Indian Legion

This article is about the World War II unit. For the charges of treason. Because of the uproar the trials of InAmerican Civil War regiment, see Thomas Legion.
dians who served with the Axis caused among civilians
and the military of British India, the legion members triThe Indian Legion (German: Indische Legion), ocially als were not completed. The Legion is not to be confused with Boses Indian National Army aligned with the
the Free India Legion (German: Legion Freies Indien) or
Infantry Regiment 950 (Indian) (German: Infanterie- Japanese in Burma.
Regiment 950 (indisches), I.R. 950) and later the Indian
Volunteer Legion of the Waen-SS (German: Indische
Freiwilligen Legion der Waen-SS), was a military unit
raised during World War II in Nazi Germany. Intended
to serve as a liberation force for British-ruled India, it
was made up of Indian prisoners of war and expatriates
in Europe. Because of its origins in the Indian independence movement, it was known also as the Tiger Legion, and the Azad Hind Fauj. Initially raised as part
of the German Army, it was part of the Waen-SS from
August 1944. Indian independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose initiated the legions formation, as part of his
eorts to win Indias independence by waging war against
Britain, when he came to Berlin in 1941 seeking German
aid. The initial recruits in 1941 were volunteers from the
Indian students resident in Germany at the time, and a
handful of the Indian prisoners of war who had been captured during the North Africa Campaign. It would later
draw a larger number of Indian prisoners of war as volunteers.

1 Background
The idea of raising an armed force that would ght its
way into India to bring down the British Raj goes back
to World War I, when the Ghadar Party and the nascent
Indian Independence League formulated plans to initiate
rebellion in the British Indian Army from Punjab to Hong
Kong with German support. This plan failed after information leaked to British intelligence, but only after many
attempts at mutiny, and a 1915 mutiny of Indian troops
in Singapore.[1][2] During World War II, all three of the
major Axis Powers sought to support armed revolutionary activities in India, and aided the recruitment of a military force from Indian POWs captured while serving in
the British Indian Army and Indian expatriates.[3]
The most famous and successful Indian force to ght with
the Axis was the Indian National Army (INA) in southeast Asia, that came into being with the support of the
Japanese Empire in April 1942. Fascist Italy also created the Azad Hindustan Battalion (Italian: Battaglione
Azad Hindoustan in February 1942. This unit was formed
from Indian POWs from their Centro I POW camp, and
Italians previously resident in India and Persia, and ultimately served under the Ragruppamento Centri Militari
alongside units of Arabs and colonial Italians. However,
the eort had little acceptance from the Indians in the
unit, who did not wish to serve under Italian ocers.[4][5]
After the Italian loss at the Second Battle of El Alamein,
the Indians mutinied when told to ght in Libya. Consequently, the remnants of the battalion were disbanded in
November 1942.[6][7]

Though it was initially raised as an assault group that

would form a pathnder to a German-Indian joint invasion of the western frontiers of British India, only a small
contingent was ever put to its original intended purpose.
A hundred legionnaires were parachuted into eastern Iran
under Operation Bajadere and inltrated into Baluchistan
Province to undertake sabotage operations, which they
reportedly did successfully, but with insignicant eect.
A small contingent, including much of the Indian ocer corps and enlisted leadership, was transferred to the
Indian National Army in south-east Asia. The majority of
the troops of the Indian Legion were only ever stationed in
Europe in non-combat duties, in the Netherlands, and in
France until the Allied invasion. They saw action in the
retreat from the Allied advance across France, ghting
mostly against the French Resistance. One company was
sent to Italy in 1944, where it saw action against British
and Polish troops and undertook anti-partisan operations.

Although the Indian National Congress (INC), the organisation leading the struggle for Indian independence,
had passed resolutions conditionally supporting the ght
against fascism,[8] some Indian public opinion was more
hostile toward Britains unilateral decision to declare India a belligerent on the side of the Allies. Among the
more rebellious Indian political leaders of the time was
Subhas Chandra Bose, a former INC president, who was
viewed as a potent enough threat by the British that he
was arrested when the war started.[9] Bose escaped from

At the time of the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945,

the remaining men of the Indian Legion made eorts to
march to neutral Switzerland over the Alps, but these efforts proved futile as they were captured by American and
French troops and eventually shipped back to India to face
1

