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war and social upheaval: World War II India contribution to the Allied war effort
World War II India: Contribution to the Allied War Effort
Figure 1.--An American geoligist took this and other photographs in India during 1940. The canoes at this village carries water jugs. India was a vast colony with large numbers of despeately poor people barely involved in the money economy and involved in subsistance farming. But given its size and British colonialm policy, the Raj not only had a very substantial agricultural sector, but a sizeable light-industrial sector as well as offering a source of raw materials. Large quantities of small arms and munitions were manufactured in India.
While Congress did not support the British war effort, India proved a major support to Britain during World war II. India was not a heavily industrialize colony, but it provided military assistance as well as large quantitie of supplies and raw material as well as light-industrial production. The military participation proved crucial, especially at the beginning of the War before America joined Britain. India's strategic location between the Middle East and Southeast Asia put it in a position to first support Britain in the Middle East against Germany and Italy and then against Japan after the Japanese seized Malaya, Singapore, and Burma. While not heavily industrialized, there was a substantial industrial sdector and a huge light-industrial sector. India as a result produced armamanents in large quantities. India also was a source of a wide range of supplies for British and Commonwealth forces as well as the British homefront. several Indian Princely States made substantial donations to support the British war effort. India eventually contributed over 2 million troops to the war effort. Indian divisions were particularly important in the first 2-years of the War when Britain was embattled and expecting a German invasion. Thus substantial troop deployment to the Middle East and East Africa were not possible. Indian troops werecused to defend Suez, drive the Italiand out of East Africa and topple he NAZI-leaning Iraqi Government. Very few British troops were available at the time. The Indian Army would prove to be one of the largest Allied forces contingents which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign and the Italian Campaign. And most importantly it was a force in being ready for immediate deployment rather than a force that had to be recruited and trained.
India did not only assist the war effort militarily, but also with supplies, including timber, leather, cotton textiles, coal, iron ore, steel and other products. While these supplies were limited compared to American Lend lease, they were substantial, in Empire terms. One source says that Indian shipments to Britain were the largest of any Empire constiuent. I thought that Canada was, but do not yet have hard data. Indian shipments to Britain were undeniably substantial given the size of the Indian economy and the low per-capita income. We find that Indians tend to over estimate their material support of Britain, we think a reflection of the prevailing anti-British sentiment in England. We supose this is understandable given the colonial experience, but what we find troubling in discussions with many Indians is their failure to appreciate the charcter of the Japanese and German Axis coalition. They seem to think because rhere were few Jews in India, the country had nothing to fear from an Axis invasion. They seem oblivious to the full extent of the NAZI and Japanese race mania and that the Jews were only one small aspect of the NAZI desire to eliminate the many low-ranking racial groups. And thus many Indians see India's substantial contrinution to the War effort as something they were doing for Britain, not something that was a critical national interest for India, not only to protect Indians fro NAZI and Japanese racial dictrine, but to achieve Indian independence.
Political Question
While Congress did not support the British war effort, they also did not support the Axis. They wanted the British to agree to independence after the war. Churchill refused to do this. ongress launched theQuit Indua campaign. This firced the British to utilize its limited manpower or domestic security. India despite Congess' Quit India campaign proved a major support to Britain during World War II. India was not a heavily industrialize colony, but it provided military assistance as well as large quantitie of supplies and raw material as well as light-industrial production.
Military Contribution
India's military participation proved crucial, especially at the beginning of the War before America joined Britain. India's strategic location between the Middle East and Southeast Asia put it in a position to first support Britain in the Middle East against Germany and Italy and then against Japan after the Japanese seized Malaya, Singapore, and Burma. India eventually contributed over 2 million troops to the war effort. Indian divisions were particularly important in the first 2-years of the War when Britain was embattled and expecting a German invasion. Thus substantial troop deployment to the Middle East and East Africa were not possible. Indian troops were used to defend Suez, drive the Italiand out of East Africa and topple he NAZI-leaning Iraqi Government. Very few British troops were available at the time. The Indian Army would prove to be one of the largest Allied forces contingents which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign and the Italian Campaign. And most importantly it was a force in being ready for immediate deployment rather than a force that had to be recruited and trained.
