Original subtitles

For the first time on Deadliest Warrior, these warriors were not born to the

country that they were fighting for. Gurkhas versus the French Foreign

The Gurkhas fight for the British Empire. They come from Nepal.

They live in that Himalayan mountain environment.

They're little guys, but they are ferocious.

And the British brought them on board because they were such a nightmare for

British when they were fighting against them. When you're talking about the

French Foreign Legion, they're comprised of all kinds of guys from all over the

world. Thugs and misfits and some guys who probably would wind up in prison.

they have fought in the most desperate battles that France needs them to fight

in. You know, Mac, I can't agree with you more with the Gurkhas. Training in

oxygen -deprived environment like the Himalayas becomes a huge benefit to them

as a warrior.

are subjected to a horrendous training environment, the desert. The physicality

and endurance aspect of this is just unbelievable. Both these guys are near

superhuman. The thing that's actually pretty amazing about this matchup is

of these warriors literally changed the outcome of World War II. And I can't

wait to see how it unfolds. The fearless mountain assassins who take on the

British Empire's most dangerous mission versus the elite army of real -life

expendables that France sends to do its dirty work.

It's the ultimate battle of World War II's legendary hired guns.

Gurkha, or French Foreign Legion.

Who is Deadly Age?

To find out, the history of war and modern science collide as former Navy

Richard Mack Mackiewicz dives deep into the tactics of the warriors behind the

weapon.

Biomedical engineer Jeff T. Malin applies 21st century technology to

data on arsenals of the past.

And ER physician Armand Dory dissects the trauma and reveals the physical

and psychological traits that shaped these legends of war.

This groundbreaking data will be paired with historical research and entered

into an all -new digital combat engine.

Two legendary combatants will be resurrected.

History will be rewritten, but only one will be crowned deadliest warrior.

Welcome to the Fight Club.

Our experts prepare to uncover new historical insight to determine which

War II mercenary is deadliest.

The gun.

Britain's elite rifle unit, hired from the mountains of Nepal.

Or the French Foreign Legion.

The international infantry of veterans and outlaws paid to fight for France.

These guys are polar opposites when you look at them, but start with the tail of

the tape. The French Foreign Legion, they're approximately 5 '8", 155 pounds.

The Gurkhas, they average 5 '3", 135 pounds.

While the Gurkha may look little on the outside, they're really big on the

inside. When you live in a higher altitude, it increases the number of red

cells. That's going to provide for superior performance.

Let's compare that to the French Foreign Legion. They bring this genetic

diversity of all different cultures mixed in with an intense training in the

desert. From the severest cold to the extreme heat, it toughens their mental

game. I truly believe this is an ultimate warrior matchup. Doc, I

with you more. Let's just start with the French Foreign Legion. They are tough,

they are hard, and they are willing to die rather than surrender.

And then you talk about the Gurkha. They understand war deeply.

The Gurkha is inheriting an identity that has been passed from grandfather to

father to son. Nothing else matters than becoming a great warrior. Completely

agreed, Mac. But you've got to give these men weapons. And we're going to

the Gurkhas and the French Foreign Legion around the era of World War II.

got light machine guns.

But these warriors were both legendary knife fighters. So for post -range

weapons, we're going to be testing the Gurkhas Kukri versus the Legionnaires

Kamalus. So not only are we going to be considering all this weapons data, we're

going to look at historical data and all the nuances that we can get from our X

-Factors. The all -new digital combat engine was created by Robert Daly, a

former Green Beret and designer of more than 30 military simulation video games.

including the deadliest warrior game.

The new engine will combine weapons data with more than 100 X -Factors, critical

intangibles that will be assigned values based on the warrior's battle records,

tactics, and psychological profile.

Discipline is one that matters a lot to me. The Gurkhas, they're born and raised

with complete respect and discipline throughout their life.

When you look at the Foreign Legion, it is coming through training. So it's a

very subtle difference, but they both play a big factor on the battlefield.

Wielding the Gurkha's weapons, Rastra Rai.

Former Gurkha soldier who served in the famed brigade for 20 years, where he saw

action in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

The Gurkhas are going to kill French Legion because the Gurkhas fought here

they fear no death.

Also representing Team Gurkha.

is John Conlon, a former British army officer who became a Gurkha's story

commanding a unit of the elite mercenaries in the jungles of Borneo.

