When World II struck, the world was thrown into turmoil. For most colonies, the undertook the responsibility of fighting for the nations that controlled them. For India, a nation that had been under British rule since 1849, their allegiance would be with the Allies. Despite being right next to Japan's gigantic Pacific Empire and the Soviet Union, India never faced the threat of invasion. India's biggest conflict, instead, would be fighting for the very same people who oppressed them for years.
For most Indians, they asked no questions and suited up to fight for the Allies. Over two and a half million Indians fought in Africa and Italy during World War II. 36,000 Indian troops were lost in these battles with another 64,354 obtaining injuries. Many were honored for their valiant efforts as 31 soldiers received Victoria Crosses (awarded by the British) with 4,000 troops receiving other awards (Sherwood).
However, there was a dark side to the Indian National Army. Some radicals were not happy that they had to fight for the British after all these years of oppression. This faction split off and formed a lesser Indian National Army, which had no significant impact on the war as a whole despite having Japanese support. It is, although, responsible for a very egregious act in India's history (Sharma).
In 1942, 40,000 Indian soldiers were taken as prisoners of war (PoW's) and told to join the radical Indian National Army or face imprisonment. 30,000 joined while the other 10,000 stayed true to their nation. What happened to the 10,000 is nightmarish for me to even think about! Basically, they were beaten constantly, starved, used for target practice, humiliated on a daily basis, and some of them were eaten! That is right, the Japanese ate some of the Indian prisoners! 5,500 Indian soldiers came out alive and even then they still remained true to their country (Sharma).
In 1947, India would get its wish and become independent of British rule once and for all. Although not discussed too much in the history books, India did play an important part in World War II and unfortunately was victim to some of the many horrors that occurred throughout it.
Sources:
Sharma, Manimugdha S. "Japanese Ate Indian PoWs, Used Them as Live Targets in WWII - The Times of India." The Times of India. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Japanese-ate-Indian-PoWs-used-them-as-live-targets-in-WWII/articleshow/40017577.cms>.
Sherwood, Marika. BBC News. BBC. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/colonies_colonials_01.shtml>.
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