2 ORIGIN

Subhas Chandra Bose with Heinrich Himmler in mid-1941

house arrest in India in January 1941 and made his way

through Afghanistan to the Soviet Union, with some help
from Germanys military intelligence, the Abwehr. Once
he reached Moscow, he did not receive the expected Soviet support for his plans for a popular uprising in India,
and the German ambassador in Moscow, Count von der
Schulenberg, soon arranged for Bose to go to Berlin. He
arrived at the beginning of April 1941, and he met with
foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and later Adolf
Hitler.[10] In Berlin, Bose set up the Free India Centre and
Azad Hind Radio, which commenced broadcasting to Indians on shortwave frequencies, reaching tens of thou- Indian POWs in Derna, Libya, 1941
sands of Indians who had the requisite receiver.[11][12]
Soon Boses aim became to raise an army, which he imag[14]
ined would march into India with German forces and trig- the enlistment as volunteers of Indian expatriates.
ger the downfall of the Raj.[13]
Overall, there were about 15,000 Indian POWs in Europe, primarily held in Germany by 1943. While some
remained loyal to the King-Emperor and treated Bose and
the Legion with contempt, most were at least somewhat
2 Origin
sympathetic to Boses cause. While approximately 2,000
became legionnaires, some others did not complete their
The rst troops of the Indian Legion were recruited from training due to various reasons and circumstances.[14][16]
Indian POWs captured at El Mekili, Libya during the In total, the maximum size of the Legion was 2,600.[17]
battles for Tobruk. The German forces in the Western Bose sought and obtained agreement from the German
Desert selected a core group of 27 POWs as potential of- High Command for the rather remarkable terms by which
cers and they were own to Berlin in May 1941, to be the Legion would serve in German military. German
followed, after the Centro I experiment, by POWs being soldiers would train the Indians in the strictest military
transferred from the Italian forces to Germany.[14] The discipline, in all branches of infantry in using weapons
number of POWs transferred to Germany grew to about and motorized units, the same way a German formation
10,000 who were eventually housed at Annaberg camp, was trained; the Indian legionnaires were not to be mixed
where Bose rst met with them. A rst group of 300 vol- with any German formations; they were not to be sent
unteers from the POWs and Indians expatriates in Ger- to any front other than in India for ghting against the
many were sent to Frankenberg camp near Chemnitz, to Britishbut would be allowed to ght in self-defence at
train and convince arriving POWs to join the legion.[15] any other place; and nonetheless in all other respects the
As the numbers of POWs joining the legion swelled, the
legion was moved to Knigsbrck for further training.[15]
It was at Knigsbrck that uniforms were rst issued, in
German feldgrau with the badge of the leaping tiger of
Azad Hind. The formation of the Indian National Army
was announced by the German Propaganda Ministry in
January 1942. It did not, however, take oath until 26
August 1942, as the Legion Freies Indien of the German
Army. By May 1943, the numbers had swelled, aided by

legionnaires would enjoy the same facilities and amenities regarding pay, clothing, food, leave, etc., as German
soldiers. As for the units eventual deployments in the
Netherlands and France, they were ostensibly for training purposes, according to Boses plans for the unit to
be trained in some aspects of coastal defence.[18] After
the invasion of France by the Allies, the unit was ordered
back to Germany, so that it would not participate in ghting for German military interests.

3.3

Decorations

Organization

General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel inspecting a unit of the

Indian Legion in France, February 1944

3.1

3
the left side of their steel helmets, similar to the black,
white, and red decal German soldiers wore on their helmets. Sikhs in the legion were permitted to wear a turban
as dictated by their religion instead of the usual peaked
eld cap, of a color appropriate to their uniform.
The standard of the Indian Legion, presented as the units
colours in late 1942 or early 1943, featured the same design as the arm badge previously issued to the men of
the Legion. It consisted of saron, white and green horizontal bands, from top to bottom, the white middle band
was approximately three times the width of the colored
bands. The words Azad and Hind in white were inscribed over the saron and green bands respectively, and
over the white middle band was a leaping tiger. This is
essentially the same design that the Azad Hind Government later adopted as their ag (although photographic
evidence shows that the Indian National Army, at least
during the Burma Campaign, used the Swaraj ag of the
INC instead).[21]

Composition

The British Indian Army organized regiments and units

on the basis of religion and regional or caste identity.
Bose sought to end this practice and build up one unied
Indian identity among the men who would ght for independence. Consequently, the Indian Legion was organized as mixed units so that Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs
all served side-by-side.[5] Around the time of its formation in late 1942, 59% of the legions men were Hindus,
25% were Muslims, 14% were Sikhs and 2% other religions. Relative to the British Indian Army, there were
more Hindus and Sikhs, and fewer Muslims.[19] The success of Boses idea of developing a unied national identity was evident when Heinrich Himmler proposed in late
1943 (after Boses departure) that the Muslim soldiers of
the I.R. 950 be recruited into the new Handschar Division. The commander of the SS Head Oce, Gottlob
Berger, was obliged to point out that while the Bosnians
of the Handschar perceived themselves as people of a
European identity, Indian Muslims perceived themselves
as Indians.[20] Hitler, however, showed little enthusiasm
for the I.R. 950, at one stage insisting that their weapons
be handed over to the newly created 18th SS Horst Wessel Division, exclaiming that "the Indian Legion is a
joke!"[5]

