Indian National Army - The Military Contribution During World War II

The Japanese hemmed in by lack of raw material and resources decided to launch an invasion of South East Asia. The initial Japanese Army offensive was a huge success and parts of China, Indo-China and Singapore were easily taken by the Japanese Imperial Army. The British unable to transfer resources to the Far east, besieged as they were by the Germans in Europe were no match and capitulated easily.

Facing the Imperial Army were remnants of some British troops and elements of the Indian Army. With a paucity of equipment and faced with a ruthless enemy, the British and Indian soldiers surrendered in fair numbers. At that time some Indian leaders who dreamed of Indian Independence from the British, suggested that Indian POWs captured by the Japanese army be Incorporated as a separate group to fight along with the Imperial army.

The captured POW were thus offered an incentive to join what was known as the 'Indian National Army' or 'Azad Hind Fauj'. It is a fact of history that the defection to the INA was minimal and the vast majority of Indian soldiers remained loyal to the crown. General Mohan Singh was the first commander of the INA, but he had differences with the Japanese who removed him him from command and also imprisoned him.

In such a scenario the Charismatic Indian leader Subhas Bose landed from Germany in 1943 and assumed command of the INA. He formulated a war cry 'Delhi Chalo'- Go to Delhi, in a bid to galvanize the Indians.

The INA made up of captured Indian POWs soon got into action along with the Imperial army. They moved along with the Japanese army across Burma into the gates of India. There are romantic ideas and notions of the performance of the INA during this phase of the war i. e. conquest of Burma and the role of the INA.

However it must be remembered that the INA was never fully equipped by the Japanese and it just followed the Imperial Army. Their performance and effect on any battle was minimal and romantic notions aside, one can safely say that the INA never lived up to its expectations. In addition the numbers of the INA were few as a vast majority of soldiers taken as POWs refused to join the Japanese.

The siege at Imphal where the British Indian Army held out against the Imperial army is a case in point. The INA failed in its efforts to breach the British Indian Army lines and despite all sorts of propaganda failed to engineer defections among Indian soldiers as well. In short the performance of the INA was minimal and their effect on the war of not much significance.

Romantic notions are difficult to dispel and thus the legend that that the INA made a significant contribution to the war effort is propagated by quite a few people. But the facts speak otherwise. The INA's contribution to Indian Independence and its effect on the battlefield was way below expectations. History will record only a footnote to the INA by historians. That is the sad truth.