Netrabahadur Thapa

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Netrabahadur Thapa (8 January 1916 -26 June 1944) was a Nepalese recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

On 25 June–26 June 1944, at the age of twenty eight, Thapa was an acting subedar of the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles in the Indian Army during the Second World War. He was in command of a small isolated hill post at Bishenpur, Burma (now Mayanmar) when the Japanese army attacked in force. The men, inspired by their leader's example, held their ground and the enemy were beaten off, but casualties were very heavy and reinforcements were requested. When these arrived some hours later they also suffered heavy casualties. Thapa retrieved the reinforcements' ammunition himself and mounted an offensive with grenades and kukris, until he was killed.