3.3 Decorations
Main article: Decorations of Azad Hind
In 1942, Bose instituted several medals and orders for
service to Azad Hind. As was typical for German decorations, crossed swords were added when they were issued
for action in combat. Nearly half of the soldiers of the
legion received one of these decorations.[22]

3.4 Structure and units

The Indian Legion was organized as a standard German
army infantry regiment of three battalions of four companies each, at least initially with exclusively German commissioned ocers. It has been later referred to as Panzergrenadier Regiment 950 (indische), indicating the unit
was partially motorized.[23] It was equipped with 81 motor vehicles and 700 horses.[24] In this structure, the legion came to consist of:
I. Bataillon infantry companies 1 to 4
II. Bataillon infantry companies 5 to 8

3.2

Uniform and standard

The uniform issued to the Indian Legion were the standard German Army uniform of feldgrau in winter and
khaki in summer. Additionally, the troops wore on their
right upper arm a specially designed arm badge in the
shape of a shield with three horizontal stripes of saron,
white, and green and featuring a leaping tiger on the white
middle band. The legend Freies Indien was inscribed in
black featured on a white background above the tricolor.
A saron, white, and green transfer was also worn on

III. Bataillon infantry companies 9 to 12

13.
Infanteriegeschtz Kompanie (infantry-gun
company armed with six 7.5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschtz 18)
14. Panzerjger Kompanie (anti-tank company
armed with six Panzerabwehrkanone)
15. Pionier Kompanie (engineer company)
Ehrenwachkompanie (honour guard company)

4 OPERATIONS

It also included hospital, training, and maintenance in preparation for the anticipated national revolt. Inforsta.[24]
mation passed on to Abwehr headquarters in Berlin from
their oce in Kabul indicate that they were successful
in carrying out sabotage operations, but that they had no
signicant eect on military activity in their area.[25]

Operations

4.2 Netherlands and France

Manning an artillery piece, February 1944

It is doubtful that Subhas Chandra Bose envisaged the Troops of the Indian Legion, in Bordeaux, France, in March
Free India Legion would ever be an army sucient or 1944
strong enough to conduct an eective campaign across
Persia into India on its own. Instead, the IR 950 was
to become a pathnder, preceding a larger Indo-German
force in a Caucasian campaign into the western frontiers
of British India, that would encourage public resentment
of the Raj and incite the British Indian Army into revolt.
Following German defeat in Europe at Stalingrad and in
North Africa at El Alamein, it became clear that an Axis
assault through Persia or even the Soviet Union was unlikely. Meanwhile, Bose had travelled to the Far East,
where the Indian National Army was able to engage the
Allies alongside the Japanese Army in Burma, and ultimately in northeastern India. The German Naval High
Command at this time made the decision to transfer much
of the leadership and a segment of the Free India Legion to South Asia and on 21 January, they were formally
made a part of the Indian National Army. Most troops of
the Indian Legion, however, remained in Europe through
the war and were never utilized in their originally planned
role.

4.1

Operation Bajadere

Main article: Operation Bajadere

To the end of serving as a pathnder, Operation Bajadere
was launched in January 1942 when a detachment of
the Freies Indien were paradropped into Eastern Persia
tasked to inltrate into Baluchistan Province. They numbered about one hundred and had trained with the German Brandenburgers (the special forces of the Wehrmacht). They were tasked to commence sabotage operations

A soldier of the Legion with an MG 34 in Bordeaux, in March

1944

The legion was transferred to Zeeland in the Netherlands

in April 1943 as part of the Atlantic Wall and later to
France in September 1943, attached to the 344th Infantry
Division, and later the 159th Infantry Division of the
Wehrmacht. From Beverloo in Belgium, the 1st Battalion was reassigned to Zandvoort in May 1943 where they
stayed until relieved by the Georgian Legion in August.
In September 1943, the battalion was deployed on the Atlantic coast of Bordeaux on the Bay of Biscay. The 2nd
Battalion moved from Beverloo to the island of Texel in
May 1943 and stayed there until relieved in September
of that year. From here, it was deployed to Les Sablesd'Olonne in France.[26] The 3rd Battalion remained at
Oldebroek as Corps Reserve until the end of September
1943,[26] where they gained a wild and loathsome[27]
reputation amongst the locals.

