Last year countries that emerged victorious and those
resurrected from the clutches of imperialism together enthusiastically
celebrated the 70th anniversary of the bloodiest and the most
destructive war fought so far- World War II. World War II eventually led to
creation of the UN, end of imperialism of European powers, rise of two world
superpowers, independence for countries in Middle East, Africa and South Asia
and East Asia and birth of Israel.
India’s trivialization so far as opposed to unabashedly acclaiming
its contributions towards World War II is exceptional. The way India has been
disassociating itself from the commemorations needs a serious rethinking. While
the World War II has been a defining moment for many countries like Russia and
China. India was largely a divided camp with the architect of Indian
Independence movement, Indian National Congress sternly opposing British’s war preparations
and the hardened chunk of disguised leftists shifting their stance after Germany
attacked Soviet Union in 1941. While the Indian National Congress expressed its
strongest concerns towards Fascism and Nazism, it was against joining British
forces whose imperialism had ushered India into depravation, underdevelopment
and misery. Indian leaders contradicted its involvement in the war for
decolonization when basic democratic rights and individual liberties of Indians
were interdicted. In sharp contrast Muslim League having supported British war
efforts gained strength and garnered enough thrust for its campaign for creation
of Pakistan leading to partition of India along religious lines. On the other
hand, Congress was not consulted and banned by British before declaration of
India’s entry into war in September 1939.
Despite obstinate opposition from the Indian leaders as a
British Colony, India being a least industrialized nation became potential
supplier of raw materials, food grains, ammunitions, woolen clothing, iron ore,
timber etc. Further the British received invaluable military assistance, and huge
donations from five hundred Indian princely states. Nizam of Hyderabad had
funded 2 RAF (Royal Air Force) fighter squadrons and in return British gifted
him a captured German Bf-109 single engine fighter Indian Forces fought on land,
sea and in air. During the initial two years of the war when British was
embattled by German invasion and Axis victory seemed imminent, fierce display
of courage by Indian troops turned battle in favor of Allied forces.
British were no strangers to courageous contributions of Indian
troops that fought alongside its soldiers during the 150 years long colonial
association. While British acknowledged unsurpassed battle valor of Indians,
“Indianisation” of army and its modernization received less prominence. As a
result, Indian Army was critically short of battle ready troops for its size in
1939. But following declaration of war troops were quickly raised and by the
end of the war India Army emerged as the largest Allied forces contingent.
India contributed over 2.6 million troops (2, 581,726) that were pulled to
fight in Germany, Italy, North African deserts, West Africa, defend Suez Canal,
Burma and along valleys of Kohima. They also helped in liberating British
Colonies after Japan’s surrender in August 1945. Due to its strategic location
India acted as base for American forces ferrying supplies to Chinese
Nationalist efforts, supported British that fought against Germany in Middle
East and against Japan when it seized Singapore, Malaya and Burma. Indian Army
excelled on battle field and gave an edge to the Allied Forces by floundering
German blitzkrieg. Around 14 million Indians worked continuously to keep up
with the war requirements. Right before onset of war, over 60,000 British
troops received special training under American supervision in Ramgarh (Bihar)
with the finances drawn from the treasury of Government of India. The
exceptional battle prowess of Indian troops greatly reduced the death toll of
the Common Wealth troops. The bloodied war claimed lives of 36,000 Indian
troops and left 64,354 severely injured. In all 4000 gallantry awards and 31
Victoria Crosses were awarded to Indian Army men.
By 1941 the political upheaval in India reached its zenith
with congress leaders stirring up independence campaign by linking India’s
independence to its participation in the War. In 1942 Gandhi launched Quit
India Movement that triggered massive riots and protests across India. British
nipped the movement in its inception by arresting over 60,000 national and
local Congress leaders, who remained in jail till the end of World War. Subhash
Chandra Bose a revolutionary Congress leader steam rolled India’s independence
movement in 1942 by raising Indian National Army (INA) from the exiles and Prisoners
of War from Singapore and joined the Japanese troops against British and its Common
Wealth Forces in Burma, Imphal and Kohima. He also headed the Provisional Government
of Free India that controlled no Indian Territory. Japan by 1942 captured
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and handed over nominal control to Provisional
Government of Free India in 1943.
British over-exploited India’s natural resources and
ruthlessly diverted food grains to the war functionaries. The Oxford
Encyclopedia of Economic history succinctly estimated that nearly 35% of
India’s annual cotton production or approximately 5,000,000,000 yards went into
making of war supplies. In total 196.7 million tons of coal, 6 million tons of
iron ore, and 1.12 million tons of steel, timber, woolen clothes, ammunition
were supplied by India. India manufactured 50 different kinds of arms and
ammunition and nearly three-fourths of it was diverted for war. Reports
released by FAO too endorsed that rampant deforestation occurred in India during
colonial times. British through enactment of Forest Act of 1876, declared
forests as national resources ending the control of Zamindars. Millions of
trees were fell to build ships, railway lines, sleepers etc. Records indicated
that first era of deforestation coincided with enactment of the new forest act
and the next debilitating phase of deforestation occurred in 1940.