You've got to go back almost 200 years. When the British were controlling the

Empire of India, the British launched an invasion against the Gurkhas of Nepal,

and it didn't turn out very well.

Outmanned and outgunned almost two to one. Only 12 ,000 Gurkhas forced to

stalemate against 22 ,000 British troops.

British officers were so impressed with the bravery of the tribesmen's kukri

charges, they signed a treaty allowing the Gurkhas to be recruited as

mercenaries. The British realized that they had something special here. They

went where the danger was greatest, Abyssinia.

China, Burma. It's very important for a Gurkha to do well in his military

service. It's in the blood. It's hardwired in the DNA.

Defeat is not a word in their vocabulary.

Handling the weaponry for the French Foreign Legion is Nick Hughes.

A former legionnaire who fought for the French flag as an Australian.

Anytime there's a conflict anywhere in the world that involves France, the

French government sends the Legion. And if we get wiped out and destroyed, the

people in France don't give a damn because it's a bunch of foreigners. We

that we're going to get sent where no one else wants to get sent. That's what

makes us unique. That's what makes us deadly.

Also representing the Legion.

is the director of the Military History Center at the University of North Texas,

Jeffrey Warrow. The French Foreign Legion was established in 1831.

There had been a wave of revolutions all over Europe. They were put down

everywhere. Faced with this mob of veiled revolutionaries who needed some

of occupation, the king decided, why don't I form them into a foreign legion?

There were murderers, petty thieves.

There were down -and -elect types.

And what the legion offered was French citizenship and a new life and a new

respectability in return for good service.

The term of service was only five years, and the training was brutal. At Legion

camps in the harsh deserts of North Africa, failure has met with severe

punishment. More Legion air recruits have died during training than any other

military unit in the world.

The average recruit had this criminal background. Sometimes the end of a rifle

by a fist or a boot is the only thing they'll respond to.

For nearly two centuries, Branson shipped the Legion overseas to its

disciples. From Mexico to Indochina. They have this innate sense of

to other units because these are the guys that will take the jobs that nobody

else will and make the ultimate sacrifice.

I'm so glad that we're taking into consideration the historical data, all

these X factors, but to make the numbers in the simulation complete, we've got

to get you weapons data.

Both the Legion and the Gherkins were formed in the 19th century but became

legends fighting for the Allies in World War II.

The showdown from that era starts at long range, when both mercenary units

engage the enemy with their light machine gun.

In the deserts of the North African campaign, the Legion laid down

fire with their massive killer, the Browning Automatic Rifle, a legendary

American firearm first used in World War I.

It's just over four feet long. It has a 20 -round box magazine.

Unlike the Gurkha that needs a sling to use his weapon, I can fire this quite

comfortably off the shoulder. And as another interesting innovation, it's a

buffer spring in the stock. So the gun will absorb the recoil instead of Nick's

shoulder. Can I tell one advantage and disadvantage between these guns?

Yeah, this one's better than yours. We've already established that. Okay,

we're going to be assessing volume of fire, the ability of these weapons to

through degradable cover, accuracy, and your ability to move with these weapons.

To simulate an advance on a series of three entrenched enemies, the experts

start firing in the prone position at a covered target 100 yards downrange.

They will then advance to take out concealed targets at 50 and 25 yards,

reloading as necessary.

Jeff has filled each target with Tannerite, a binary material that

a bullet impacts an instant kill zone, signaling the experts to advance to the

next position.

Just upper chest and head. Otherwise, it's a no -go. On three,

two, one.

Nice movement.

Good recovery.

second. Let's go check out those cinder blocks.

Retarget three instant kills.

What were you thinking here? Were you trying to clear out some of the cover so

you could know that this position was good? Yeah, I have no way of knowing if

there isn't a second man behind that wall, so I started to debride the

Yeah, let's also consider it's not just about that bullet. It's also about

shrapnel. Though low velocity, there's still projectiles that you have to

as a human being. And really, it's nice to know you can get the penetration you

need if there is a target behind there. There's a lot of guys overseas right

now. Because they have the firepower, they can go right through that wall and

hit that guy, and he'll never pop up again.

And what I like is this ability to fire off. the shoulder.

Firing off the sling, as I think you're going to see with our buddies from the

Gurkhas, that is not accurate from down here. That's spray and spray.

Speaking of a shoulder, how do the dampening system actually work? It's

There's almost no kick at all.

