History UsefulNotes / NepaliWithNastyKnives

!!Tropes associated with the Gurkhas:

* BashBrothers: Gurkhas and Scottish Highland regiments have had a traditional friendship. After an earthquake in Nepal, Scots raised the relief money. It's worth noting that the Royal Gurkha Rifles are the only non-Scottish line infantry regiment in the British Army to have regimental pipes and drums. It's also worth noting that both Gurkhas and Scots bear at least some resemblance to archetypal fantasy [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]].
* BadassArmy
** Former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army Sam Manekshaw said it best:
-->"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."
* BadassAdorable: The common stereotype.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gurkhas are famous for their friendliness in social situations and utter ferocity on the battlefield. Those who had the honour to serve with them can vouch for that.
* BigBrotherMentor: Britain and later India as well.
* BullyingADragon: Those who have even a passing knowledge of Gurkhas' reputation as fighting men know to give them a wide berth because the seemingly physically slight soldiers will utterly destroy their opponents if provoked. There's an apocryphal story of a fight breaking out in a pub full of squaddies and the only person left unscathed was the Gurkha calmly sipping his drink at the bar, all parties involved having purposely avoided him during the brawl.
* ByTheBookCop:
** During the [[WeAreStrugglingTogether riots]] following the [[UsefulNotes/ThePartitionOfIndia Indian Partition]] when Hindus and Muslims were having a collective AxCrazy moment of RapePillageAndBurn on each other, the Gurkhas were the only non-British who could be trusted with arms. They faithfully helped [[WeHelpTheHelpless escort fleeing refugees]] with laudable bravery and impartiality.
** The tale is told of a Gurkha sentry posted along the Suez Canal during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and told to let no one pass. When a British battleship came chugging up the canal, the sentry followed his orders to the letter; he aimed his rifle at the officer on the bridge and ordered him to halt the ship. Yes, that's right, a Gurkha sentry stopped a battleship with a bolt-action rifle.
* {{Determinator}}: History is filled with stories of Gurkhas fighting against overwhelming odds and coming out victorious. The most recent example is Sergeant (then Corporal) Dipprasad Pun, CGC, who, in 2010, was manning a checkpoint by himself when he was attacked by 30 Taliban fighters coming in from three sides. Convinced that he was going to die, he decided to take as many of the enemy with him. He fired 400 rounds from his personal rifle and a machine gun, threw 17 grenades, and set off a claymore mine. When he ran out of conventional weapons, he simply picked up the machine gun's tripod and beat down a charging Taliban fighter. The fight was over by the time reinforcements arrived, Pun being credited with saving an entire outpost by himself.
* DeterminedHomesteader: Who make homesteads in the Himalayas no less.
* TheDreaded: There are various occasions when enemies who were quite happy to fight normal soldiers fleeing when they heard they would be facing Gurkhas. See ShroudedInMyth below for other examples.
** Basically, if the Taliban, who are known for ''suicide'' attacks, are terrified of you, you know you're pretty scary.
** On the flipside, if you get told that Gurkhas are coming as [[TheCavalry reinforcements]] [[BigDamnHeroes on your side]], it's one of the most relieving pieces of news you're likely to ever hear in your life.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Subverted notably. Officers who've commanded Gurkha units universally say that recruits have to be extremely tough and disciplined to simply be selected for basic training and, as a result, don't need to be yelled at. If anything, yelling in anger at a Gurkha is regarded as counterproductive. As a result, Gurkha non-coms are tough but not tyrannical and prefer to act as [[AFatherToHisMen a big-brother to their men]].
* FatherToHisMen: The traditionally strict British class divide between officers and enlisted men is much blurrier in Gurkha units due to the different cultural practices of the Gurkhas and the fact that the men have travelled far away from their traditional support networks to serve the British. Because of this, officers will interact with their men much more socially than in other British units and an officer will not think twice to invite a private into his home if the man needs a place to stay if he is in town for leave or training.
