11th Gorkha Rifles
11th Gorkha Rifles | |
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khukuris with the Roman numeral XI inbetween | |
War cry | Jai Maa kali, Ayo Gorkhali (Hail goddess Mahakali, The Gorkhas Are Here) |
The 11 Gorkha Rifles is a
The regiment has participated in all major military operations India has undertaken since independence including in the
History
First raising
The
Second raising
Following
11 Gorkha Rifles was officially re-raised on 1 January 1948, with the regimental centres at
Today, the regiment has a total of six regular and one Territorial Army battalions.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
From the jungles of Nagaland, the Bnz moved to New Misamari in Jan 1971 under the orbatz of 301 Mtn Bde/ 23 Mtn Div. The Bn stayed at Misamari only for a short duration of three months before moving to Durgapur and Burdwan districts of West Bengal for IS duties for conduct of state elections. The Bn was back to Misamari in Aug 1971. However, by then the clouds of war and turmoil had already begun to take shape in Bangladesh. By Sep 1971, ‘The First’ moved by train to Dharmanagar from Tezpur and took up defences in Sonamura heights near Comilla, the then East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh). Aggressive patrolling and ambushes were carried out by the Bn to deter the enemy. On 08 Nov 1971, Capt PK Rampal was wounded in a gunfight while silencing one MMG post with grenade while carrying out a raid. L/Nk Gurudas was awarded Sena Medal for his daring act of evacuating Capt Rampal from the spot. On the night of 03/ 04 Dec, when the Kirantis were spearheading their way to Buschi, the Battalion created history by capturing 06 Officers including the CO, 8 JCOs and 202 OR of 25 Baloch Frontier Force near Hilalnagar. Subsequently, on 05 Dec, the Battalion led by C Coy under Maj NS Shekhawat cleared Mudafarganj town in a lightning day light attack and secured two important bridges. The Kirantis showed utmost bravery and dedication when on 07 Dec 1971, Pak Army launched two Counter Attacks to siege the bridge and they were beaten back not once but twice. Maj BKD Badgel continued to fight and organise the defences even after being shot through his arm. For this dare devil act and unflinching leadership, Maj BKD Badgel was awarded Vir Chakra. On 09 Dec 1971, the Bn joined the brigade at Chandpur. On morning of 11 Dec 1971, the Pakistanis again tasted the metal of Khukri when an enemy gunboat carrying soldiers and a White Flag fired treacherously on the Bn when they were effecting a surrender. Bn on 14 Dec 1971 ,reached the other end of Daudkandi wherein they were heli-lifted to Kuripara. The Meghna heli bridge was the first ever joint Air Force and Army operation since Independence and it greatly expedited the termination of hostilities. The aim of the operation was to facilitate rapid movement of Indian troops over Meghna, as the existing bridges were destroyed by Pak forces to delay move of 4 Corps. The Bn took up a daring task of establishing a bridge head across Meghna river in area Godnail so as to facilitate their infiltration up to Jalkhundi. Capt RV Ram yet again lead A Company on assault craft and in no time established a foot hold on the other bank. The Battalion was part of the deadliest thrust of 23 Infantry Division and 4 Corps operations and fulfilled all tasks allotted in ample manner. During the entire operations the first inflicted heavy casualty on the enemy including 33 killed and one wounded. The Battalion earned One Vir Chakra, two Sena Medals, two Mentioned in Dispatches & one Vishisth Seva Medal for excellent operational performance. After the liberation of Bangladesh, the Bn returned to Misamari in Mar 1972 and stayed uptill 16 Aug 72 before finally moving to Dalhousie.
Kargil War
During the Kargil War in 1999, the 1st battalion (1/11 GR) saw extensive action. Commanded by Colonel Lalit Rai, it was tasked with the capture of several strategic peaks in the Kargil region. The crowning moment of paltan's history came during the 1999 Indo Pak Kargil conflict. After a successful Siachen tenure, the Bn was concentrated at Nurla for de-induction. The advance party had already reached Pune and the ECC clothing issued to the unit had been deposited. Bulk of the weapons had been handed over to the relieving unit. It was in these circumstances that on 08 May 99, the battalion became the first unit to be inducted in the Kargil war. It was only on 02 Jun 99 that Col Lalit Rai, took over the reins of the paltan. Not to be disheartened by adversities, the ‘KIRANTIS’ in a trail of glory wiped out the enemy conquering Khalubar, Kukarthang, Point 5289, Point 5190, Point 5300 and Tekri in their stride thus proving once again that they are the best fighters in the world. During the attack on 'Area Bunker', Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, in spite of being injured in shoulder and leg, single handedly destroyed one enemy bunker after another until he finally received a fatal UMG burst on his forehead. Inspired by his spontaneous valour, the KIRANTIS struck like lightning upon the enemy until not a single one was left standing. For this act of exceptional bravery, Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey was posthumously awarded the highest gallantry award the ‘PARAM VIR CHAKRA’. Apart from Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, 13 other braves made the supreme sacrifice and immortalized themselves in the annals of history. Col Lalit Rai, Hav Bhim Bahadur Dewan and Lance Naik Gyanendra Rai were awarded the Vir Chakra. In recognition of its good work, the battalion was awarded the Chief of the Army Staff Unit Citation, 2nd time within the decade. The battalion was bestowed with Battle Honour, 'BATALIK' and theatre honour, 'KARGIL'. Also, 'The First' entered the exclusive club of those rarest of the rare units of the Indian Army to have won both the ‘Param Vir Chakra’ and the ‘Ashok Chakra’ thus earning the coveted title of being 'The Bravest of the Brave'. Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey was a young officer in 1/11 GR, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest gallantry award, for his actions in Batalik sector.
Units
- 1st Battalion (Batalik)
- 2nd Battalion (Shingo)
- 3rd Battalion
- 5th Battalion (Bogra)
- 6th Battalion
- 7th Battalion
- 107th Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) (11th Gorkha Rifles) (based at Darjeeling, West Bengal)
Others:
- 4th Battalion was disbanded
In addition, the Sikkim Scouts regiment, which was formed in 2013, is affiliated with the regiment.[8]
Battle and theatre honours
The battle honours of the regiment are Bogra,
Gallantry awards
- Victoria Cross
- Rfn. Ganju Lama
- Param Vir Chakra
- Capt. Manoj Pandey (posthumous)
- Ashok Chakra
- Capt. Man Bahadur Rai
- Rfn. Sal Bahadur Limbu
- 2Lt. Puneet Nath Dutt(Posthumous)
- Mahavir Chakra
- Brigadier later Lt GenRam Dharam Dass Hira
- Vir Chakra
- Major later Lt Gen J.B.S. Yadava
- Col. Lalit Rai
References
- ^ "VIR KIRANTI:THE REGIMENTAL SONG AND MARCH".
- ^ "11Gorkha Regiment Documentary". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
- ^ "Brief History of 11Gorkha Rifles/11Gorkha Rifles official Website".
- ^ "11th Gurkha Rifles". Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and the Commonwealth. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ Sharma, Anshul. "11 Gorkha – Captain Manoj Pandey's regiment". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ Templer, Andrew. "The 1/11th Gurkha Rifles". Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "Bharat Rakshak :: Land Forces Site – 11 Gorkha Rifles". BHARAT RAKSHAK. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ "Army Vice Chief Unveils the Flag of Sikkim Scouts". 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India". gallantryawards.gov.in. Retrieved 1 March 2023.