All right, right. What do you think?

Look at this weapon, right? I'm feeling I'm not having a gun here.

Look at him. He's now struggling. No, I don't struggle. You might struggle

because you're a little guy and you've got a great big heavy weapon that's four

pounds heavier than this. Look at the magazine.

This thing weighs... Look at the magazine.

You know what it sounds like, buddy? Sounds like a tear. Sounds like a tear.

Next, can McGurk's light machine gun blow away the Legionnaire's VAR?

And late, this for McGurk and Legionnaire.

Heal the bolt -action rifles and legendary blade.

Help turn the tide of World War II.

Durka, French Foreign Legion, who is deadliest?

And now, it's time for the Deadliest Warrior season finale, live.

Hi there, I'm Kieran Elliott and you are watching a very special live

presentation of the Deadliest Warrior season finale. It is the biggest night

Deadliest Warrior history with two legendary episodes.

Right now, you're watching one of my favourite match -ups of the entire

Gurkhas vs.

French Form Legion, and that will be followed by the first fantasy match -up

ever, Vampires vs.

Zombies. Dr. Dorian, Mac, Jeff and I will be dropping in live throughout the

night with updates and analysis, and you will become part of the show with real

-time voting, and we'll respond to your questions in the aftermath at 11pm.

You can place your votes at dwlive .spike .com on your iPod, your iPhone,

Android device, and you can see the results add up live on your telly.

Now, Mac and Jeff, what can we see from the Gurkhas -FFL matchup? Well, as you

saw, I mean, I'm all into the test, and you saw the tenor right there, and that

was a real special thing for me because it's that binary compound that will only

explode when it's hit by a high velocity around.

I personally think, who isn't excited to see Gurga versus French War and Legion?

That's the real question. I mean, these are fierce warriors, they're skilled

warriors, and they epitomize the attitude of not dead, can't quit. They

do. And, Doug, you're kind of staking your reputation a little bit with

versus zombies. How do you feel about this matchup? Yeah, Kieran, you're like

this, you know, you can take away my medical license, but you can't take away

medical freedom.

Freedom!

Well, thank you very much, guys. It's great to have you here, and we've got

these two fantastic shows back to back. Thank you very much for joining us as

well. Keep your votes coming in, dwlive .spike .com.

Now, stick around because we have two very special guests coming in and

us later on tonight as well.

But right here on Spike is Deadliest Warrior Live French Foreign Legion

the Gurkhas.

Don't go anywhere.

The Browning automatic rifle is an automatic rifle.

The word tells you it's a rifle. The Bren is a light machine gun. It puts

heavier round, more sustained fire.

I have never seen a Gurkha who did not love this weapon.

Gurkhas, the Himalayan soldiers hired from Nepal, who have loyally fought for

England from 19th century India to modern -day Iraq, versus the French

Legion.

International mercenaries who gained notoriety in 1863 at the Battle of

Cameroon. Only five surviving members of a legion unit were surrounded by 5 ,000

Mexican troops.

Instead of surrendering, they charged, forever establishing their fight to the

death reputation.

The Battle of Cameroon symbolizes what the legion is all about, fighting to the

last man if need be, and never even having a thought of surrender.

We've seen the ravaging force of the Legion's World War II firearm, the

Automatic Rifle.

But the jerk delivered death in the jungles of World War II's Pacific

with their own light machine gun.

The Bren, designed in Czechoslovakia and used in combat for half a century.

It can fire at 30 rounds in one magazine.

You have a handle, so it can fire from the standing position.

It was heavy to carry.

Why could they do it?

Because they came from Nepal.

They spent all those years climbing up and down, building those leg muscles.

He's forgotten. He's got more red blood cells, so he can carry, like, a heavier

gun, extra barrels, extra banana magazines, the whole thing. Buddy, stick

history. I don't understand that.

To test the brand's accuracy, firepower, and maneuverability in a simulated

assault on entrenched enemy positions, I will move cover to cover, firing at

three Tannerite -built targets.

Try to beat Nick's time, 58 seconds.

On three, two, one.

I don't get carried.

This far.

Clearing the jam costs Rye preciously.

Yeah! Yeah,

he's much faster.

Nice magazine change.

Yeah. On the move.

Move, move, move.

Good job.

Great job, Rye.

Write the costly jab.