* FireForgedFriends[=/=]DefeatMeansFriendship: How the British got the idea of recruiting Gurkhas.
** Not the only time they did that. Some of the best units in the British military's history have been those that actually beat them in battles. The Scots are an early example.
** The 9th Border Regiment, Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser's battalion during WWII, was nicknamed "The White Gurkhas".
* GrinOfAudacity: During the retreat from Burma, then-Lt. Gen. Bill Slim found himself under Japanese fire within sight of a Gurkha unit (the same one he had commanded a few years before). He writes:
--> "My inclination to run for cover, not lessened by a salvo of mortar bombs that came down behind me, was only restrained by the thought of what a figure the Corps Commander would cut, sprinting for safety, in front of all these little men. So, not liking it a bit, I continued to walk forward. Then, from behind a bush that offered scant cover to his bulky figure, rose my old friend, the Subadar Major of the 7th Gurkhas, his face creased in a huge grin which almost hid his twinkling almond eyes. He stood there and shook with laughter at me. I asked him coldly what he was laughing at, and he replied that it was very funny to see the General Sahib wandering along there by himself not knowing what to do! And, by Jove, he was right; I did not!
--> [[NationalStereotypes It is a funny thing how differently the various races react to such a situation]]. A British soldier would have called out to me to take shelter and would have made room for me beside him. The average Indian sepoy would have watched anxiously, but said nothing unless I was hit, when he would have leapt forward and risked his life to get me under cover. A Sikh would have sprung up, and with the utmost gallantry dramatically covered me with his own body, thrilled at the chance of an audience. Only a Gurkha would stand up and laugh."
* HadToBeSharp: Growing up in the Himalayas. One reason they were so valued as soldiers.
* HiredGuns
* ImprovisedWeaponUser: Corporal Dipprasad Pun, CGC, is a Gurkha famed for singlehandedly killing thirty Taliban. After he ran out of conventional weapons, he simply picked up his machine gun's tripod, a ''30 lb. hunk of metal'' and beat the last Taliban fighter to death with it.
* UsefulNotes/IndiansWithIglas
** UsefulNotes/KiplingsFinest
* InTheBlood: Many Gurkha families have sent multiple generations of men to serve the British Crown.
* KukrisAreKool: These are the "Nasty Knives" of the Nepali.
* MountainMan: From the ultimate mountains.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: The British had a nightmare of a time supplying local troops in the Indian sub-continent because Hindus refused to use rounds packed in beef tallow while Muslims refused to use rounds packed in pig lard. The Gurkhas (traditionally Hindus) cheerfully used whatever ammunition they were issued to show the British that they were tougher than other troops.
* NiceHat: When wearing fatigues or service dress, Gurkhas traditionally wear the Terai hat, a variant of the Australian-style bush-hat that is made by stuffing one hat inside the other, making it rigid. It is worn ''very'' sharply tilted.
* NightmareFuel: A tactic of the Gurkhas during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was to sneak into German encampments, [[SlainInTheirSleep kill all the men in their sleep]] except for one, and then leave him alive to tell his superiors about it. One writer credited that to the Goums, a similar group in French service. Another account holds that the Maoris, in UsefulNotes/NewZealand service, did something similar.
* OneManArmy: In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the Gurkha soldier, Lachhiman Gurung, ranked up a bodycount of 31 Japanese soldiers in one battle, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his efforts. In the Afghanistan war against the Taliban, another Gurkha soldier single-handedly killed 30 Taliban warriors. The British command's commented the latter instance that "anyone who think they can take down one Gurkha with only 30 men are foolish."
