Gurkha mercenaries, known as the most famous and powerful foreign mercenaries in the world, are known for their strict discipline and bravery, and they are very loyal to their employers. These professional mercenaries come from Gurkha Village, west of Kathmandu, Nepal. They apply for an annual salary of approximately US$8,500 or higher as a soldier in the UK, with a maximum service period of 15 years. In the past 150 years, Gurkha mercenaries have participated in almost all conflicts related to Britain or India.
British Gurkha Mercenary
Due to the geographical environment, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the domestic per capita annual income is only 240 US dollars. The annual salary of Gurkha mercenaries is $8,500. In addition to the generous salary, Gurkha mercenaries have the opportunity to visit relatives every two years, and the British army bears the cost of round-trip transportation. Every time they go back, they are respected like a prince, and they are popular objects of marriage.
The Gurkhas are a mountain ethnic group in Nepal. They are not tall but have strong physique, hardworking, brave and good at fighting. 80% of the territory of Nepal is mountainous, so the Gurkhas have practiced a pair of "iron feet" by walking on rough mountain roads since childhood. They have a strong personality and a strong body, especially good at mountain and close combat. And they especially like to wear the "Gogol Scimitar", which is said to have to see blood once it is pulled out, which has become the iconic equipment of Gurkha mercenaries.
In the early 19th century, Britain invaded Nepal, and Gurkha fighters from the Kingdom of Nepal attacked Kashmir and Bhutan. The British dealt with 12,000 people in Nepal with 30,000 people. After two years of bloody battle, Nepal achieved peace. The brave spirit of the Gurkha soldiers who would rather die than surrender won the admiration of the British. After that, Britain signed a treaty with Nepal and enjoyed the privilege of recruiting Gurkha soldiers. From then on, Gurkha mercenaries began to go to the world.
In 1815, the British army had the first combat battalion composed of Gurkha soldiers. In all subsequent conflicts with Britain, there were The figure of Gurkha soldiers participating in the battle. In 1857, during the Indian subcontinent uprising, if the Gurkhas were not fighting for the British army, the British colonial rule of South Asia would not have been able to continue into the 20th century. Under the tutelage of the British, the Gurkhas from the mountainous areas had thoughts that were more noble than the Indians, and they were also cruel in suppressing the Indian independence movement.
In history, Gurkha mercenaries have traveled throughout Afghanistan, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, North Korea and Iraq. In the first and second world wars, a total of 200,000 Gurkhas served for the British army, and more than 45,000 died in battle. In addition, they also participated in UN peacekeeping operations and served in places such as Kosovo and East Timor.
escorted the strongest mercenary regiment from Nepal for the "Golden Special Association"
As of 2011, the British Army has 4 Gurkha infantry regiments with approximately 3700 people . There are only a handful of British officers in the Gurkha Infantry Regiment, and most of the rest are Gurkha officers. In addition, another country in Asia, Singapore, also regularly recruits Gurkha mercenaries and has escorted the "Golden Special Association".
Gurkha mercenaries appeared in Iraq
In addition to the United Kingdom and Singapore, India also recruits 2000 Gurkha mercenaries every year, almost 10 times that of the United Kingdom (Note: UK Only more than 230 people join the British army each year). The ritual is the same for joining the two armies. Every Gurkha soldier must swear allegiance to a foreign flag and a foreign government, promise to obey his foreign commander's orders and kill the enemy heroically. But there is one exception-if the enemy is a Hindu, Gurkha soldiers cannot use weapons. This is a warning issued by the Nepalese government in 1947.