Rye's breath matches the BAR's three instant kills.

Yet another fantastic head explosion, okay? But we wanted to see if that

could take down this degradable cover. It did exactly that. If there's a man in

here, you've now killed him, right? You've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt

that in the hands of a very capable operator, the Bren, can have effective

and accurate fire all on the targets. Although it is the old machine gun that

used in World War II, still I use this while I was in a go -kart. And still if

have to choose, I'll choose this Bren machine gun.

What we had is Rye running significantly faster than Nick was able to do. You

know, John, the Gurkhas are physically the smaller, lighter warrior, but they

have that advantage with regards to their leg muscles and with regards to

ability to actually train in higher altitudes. That has to factor in as an X

factor of physicality, which we will plug into the sim.

Rye did a phenomenal job, but when I look at the Bren itself, I can see there

are inherent operational functionality issues that could cause that weapon

system to go offline.

Ten times of both weapons so close.

What aspect of each light machine gun's functionality will earn it the edge?

Let's have a look at Rye and the Bren gun now.

Okay, the first thing I know is take a look at the site. The site itself is

wobbling back and forth. The magazine is wobbling. But when I look at the BAR,

this doesn't look like it's going to actually weigh down on him causing any

significant endurance issues. The thing I'm not a big fan of, when I start to

look at the brand and I get behind it, okay, now I've got to actually change my

cheek well to find this site. When you're starting to look at the BAR,

nothing like being able to put this light machine gun on your shoulder. I

volley with this thing very clearly. I can step into this thing. and keep

control with it, and that's what we do with M60s.

Long -range weapons, edge, French foreign legion.

The battle continues.

The Gurkhas and the legions, medium -range weapons.

A bolt -action rifle.

The FFL's assault units would open fire with their compact French firearms.

The MAT -36.

Last bolt -action rifle.

put into service by a major world power. It's got a five -round magazine, and

the round they used was the 75454, which is this one here. Very fast, very

accurate. It's a shorter gun, and that short barrel helps you get in and out of

cover, move swiftly. This was very helpful fighting off the enemy infantry.

Gherkas shoot back with the fastest military bolt -action rifle of its day,

Enfield No.

4, England's mass -produced rifle developed to fight the Nazis.

It has the 10 -round magazine, and it has a long barrel which gives the

on a target.

Each expert will fire his rifle through a chronometer into a block of ballistics

gel, revealing his weapon's muzzle velocity and damage capability against

simulated human tissue.

Send one round through the volume of the crony into the gel block. Got it.

2 ,647 feet per second. That is a fast round.

How will the Enfield number four compare?

Yeah! 2 ,417 feet per second.

Nice.

And look at that temporary cavity. Love it. The temporary cavity is the

expansion, which is temporary. It's just like pushing tissue, and then the

tissue comes back. In that process, things can tear, bad things can happen.

The MAJ -36 has passed around and blasts a bigger temporary cavity.

revealing it transferred more energy to the target.

This means the weapon with the largest stopping power is the MAS -36.

Another win for the French Foreign Legion.

You know, Jeff, it's not a matter of one thought. It's a matter of the

performance and the battlefield.

All right, we'll see.

Coming up, with the Legion's light machine gun taking the edge, and the

bolt -action rifle even the score.

Two mercenary battalions who turned the tide of World War II.

Goethe, French Foreign Legion, who will be?

That deadliest worry.

Hey guys, we are back live. I tell you what, those light machine gun tests are

absolutely amazing. Love to see that. Okay, let's kick off our first live vote

of the night. Based on what you've seen so far, who do you think is winning? Go

to dwlive .spike .com and vote right now.

The results are just coming in and looking at that, it does look like

Form Legion are slightly ahead. Very, very neck and neck. 50 -50 actually, to

quite honest. But FFL slightly further ahead. Jeff, would you say that the

audience are on the mark there? Is it that well?

You know, it's funny because I love this matchup and the kookery and the whole

legend behind the Gurkhas. I love them. But you take natural born killers with

instinctive discipline against natural born killers without that instinctive

discipline. I'm going to side with the guy that has the instinctive discipline.

And that's the Gurkhas in my mind. Absolutely. Let's have one last look at

votes on your screen.

Fans are still still neck and neck. Stay tuned. We will check back and see if

your votes change based on what happens next.

Enjoy.

