The British Empire at War Research Group Research Papers No. 6 (2014) ‘Waging War against the King’: Recruitment and Motivation of the Indian National Army, 1942-1945 Kevin Noles 1 The British Empire at War Research Papers series publishes original research online, including seminar and conference presentations, theses, and synoptical essays. British Empire at War Research Group Defence Studies Department, King’s College London Email:
[email protected] Website: http://britishempireatwar.org 2 Background and abstract The Indian National Army has been neglected in accounts of the Second World War in South-east Asia. It grew out of the defeat of British Empire forces in Malaya and Singapore in 1942, with captured Indian officers and men of the British Indian army volunteering to fight alongside the Japanese in order to further the cause of Indian nationalism. It was formed with an initial strength of sixteen thousand in late 1942 but before it could be deployed on operations differences emerged between its military leadership and the Japanese over how it would be employed. Although as a result it was partially disbanded the arrival in mid-1943 of credible political leadership, in the form of Indian revolutionary Subhas Chandra Bose, led to its reinvigoration. It was expanded to a size of forty thousand, in part through the incorporation of civilian volunteers, and saw action in India and Burma in 1944 and 1945 although its combat performance was variable. Its character is better thought of as an armed revolutionary force rather than as a conventional army. Its methods of recruitment varied over time with there being evidence of coercion during 1942 although others joined willingly.