** Link to the former guy: http://www.badassoftheweek.com/gurung.html
* PantheraAwesome : One Gurkha coming home from the wars was crossing a RopeBridge. When he reached the end, a snow leopard attacked him. The Gurkha slew it with his Kukri, skinned it, and carried its skin home on his back.
** Which was a great confrontation between two of the most awesome killer beasts on Earth. [[CoolVersusAwesome Leopard versus Gurkha]].
* PintsizedPowerhouse: The Gurkhas are relatively small in stature, at least compared to the rest of the British forces.
* PraetorianGuard: When he was serving in Afghanistan, Prince Harry of Wales was fighting alongside the Gurkhas. Allegedly, he was deliberately placed with the Gurkhas because the Taliban are absolutely terrified of them.
** [[http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/533-159.aspx#startofcomments With good reason]].
** The Taliban--and Pashtuns in general--absolutely ''hate'' Gurkhas, who did very well out of the Raj while the Pashtuns did not. To this day Gurkhas have a very short life expectancy if captured by troops of the Frontier Force, Pakistan's Pashtun regiment. It's not ''entirely'' without precedent among Pashtuns:
-->''When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,''
-->''And the women come out to cut up what remains,''
-->''Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains''
-->''An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.''
-->-- '''Creator/RudyardKipling'''
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy
* RetiredBadass: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishnu_Shrestha Bishnu Shrestha]] was a retired corporal returning home by train when it was attacked by 40 bandits. When some of the bandits tried to rape a teenage girl, [[http://www.badassoftheweek.com/shrestha.html Shrestha pulled out his Khukuri blade and curb-stomped half the bandits]], killing three and sending the rest fleeing for their lives. The Indian military un-retired him long enough to award him medals and a higher rank.
* ScreamingWarrior: ''Aiyo Gurkali'', or more specifically, ''Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gurkhali'', which means "Glory to Great Kali, the Gurkhas are coming!"
** Their enemies tend to respond with--in their respective tongues, and adjusted for culture--"OhCrap"
*** And Kali ''is'' the Hindu goddess of ''death''...
* ShroudedInMyth: The Gurkhas frightened away the Argentines during the Falklands War by sheer reputation[[note]]Which upset the Gurkhas because they'd been looking forward to a fight[[/note]]. Some in the Taliban believe that they are demons who eat their victims. The Gurkhas do nothing to dispel these myths.
** Given that ''one'' of them fought off ''thirty'' Taliban fighters, it can be said that they do even ''less'' than nothing to dissuade said myths.
** The Japanese during the Second World War also had a tendency for their own "implacable warrior" image to crack when there were rumors of Gurkhas about--largely because Japanese sentries would be discovered in the morning outside their camps missing their heads...
** Countries that have detailed and accurate information on the Gurkhas feel a tingle of dread when facing them. Imagine then what you feel if all you know about them ''is'' the myth!
* TheShangriLa
* TrainingFromHell: While actual training is almost identical to that of other British recruits (with the addition of English lessons and swimming classes), British recruits, even with their better nutrition and medical care, have no hope of ever passing the physical tests Gurkhas have to pass (including a mountain ''run'' with baskets full of rocks) just to be accepted for training.
* UndyingLoyalty: Gurkhas are ''unshakably'' loyal to the United Kingdom, despite the British Empire's less than stellar reputation among its former colonies.
* TheWomenAreSafeWithUs: One British officer led the storming of a stronghold held by dacoits (roughly, India's ThievesGuild) and was proud to note that not one woman had been harmed.
* WorkingForABodyUpgrade: One of the incentives for Gurkhas to join the British army is the vaccinations against lethal diseases we in the West take for granted; smallpox, mumps, measles, diphteria, tetanus, polio, etc. Most grow several inches in height during the early phases of training because of the improved nutrition provided by the British.

