Sorry I can’t help you but you might nevertheless be interested in this extract from my dad’s war diary pertaining to the Battle of Wadi Akarit in which the Ghurkas played an important part.
The Allied soldiers needed to be in command of North Africa in order to exercise control of the Mediterranean and simultaneously pose a threat to Italy and southern France. Following victory at Alamein, the soldiers of the British 8th Army progressed towards Tunisia, with a view to pushing the enemy armies back North. The enemy, led by Rommel, was making a stand amongst some hills near Wadi Akarit, a dried up river bed. They ‘had to be sent packing’, to use General Montgomery's words. This was a very awful, bloody battle and Dad was in the thick of it, losing several close comrades in tragic circumstances.
“The enemy now opened up with 88mm and the shells were soon bursting amongst us with more accuracy as we advanced about eight yards apart, with our rifles across our chests. The enemy threw everything at us and we felt very exposed on that flat plain but there was no turning back. Hell, I felt vulnerable but never afraid – we had
other things to think about! Strangely enough, at this stage, fear never entered our heads; the job had to be done and there was no turning back. Two thousand yards from the gap there was not even the usual scrub to drop
behind. The 69th Brigade soon ran into trouble. Our C Company made a very spirited attack on point 85 and took it with the loss of some good lads. The East Yorks and the 7th Battalion were pinned down by heavy frontal and enfilade machine gun fire (This is where weapons fire can be directed, for instance, on a column or row
of troops such that the projectiles travel the length of the column or row). The 4th Indian and 51st Highland had been successful in their initial attacks and somewhat reduced the firing down onto us and we advanced cautiously.
As we got nearer to the enemy and could sense the height of Fatnassa and Roumana above us, the fire from their machine guns, mortars and 88s slackened off because we were below their line of fire, except for a time to the left of us. Up to now, tanks had not put in an appearance as they would have been very exposed on the flat
ground and were waiting until the soldiers took the Jebels. By the time we had reached the above-mentioned position, the Ghurkas had already gone into action in the dead of night in their usual way, stealthily, without
any artillery support whatsoever, their Kukries (a very sharp, curved, broad knife about eighteen inches long) demanding a heavy penalty. These very brave soldiers from Nepal must have put the fear of death into the enemy. On the other hand, the enemy would not live long enough to be afraid, because in seconds his decapitated
head would be on the ground.”
You can read more of Dad’s war at
http://www.fightingthrough.co.uk/#/home/4534110776