During World War 2, India contributed over 2.5 million soldiers to fight as part of the British forces against the Axis powers. Indian troops fought in numerous theaters including in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and in defense of India itself. They played an important role in major battles and campaigns, such as lifting the siege of Imphal which halted the Japanese advance. Over 87,000 Indian troops died during the war. Britain relied heavily on troops from India to fight against Germany and Italy.

1. INDIA’S CONTRIBUTION IN
WORLD WAR 2
By Somangshu Dutta

2. INTRODUCTION
 During the Second World War (1939–1945), India was a
part of the British Empire. India officially declared war
on Nazi Germany in September 1939.[1] India, as a part of
the Allied Nations, sent over two and a half million soldiers
to fight under British command against the Axis powers.
India also provided the base for American operations in
support of China in the China Burma India Theater.
 Indians fought with distinction throughout the world,
including in the European theatre against Germany, North
African Campaign against fascist Italy, and in
the southeast Asian theatre; while also defending
the Indian subcontinent against the Japanese forces,
including British Burma and the Crown colony of Ceylon.
Indian troops were also redeployed in former colonies such
as Singapore and Hong Kong, with the Japanese
surrender in August 1945, after the end of World War II.
Over 87,000 Indian troops, and 3 million civilians died in
World War II.[2][3] Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck,
former Commander-in-Chief, India, stated
that Britain "couldn't have come through both wars [World
War I and II] if they hadn't had the Indian Army."[4][5]

3. Middle East and African Theater.
 The British government meanwhile sent Indian
troops to fight in West Asia and northern Africa
against the Axis. India also geared up to produce
essential goods such as food and uniforms.
 The 4th, 5th and 10th Indian Divisions took part in
the North African theatre against Rommel's Afrika
Korps. In addition, the 18th Brigade of the 8th
Indian Division fought at Alamein. Earlier, the 4th
and 5th Indian Divisions took part in the East
African campaign against the Italians
in Somaliland, Eritrea and Abyssinia capturing the
mountain fortress of Keren.
 In the Battle of Bir Hacheim, Indian gunners
played an important role by using guns in the anti
tank role and destroying tanks of Rommel's
panzer divisions. Maj PPK Kumaramangalam was
the battery commander of 41 Field Regiment
which was deployed in the anti tank role. He was
awarded the DSO for his act of bravery. Later he
became the Chief of Army Staff of India in 1967.

4. South East Asian theatre.
 The British Indian Army was the key British
Empire fighting presence in the Burma
Campaign. The Royal Indian Air force's first
assault mission was carried out against Japanese
troops stationed in Burma. The British Indian
Army was key to breaking the siege
of Imphal when the westward advance of Imperial
Japan came to a halt.
 The formations included the Indian III Corps, IV
Corps, the Indian XXXIII Corps and the
Fourteenth Army. As part of the new concept of
Long Range Penetration (LRP), Gurkha troops of
the Indian Army were trained in the present state
of Madhya Pradesh under their commander (later
Major General) Orde Charles Wingate.
 These troops, popularly known as Chindits,
played a crucial role in halting the Japanese
advance into South Asia.[20]

5. Indian National Army
By 1942, neighbouring Burma was
invaded by Japan, which by then had
already captured the Indian territory
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Japan
gave nominal control of the islands to
the Provisional Government of Free
India on 21 October 1943, and in the
following March, the Indian National
Army with the help of Japan crossed into
India and advanced as far
as Kohima in Nagaland. This advance on
the mainland of South Asia reached its
farthest point on India territory, with the
Japanese finally retreating from the Battle
of Kohima and near simultaneous Battle
of Imphal in June 1944.[21]

6. The Invasion of Italy
Indian forces played a role in liberating
Italy from Nazi control. India
contributed the third largest Allied
contingent in the Italian campaign after
US and British forces.
The 4th, 8th and 10th Divisions
and 43rd Gurkha Infantry Brigade led
the advance, notably at the
gruelling Battle of Monte Cassino. They
fought on the Gothic Line in 1944 and
1945.

7. Recapture of the Axis Territory.
In 1944–45 Japan was under heavy air
bombardment at home and suffered
massive naval defeats in the Pacific.
As its Imphal offensive failed, harsh
weather and disease and withdrawal of
air cover (due to more pressing needs
in the Pacific) also took its toll on the
Japanese and remnants of the INA and
the Burma National Army. In spring
1945, a resurgent British army
recaptured the occupied lands.[22]

8. Arakan Campaign
The Arakan Campaign of 1942–43 was
the first tentative Allied attack into Burma,
following the Japanese conquest of
Burma earlier in 1942, during the Second
World War. The British Army and British
Indian Army were not ready for offensive
actions in the difficult terrain they
encountered, nor had the civil
government, industry and transport
infrastructure of Eastern India been
organised to support the Army on the
frontier with Burma. Japanese defenders
occupying well-prepared positions
repeatedly repulsed the British and Indian
forces, who were then forced to retreat
when the Japanese received
reinforcements and counter-attacked.

9. Battle of Imphal
In March 1943, the Japanese command in Burma had
been reorganised. A new headquarters, Burma Area
Army, was created under Lieutenant-
General Masakazu Kawabe. One of its subordinate
formations, responsible for the central part of the front
facing Imphal and Assam, was the Fifteenth Army.
Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi was appointed
to command this army in March 1943. From the
moment he took command, Mutaguchi forcefully
advocated an invasion of India. His motives for doing
so appear to be uncertain. He had played a major part
in several Japanese victories, ever since the Marco
Polo Bridge incident in 1937, and believed it was his
destiny to win the decisive battle of the war for Japan.
He may also have been goaded by the
first Chindit expedition, a raid behind Japanese lines
launched by the British under Orde Wingate early in
1943. The Allies had widely publicised the successful
aspects of Wingate's expedition while concealing their
losses to disease and exhaustion, possibly leading
Mutaguchi and some of his staff to underestimate the
difficulties they would later face.

10. Battle of Kohima
The Battle of Kohima proved the
turning point of the Japanese U-Go
offensive into India in 1944 during
the Second World War. The battle took
place in three stages from 4 April to 22
June 1944 around the town of Kohima,
now the capital city
of Nagaland in Northeast India. From 3
to 16 April, the Japanese attempted to
capture Kohima ridge, a feature which
dominated the road by which the
besieged British and Indian troops of IV
Corps at Imphal were supplied. By mid-
April, the small British and British
Indian force at Kohima was relieved.

11. AZAD HIND FAUJ
The direct origins of Azad Hind can be linked to
two conferences of Indian expatriates from
across Southeast Asia, the first of which was
held in Tokyo in March 1942.[20] At this
conference, convened by Rash Behari Bose,
an Indian expatriate living in Japan, the Indian
Independence League was established as the
first move towards an independent Indian state
politically aligned with the Empire of Japan.
Rash also moved to create a sort of
independence army that would assist in driving
the British from India – this force would later
become the Indian National Army. The second
conference, held later that year in Bangkok,
invited Subhas Chandra Bose to participate in
the leadership of the League. Bose was living
in Germany at the time and made the trip to
Japan via submarine.[21]