Nepali Army in fiction

** During the [[WeAreStrugglingTogether riots]] following the Indian Partition when Hindus and Muslims were having a collective AxCrazy moment of RapePillageAndBurn on each other, the Gurkhas were the only non-British who could be trusted with arms. They faithfully helped [[WeHelpTheHelpless escort fleeing refugees]] with laudable bravery and impartiality.

Gurkhas are famous for their curious boomerang shaped [[KukrisAreKool Kukri]] knives, which serves as a sort of machete. Much of their prowess comes from the poverty and hardship of their homes, which is so tough that it provides its own [[TheSpartanWay Spartan Way]]. Military service for a richer country not only brings [[GlorySeeker reputation]] but is also very attractive for material reasons, what with pay, as well as the inoculation and technical training that necessarily comes with the service. As a result, employers can afford to be extremely selective about whom they pick. Gurkhas serve mostly as infantry and though experiments have been made using them in other specialties, that is where their chief fame has been won. Like many a local ethnic group, their loyalty has been reinforced by the British regimental system in which each regiment is effectively a [[TrueCompanions warrior-fraternity]] and the parochial eccentricities of each allow local traditions to be made an asset to the service of TheGovernment. The Gurkhas have had many a CrowningMomentOfAwesome and are among the worlds most highly regarded military forces. And ever since the Victoria Cross became open to non-British they have had a disproportionate representation.

* BashBrothers[=/=]HeterosexualLifePartners: Gurkhas and Scottish Highland regiments have had a traditional friendship. After an earthquake in Nepal, Scots raised the relief money. It's worth noting that the Royal Gurkha Rifles are the only non-Scottish line infantry regiment in the British Army to have regimental pipes and drums. It's also worth noting that both Gurkhas and Scots bear at least some resemblance to archetypal fantasy [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]].

[[BattleCry Ayo Gorkhali!]][[note]]Here come the Gurkhas![[/note]]

The Gurkhas are from Nepal, a country in the [[TheShangriLa Himalayas]] with [[HadToBeSharp one of the toughest climates in the world.]] They are unique in that their chief fame comes from their service as HiredGuns rather than for their own country. They came to English attention in a war between the [[MegaCorp East India Company]] and the King of Nepal. As part of the peace treaty the Company demanded permission to recruit from Nepali for, in a fashion reminiscent of Creator/JohnWayne, the Company had liked the Gurkhas so much as [[WorthyOpponent enemies]] that they couldn't wait to have them as allies[[note]]The Gurkhas were so well-regarded as warriors that the British gave them the honor of being addressed as "rifleman" rather than the local rank of "sepoy", indicating that the British considered the Gurkhas peers on the battlefield[[/note]]. The Gurkhas were recruited mostly from the Mager, Gurang, Limbu, and Rai tribes. Other tribes have occasionally joined, especially when manpower is desperately needed like in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Curiously, the Sherpas, which are the most famous tribe in the area, have not been well represented: perhaps it's enough work getting rich [[GloryHound glory hounds]] up Mount Everest. Another interesting curiosity is that only one regiment (9th Gurkha Rifles) of Gurkhas is made up of the Kshatriya (warrior) [[TypeCaste caste]]. Most are Vaisha's (peasants), though such things were apparently not taken as seriously in the mountains as they have sometimes been in the valley.

* WhatTheHellHero: The Amritsar Massacre where the Gurkhas fired on some demonstrators at a town by that name because they were JustFollowingOrders. What may be worse from one perspective (because there was no more fear that it might be a riot and thus it was ForTheEvulz), the commander spent a week doing such things as forcing locals to lick the blood up with their tongues. Fortunately that commander was at least ReassignedToAntarctica for it. But it was a nasty business and a stain on the Gurkhas' otherwise splendid record.
** The inquiry which followed the massacre proved the Gurkha (65 of them) and Baluchi (about 25) troopers involved had no combat experience and there were fresh out of training, [[GoneHorriblyRight which indoctrinated them]] [[InspectorJavert to obey the orders of their officer regardless of anything]]. Debatable if this makes them less or ''more'' frightening.

The Gurkhas are from Nepal, a country in the [[TheShangriLa Himalayas]] with [[HadToBeSharp one of the toughest climates in the world.]] They are unique in that their chief fame comes from their service as HiredGuns rather than for their own country. They came to English attention in a war between the [[MegaCorp East India Company]] and the King of Nepal. As part of the peace treaty the Company demanded permission to recruit from Nepali for, in a fashion reminiscent of Creator/JohnWayne, the Company had liked the Gurkhas so much as [[WorthyOpponent enemies]] that they couldn't wait to have them as allies[[note]]The Gurkhas were so well-regarded as warriors that the British gave them the honor of being addressed as "rifleman" rather than the local rank of "sepoy", indicating that the British considered the Gurkhas peers on the battlefield[[/note]]. The Gurkhas were recruited mostly from the Mager, Gurang, Limbu, and Rai tribes. Other tribes have occasionally joined, especially when manpower is desperately needed like in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Curiously, the Sherpas, which are the most famous tribe in the area, have not been well represented: perhaps it's enough work getting rich [[GloryHound glory hounds]] up Mount Everest. Another interesting curiosity is that only one regiment (9th Gurkha Rifles) of Gurkhas is made up of the Kshatriya (warrior) caste. Most are Vaisha's (peasants), though such things were apparently not taken as seriously in the mountains as they have sometimes been in the valley.