4.3

Transfer to the Waen-SS

The legion was stationed in the Lacanau (near Bordeaux)

at the time of the Normandy landings, and remained there
for up to two months after D-Day. On 8 August 1944
Himmler authorized its control to be transferred to the
Waen-SS, as was that of every other foreign volunteer
unit of the German Army.[5] The unit was renamed the
Indische Freiwilligen Legion der Waen-SS. Command of
the legion was very shortly transferred from Lieutenant
Colonel Kurt Krapp to Oberfhrer Heinz Bertling. The
Indian personnel noticed a change of command was at
hand and started to complain. Noting he wasn't wanted
Bertling soon agreed to be relieved of command.[28] On
15 August, the unit pulled out of Lacanau to make its
way back to Germany. It was in the second leg of this
journey, from Poitiers to Chteauroux that it suered its
rst combat casualty (Lieutenant Ali Khan) while engaging French regular forces in the town of Dun. The unit
also engaged with allied armour at Nuits-Saint-Georges
while retreating across the Loire to Dijon. It was regularly harassed by the French Resistance, suering two
more casualties (Lieutenant Kalu Ram and Captain Mela
Ram). The unit moved from Remiremont through Alsace
to Camp Heuberg in Germany in the winter of 1944,[23]
where it stayed until March 1945.

4.4

Italy

The 9th Company of the Legion (from the 2nd Battalion) also saw action in Italy. Having been deployed in
the spring of 1944, it faced the British V Corps and the
Polish II Corps before it was withdrawn from the front to
be used in anti-partisan operations. It surrendered to the
Allied forces in April 1945, still in Italy.[28]

5 Legacy
Further information: Indian National Army trials
The integral association of the Free India Legion with
Nazi Germany and the other Axis powers means its legacy
is seen from two viewpoints, similarly to other nationalist
movements that were aligned with Germany during the
war, such as the Russian Vlasov movement. One viewpoint sees it as a collaborationist unit of the Third Reich;
the other views it as the realization of a liberation army
to ght against the Raj.[30]
Unlike the Indian National Army, conceived with the
same doctrine,[12] it has found little exposure since the
end of the war even in independent India. This is because it was far removed from India, unlike Burma, and
because the Legion was so much smaller than the INA
and was not engaged in its originally conceived role.[30]
Boses plans for the Legion, and even the INA, were too
grandiose for their military capability and their fate was
too strongly tied to that of the Axis powers.[31] Looking
at the legacy of Azad Hind, however, historians consider
both movements military and political actions (of which
the Legion was one of the earliest elements, and an integral part of Boses plans) and the indirect eect they had
on the eras events.
In German histories of World War II, the Legion is noted
less than other foreign volunteer units. Filmmaker Merle
Krger, however, made the 2003 mystery lm Cut! about
soldiers from the Legion in France. She said she found
them an excellent topic for a mystery because scarcely
any Germans had heard of the Indians who volunteered
for the German Army.[30] The only Indian lm to mention
the Legion is the 2011 Bollywood production Dear Friend
Hitler, which portrays the Legions attempted escape to
Switzerland and its aftermath.

5.1 Perceptions as collaborators

4.5

End of the Legion

With the defeat of the Third Reich imminent in May

1945, the remainder of the Indian Legion stationed in
Germany sought sanctuary in neutral Switzerland. They
undertook a desperate 2.6-kilometer (1.6 mi) march
along the shores of Lake Constance, attempting to enter Switzerland via the alpine passes. This was, however,
unsuccessful and the legion was captured by U.S. and
French forces and delivered to British and Indian forces
in Europe. There is some evidence that some of these Indian troops were shot by French Moroccan troops in the
town of Immenstadt after their capture, before they could
be delivered to the British forces.[29] The captured troops
would later be shipped back to India, where a number
would stand trial for treason.[23]

In considering the history of the Free India Legion, the

most controversial aspect is its integral link to the Nazi
Germany, with a widespread perception that they were
collaborators of Nazi Germany by the virtue of their uniform, oath, and eld of operation. That is to say, that they
actively supported the Nazi war eort, principles such as
racial supremacy, and atrocities committed against 'inferior' races and occupied people. The views of the founder
and leader of the Azad Hind movement, Subhas Chandra
Bose, were somewhat more nuanced than straightforward
support for the Axis. During the 1930s Bose had organized and led protest marches against Japanese imperialism, and wrote an article attacking Japanese imperialism,
although expressing admiration for other aspects of the
Japanese regime.[32] Boses correspondence prior to 1939
also showed his deep disapproval of the racist practices
and annulment of democratic institutions by the Nazis.[33]

