Today, the 80th anniversary of Victory In Europe (VE Day), we say thank you to all those Gurkhas and other military personnel who played their part in the war.
In January 1945, Gurkha battalions were positioned across various fronts, with some in Italy, others in Greece on peacekeeping duties, and many in Burma preparing for renewed offensives against the Japanese. The Gurkhas had been in action since 1941, and in 1945, they would play a pivotal role in the final push towards peace, which would culminate in the end of WW2 On 6 April 1945, the Allies launched a massive offensive in Italy. The objective was to liberate northern Italy from German occupation and reach the Austrian border. From there, the Allies could enter the German homeland from the south. Over the following weeks, Allied armies smashed through the German defences at the Senio, Santerno and Po rivers. Six battalions of Gurkhas took part in the offensive, distinguishing themselves at the Santerno river, Medicina and the Gaiana canal.The Italian Campaign began in July 1943 when Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily. The island was captured after five weeks of fighting, inflicting a defeat on the Italians that led to the collapse of Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime. Nine Gurkha battalions fought in Italy. Throughout 1944 they saw some of the worst fighting of the campaign, suffering heavy casualties at Monte Cassino and the Gothic Line. But despite this, the Gurkhas were regarded as some of the finest troops in Italy.
Find out more with our museum who have produced an excellent detailed account on their website to mark the end of WW2 and what part the Gurkhas played in the war.
