeper cut).

The legend is that during WWI (yes, 1914-191 Cool , many people who meet the gurkhas first time were curious about their Khukiri, asking them to show the blade etc. Soon standard reply was "cannot, bcos need to feed blade blood everytime draw blade" was used to discourage such casual requests. There are some (me included) who believe that knives have spirit which demand respect and the Khukiri has one of the more nasty versions. FYI Giant Khukiris are used in a festival to decapitate a bull with one blow!

I have seen gurkhas in action during my NSF. Dressed in British DPM camo, carrying M-16 and full pack, an entire platoon can walk by without as much as a sound even before you know it. I've seen them do "PT", more like SOF selection, full pack runs, in tempo and at IPPT pace!!

They are tough and dependable, so much so that my ex-company wanted to hire a few to provide security for our plantations in Indonesia. They are the bodyguards of choice for the rich and famous in Asia, the Sultan of Brunei has two battalions. Singapore has Btn plus. Guarding Lee Dynasty and Singapore Mint etc.

FireIce SG

LHL was at zoukout?!?!?!?

Moxie SG

Strictly speaking, the Gurkha Contingent is attached to the S'pore Police Force instead of the SAF. They do riot control (mostly famously during the Maria Herogh racial turmoil) as well as provide security services (VIP protection, guarding of key installations) in the local context, so it's kinda irrelevant to compare the SAF with them. Salutations to them born warriors, though!

ben1406 SG

I don't think so.. I think they were put there for crowd control !

SpecOps87 SG

Anyway,a couple of years back,in Hong Kong before the return of Hong Kong to China,there was an incident where 3 Ghrukhas were in a pub and got involved in a brawl.Some 40 over ppl were injured,but the 3 Ghrukhas turned out without a scratch.Makes you wonder what they are made of eh?

Anyway,I did like to see how the Us Navy S.E.A.Ls fight Ghrukhas.Haha,since Navy S.E.A.Ls are touted as the worild's elite of the elite.

chunyong SG

don't really believe US SFs are dat elite.....the pros are the SBS/SAS guys.....US learn from SAS fellas in the early 19s. the same job requires much more US SFs than SBS/SAS. See they have SEAL, Delta, Green Beret and much more.....so much SFs but all failed to prove themselves except propaganda from US themselves. they even failed miserable and totally screwed up big missions.....elite ? hahahaha

Gurkhas very fit, polite and humble unlike some people who think they are big Fs when they wear the STAR t-shirt.

Gedanken SG

Well their getting involved in a brawl is itself a violation of the discipline which is first and foremost the hallmark of the regiment - their toughness is secondary to that.

Gedanken SG

I don't know if the US SF units are all that bad. If anything, they've been at the mercy of poor planning and deployment, especially Delta. I found the Green Berets to be a professional lot along the lines of the SAS, and the ones I've known personally have been very humble, polite and low-key. Can't say much about the SEALs - I've only met them in passing.

chunyong SG

perhaps they are not to blame, with the current GWB...it dawns onto me perhaps its all poor and F-ed up people at the top who is passing down nonsense instructions and deployment and they all kio-sai... Neutral

Gedanken SG

I don't think it's just GWB - look at the Iranian rescue attempt in 1980 - that was a mess because the planners didn't knwo the capabilities of the units being deployed. Same with Somalia: Delta's job is quick in-and-out missions, but they got sent in to fight a whole mob instead. Again, it comes down to the planners not being familiar with the capabilities of the units they're deploying.