6 SEE ALSO

He nonetheless expressed admiration for the authoritarian methods which he saw in Italy and Germany during
the 1930s, and thought they could be used in building an
independent India.[34]
Boses view was not necessarily shared by the men of the
Free India Legion, and they were not wholly party to Nazi
ideology or in collaboration with the Nazi machinery.The
Legions volunteers were not merely motivated by the
chance to escape imprisonment and earn money. Indeed,
when the rst POWs were brought to Annaburg and met
with Subhas Chandra Bose, there was marked and open
hostility towards him as a Nazi propaganda puppet.[35]
Once Boses eorts and views had gained more sympathy, a persistent query among the POWs was 'How would
the legionary stand in relation to the German soldier?'.[35]
The Indians were not prepared to simply ght for Germanys interests, after abandoning their oath to the KingEmperor. The Free India Centrein charge of the legion after the departure of Bosefaced a number of
grievances from legionaries. The foremost were that Bose
had abandoned them left them entirely in German hands,
and a perception that the Wehrmacht was now going to
use them in the Western Front instead of sending them to
ght for independence.[36]
The attitude of the Legions soldiers was similar to that of
the Italian Battaglione Azad Hindoustan, which had been
of dubious loyalty to the Axis causeit was disbanded
after a mutiny.[6][7] In one instance, immediately prior to
the rst deployment of the Legion in the Netherlands in
April 1943, after the departure of the 1st Battalion from
Knigsbrck, two companies within the 2nd Battalion refused to move until convinced by Indian leaders.[36] Even
in Asia, where the Indian National Army was much larger
and fought the British directly, Bose faced similar obstacles at rst. All of this goes to show that many of the
men never possessed loyalty to the Nazi cause or ideology; the motivation of the Legions men was to ght
for Indias independence.[36] The unit did allegedly participate in atrocities, especially in the Mdoc region in
July 1944,[37] and in the region of Ruec[27] and the department of Indre during their retreat,[38] and in addition,
some elements of the unit undertook anti-partisan operations in Italy.

5.2

trials that were initiated had the sentences they issued

commuted or charges dropped, after widespread protest
and several mutinies. As a condition of independence
readily agreed to by the INC, members of the Free India
Legion and INA were not allowed to serve in the postindependence Indian military, but they were all released
before independence. Once the stories reached the public, there was a turnaround in perception of the Azad Hind
movement from traitors and collaborators to patriots. Although the authorities expected to improve the morale
of their troops by prosecuting the Azad Hind volunteers,
they only contributed to the sentiment among many members of the military that they had been on the wrong side
during the war.[39][40] According to historian Michael Edwardes, the INA and Free India Legion thus overshadowed the conference that was to lead to independence,
held in the same Red Fort as the trials.[39]
Inspired to a large extent by the stories of the soldiers
at trial, mutiny broke out in the Royal Indian Navy, and
received widespread public support. While the troops
who fought for the Allies were being demobilised, the
Navy mutiny was followed up by smaller mutinies in the
Royal Indian Air Force, and a mutiny in the Indian Army
that was suppressed by force. In the aftermath of the
mutinies, the weekly intelligence summary issued on 25
March 1946 admitted that the Indian military was no
longer trustworthy, and for the Army, only day to day
estimates of steadiness could be made.[41][7] The armed
forces could not be relied upon to suppress unrest as they
had been before, and drawing from experiences of the
Free India Legion and INA, their actions could not be
predicted from their oath to the King-Emperor.[42][43] Reecting on the factors that guided the British decision to
relinquish their rule in India, Clement Attlee, then the
British Prime Minister, cited as the most important reason the realisation that the Indian armed forces might not
prop up the Raj.[44] Although the British government had
promised to grant dominion status to India at the end
of the war,[45][46] the views held by British ocials after the war show that although militarily a failure the Indians who fought for the Axis likely accelerated Indian
independence. This is contrary to the usual narrative of
Indias independence struggle, which focuses only on the
INC and Mahatma Gandhi.

Role in Indian independence

However, in political terms Bose may have been successful, owing to events that occurred within India after the
war.[6][7] After the war, the soldiers and ocers of the
Free India Legion were brought as prisoners to India,
where they were to be brought to trial in courts-martial
along with Indians who were in the INA. Their stories
were seen as so inammatory that, fearing mass revolts
and uprisings across the empire, the British government
forbade the BBC from broadcasting about them after the
war.[27] Not much is known of any charges made against
Free India Legion soldiers, but the Indian National Army

6 See also
Indian National Army
Battaglione Azad Hindoustan
British Free Corps
Free Arabian Legion
Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind

