The British Army's Gurkhas are, without doubt, the bravest and most fearsome soldiers on the planet.
This has been proved again with one Gurkha fighting off a dozen Taliban in Afghanistan with a Rambo-style hail of fire.
Sergeant Dipprasad Pun hoisted a giant machine gun - weighing 30lb - off its mount and held it as he blazed away at them, killing three and wounding several others.
A source said: "It would have taken a superhuman effort to hold the gun and fire it. Apart from its weight, the recoil is colossal."
The Gurkhas, Britain's greatest allies, are Nepalese and have been fighting in the British Army since 1817. They are famous for their traditional Nepalese kukri knives, lethal weapons with curved blades that every Gurkha in the British Army is issued with and trained in their use. They are used as close combat weapons. According to legend, a Gurkha "never sheathes his blade without first drawing blood."
Over the years they have won 26 Victoria Crosses.
There are currently around 4,000 of them serving in the British Army.
Rambo-style Gurkha in solo Taliban blitz
By JOHN KAY and DAVID WILLETTS
4th November 2010
The Sun
Heroic ... Sgt Dipprasad Pun beat off attackers
A LONE Gurkha has fought off the Taliban in a Rambo-style hail of fire.
Heroic Sergeant Dipprasad Pun HOISTED a giant machine gun off its mount and HELD it as he blazed away at a dozen attackers.
Firepower ... Sgt Dip held 30lb gun and let fly 750 rounds a minute
He is believed to have killed three and wounded several others with the gun - weighing well over 30lb and hammering out 750 rounds a minute.
A source said: "It would have taken a superhuman effort to hold the gun and fire it. Apart from its weight, the recoil is colossal."
Firefight ... he held off a dozen Taliban from rooftop, killing at least 3
The 15-minute stand came after Sgt Dip, 31, was left at a checkpoint in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand.
Spotting a Taliban attack, he ran on to a roof to man a 7.62mm general purpose machine gun mounted on a tripod.
As the insurgents came over the wall Sgt Dip realised he could not lower the gun enough to hit them. So he yanked out the pins locking it down - CHUCKING the heavy tripod at the enemy - and lifted it up.
There are around 4,000 Gurkhas in the British Army in six units. There are the the Royal Gurkha Rifles (two battalions), The Queen's Gurkha Engineers, Queen's Gurkha Signals, and The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment. In addition there are two independent companies - Gurkha Company (Sittang) at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Gurkha Company (Mandalay) at the Infantry Battle School, Brecon. Together these make up the Brigade of Gurkhas.
He also beat off the attackers with grenades and an SA80 rifle before reinforcements arrived.
Sgt Dip, of 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, would not speak about the September 17 battle. And it is too early to speculate if he will win a medal as citations have not been written. But Army spokesman Lt Col David Eastman said: "He is a credit to his unit."
Heroes' proud medal history
THE Gurkhas have a distinguished history of Victoria Cross winners.
Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung took on 200 Japanese troops while manning a forward post in Burma (then a part of the British Empire) in May 1945.
Honour ... Gurkhas have won 26 Victoria Crosses
During the battle, which left him blinded, he threw two grenades back at the enemy - but a third detonated, blowing off his arm.
Lachhiman, now 92, continued to fire his rifle with his good arm for four hours, killing at least 30 Japs. He retired on disability grounds in 1946 and is wheelchair-bound in Hounslow, West London.
Rifleman Tul Bahadur Pun, 21, led a lone charge against a Japanese machine gun nest after his comrades were slaughtered in Burma in June 1944.
He killed three enemy soldiers and chased off five others.
Now 87, he then used two captured machine guns and ammunition to provide cover for his platoon following behind.
Starscream: Hero Gurkha fights off 12 Taliban on his ownNov 5th, 2010
Like the SAS, the Gurkhas are not to be messed with. These troops were extremely nasty to the Japanese army during the second world war.
damngrumpy: Hero Gurkha fights off 12 Taliban on his ownNov 5th, 2010
My father told me about how great these guys were in WWII. He said the Gurkha
were the finest soldiers and they did it with simplicity and a steady calm from
within. All over the world including the Falkland Islands these troops have been
the difference in producing victory.
YukonJack: Hero Gurkha fights off 12 Taliban on his ownNov 5th, 2010
Quote: Originally Posted by damngrumpy
My father told me about how great these guys were in WWII. He said the Gurkha
were the finest soldiers and they did it with simplicity and a steady calm from
within. All over the world including the Falkland Islands these troops have been
the difference in producing victory.
Of course, all the while the United States Marines just sat there with their fingers up their aas.
For those of thick heads, this was meant as SARCASM!
gerryh: Hero Gurkha fights off 12 Taliban on his ownNov 5th, 2010
Quote: Originally Posted by YukonJack
Of course, all the while the United States Marines just sat there with their fingers up their aas.
For those of thick heads, this was meant as SARCASM!
I'm at a loss as to why the u.s. Marines was even brought up. No one had besmirched the marines in this O.P.
Doing a little trolling again Jackie?
YukonJack: Hero Gurkha fights off 12 Taliban on his ownNov 5th, 2010
gerryh, I will type this real slow, so that you can understand it.
My response was to damngrumpy, who praised the Gurkha fighters. My point was that given the right circumstances all fighters can be great, and as an example I mentioned the United States Marines. When damngrumpy used the term "all over the world", I thought that the Marines could and should not be ignored. I meant no disrespect for the Gurkhas.
And for all those who are not deficient in reading comprehension, (obviously you being an exception) I made it clear that it was SARCASM.
Get real, troll!
gerryh: Hero Gurkha fights off 12 Taliban on his ownNov 5th, 2010
Sure, what ever you say jackie boy.