The French foreign major, the hired guns whose brutal desert training prepared

them to serve France in desert campaigns, from World War II Libya to

Iraq.

Versus the Gurkhas, England's Asian warriors, whose brutal night -fighting

skills laid a crucial role at the Battle of Kohima Impala in the Burma Campaign

of World War II.

They broke the will of the Japanese Imperial Army at that battle. The

did extremely well.

testing the ballistics of their World War II rifle.

Jeff found that the Legion's Mast 36 inflicted more damage than the Gurkha's

Enfield No. 4.

But which medium -range firearm is deadliest in the heat of battle?

So here's the scenario.

You're on patrol, and you make contact with the enemy.

To assess each rifle's accuracy, battlefield maneuverability, and reload

the experts will fire ten rounds at three moving targets.

50 yards out, the average range of World War II firefights. The experts will low

crawl to a second concealed position, firing 10 more rounds at two static

targets, 35 yards downrange.

So, Rye, you'll be up first with the end field number four. Let's do it.

On three, two, one, contact front.

Take your time, brother.

That looks like a miss.

There you go.

Chest hit.

Excellent. Okay, he's reloading.

Reload. The Enfield is designed to handle two five -round strippers.

Nice and smooth.

It's tough in that mesh, too.

You've got to keep the barrel up. You have to crawl through vegetation all the

time. You've still got to find a way to get through it. Got that pretty quickly.

Here we go. Second firing position.

Nice shot.

There we go. Nice.

Missed it.

Nice.

Nice shot.

Excellent. Yeah.

Head shot.

Yeah.

Excellent.

Done. Two minutes and seven seconds to get through that course. Nice work, Rye.

Zionist Enfield number four.

scored instant kills on all five targets. Take a look at this. I mean,

like a tracheostomy. This would actually spurt out his last breath with a fine

mist of blood. This guy's having a bad day.

We've got an 80 % hit ratio on the static target and a 50 % hit ratio for

moving target.

All in a total time of two minutes and seven seconds. Gentlemen, when you look

at Rye, you're actually looking at 200 years of military tradition.

His father fought in Burma. He has wanted to be a soldier since he was five

years old. They want to obey.

They want to be disciplined.

One of the most important distinctions you have to be a great warrior is

discipline. And discipline is one of the X factors we plug into our sim.

Nick is up next with a mask that he thinks.

On three, two, one.

Contact front.

Nice! Got a whole lot of blood there.

That's a hit.

Yeah, that's dead center.

Nice. There we go.

Dude, he's nailing it. Yeah!

Nick reloads the Mast 36's five -round magazine, one bullet at a time.

Come on, time.

Yeah, looks like I'm good.

There you go. That is a hit.

Dead center. Nice.

Nice.

Reloading again.

Smooth reload.

Nice, good low crawl. The bigger guy, though. Bigger guy. Low for a big guy,

yeah. He's 6 '9", right?

I missed it.

Said to.

Missed it.

Nice. That was it.

That's clean.

There you go.

Bring it home. Bring it home.

I'm telling you, though. The reload is killing him.

Missed it.

There you go. Nice shot. Excellent.

And again.

And again.

Excellent. Done. Nice work.

Nick matches Rye's five instant kills.

The Mast 36's slower reload costs him significant time compared to the

infield number four.

One of the fastest reflexes you have is the corneal reflex, which makes you

instantly blink. But this poor fella didn't even have a chance to blink insta

-kill. We're seeing a hit ratio of 80 % on the moving targets.

with, respectively, a 60 % hit ratio on the static targets. You did a great job

with your moving targets, but things looked a little bit different when you

to your static targets.

When I was in the Legion, we learned real targets are moving targets, and the

possible second answer on this, and we'll never know, is that I threw two

into every one of those holes. You guys just can't see it.

Think about reality.

If you're in a war, it doesn't matter how many rounds you put in, you've got

be fast, you've got to be quick.

In the real war, I kill more people than you do. We'll see. There's some more

coming up.

Legion's Mast 36 has the advantage in damage and accuracy.

Jerk is lead in maneuverability and reload time with their Enfield No. 4.

Which rifle's finer point will give it the edge?

On Ry's side, two minutes and seven seconds. With Nick, two minutes, 54

That, to me, is a significant increase in time. Yeah, you know, for me, I felt

like Nick was more accurate on the dynamic shooting environment. We saw it

the trauma. We saw it in the accuracy. I give a slight edge to the MAS 36.