References

[1] Gupta, Amit K. (1997). Defying Death: Nationalist

Revolutionism in India, 18971938. Social Scientist 25
(9/10): 327. doi:10.2307/3517678.
[2] Fraser, Thomas G. (April 1977). Germany and Indian
Revolution, 191418. Journal of Contemporary History
12 (2): 255272. doi:10.1177/002200947701200203.
[3] Douds, G.J. (2004). The men who never were: Indian
POWs in the Second World War. South Asia 27: 183
216. doi:10.1080/1479027042000236634.
[4] Lundari 1989, p. 90.
[5] Littlejohn 1994, p. 127.
[6] Public Relations Oce, London. War Oce. 208/761A
[7] James 1997, p. 598.
[8] The Congress and the Freedom Movement: World War
II and the Congress. AICC.org.in. Indian National
Congress. Archived from the original on 7 May 2006.
Retrieved 20 July 2006.
[9] James 1997, p. 554.
[10] Kurowski 1997, p. 136.
[11] James 1997, p. 555.
[12] Axis War Makes Easier Task of Indians. Chandra Boses
Berlin Speech. Syonan Sinbun. 26 January 1943.
[13] Gnther 2003, p. 24.
[14] Weale 1994, p. 213.
[15] Davis 1994, pp. 2122.
[16] Copley, Anton (12 October 2012). Reviews of Books:
Subhas Chandra Bose in Nazi Germany: Politics, Intelligence and Propaganda 194143. By Romain Hayes.
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Third Series 22 (3
4): 616618. doi:10.1017/S1356186312000600.
[17] Mller 2009, p. 55.

[28] Munoz 2002.

[29] Subhas Chandra Bose: Er wollte Freiheit fr Indien
(PDF). Augsburger Zeitung (in German). 19 August 2000.
[30] Goel, Urmila (2003). Die indische Legion Ein Stck
Deutsche Geschichte. Sdasien (in German) (4): 2730.
[31] Lebra 1971, pp. 190191.
[32] Bose, Subhas (October 1937). Japans Role in the Far
East. Modern Review. Japan has done great things for
herself and for Asia. Her reawakening at the dawn of
the present century sent a thrill throughout our Continent.
Japan has shattered the white mans prestige in the Far
East and has put all the Western imperialist powers on the
defensive not only in the military but also in the economic sphere. She is extremely sensitive and rightly so
about her self-respect as an Asiatic race. She is determined to drive out the Western powers from the Far East.
But could not all this have been achieved without Imperialism, without dismembering the Chinese Republic, without humiliating another proud, cultured and ancient race?
No, with all our admiration for Japan, where such admiration is due, our whole heart goes out to China in her hour
of trial., cited in Bose & Bose 1997, p. 190
[33] Bose to Dr. Thierfelder of the Deutsche Akademie,
Kurhaus Hochland, Badgastein, 25 March 1936. Today
I regret that I have to return to India with the conviction
that the new nationalism of Germany is not only narrow
and selsh but arrogant. The recent speech of Herr Hitler
in Munich gives the essence of Nazi philosophyThe new
racial philosophy which has a very weak scientic foundation stands for the glorication of the white races in general and the German race in particular. Herr Hitler has
talked of the destiny of white races to rule over the rest
of the world. But the historical fact is that up till now
the Asiatics have dominated Europe more than have the
Europeans dominated Asia. One only has to consider the
repeated invasions of Europe by Mongols, the Turks, the
Arabs (Moors), the Huns, and other Asiatic races to understand the strength of my argument", cited in Bose
Bose1997, p. 155
[34] Sen, S. (1999). Subhas Chandra Bose 18971945. Andaman Association. Archived from the original on 5
March 2005.

[18] Ganpuley 1959, p. 153.

[35] Toye 1959, p. 63.
[19] Hartog 2001, p. 66.
[20] Lepre 1997, p. 117.
[21] Davis 1994, p. 42.

[36] James 1997, p. 553.

[37] Lormier 1998, pp. 3536.

[23] Davis 1994, p. 22.

[38] Le passage des Hindous dans le dpartement de lIndre

(n aot 1944)" (in French). French ocial public
archives, presented and annotated by Jean-Louis Laubry.
Archived from the original on 3 April 2012.

[24] Caballero Jurado 1983, p. 31.

[39] Edwardes 1964, p. 93.

[25] Weale 1994, pp. 137138.

[40] Gnther 2003, pp. 112113.

[26] Houterman 1997, p. 63.

[41] Unpublished, Public Relations Oce, London. War Ofce. 208/761A

[22] Littlejohn 1994, pp. 130132.

[27] Thomson, Mike (23 September 2004). Hitlers Secret

Indian Army. BBC News. BBC.

[42] James 1997, pp. 571, 598.

[43] Unpublished, Public Relations Oce, London. War Ofce. 208/819A 25C
[44] Bhat, Dhanjaya (12 February 2006). Which phase of our
freedom struggle won for us Independence?". The Tribune. Retrieved 17 July 2006.
[45] Brown 1999, pp. 328330.
[46] James 1997, p. 557.