By 1943 India was reeling under a man-made catastrophe that led
to starvation deaths of 3.5 million people in Bengal. MadhuSree Mukherjee’s in
her meticulously researched book “Churchill’s secret war: the British Empire
and ravaging of India during the World War II” categorically expounds the
heart-rending tales of people during the Great Bengal Famine and the reasons
for such an adversity. She emphatically propounded that while the British war
cabinet received several warnings of impending shortage of food grain it
conveniently chose to ignore the looming disaster. Bengal used to import of 2 million
tons of rice from Burma whose transit was stopped during Burma Campaign.
Despite food grain deficit, Bengal was ordered to export 260,000 tons of rice
to other South Asian countries that could no longer receive rice imports from
Burma. Viceroy of India Linlithgow, appalled by the catastrophic proportions of
Great famine pleaded Churchill to ship 6, 00,000 tons of grain to avert the
disaster. Churchill armed with an excuse of shortage of ships sent less than
five percent of requirement and diverted merchant ships in the Indian Ocean to
Atlantic. Meanwhile as the war expenditure of India increased by tenfold,
government ordered for printing of paper currency. With inflation soaring, poor
people especially artisans, craftsmen, labor who could ill afford succumbed to
starvation. Despite the debilitating Bengal famine British government turned
down the 100,000 tons of Burmese rice voluntarily offered Subhash Chandra Bose,
wheat from Canada, rice and wheat gifted by Americans were turned down. Famine
finally came to an end when Bengal harvested its crop in December 1943. Apart
from India the callousness of Churchill caused famine in British colonies of
Kenya, Tanganyika, and British Somaliland. Regardless of the acute shortages of
the food grains and various agricultural products, the British insolently kept
on importing tons of sugar, wheat, meat, live cattle, fish, rice, tea, cocoa,
gallons of wine for storage. As a result Britain had highest ever stock pile of
food grains and their overflowing stocks had to be stored outdoors covered by
tarpaulins.
While Germans were censured for unleashing an orgy of
genocide British weren’t far behind in enacting a similar act on India. British
followed scorched-earth policy when India’s eastern frontier was attacked by
Japanese and INA forces. Consequently all the modes of transport like ships,
boats, bullocks, elephants were impounded in Bengal. Thus the movement of
people was literally halted and the impoverished people of Bengal province had
no chance of escaping the grueling food crisis.
The Axis powers desideratum of Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere
eventually propelled Japanese armies in 1941 to venture into Burma’s jungles
and launch surprise attacks on the US Pacific Fleet’s base at Pearl Harbour.
Enthused by triumphs in Hong-Kong, Malay Peninsula and Singapore, Japan invaded
Burma with a primary objective of shutting off supplies to the nationalist
forces led by Chiang-Ki-Shek through Burma Road. Further Burma being Gate way
to India, Japan believed that Indian insurrection towards British could
facilitate the entry of troops into the Indian Territory through Assam.
Japanese forces had sizeable Indian troops captured after fall of Malaya and
Singapore along with Subhash Chandra Bose’s INA troops who hoped to liberate
India from clutches of British launched attacks on Imphal and Kohima to
destabilize India simmered by independence movement. British launched Burma
campaign in 1942 but the inexperienced Burma Corps (Bur Corps) comprising of
Indian and Burmese troops commanded by British lost ground in 1942. A quick overhauling of the attack by the 14th
Army comprising of the British, Indian and African formations registered
initial success by capturing Mandalay in March 1945 and by May 3rd
Allied troops firmly established their position in Rangoon. 14th
Army Battalion of India led by Lt. General William Slim, has been instrumental
in scripting first convincing victory for the Allied Powers in Burma. Last of
the Japanese troops were pushed out of the Kohima valley by June 22nd
ending Japanese seize of Kohima.
By the end of World War II, India was critically depleted of
resources and economy was in ruins. The financial benefits reaped by British
personnel in India was enviable. The technical and administrative personnel
working in India used to earn 2,000, 000 pounds a year and the civilian
pensions paid by India in UK were 3,000,000 pounds a year. Finally the British rewarded India’s
outstanding contributions towards their victory by destroying several air
crafts and other war supplies before retreating. They carried back the B-24
Liberator Bombers built during the World War II by Walchandnagar Aircraft
Company (precursor to Hindustan Aeronautical Limited) Bangalore. The
Maintenance Command of the British at Kanpur deliberately destroyed expensive
rudimentary components of bombers labelling them as excess and aircrafts were
crash dropped on to the ground by their tail with their nose hitting the ground
from a height. These wanton acts of sabotaging strategic assets were an
irreparable loss to already deteriorated Indian economy.
Official records World over had credible records of the
losses incurred by the Allied and Axis Powers involved in the war, sacrifices
rendered and financial hardships endured by colonies of the European Imperial
powers were sparingly commemorated. Pathetically, India’s role in the World war
is unappreciated. After the war while claims over wealth and territories were
equally distributed among the allies India was forced to shell out $24 million
towards UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). While Britain
and France during the war were bailed out of bankruptcy through the Lend-Lease
Act of 1941 and later by Marshall Plan of the US, India inherited a shattered
economy. The only major war gain for India is obtaining Full-Independence. The
monumental sacrifices rendered by over 90,000 of India soldiers in their fight
against fascism and Nazism laid foundations for a new world order. Unfortunately,
incoherent Indian nationalist response that existed during the World and later
grossly failed to pay a fitting tribute to the supreme sacrifices made by the
Indian Army personnel. It is important to recall the invaluable contributions
of India else there is danger of being written off from the history.
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