As an NS Commando, I had the same concern about the SAF when Winston Choo retired. What we got next was a bunch of pencil pushers who didn't have the slightest clue about airborne operations. We ended up doing a coup-de-main (dropping directly on top of the target) for MINDEF's entertainment - such a drop hasn't been carried out since Normandy, and it's plain suicidal. I suppose some scholar who watched too many WW2 movies thought it would look cool. Evil or Very Mad

chunyong SG

with previous leaders' intelligence then will 'spawn' out GWB one mah....alot of wild thoughts will come, be it illogical/insane/stupid/unwise, when those with nothing to do both physically and mentally are up there....

on paper this will happen, on paper dat will happen.....but they dunno its those fellas down there dat make it happen....

|-|05| SG

my friend in the British army once told me of this story
He went in to give a sperm sample to the military hospital.(for what he doesnt know)He and the Gurkha were told to fill the bottle with they're stuff and return it.So he went did the deed and returned...2 hours later the Gurkha came back with the bottle filled to the brink.... Rolling Eyes
Also there was once during an airborne training for new Gurkhas, while the plane was flying the Gurkha ask wad was going to happen to which he was told he would be jumping into the drop zone.Taking a quick look outside the Gurkha turned back to the jump master and asked if the plane cld fly alittle slower and lower so it wont hurt so much.....much to the amusement of all the crew.
My friend is a scotts man.....who doesnt respect much....but he sure as hell respects them Gurkhas

[email protected] SG

Iran? that Fuck up where one of the overloaded helis crashed into a KC tanker on the ground? oh yeah that was a Fuck up indeed. Allocating too little helis and an insufficient reserve was pure idioticity.

[email protected] SG

LOL. D-Dayyyyyyyy!

baer SG

(this would be the sole para btn formed during Burma Campaign)

Story quoted are from books with those particular extracts quoted for entertainment value. Another oft quoted story about their skill was during an encounter during WWI or Burma campaign, in a bayonet duel between German/Jap solider, ghurka jump aside after geeting first swipe, enemy said "Ha! you missed". Ghurka said "try shaking your head", which the enemy did and his head fell off. (more lilkely to be another urban legend).

True story:
During WWII in the midst of the British retreat from Japanese conquest of Burma, a vickers MG team (heavy watercooled MG with crew of 4) was being manhandled with great effort even though there was almost no more ammo to supply the weapon.

While crossing a river on a makeshift raft, the raft started to break apart and rapidly sank. Naturally everyone swam to shore except the MG gunner. They thought he drowned (as Ghurkas are poor swimmers). Upon diving into the murky depths they found him still struggling to swim from the bottom clutching his MG. Upon rescue, they ask him what happened. His reply that he didn't want to disobey his orders not to abandoned his weapon.

This is a true story which show their dedication to orders and bravery to carry out their duty.

baer SG

double post

Si Geena SG

Are we dealing with mythologies now?

Seriously, they are just men. And I'm not trying to be offensive here. I like them personally. They are nice people to talk to and interact with. Honest to goodness people. But they are a stickler for instructions, not too good with initiative.

I see so many posts like these recently. How does one measure/compare/pit "formidable elite"? It does not work out right. They have their own defined role. Anything outside their mission role would be asking a little too much.

fudgester SG

Ok, maybe these Gurkhas are not superheroes, but I still have a lot of respect for them.

During the Japanese invasion of Malaya the British would almost always run away whenever Japanese tanks appeared. The problem was that the Brits thought that armour was unsuitable for jungle ops and didn't supply them. They also had very ineffective (if any at all) antitank weapons.

But not the Gurkhas. They stood their ground and faced up to the Japnese armour bravely in spite of not having any antitank capability. From what I've read (quite a long time ago so may not be true), they would clamber on top of the Jap tanks and try to kill the crews.

Lots of Gurkhas were annihilated of course.... but their courage lives on.

lwflee SG

It is no myth that they cook great smelling curries.

Seriously.

Esp when you only have 01 x Glutinous rice for dinner Smile

But the one about 3 gurkhas being in a fight that invovled 40 sounds bullshit. Prob there was a fight in the disco they were drinking in. The fight involved 40 people. Gurkhas were not injured coz they left before the fight escalated. I mean the implication that 40 vs 3 is absurd.

Gedanken SG

I don’t think that the Gurkhas’ mythical status hurts at all. It sure saved everybody a lot of trouble in the Falklands.

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