* BritsWithBattleships: By proxy.

Gurkhas until the 2000s have seldom been officers and usually served in units with white officers. This was partly because of prejudice held by the British that Gurkhas were fine soldiers, but too ineducable to make good officers. Another reason was that the original Indian army was at least partly, and often in a very large part, a constabulary to prevent revolt and therefore the upper caste had to pull the strings. Despite that, relations have usually been fairly good between British and Gurkhas, arguably better than the British deserved. Perhaps it's simply that all soldiers live in a caste system while they serve and for the Gurkhas it more or less ended when they went home as far as British were concerned. And maybe British were nicer then their FeudalOverlord back home. Also the quality of leadership may have been better; British officers in Gurkha regiments were specially picked. In any case that has changed of late and there have been a number of Gurkha officers, with several rising up through the ranks to command battalions although none have yet achieved regimental command.

[[BattleCry Aayo Gurkhali!]][[note]]Here come the Gurkhas![[/note]]

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Gurkhas and Scottish Highland regiments have had a traditional friendship. Once when there was an earthquake in Nepal it was the Scots who raised the money for the relief. It's also worth noting that the Royal Gurkha Rifles are the only non-Scottish line infantry regiment in the British Army to have regimental pipes and drums.

* NightmareFuel: A tactic of the Gurkhas during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was to sneak into German encampments, [[SlainInTheirSleep kill all the men in their sleep]] except for one, and then leave him alive to tell his superiors about it (one writer credited that to the Goums, a similar group in French service. Another account holds that the Maoris, in UsefulNotes/NewZealand service, did something similar.).

** The Taliban--and Pashtuns in general--absolutely ''hate'' Gurkhas, who did very well out of the Raj while the Pashtuns did not. To this day Gurkas have a very short life expectancy if captured by troops of the Frontier Force, Pakistan's Pashtun regiment. It's not ''entirely'' without precedent among Pashtuns:

* ProudWarriorRace

The Gurkhas are from Nepal, a country in the [[TheShangriLa Himalayas]] with [[HadToBeSharp one of the toughest climates in the world.]] They are unique in that their chief fame comes from their service as HiredGuns rather than for their own country. They came to English attention in a war between the [[MegaCorp East India Company]] and the King of Nepal. As part of the peace treaty the Company demanded permission to recruit from Nepali for, in a fashion reminiscent of Creator/JohnWayne, the Company had liked the Gurkhas so much as [[WorthyOpponent enemies]] that they couldn't wait to have them as allies. The Gurkhas were recruited mostly from the Mager, Gurang, Limbu, and Rai tribes. Other tribes have occasionally joined, especially when manpower is desperately needed like in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Curiously, the Sherpas, which are the most famous tribe in the area, have not been well represented: perhaps it's enough work getting rich [[GloryHound glory hounds]] up Mount Everest. Another interesting curiosity is that only one regiment (9th Gurkha Rifles) of Gurkhas is made up of the Kshatriya (warrior) caste. Most are Vaisha's (peasants), though such things were apparently not taken as seriously in the mountains as they have sometimes been in the valley.

