I haven’t ever seen much about Indians fighting during WW2 and want to learn more. I understand they fought for the British Empire extensively in North Africa, Italy, and Burma. I know they flew with the RAF both from India/Burma and others made their way to England to fly as fighter pilots and bomber crew.
Some elements fought with the Japanese with the promise of independence after the war, which I’m sure they wouldn’t have received, and of course, others with Germany. (see link below).
There seems to be a real lack of information regarding their contributions. Often the Poles, Czchs and other countries are mentioned, but I believe, at least with ground forces, far more Indian troops fought along side the British than those other countries mentioned.
Good questions, I dont know much about them either apart from the fact that the majority would have been deployed in India. They did fight at Monte casino too and in N Africa.
I’ve seen a lot of books on India’s war in a university library, but they were published in India (in English). I suspect you wouldn’t find many in a local library, but you might find them a in a state or university library.
Did they get medals for each nationality they surrendered too?
I have a few posts on here about the Indians, if you search they may come up.
The Indians never fought for the Germans or Japs. There was a “provisional” government set up that was recognised by the Germans as a government, and they promised to send men.
Fortunatly even goat herds with no knowledge of the outside world chose to fight for the British not the Germans. Not sure on the Japanese thing.
They were the largest volunteer Army ever. Bearing in mind that no Indian soldier was conscripted during the Second World War.
Indians definitely fought against Britain in Burma in 1944-45.
The rest of this is off the top of my head.
The Indian National Army at its peak had about 3? divisions and put about 10? 12? infanty battalions into Burma which were involved in the Kohima / Imphal fighting, although they didn’t do too well.
I think the Japanese structured them so that they couldn’t form true divisions in the sense of an independent formation with its own armour, artillery, etc, so they were reliant on the Japanese for other arms and support which a true division would have, which could have hampered their performance.
My recollection is that some Indians went over to the Japanese during the Malayan campaign and were actually fighting against the Commonwealth forces, although in many instances they escaped back to the Commonwealth lines when given the opportunity.
The INA is tied up with the Indian independence movement and was held in high esteem in many sectors of Indian society during and especiallyafter the war.
There were treason trials of INA leaders after the war by the British in India which became a focus for increased anti-British feeling during the tumultuous period leading to British independence. I have a feeling that some prominent Indian leaders (Nehru?) defended some of the main accused.
ww2artist
Google Indian National Army. There’ll be plenty of stuff on its Mk I and Mk II versions. Also Google Chandra Bose and Mohan Singh who were prominent in it.
The Indians definitely did fight for both Germany and Japan. Not in the numbers that fought along side the Allies, but they were there none the less. Like Rising Sun mentions, they fought with the Japanese in Burma, and if you read the link I’ve posted above, its quite clear they fought in Europe with the Germans and were finally under the direct control of the SS as a foreign legion of volunteers.
Interesting, I 'll pop over to the site when I have a bit of time.
The Japs probably ham strung the Indians deliberately. If you have a whole Div of Indians on your flank, how do you know they wont suddenly turn and start smashing you up from the side!!!
Worse if they are on Line of Communications duty!!!
The Japs wanted the INA for propaganda purposes and, indirectly, to add to British problems in India to tie down forces there or encourage insurrection there. But they didn’t trust them, because a lot of the early INA joined up to escape the worse conditions of being a POW but weren’t too committed to the Japanese cause, whatever their sympathies might have been with the INA and Indian independence.
The Japs also had their usual contempt for anyone who wasn’t Japanese, with the Indians being worse in some respects because they served Britain.
I have some vague recollection of an incident at some stage where at a joint INA / IJA conference a Jap officer made some disparaging comments about the INA as puppets of Britain and other things. Unfortunately one of the INA officers understood Japanese. There were some serious tensions as a result of this, either on a local or wider level.
Conversely, the INA leaders wanted to get into action more than the Japs trusted them to from 1942 onwards. The INA was keener to fight than the Japanese allowed them to.
I suspect that the Japanese might have just done the usual thing in any alliance of ensuring that their own forces got first allocation of anything, leaving nothing much for the INA, rather than necessarily having a conscious policy of making sure the INA got the leavings. Still, I don’t think the Japanese ever allowed them to form a proper division as an independent fully equipped formation. Even if they did, I’m pretty sure that the INA never went into action in such a formation in Burma or elsewhere.
I know about how Indians weren’t draftees. I find that surprising since India was a colony, but British Commonwealth nations had draftees to help the Brits, like Canada for instance.
Anyway, the volunteers were from the Indian Warrior caste, so they were career soldiers.
Not Australia. Our 2nd AIF (2nd = 2ndWW AIF= Australian Imperial Force) troops who fought in Europe, North Africa, and Malaya in support of Britain were all volunteers.
My great uncle became a POW in Malaya after the British pull out in 1941 himself and scores of other soldiers were left behind but I have never herd of Indians going to Japanese side and then returning to Allied side in Malaya. as for Indian soldiers who volunteered or were asked to volunteer turning on British Soldiers and Superiors again I never heard of it Scores of my family members were colonial cannon fodder. as for those indians who fought against British led forces they were the poor people who thought if they joined Axis forces India could be freed but only if they knew it would be free in matter of three years. but i will enquire.
turn against who?
and i could not find the thread to post an introduction. so apologies.
what a load racist hoot it was but apparently Men of these races were good fighters, career soldiers well my great grand father was approached by… and asked weather he could send his family members to defend the British Empire since they came up on their martial race figure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Rajputs
In this instance, it would be Indians, who were fighting for the Japanese, turning against the Japanese and using their organic Armour and other heavy war equipment to great effect against the flanking units.
Don’t worry about an intro thread, just let us know about yourself here and now. I will hold back from answering some of your other points until you can better explain your own point of view and where you are coming from.
You appear to have an axe to grind, but I will wait out.
