Bhanubhakta Gurung VC

[Middenrat]

Havildar (sergeant) Bhanubhakta Gurung, who has died aged 86, was awarded a Victoria Cross when serving as a rifleman in the 3rd Batallion, 2nd Ghurka Rifles in Burma on March 5th 1945.
His 'B' Coy was charged with retaking a peak in the high ground to the east of Tamandu. His citation recorded that: 'On approaching the objective, one of the sections of the company was forced to the ground by heavy light-machine gun, grenade and mortar fire, and was unable to move in any direction.
While thus pinned down, the section also came under accurate fire from a sniper in a tree some 75 yards to the south. As this sniper was inflicting casualties on the section, Rifleman Bhanubhakta Gurung stood up and, while fully exposed to enemy fire, calmly killed the enemy sniper with his rifle, thus saving his section from suffering further casualties'
Bhanbhakta then began to run for the top of the hill, yelling for his comrades to follow him. Though the casualties were heavy, the section ploughed forward until within 20 yards of their objective, when the Ghurkas were again halted by exceptionally heavy fire.
Without waiting for any orders, Bhanubhakta dashed forward alone and attacked the first enemy foxhole. Throwing two grenades, which killed the two occupants of the trench, he immedately rushed onto the next enemy foxhole and killed the two Japanese in it with his bayonet.
All this time he was under continuous light-machine-gun fire from a bunker on the north tip of the objective, and two further foxholes were bringing fire upon the rest of his section. Bhanubhakta dashed forward and cleared these trenches with bayonet and grenades. He then turned his attention to the machine-gun bunker, and realising, as the citation put it, that it 'would hold up not only his own platoon but also another platoon which was advancing from the west', he pushed forward a fifth time to knock out the position.
'He ran forward and leapt onto the roof of the bunker from where, his hand grenades being finished, he flung two No 72 smoke grenades into the bunker's slit'. Two Japanese rushed out of the bunker, partially blinded by smoke and their clothes aflame with phosphorous; Bhanubhakta promptly killed them with his kukri.
One Japanese soldier remained inside, holding up 4 Platoon's advance with the machine-gun. Bhanubhakta crawled in and, prevented by the cramped space from using his bayonet or kukri, beat the gunner's brains out with a rock. His company then used their Bren gun to repel the enemy counter-attack from the commandeered position.
As a result of this engagement, his regiment gained the Battle Honour 'Tamandu'

once again culled from Daily Telegraph obits page

wow
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Skin by Baino

[Spanky_McCoy]

Kind of makes all other acts of heroism like playing football in Afghanistan pale into insignificance.

And to think Gurkhas couldn't get to live here permanently until recently. Sometimes our government should be bloody ashamed of itself, well the vast majority of the time really.
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[Supergrinch]

Now, THAT'S a HERO.

Bravo for putting that story up.

I confess, I got a bit misty eyed.
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I'm more of a vehicular gymnasticist than driver.

[JawZ]

and if he had failed, he would of gone down as a lunatic.
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[mad]

Thanks mid, I believe I read his story in the victor comics.........we easily forget and it's great to be reminded of what we all need to work hard to avoid happening again... though war it a different beast now and a much more horrifying prospect.