7.1

Works cited

Brown, Judith (1999). Modern India: The Origins

of an Asian Democracy. The Short Oxford History
of the Modern World (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford
University Press.
Bose, Sisir K.; Bose, Sugata, eds. (1997). The
Essential Writings of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Caballero Jurado, Carlos (1983). Foreign Volunteers
of the Wehrmacht 194145. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN
0850455243.
Davis, Brian L. (1994). Flags of the Third Reich 2:
Waen-SS. Oxford: Osprey.
Edwardes, Michael (1964). The Last Years of British
India. Cleveland: World Publishing Company.
Ganpuley, N. G. (1959). Netaji in Germany: A
Little-known Chapter. Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan.
Gnther, Luther (2003).
Von Indien nach
Annaburg: Indische Legion und Kriegsfegangene in
Deutschland (in German). Berlin: verlag am park.
ISBN 3-89793-065-X.
Hartog, Rudolf (2001). The Sign of the Tiger: Subhas Chandra Bose and His Indian Legion in Germany, 194145. New Delhi: Rupa & Company.
ISBN 978-81-7167-547-0.
Houterman, J. N. (1997). Eastern Troops in Zeeland, The Netherlands, 19431945: Hitlers Osttruppen in the West. New York: Academic Publishing
Group. ISBN 1891227009.
James, Lawrence (1997). Raj: Making and Unmaking of British India. Preston, Lancashire: Abacus.
Kurowski, F. (1997). The Brandenburgers: Global
Mission. trans. D. Johnston. Winnipeg: J.J. Fedorowicz. ISBN 092199138X.
Lebra, Joyce C. (1971). Jungle Alliance: Japan and
the Indian National Army. Singapore: Asia Pacic
Library.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Lepre, George (1997). Himmlers Bosnian Division:

The Waen-SS Handschar Division 19431945. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schier Military History. ISBN
0764301349.
Littlejohn, David (1994) [1987]. Foreign Legions
of the Third Reich. IV: Poland, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Free India, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Russia (2nd ed.). San Jose, California: R. James Bender. ISBN 0-912138-36-X.
Lormier, Dominique (1998). La poche du Mdoc (in French). Montreuil-Bellay: ditions CMD.
ISBN 2909826716.
Lundari, G. (1989). I Paracadutisti Italiani 1937/45
(in Italian). Milan: Editrice Militare Italiana.
Munoz, A. J. (2002). The East Came West: Muslim,
Hindu & Buddhist Volunteers in the German Armed
Forces, 19411945. Academic Publishing Books.
ISBN 978-1891227394.
Mller, Rolf-Dieter (2009). Afghanistan als militrisches Ziel deutscher Auenpolitik im Zeitalter
der Weltkriege. In Chiari, Bernhard. Wegweiser
zur Geschichte Afghanistans. Paderborn: Auftrag
des MGFA. ISBN 978-3-506-76761-5.
Toye, Hugh (1959). The Springing Tiger. London:
Cassell.
Weale, Adrian (1994). Renegades: Hitlers Englishmen. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0297814885.

8 External links
Hitlers secret Indian army BBC News

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1

Text

Indian Legion Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Legion?oldid=720312501 Contributors: Stone, Taxman, Robbot, Jooler,

Davidcannon, Andries, Varlaam, Oknazevad, Klemen Kocjancic, Mike Rosoft, Rich Farmbrough, Polylerus, Andrew Gray, Deacon of
Pndapetzim, Sleigh, SteinbDJ, Axeman89, Richard Weil, Firsfron, Woohookitty, Before My Ken, Lapsed Pacist, Rjwilmsi, Bhadani,
Ground Zero, Noclador, Ajaypp, Hornplease, Pigman, Manxruler, Ospalh, David Underdown, Capt Jim, Npeters22, Jinxs, Sardanaphalus,
SmackBot, F, Ominae, Hmains, Colonies Chris, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Snowmanradio, Legaleagle86, Gomeira, Ohconfucius,
Rheo1905, Harryboyles, Shyamsunder, Ranam, Vanisaac, CmdrObot, Alan Flynn, Outriggr (2006-2009), Bellerophon5685, Thijs!bot,
IrishPete, Rueben lys, Puddhe, Spellmaster, Ekki01, Birdie, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, Jerseycube, DadaNeem, MisterBee1966, Isaac
Sanolnacov, Mkpumphrey, Byomkesh Bakshi, Robert1947, Koalorka, Lalmohan Babu, Vinayaraj, Archwyrm, Jirt, ToePeu.bot, Momo san,
PalaceGuard008, Sphilbrick, EoGuy, Niceguyedc, Sun Creator, Miami33139, Addbot, Shakescene, Leszek Jaczuk, Favonian, Perseus71,
Lightbot, Farawayman, Zorrobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, AnomieBOT, Kalikumaun, LilHelpa, Xqbot, Marek2~enwiki, J04n, Coltsfan, Anotherclown, FrescoBot, Cunibertus, Lothar von Richthofen, MathFacts, Nightsturm, LittleWink, Tra, NarSakSasLee, Full-date unlinking
bot, Henri Hudson, DocYako, Lotje, Innotata, RjwilmsiBot, Screw007, WikitanvirBot, Werieth, SporkBot, Brigade Piron, Whoop whoop
pull up, WorldWarTwoEditor, Lklusener, ClueBot NG, Crohall, Tomseattle, Helpful Pixie Bot, Dinarsad, Titodutta, Justin Tamerlane,
HIDECCHI001, ProudIrishAspie, Peacemaker67, SandJ-on-WP, Mogism, Numancia, Georgethewriter, Jodosma, Kushmir3, KasparBot,
Dchris1990 and Anonymous: 80