Gurkhas until the 2000s have seldom been officers and usually served in units with white officers. This was partly because of prejudice held by the British that Gurkhas were fine soldiers, but too ineducable to make good officers. Another reason was that the original Indian army was at least partly, and often in a very large part, a constabulary to prevent revolt and therefore the upper caste had to pull the strings. Despite that, relations have usually been fairly good between British and Gurkhas, arguably better than the British deserved. Perhaps it's simply that all soldiers live in a caste system while they serve and for the Gurkhas it more or less ended when they went home as far as British were concerned. And maybe British were nicer then their FeudalOverlord back home. Also the quality of leadership may have been better; British officers in Gurkha regiments were specially picked. In any case that has changed of late and there have been a number of Gurkha officers.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: The British had a nightmare of a time supplying local troops in the Indian sub-continent because Hindus refused to use rounds packed in beef tallow while Muslims refused to use rounds packed in pig lard. The Gurkhas cheerfully used whatever ammunition they were issued to show the British that they were tougher than other troops.

* ImprovisedWeaponUser: Dipprasad Pun, the Gurkha corporal famed for singlehandedly killing thirty Taliban, actually ''ran out of ammunition'' for his machinegun, but instead of giving up he just started cracking heads with the bipod. Which, when folded. is a ''30lb hunk of metal.''

The Gurkhas are from Nepal, a country in the [[TheShangriLa Himalayas]] with [[HadToBeSharp one of the toughest climates in the world.]] They are unique in that their chief fame comes from their service as HiredGuns rather than for their own country. They came to English attention in a war between the [[MegaCorp East India Company]] and the King of Nepal. As part of the peace treaty the Company demanded permission to recruit from Nepali for, in a fashion reminiscent of Creator/JohnWayne, the Company had liked the Gurkhas so much as [[WorthyOpponent enemies]] that they couldn't wait to have them as allies. The Gurkhas were recruited mostly from the Mager, Gurang, Limbu, and Rai tribes. Other tribes have occasionally joined, especially when manpower is desperately needed like in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Curiously, the Sherpas, which are the most famous tribe in the area, have not been well represented: perhaps it's enough work getting rich [[GloryHound glory hounds]] up Mount Everest. Another interesting curiosity is that only one regiment (9th Gurkha rifles) of Gurkhas is made up of the Kshatriya (warrior) caste. Most are Vaisha's (peasants), though such things were apparently not taken as seriously in the mountains as they have sometimes been in the valley.

* NiceHat: Gurkhas traditionally wear the Terai hat, a variant of the Australian-style bush-hat that is made by stuffing one hat inside the other, making it rigid. It is worn sharply tilted.

* ScreamingWarrior: ''Aiyo Gurkali'', or more specifically,''Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gurkhali'', which means "Glory to Great Kali, the Gurkhas are coming!"
** Their enemies tend to respond with--in their respective tongues, and adjusted for culture--"OhCrap!"

* TheWomenAreSafeWithUs : One British officer led the storming of a stronghold held by dacoits (roughly, India's ThievesGuild) and was proud to note that not one woman had been harmed.

Gurkhas until the 2000s have seldom been officers and usually served in units with white officers. This was partly because of prejudice held by the British that Gurkhas were fine soldiers, but too ineducable to make good officers. Another reason was that the original Indian army was at least partly and often a very large part, a constabulary to prevent revolt and therefore the upper caste had to pull the strings. Despite that, relations have usually been fairly good between British and Gurkhas, arguably better than the British deserved. Perhaps it's simply that all soldiers live in a caste system while they serve and for the Gurkhas it more or less ended when they went home as far as British were concerned. And maybe British were nicer then their FeudalOverlord back home. Also the quality of leadership may have been better; British officers in Gurkha regiments were specially picked. In any case that has changed of late and there have been a number of Gurkha officers.

