Indian National Army

The Indian National Army, which is also known as Azad Hind Fauj; is referred to as an armed force that was founded by the Indian nationalists in the year 1942, with the help of the Imperial Japanese Army; for the attainment of independence for India.

Avichalbharti

Indian National Army

Indian National Army has its roots in the Indian Independent Leagues, formed in Southeast Asia by eminent soldiers like Pritam Singh and Mohan Singh. The initial stages of the Indian National army coincided with that of the imperial expansion of Japan in the pacific in the 1940s. The revolutionaries in India along with the Japanese military personnel and later the government in their fight against the imperial British forces.

History of the Indian National Army

The Indian National Army was established in the year 1942, by the prisoners of war of India in Singapore. They were captured by the Japanese and the Japanese aided them in creating a force of resistance against the British imperial rule. With the help, the Indian Independence League was founded, and the main base was Indian National Army. Mohan Singh, who was a former captain in British Indian Army, called upon prisoners from India to take up the arms against the unjust rule of the Britishers. Over 20,000 members have volunteered and INA was placed under Rash Behari Bose, who was a leading Indian revolutionary.

With the arrival of Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943, he actively revived INA, which was kind of put under pressure in 1942 due to tensions between Indians and knowing the true intentions of the Japanese. In 1944, he successfully convinced the Japanese to help in the invasion of India through Burma and managed to capture Imphal, Arakan, and Kohima. Due to poor supplies and a lack of air support, they had to retreat. Subhas Chandra Bose, popularly known as “Netaji” tried to approach the Soviet Union for help but his plane crashed and as a result, the INA was inflicted with defeats.

Indian National Army and First Phase

The Quit India Movement in India acted as a catalyst for the INA to grow and expand. The first division of INA was founded in 1942, with about 16300 men. Serious disagreements occurred between the Indian army officers which were led by Mohan Singh and the Japanese about various aspects of INA. Japanese wanted a token army but Mohan Singh wanted a bigger army.

Indian National Army and Second Phase

The second phase began with the arrival of Subhas Chandra Bose in Singapore. Before this, however, Subhash arrived in Tokyo and met with the then Prime Minister Tojo. Rashbehari Bose also following failures of his revolutionary zeal, fled to Japan in 1915. He also became involved in Pan-Asian circles.

It was decided at a conference in Bangkok to incorporate INA into the Indian Independence League. When the Japanese approached Subhas to lead INA, he was prepared for the same. He traveled to Singapore and met Rashbehari, who handed the leadership of INA to Subhas in July 1943. On August 25, Subhas was appointed as the Supreme Commander of INA. Subhas Bose formed Provisional Government for Free India in Singapore in October 1943.

Subhas Chandra Bose and INA

When Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Japan, the idea of reforming INA was revived. In July 1943, Rash Behari gave the control of Indian Independence League to SC Bose. Bose Revived INA again. Due to the fame of SC Bose and his reputation as a committed nationalist, not only the PoW but some of the civilians join INA too. INA got a lot of financial support from South East Asian Countries. There were 4 Brigades: 

1. Gandhi Brigade
2. Nehru Brigade
3. Subhash Brigade
4. Rani of Jhansi Regiment

The women’s Regiment was named Rani of the Jhansi Regiment. It was headed by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan. Rani of the Jhansi Regiment was perhaps the first female infantry fighting unit in Military History. There was no discrimination in INA based on caste, gender, or religion. Whether it was Hindu or Muslim all, were equal. Food was cooked in one kitchen. The same thing did not apply to British Army. They had Sikh Regiment and Gurkha Regiment. There was a separation in their regiments.