But I want to show you something that stands out for me right off the bat with

the MAS 36.

When you're looking at holding a sight picture.

If I have to change because I've got this hitting me in the face, now I have

change my sight picture, clear my head, and bring this weapon back up. But when

we come to the Enfield No. 4, I come back, you can actually see I don't have

change my sight picture, which inherently will make you faster

this weapon. Plus, having a 10 -round magazine to start, I give a slight edge

the Enfield No.

4. In a close contest, the Edge, the medium -range weapons.

goes to the Gurkhas.

The all -new digital combat engine incorporates the key X -Factor as

tactic. Mac will analyze each warrior's most effective World War II battle plan.

Both the Gurkhas and the French Foreign Legion use small unit tactics to develop

their incredible reputations as legendary warriors.

How would you describe the Gurkhas' approach to warfare?

Their whole vision is improvisation on the ground, acting quickly.

Could you give me an example of that?

1944, Burma, 30 Gurkhas taking on 80 Japanese infantry and virtually wiping

out. All right, let's go there right now using the touch table. Here we go. Set

up the battlefield for me. We have a Japanese car moving along a jungle

They're identified by a sky.

Very simply, you've got a Japanese patrol moving down through the trails,

A Gurkha scouting party heads back up and he notifies his lieutenant where the

patrol is going. Gurkha lieutenant knows that he is outnumbered three to one.

His job is to destroy this column without gunfire. You've got your Gurkha

lieutenant. He takes the vast majority of his troops and he heads here and he's

setting up something right here. But he actually sneaks a group of guys over

here. to set up the Japanese.

He has to remain totally silent, hidden in the undergrowth. The Gurkhas jump up

from the undergrowth with their kukris, clashing, taking one, two, and three men

at the same time. It's a real horror show, and the Japanese infantryman does

know what is happening.

They never even got a shot on.

The Japanese line now is actually moving back into itself, causing it to bunch

up right here. It's almost like being stuck in a choke point. They can't flank

this position because of the terrain, so they go back. Down the path they just

came, right into a linear ambush that's already been set up.

Every single Japanese that enters into this kill zone winds up being massive.

Effectively, this Gurkha unit of 30 men wiped out 80 Japanese infantry by

thinking outside the box in an improvised ambush.

Coming up, with the Legion having the edge in machine gun, and the Gurkhas

taking the rifle ticket.

The clash of mercenaries moves into close quarters for a shocking finish.

Kirk is a French foreign legion. Who will be the deadliest warrior?

Kirk, the fearless Nepalese warrior who brutally waged war for England with the

motto, better to die than be a coward, versus the French foreign legion, a war

of real life expendable.

who fought desperately at Bir Hakeem in 1942 to stop Hitler's advance on the

North African oil field.

It's the perfect engagement for Mack to assess the X -factor of battlefield

tactics.

The French Foreign Legion was placed at the bottom of this French -British line

extending down from the coast in Libya down to this old Ottoman fort called Bir

Hakeem to try to stop the German -Italian advance toward the Suez Canal.

these French Foreign Legionnaires don't hold the line, the war could be over in

1942.

That up the battlefield.

These encircling bands are the attacking German and Italian divisions.

You have 10 to 1 ratio in troop numbers between the Germans 10 and the French 1.

Wow.

Raul thinks it'll be over in a single day. But what happens?

He meets unexpectedly ferocious resistance from the French Foreign

time the Germans come up close, they get blown back by anti -tank gunfire.

by rifle fire. I mean, this was a bloody fight. And there was nothing about the

Battle of Bir Hakeim that was a passive defense.

This was an active defense.

The legionnaires are the ones who conduct these daring raids at night.

active defense when they hit the key roads that the Germans and Italians used

supply themselves.

So they slow down the resupply of the besieging divisions.

But the counterattack raids of the active defense tactic forced the Nazis

change their formation to protect supply lines.

Rommel wants to contain them, make sure they don't break out.

And they bought themselves two weeks. And those two weeks were critical

By the second week of the Battle of Bir Hakeim, the French are basically down to

nothing. There's only one option. You either fight.

or you die.

French Foreigners said, we're going to break out so that we can fight another

day. So they detected areas where there were gaps or little hinges they could

slip through. So what they decided, we're going to cut all the way through

at night and escape this position.