The Gurkhas are from Nepal, a country in the [[TheShangriLa Himalayas]] with [[HadToBeSharp one of the toughest climates in the world.]] They are unique in that their chief fame comes from their service as HiredGuns rather than for their own country. They came to English attention in a war between the [[MegaCorp East India Company]] and the King of Nepal. As part of the peace treaty the Company demanded permission to recruit from Nepali for, in a fashion reminiscent of JohnWayne, the Company had liked the Gurkhas so much as [[WorthyOpponent enemies]] that they couldn't wait to have them as allies. The Gurkhas were recruited mostly from the Mager, Gurang, Limbu, and Rai tribes. Other tribes have occasionally joined, especially when manpower is desperately needed like in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Curiously, the Sherpas, which are the most famous tribe in the area, have not been well represented: perhaps it's enough work getting rich [[GloryHound glory hounds]] up Mount Everest. Another interesting curiosity is that only one regiment (9th Gurkha rifles) of Gurkhas is made up of the Kshatriya (warrior) caste. Most are Vaisha's (peasants), though such things were apparently not taken as seriously in the mountains as they have sometimes been in the valley.

** The tale is told of a Gurkha sentry posted along the Suez Canal during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and told to let no one pass. When a British battleship came chugging up the canal, the sentry followed his orders to the letter; he aimed his rifle at the officer on the bridge and ordered him to halt the ship. Yes, that's right, a Gurkha sentry [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome stopped a battleship with a bolt-action rifle.]]

** The tale is told of a Gurkha sentry posted along the Suez Canal during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and told to let no one pass. When a British battleship came chugging up the canal, the sentry followed his orders to the letter; he aimed his rifle at the officer on the bridge and ordered him to halt the ship. Yes, that's right, a [[{{Badass}} Gurkha sentry]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome stopped a battleship with a bolt-action rifle.]]

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gurkhas are famous for their friendliness. Those who had the honour to serve with them can vouch for that.

* ShroudedInMyth: The Gurkhas frightened away the Argentines during the Falklands War by sheer reputation. Some in the Taliban believe that they are demons who eat their victims. The Gurkhas do nothing to dispel these myths.

* NightmareFuel: A tactic of the Gurkhas during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was to sneak into German encampments, kill all the men in their sleep except for one, and then leave him alive to tell his superiors about it (one writer credited that to the Goums, a similar group in French service. Another account holds that the Maoris, in UsefulNotes/NewZealand service, did something similar.).

The Gurkhas are from Nepal, a country in the [[TheShangriLa Himalayas]] with [[HadToBeSharp one of the toughest climates in the world.]] They are unique in that their chief fame comes from their service as HiredGuns rather than for their own country. They came to English attention in a war between the [[MegaCorp East India Company]] and the King of Nepal. As part of the peace treaty the Company demanded permission to recruit from Nepali for, in a fashion reminiscent of JohnWayne, the Company had liked the Gurkhas so much as [[WorthyOpponent enemies]] that they couldn't wait to have them as allies. The Gurkhas were recruited mostly from the Mager, Gurang, Limbu, and Rai tribes. Other tribes have occasionally joined, especially when manpower is desperately needed like in WorldWarII. Curiously, the Sherpas, which are the most famous tribe in the area, have not been well represented: perhaps it's enough work getting rich [[GloryHound glory hounds]] up Mount Everest. Another interesting curiosity is that only one regiment (9th Gurkha rifles) of Gurkhas is made up of the Kshatriya (warrior) caste. Most are Vaisha's (peasants), though such things were apparently not taken as seriously in the mountains as they have sometimes been in the valley.

** The tale is told of a Gurkha sentry posted along the Suez Canal during WorldWarOne and told to let no one pass. When a British battleship came chugging up the canal, the sentry followed his orders to the letter; he aimed his rifle at the officer on the bridge and ordered him to halt the ship. Yes, that's right, a [[{{Badass}} Gurkha sentry]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome stopped a battleship with a bolt-action rifle.]]

* OneManArmy: In WorldWarII the Gurkha soldier, Lachhiman Gurung, ranked up a bodycount of 31 Japanese soldiers in one battle, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his efforts. In the Afghanistan war against the Taliban, another Gurkha soldier single-handedly killed 30 Taliban warriors. The British command's commented the latter instance that "anyone who think they can take down one Gurkha with only 30 men are foolish."

* DrillSergeantNasty: Subverted notably. Gurkha non-coms are tough but not tyrannical and prefer to act as [[AFatherToHisMen a big-brother to their men]].