The Indian Army in World War I (1914- 1918)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

This volume tells the story of India's contribution to the Great War - a war that resulted in the decimation of ten million soldiers and twenty million civilians, the destruction of the youth of Europe and the Ottoman, Russian and Austrian dynasties and hastened the demise of the British and French empires, gave rise to Nazism, Fascism, Communism and is the progenitor of all the wars since then in Europe and the Middle East.

India's participation in this most destructive war had the support of Indian politicians of that time, because Britain gave a commitment that if India wanted 'Dominion Status' then it would need to take part in this war. Seven expeditionary forces were sent to fight on the battlefields of Europe, Asia and Africa. It is generally accepted that the first expeditionary force which was sent to Europe was largely responsible for stopping the German advance to Paris and the Channel ports.

Over a million Indian soldiers were sent overseas of which 74,000 were killed, twice that number was wounded and 60,000 declared missing. India was the largest contributor not only in men but also in money, animals and equipment.

Regrettably the story of the part played by the Indian soldier in this war has not been adequately told. Indian authors and the United Service Institution of India have attempted to fill this gap. This is one of the few books that has tried to redress this imbalance.

Major General Ian Cardozo was educated at St. Xavier's School and College, Mumbai. At the National Defence Academy he was awarded the gold and silver medal and is the first officer of the Army to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on a patrol on the Sino-Indian border. He has taken part in three wars. Not deterred at losing a leg in 1971, he went on to command a battalion, brigade and division. He retired as Chief of Staff of a corps in the North East. After retirement he worked in the disability sector and was picked up by the Prime Minister to head The Rehabilitation Council of India. His books, Param Vir; The Sinking of INS Khukri and The Indian VCs of World War I have been widely acclaimed.

THE PART THAT INDIA and its armed forces played in World War I is central to the theme of this book which focuses on the military aspects of World War I and the Indian soldier. There have been books written by Indian authors in recent times on World War I, however, not much has been written about the strategy and tactics that were followed, the conduct of the battles, the lessons that were learnt and finally the outcomes that were generated.

The environment in which Indian troops had to fight, the difficulties they had to face, the conduct of various battles and the outcome of the campaigns in which they participated become clear when the war is examined in all its military dimensions.

`The British Official History', covering events in 1914, 'gives little recognition to the contribution of the Indian Army during the early period of the war and its coverage is not comparable to that devoted to British Army formations.

'' This statement made by British authors is putting the situation rather mildly.

First, the Indian Army was pitch-forked into the battle-front simply because Britain had failed to plan and prepare herself against a resurgent Germany that was rearming at a fast pace - that too for eleven long years! There were enough indications to suggest that war was imminent, yet Britain had done very little and at last, when faced with the inevitable predicament of war, she looked for someone to hold the line and pushed the Indian Army onto the front to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force - The Old Contemptibles, which by that time was exhausted and depleted and virtually on its last legs. The Indian Army bravely held the line although it was not trained, clothed or equipped for the type of war that they had to fight in Europe and yet they pushed back the German offensive.

There are risks and costs to a programme of action; but they are far less than the risks and costs of comfortable inaction.

JOHN F. KENNEDY

IT IS ABOUT TIME that the military aspects of India's contribution to the Great War are placed in the public domain so that India's conduct in that war is seen in its true perspective.

Very few Indians are aware that India had sent more than a million Indian soldiers to fight in the Great War and that many never came back. It is also unfortunate that many educated Indians have failed to acknowledge the sacrifices made by our own soldiers under the delusion that these Indian soldiers fought for a foreign power and that therefore it was not India's war. It needs to be realized that some of the first steps towards the freedom that India enjoys today were taken by the Indian Army and that taking part in World War I was part of a strategy by Indian politicians of that time, to bargain for greater political autonomy, dominion status and the creation of a road to independence.

There is of course a paradox here somewhere. Whereas the Indian Army struck the first blow for independence in 1857 by fighting against the British, little more than half a century later, Indians were fighting for independence by fighting in World War f for and not against the British.

It, however, needs to be known that despite the fact that India sent over a million men to fight in the Great War, and was the biggest contributor of money, animals and equipment, the British did precious little to write their story. Today every library in Britain is choking with accounts, narratives and histories of the British Army in the Great War on the occasion of the commemoration of its centenary but not a single account of India's contribution to the war is to be found in these libraries. The author through this book seeks to redress this imbalance.