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Saturday, March 28, 2026

GURKHAS (On the wrong side)...During the Battle of Monte Cassino in March 1944, soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles (1/9 GR), part of the 4th Indian Division, undertook a daring ascent of the treacherous terrain leading to a position known as Hangman's Hill (Point 444), located southwest of the destroyed monastery

 Hangman’s Hill (Point 444): The high point secured by the Gurkhas, located less than 250 yards from the monastery walls. The Terrain: The 1/9th Gurkha Rifles climbed steep, rocky slopes and ravines—some in the vicinity of Snakeshead Ridge—often fighting in hand-to-hand combat at night to reach their objectives. The Action: On March 20, 1944, Naik Dilbahadur Khattri and two other Gurkhas managed to reach the monastery walls themselves, becoming the first Allied soldiers in four battles to do so. The Hold: The battalion held Hangman's Hill for nine days, relying on supplies dropped by air and defending against constant German counterattacks before being forced to withdraw



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