Netaji gave the War Cry,” Give me Blood, I shall give you freedom“. The song ” Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja” was given by INA . The often-heard slogan ” Jai Hind” was saluted by INA initially. Netaji didn’t only create an army but also formed Provisional Government called Azad Hind Government. INA was an army of this Government, hence given the name Azad Hind Fauj. Azad Hind’s provisional Government had its own currency notes, postage stamp, courts, and laws. The prime minister of this Government in Singapore was Subhash Chandra Bose. 9 countries recognized them as the Government of India viz. Germany, Japan, Italy, Burma, Philippines. and had diplomatic relations with them. Notably, Azad Hind Government was established with the Military, Financial, and Political Support of Japan. So indirectly Japan had sovereignty over it and Azad Hind Fauj was subordinate to the Japanese Army

Japan Captured Andaman & Nicobar Islands and its nominal Authority was given to Azad Hind Government. They renamed it Shaheed & Swaraj. Azad Hind Fauj registered its first victory on Indian Soil in April 1944 while fighting alongside the Japanese Imperial Army. These places were Manipur and Nagaland. The army reached Manipur’s Imphal and Nagaland’s Kohima. At Moirang in Manipur, INA unfurled the Indian Flag on Indian Soil for the first time.

Women’s Regiment of Indian National Army

The Women’s Regiment of INA was led by Lakshmi Sahgal and the unit was named after Jhansi ki Rani Regiment. Each female soldier was combat-trained. The recruits for this regime mostly belonged to Malaya and Burma. The unit came into being on 12 July 1943, initial members of the force were established with its training camp in Singapore. Later camps were established in places like Rangoon and Bangkok.

Impact of Indian National Army

Indian National Army has had a significant impact on the freedom struggle of India. Some of the important contributions and impacts of INA are as follows:

1. Britishers had it clear, that they couldn’t depend on the trust and loyalty of Indian soldiers and grew suspicious of them.
2. Soldiers from all communities of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs fought together as Indians, doing away with divisions and differences of any kind.
3. Women’s forces were put forward with the coming of the Rani Jhansi Brigade, which was an exclusive women’s force.
4. It demonstrated the unity and concerns of Indians from abroad about the independence and freedom of their motherland.

Role of INA in Freedom Struggle

• The Indian National Army has helped to bring forward the youths of India and inspired them when ideas on their activities and also motivations were released to the general public.
• INA has impacted many facts of Southeast Asian history which includes Lakshmi Sahgal, Janaki Athinahappan, and so forth.
• Feelings of patriotism and of love for the nation were generated within the masses by the INA.
• INA has positively impacted the culture and society of India in many ways and helped to forge a community of harmony and a desire for independence.

Indian National Army after World War II

The surviving members of the INA were tried by the British government for treason and the trials took place at Red Fort. The public humiliation of the INA members backfired on the Britishers, as it started a new wave of nationalism, unseen previously in the national movement. The population of India was attracted to the soldiers as freedom fighters, rather than seeing them as negatives. There was mutiny with the British Indian Army, the most important being Royal Indian Navy. With this British realized, they were losing control of the basic pillar of their existence in India, the Indian army. At the same time, the Quit India movement began and the process of independence was accelerated which was the main aim of the INA.

How did INA collapse?

Logistics was very bad in shape there. There was no ammunition and food left with the army. Eventually, the Britishers conducted a series of  Air raids on all the occupied areas. Japan withdrew its forces in Imphal and INA lost the battle. The combined forces of INA and Japan had to retreat and they had to escape from the Indian National Front. In August 1945 it was aired that Netaji died in a Plane Crash. On September  2nd, 1945, World War 2 ended with the allied powers, i.e. Britain and America. With that, all the 16000 Pow were recaptured by Japan. Thus INA failed to achieve its ultimate objective which was Independence.

Conclusion

Indian National Army, although wasn’t able to secure the whole of the Indian territories, it did play an important part in the Indian struggle for freedom. Some steps taken by the British, like the Red fort trials, helped to ignite feelings of nationalism among the masses, and INA is remembered as one of the most important steps in the freedom struggle of India.

FAQs on Indian National Army

Question 1: Who is the founder of the Indian National Army?

Answer:

Indian National Army was first formed on 17th February in 1942 by Mohan Singh in Singapore.

Question 2: Who is the leader of the second INA?

Answer:

Subhas Chandra Bose

Question 3: Which country helped and supported the INA?

Answer:

Japan helped and supported INA in the Indian struggle for independence.

Question 4: What name was given to Andaman Nicobar Islands?

Answer:

Names of “Shaheed” and “Swarajya” was given to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Question 5: Why did the Indian soldiers join the INA?

Answer:

The Indian soldiers were motivated by Subhas Chandra Bose to join and fight against the British empire.