Winston Churchill later said the survival of the Allies owed to the

of the French Foreign Legion at Bir Hakeim. The Gurkhas clearly used their

improvised ambushes to help the Allies defeat Japan during World War II. But

what the French Foreign Legion did at Bir Hakeim with their active defense

against Rom... holding him in place long enough for the Allies to change the

course of World War II was incredible.

The battlefield tactics that prevented Nazi world domination.

Edge, French Foreign Legion.

When World War II combat got up close, these soldiers fell back on their battle

blades. The Germans butchered the enemy with their centuries -old knives.

The Kukri, an everyday farming tool.

Turned standard -issue military weapon, the Gurkha's World War II -era kukri.

It's handcrafted for the first time in over 50 years by weapons designer and

builder Dave Baker, just below the Fight Club in the deadliest warrior armory.

We did extensive research into some museum pieces and found that the kukri

World War II was about a ten -and -a -half -inch blade with a five -inch

When making this, we start by hammering this head out into a leaf shape.

creating the forward bend.

And what that gives us is a weighted head, which creates a really good

action. Just one inch above the edge of kukuri, there's a little notch. It stops

the blood coming through in the hand. In a battle, when you start chopping

people's head off, if the blood gets to your hand, obviously you will lose

kukuri. In a test to measure these blades' penetration damage and overall

effectiveness, the experts will attack World War II boxing.

Two guards, represented by bovine torso, mimic human flesh and bones.

During the struggle, the man sleeping in behind wakes up, and that's where we're

going to assess the accuracy of your reactive final blow.

Doesn't hit back, Nick, don't worry.

Measure each blade's impact velocity.

Jeff attaches three -dimensional orientation sense.

Beautiful. That's perfect.

On three, two, one.

Good work.

Okay, so let's take a look at the damage.

All three targets were instant kills.

Take a look down at the slash through literally the jaw of this guy. If this

wood wasn't here, he would be actually doing that decapitation. Like you said,

you would with this weapon.

The impact velocity was 59 miles per hour. Nice work, Rye. When you're up

and personal in combat, you got to be effective. That's most important. As far

as the X factor of killer instinct, I think you've demonstrated that beyond a

shadow of a doubt. To be completely honest, Mac, I was unimpressed.

His tactics, honestly, I thought sucked. I'm sorry, but throwing head kicks in

battle makes as much sense as punching somebody in the foot. When he does that

first slash, he turns his back on this guy, and we're taught never take your

eyes off your opponent.

What if there is nine opponents on your side? Who are you going to watch?

There weren't nine, there were three. And obviously, if you can kick someone's

head without any difficulties, big time knockout, it's done.

Taking on the Kukri is the Legion's vicious blade.

Hammer this.

A version of the famed K -Bar knife, issued to the U .S. Marines in World War

II.

Millions of these things were made. Americans carried them into the European

theater, and thus they found their way into Legion hands. Remember, they're the

world's premier light infantry. They don't get a lot of heavy artillery or

armor, so they're very reliant on what they have. So knives are very important

to them.

But how were the Kamloops compared to the Kukri?

On three, two, one, cut them up!

Done! Three targets, three instant kills.

The impact velocity is 81 miles per hour. Nice job, Nick. This looks like

classic definition of a lover -scorned injury, but on a serious level, you can

get stabbed over 20 times and survive.

It's the location you place him in, and you definitely demonstrated that here. I

left him in that brutalized state on purpose because I want to move on and

his mates come in and look at that.

One trick is you kill every second guy, so when they wake up in the morning,

every second guy is down. That messes with their head. They don't want to mess

with you. You know, you bring up the psychological warfare, and that

is the next factor we can plug into the sim.

Amalu struck fast, but the Kukri's blade cut deeper. So which close -range

weapon gives his warrior the edge?

We did see the speed of the Kamalus over the Kukri. 81 miles per hour versus 59

miles per hour. But when you're talking about delivering, executing on the

battlefield, you want your weapon system to be able to do 80 % of the work. It

is obvious which weapon will do more work for you just by looking at them. I

agree with everything you guys just said. The design of this, you can slash

get an instant kill, and you can thrust and get an instant kill.

I'm not convinced that the Camelus is going to kill every time. You've got to

place it perfectly.

The close -range weapon, the Edge, goes to the Gurkhas for the Kukri.

