Taking Port Stanley

Wherever they have served, the Gurkhas have found that their reputation for fearlessness, toughness and discipline has preceded them. But even the Gurkhas were surprised at the stories which came out of the freezing shores of the Falklands (Malvinas) Islands, which the British retook from the Argentines in mid-1982. While it is not clear to what extent the fighting ability of the Gurkhas was employed, the British Army seems to have made full use of their potential for their psychological warfare.

A commando of the 7th Gurkha Rifles on leave in Kathmandu in June 1983 recalled that during the advance on Fort Stanley, military intelligence discreetly leaked information to Argentine captives that Gurkhas would be making a predawn attack on a crucial outpost. A few captives were equally discreetly allowed to escape, "and when we went there the next morning, the enemy had fled," recalled the soldier.