9.2

Images

File:1931_Flag_of_India.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/1931_Flag_of_India.svg License: Public

domain Contributors: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/in-hist.html Original artist: Nicholas (Nichalp)
File:Balkenkreuz.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Balkenkreuz.svg License: Public domain Contributors: German Junkers Ju 52 Messerschmitt Me-262
Own work and also based on Page 49 of
Original artist: David Liuzzo
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-263-1580-05,_Atlantikwall,_Soldaten_der_Legion_\char"0022\relax{}Freies_Indien.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-263-1580-05%2C_Atlantikwall%2C_Soldaten_der_
Legion_%22Freies_Indien%22.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the
German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic
representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image
Archive. Original artist: Wette
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-263-1580-06,_Atlantikwall,_Soldat_der_Legion_\char"0022\relax{}Freies_Indien.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-263-1580-06%2C_Atlantikwall%2C_Soldat_der_
Legion_%22Freies_Indien%22.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the
German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic
representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image
Archive. Original artist: Wette
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101III-Alber-064-03A,_Subhas_Chandra_Bose_bei_Heinrich_Himmler.jpg
Source:
https:
//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101III-Alber-064-03A%2C_Subhas_Chandra_Bose_bei_
Heinrich_Himmler.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal
Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation
only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive.
Original artist: Alber, Kurt
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-2004-0198,_Nordafrika,_kriegsgefangene_britische_Soldaten_aus_Indien.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-2004-0198%2C_Nordafrika%2C_kriegsgefangene_
britische_Soldaten_aus_Indien.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the
German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic
representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image
Archive. Original artist: Grimm, Arthur
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J16696,_Soldaten_der_Legion_\char"0022\relax{}Freies_Indien.jpg Source:
https://upload.
Liwikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J16696%2C_Soldaten_der_Legion_%22Freies_Indien%22.jpg
cense: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches
Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals
(negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive. Original artist: Werner
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J16796,_Rommel_mit_Soldaten_der_Legion_\char"0022\relax{}Freies_Indien.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J16796%2C_Rommel_mit_Soldaten_der_Legion_
%22Freies_Indien%22.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German
Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic
representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image
Archive. Original artist: Jesse
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Flag_Schutzstaffel.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Flag_Schutzstaffel.svg License: Public
domain Contributors: Flag Schutzstael.gif: <a href='//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_Schutzstaffel.gif' class='image'><img

10

9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

alt='Flag
Schutzstael.gif'
src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Flag_Schutzstaffel.gif/18px-Flag_
Schutzstaffel.gif' width='18' height='12' srcset='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Flag_Schutzstaffel.gif/
27px-Flag_Schutzstaffel.gif 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Flag_Schutzstaffel.gif/36px-Flag_
Schutzstaffel.gif 2x' data-le-width='324' data-le-height='216' /></a> Original artist: NielsF
File:Flag_of_Azad_Hind.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Flag_of_Azad_Hind.svg License: Public
domain Contributors: Own work Original artist:
Fornax
File:Flag_of_German_Reich_(19351945).svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Flag_of_German_
Reich_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Fornax
File:Indische_Legion.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Indische_Legion.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: Brian L. Davis: Flags of the Third Reich, Part 2, London 1994 Original artist: Author unknown, SVG by uploader
File:Subhas_Chandra_Bose.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Subhas_Chandra_Bose.jpg License:
Public domain Contributors: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2005/06/25/stories/2005062500980300.htm Original artist: Unknown<a href='//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4233718' title='wikidata:Q4233718'><img alt='wikidata:Q4233718' src='https://upload.
wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/20px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png' width='20' height='11' srcset='https://
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/30px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.
org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/40px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 2x' data-le-width='1050' data-le-height='590'
/></a>

9.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0