Material Contribution
india, while not heavily industrialized, had a substantial industrial sector and a huge light-industrial sector. India as a result produced smalla rms and armamanents in large quantities. India also was a source of a wide range of supplies for British and Commonwealth forces as well as the British homefront. India did not only assist the war effort militarily, but also with supplies, including timber, leather, textiles, coal, iron ore, steel and other products. While these supplies were limited compared to American Lend lease, they were substantial, in Empire terms. One source says that Indian shipments to Britain were the largest of any Empire constiuent. I thought that Canada was, but do not yet have hard data. Indian shipments to Britain were undeniably substantial given the size of the Indian economy and the low per-capita income. We find that Indians, however, tend to over estimate their material support of Britain, we think a reflection of the prevailing anti-British sentiment in India. One Indian historian writes that during World War II that the "colony's entire output of timber, woolen textiles and leather goods, as well as three quarter of its steel and cement, were diverted to the defense of the British Empire. India was, next to Britain, the largest contributor to the Empire's war. [Mukerjee] Another Indian writes, "During the war, India provided 196.7 million tonnes of coal, 6 million tonnes of iron ore and 1.12 million tonnes of steel. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History, Volume 2, says: �35 per cent of India�s annual cotton textile production, amounting to about 5,000,000,000 yards, went into creating war material.� [Simha] These are not small numbers. India clearly played an important role in the war, but when compared to the massive contribution of America and Britain, the Indian contribution was a small portion of the overall war effort. Authors summarizing beliligerant economies commonly do not even mention India because its matrial cintribution was so limited compared to he major belligereant countries. . And for many Indian authors, they simply throw out numbers with no effort to pyt thse numbers in perspective. India production was a real assett, but a tiny fraction of the overall Allied effort. For example while India produced less thn 200 million t of coal, America produced merly 2,150 million ton. While India produced 6 million tons of iron ore, America produced nearly 400 million tons. India produced 1.1 million tons of steel, Canada produced 16.4 million tons. And especially troubling, there appears to be no recognition by Indian uthors of the huge material contribution America and Britain made in the defense of India.
Financial Contribution
Some Indian authors seem to think that India made a huge financial contribution to the Allied war effort. We note that several Indian Princely States made substantial donations to support the British war effort. While appreciated, the Indian financial contribution would not even be a rounding error compared to the american and British contribution.
Indian Outlook
We supose the Indian over estimation of their material comtribution to the War effort is understandavle given the colonial experience, but what we find troubling in discussions with many Indians is their failure to appreciate the nature of World war II. We see Inian author's repeating Goebbel's propagand line that the war ws to save the British Empire. While it was true that Churchill did want to save the Brutish Empire, the War was for national survival and the defense of Western civilization. America did ot enter the war to save the British Empire. In fact that issue was the major disagreement between Churchill and Roosevlt. Nomany Indians appreciate the genocidal charcter of the Japanese and German Axis coalition. They seem to think because there were few Jews in India, the country had nothing to fear from an Axis invasion. They seem oblivious to the full extent of the NAZI and Japanese race mania and that the Jews were only one small aspect of the NAZI desire to eliminate the many low-ranking racial groups. And thus many Indians see India's substantial contrinution to the War effort as something India was doing for Britain, not something that was a critical national interest for India. Britain and America not only protected Indians from NAZI and Japanese racial dictrine, but made ndian independence possible. Indians today are proud of their vibrant democracy. Many Indians who criticize Britain do not stop to ask how many elections India would have had under Japanese or German rule.
Sources
Simha, Rakesh Krishnan. "How India Bailed Out The West In World War II," Swarajya Magazine (May 24, 2015). The author here throws out statistics showing the
Mukerjee, Madhusree. Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II. The author here refer's to World war II as ''the defense of the British Empire' and the the 'Empire's War'. There seems to be no recognition of the terrible crimes of the Axis countries and murder in the tens of millions. The liberation of the suffering, starving people of occupied Europe and China and the end of genocide or simply glanced over. Nor does Mukerjee even consider what a NAZI or Japanese occupation of India have meant for the country and ndian people.
