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Thursday, July 02, 2015 - 08:58 PM UTC
The World War Two Gurkha Offering from ICM is shipping out for the modellers of the world. This set is an interesting release of a British Army unit that is held in very high regard and feared by those that they fight against.
Here is a short history of the Gurkha’s and how they came to be a part of the British Army, the following text is from the web page of the British Army.

Robert Clive's decisive victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 firmly established British supremacy in India thereby opening the door for expansion of the Honourable East India Company. Some 10 years after Plassey the British started to come into contact with a unique and vigorous power on the northern borders of its newly won territories in Bengal and Bihar.

This power was the city-state of Gorkha led by its dynamic king Prithwi Narayan Shah. Gorkha was a feudal hill village in what is now western Nepal, and is the place from which the Gurkha takes his name. Prithwi Narayan Shah and his successors grew so powerful that they overan the whole of the hill country from the Kashmir border in the west to Bhutan in the east.

Eventually, as a result of boundary disputes and repeated raids by Gurkha columns into British territory, the Governor General declared war on Nepal in 1814. After two long and bloody campaigns a Peace Treaty was signed at Sugauli in 1816.

Peace Treaty
During the war a deep feeling of mutual respect and admiration had developed between the British and their adversaries, the British being much impressed by the fighting and other fine qualities of the Gurkha soldier.

Under the terms of the Peace Treaty large numbers of Gurkhas were permitted to volunteer for service in the East India Company's Army.

Bravest of allies
From these volunteers were formed the first regiments of the Gurkha Brigade, and from this time stems Britain's friendship with Nepal, a country which has proved a staunch ally ever since and has become our 'oldest ally' in Asia.

Never has the trust that was then placed in the Gurkha soldier ever been in doubt. Alongside his British comrade in arms he has fought in many parts of the world and has proved himself to be of the closest friends and bravest of allies that Britain has known.

'Keeping the Peace' in India under the British flag began for Gurkha soldiers with the Pindaree War in 1817, and the first battle honour gained by Gurkha troops was at Bhurtpore in 1826.

The two senior regiments distinguished themselves in the hard fought battles of the 1st Sikh War in 1846, and six regiments of the Nepalese Army were offered to the East India Company for service in the 2nd Sikh War of 1848.


35563 – Gurkha Rifles 1942 - 1944
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Comments

If you (or I) were to replace all heads with helmeted ones and ditch the kukris, would they be passable as Desert 8th Army?
JUL 02, 2015 - 10:48 PM
Yes I believe it would.
JUL 02, 2015 - 10:59 PM
However Biggles if annotomically correct in 1/35th the Ghurkas will be 'tiny framed figures', might be alright on their own but with other Allied figs they will be 'little'. Maybe Darren will get a set to review/compare for us.
JUL 03, 2015 - 01:20 AM
Looking at the sprue the figures all appear to be the same size, that said we have Gurkhas around here both past and present and the size difference is certainly not a case now. Assuming these are the average 5' 8'' then they should be fine.
JUL 03, 2015 - 02:12 AM
It's great to see the Ghurkas get their due. I think (could be wrong) this is the first time they've been done in plastic. Nope, just remembered Dragon did them for Monte Cassino. Still, fantastic to see.
JUL 03, 2015 - 04:21 PM
ICM are doing a geart job of expanding their figure range. This looks like a very useful set. It would be great to see a follow up set of troops with pack animals and some Chindits. Al
JUL 03, 2015 - 05:34 PM
Granted. But since they're all kneeling or crouching, any height difference won't be so apparent. Anyway, there were always very short home-grown Brits!
JUL 03, 2015 - 07:10 PM
The officer on the box art looks distinctly like Orde Wingate.
JUL 03, 2015 - 07:29 PM
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