Coming up, the final battle. The Gurkhas, quick -strike hitmen, whose

mountain upbringing gives them unstoppable endurance, versus the French

legion, the outlaws, whose brutal desert training transforms them into killing

machines. Who will be?

The deadliest warrior.

Wow, those were brutal knife tests.

Nick went absolutely crazy with the camelus, but the kukri's still a great

as well.

Let's take another look at the live voting.

We've reset the poll, just in case you've changed your mind, and it looks

like...

It looks like Gurkhas are actually ahead. French Foreign Legion not being

favored as much.

I'm totally going for the Gurkhas.

Dr. Doreen, do you have any final thoughts before we run that simulation?

You know, it's interesting here. With this technology, we're seeing what the

viewers think, and it's the same way that I felt while we shot the episode.

Kind of how I feel right now. I can't wait to see the final battle. No,

absolutely. I think we all are. We're really looking forward to that. All

the viewers are going for... Still looks like the Duckers yet. Duckers are still

ahead. And after the break, we will run the sim and see if you have got that

voting right.

Vampires vs.

Zombies is coming up next. And we will be joined by a very special guest. So

stay tuned and keep those votes coming in.

Yet another important X factor for me is psychological warfare.

We almost had a dead even heap with this. And we rated the Gurkhas an 85,

But in reality, that's a Y.

Gurkha versus French Foreign Legionnaire. Who is dead?

Our team of specialists has tested, recorded, and analyzed weapons these two

great warriors brought for this World War II showdown.

In long -range weapon, the Browning Automatic Rifle, gunned down the Brev

Machine Gun.

Edge Legionnaire.

The medium -range weapon, the Enfield No.

4 Bolt Action Rifle, outshot the MAS -36.

Edge Gurkha.

In short -range weapons, the Gurkha's Kukri had more killing potential than

Kamalus.

Edge Jerker.

Battlefield tactics, the French Foreign Legion's active defense, defeated the

Gurkha's improvised ambush.

Edge Legionnaire.

All the weapon's data has been turned over to Robert Daly and plugged into the

digital combat engine.

His engineers have completed their historical research and assigned values

more than 100 X -Factors.

Our team of researchers look at all of those things that make up the warrior

behind the weapon. Their battle, their fighting styles, their techniques.

We quantify that data with a numerical value between 1 and 100, with 100 being

the ultimate warrior.

born to fight whereas the legionnaires if they screw up they get brutally

punished that is to me all about discipline and the training that it

instill that discipline exactly correct when you look at discipline the edge

goes to the gurkhas and we rated an 88 to the french foreign legion 76 training

on the other hand the training in the legion is insane so training with a 90

for the legion and an 87 for the gurkhas for me physicality is so important in

this matchup for the first time we actually have a warrior whose

becomes a physiological advantage and that's got to be a big factor here when

you look at the gurkhas because they're in a higher altitude they are able to

recover faster or to sustain themselves longer and we had to rate the gurkhas

higher on this and we gave them a 91 and we gave the french foreign legion an

84. Okay, we've entered in all of our X -Factors. Let's run with them. The

digital combat engine will run 5 ,000 battles between five Gherkins and five

Legionnaires.

Here it is, here it is.

It was a really close match.

The Gurkhas did end up winning, winning 2 ,619 versus 2 ,381.

The French Foreign Legion's Browning automatic rifle destroyed the Bren gun,

the Dirkers' Enfield No. 4 outperformed the Mast 36, and their Huckrey

decapitated the Kamalus.

Historically, the Bren light machine gun had significant malfunctions in the

field, and this is really what played out in the result.

But the final outcome came down to where they trained.

And the French Foreign Legion trained in a very harsh desert, but it is not the

same as the high -altitude training that the Gurkhas went through. And that

physicality difference really showed up in our fatigue rate of these troops. The

Gurkhas were only exhausted 5 .02 % of the time, whereas the French Foreign

Legion were exhausted 10 .9 % of the time. And that's a really important

The Gurkhas live to be warriors on the battlefield.

It is a generational thing. The knowledge keeps getting passed down from

to son. They live to show up on a battlefield.

When they turn it on, watch the hell out.

And there you go, the Gurkhas win it. What a phenomenal match -up. Stick

because up next it is the long -awaited Vampires vs.

Zombies and vampire expert Steve Niles will be joining us live.

So stick around.