India during the World Wars

The First and Second World Wars were two events that forever altered the course of history. Therefore it should be of little surprise that India played a vital yet lesser-known role.

For starters, the Indian subcontinent provided the largest-volunteer contingent for the Allied side in World War Two

This article will discuss many facts like the one above and do a detailed dive into the role of India in the World Wars, which will be useful in the modern Indian segment of the UPSC Exams.

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Overview of India’s Role in the World Wars

The Indian contingents served with great distinction in both world wars, earning recognition for their services. Along with manpower, the Indian subcontinent provided vital logistical support, food supplies, and raw materials for both the war efforts.

Such was the significance of India that Field-Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1941 (repointed in 1943), asserted that the British “couldn’t have come through both World War I and II if they hadn’t had the Indian Army.”

But the nature of the involvement would be remarkably different. While there was some residual support for Indian involvement in World War I – despite a British fear of a massive revolt – it was not the case in World War II. The British declared war on Nazi Germany without consulting any of the Indian leaders.

For their part the leaders of the Indian Independence Movement were distrustful of the British authorities. They had supported the war effort in the First World War, in the hope of the British treating them with leniency and even paving the way for self-rule by the Indians.

Instead they responded with more repressive measures that would also change the course of the freedom struggle – from demanding limited self-rule to complete independence.

We will further discuss the effect both the world wars had in the Indian subcontinent.

What role did India play in the First World War ?

The Indian Army saw action in multiple locations across Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa in World War I. By its end in 1918, a total of 74,187 Indian soldiers would be lost with another 67,000 wounded.

The Indian Army fought mostly against the German Empire in the Western Front. The first Indian to be awarded a Victoria Cross – the highest and the most prestigious award of the British Honour system – was Khudadad Khan. He won it for his actions during the First Battle of Ypres. Some divisions fought overseas while the others were stationed in India to provide internal security and other duties.

The mainstream political factions of the independence movement supported the British Empire. Considirable contributions were made in terms of men and resources. At least 1.3 million Indian soldiers and support labourers served in Europe, Africa and Middle East while the princely states sent large amounts of food, money and ammuntion.

Despite this outward show of support, there were many instances of anti-colonial activities, particularly in Punjab and Bengal. The nationalism in Bengal was of great ferocity which threatened to paralyse the administration in the region. Many conspiracies to destabalise the British rule came would pop up from time to time, but a lot of them would not be successful owing the lack of preparedness on part of the revolutionaries.

None of the revolutionary conspirances would be of any impact within India. Neither there were major mutinies. However the fear of constant insurrection by the British offficals hardened their stances against the Indians, using extreme force and extreme measures like the Rowalatt Act to force the them into submission.

Regardless the British would adopt a “carrot and stick” method. This was in response to India’s support during the war as well as a renewed nationalist upseurge in demands. In August 1917, Edwin Montagu, who served as Secretary of state for India made an iconic statement in the Parliament that the new British policy would “strive to increase the association of Indians in every branch of the administration”.

The proposed measures would result in the Government of India Act, 1919 introduced the principle of a dual-mode of administration, or diarchy, in which both elected Indian legislators and, appointed British officials shared power. The act also expanded the central and provincial legislatures and widened the franchise considerably.

What role did India play in the Second World War ?

World War II broke out following the German Invasion of Poland on September 1939. British Indian declared war on the same the crown did. The issue was however, that this was done without consulting the senior leaders of Indian independence.

As part of the Allied Nations, Indian sent over two and a half a million soldiers to fight under the British flag, to fight against the Axis powers. All over the world, the Indian troops fought with distinction in Europe against Germany and Italy, while they fough against the Japanese in southeast Asia, even defending India against a Japanese invasion. By the end of the war in August 1945, about 87,000 Indian troops and 3 million civilans would lose their lives.

However not all Indians agreed to serve under the British flag. Several fought against them with the help of Britains enemies. The Japanese for their part created an army consisting of POWs following the fall of Singapore. It was known as the Indian National Army under the command of Subash Chandra Bose.

Subash Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army would be part of the Japanese invasion of Indian. They would clash with fellow Indian troops under the British. Ultimately the Battles of Imphal and Kohima would destroy further chances of Japanese invasion of the subcontinent. The INA suffered a reversal of fortune as bad as their Japanese allies. Ultimately most of its members would be captured and put on trial by the British. Regarded as heroes by the wider Indian public, their trial would increase the momentum of the freedom movement.

The Viceroy at the time, Linlithgow declared that India was dragged into a war without consulting Indian leaders. Although a few political parties supported the British, the largest of these, the Indian National Congress refused to do so. They demanded complete independence if they were to help Britain in the war. The British refused and in response when the Quit India campaign was announced by the Congress in 1942, thousands of leaders were imprisoned by the colonial authorities.

The tragic event of the time was the famine that devastated Bengal in 1943. About 3 million fatalities from starvation would occur. In a controversy that remains unresolved to this day, the blame for famine would be blamed on British priorities to sustain the war effort and British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill’s refusal to send emergency food relief.

Despite all this, the Indian participation in the Allied campaign remained strong. The financial, industrial and military assistance would prove important against the twin threats of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The strategic location at the tip of the Indian Ocean, its large production capability for araments and large pool of manpower played a crucial role in slowing the juggernaut of Imperial Japan in South East Asia.

The Indian Army during World War II was one of the largest Allied forces contingents which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign. At the height of the second World War, more than 2.5 million Indian troops were fighting Axis forces around the globe. After the end of the war, India emerged as the world’s fourth largest industrial power and its increased political, econoamic and military influence paved the way for its independence from the United Kingdom in 1947.

Legacy of the Indian involvement in the World Wars

The Indian involvement in the world wars surged nationalist sentiments against the British. Though the United States had not yet entered the war as a combatant, it was supplying military hardware to Britain and created the document as a justification for its support to the Allies, laying out its anti-fascist hopes for the world. Britain was desperate to bind itself to the United States and persuade it the join the war, and Churchill begrudgingly signed the statement, although it challenged the very foundation of the empire.

The Atlantic Charter spurred hopes of independence among the British colonies. But a month after the charter was signed, Churchill clarified that the right to self-determination outlined in the document applied only to countries under German occupation. The damage, however, was already done.

In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi began his Quit India movement, demanding the end of British rule, galvanizing Indians against British colonial forces and threatening the economic and natural resources London needed to continue fighting.

It took a few years after the war ended, but the nationalists prevailed. Britain dismantled its empire, and the colonial troops it used to prop up its rule across the world were rolled into the national armies of the independent states that formed out of the wreckage. India was granted independence in 1947.

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