Why did Hitler meet with Subash Chandra Bose in 1942?
Upvote:0
Ease the pressure in North Africa and foment rebellion in India
Indian Legion, that fought for Germans in WW2, was mostly manned by Indian POW that were captured in North Africa. British Indian Army had 4th Indian Division there, with several brigades from 5th Indian Division and other formations. Having Bose, who was at that time one of prominent Indian leaders, second in prestige only to Gandhi (and perhaps not even to him) , on German side and calling Indian troops to switch sides was not insignificant. Due to the nature of North African theater, both sides could support only relatively small number of troops. Had the number of defections from Indian units increased, British would be forced to pull them back from front line. Keep in mind that Hitler met Bose in late May of 1942 (supposedly May 29, 1942), just as Battle of Gazala was unfolding. It was last major offensive effort for Axis in North Africa (and at first their biggest success). At that point of time, any unreliability of Indian units could mean major defeat for British, defeat that would be hard to rectify latter.
Second, and more important strategic reason, was to try to organize rebellion in India. India was a jewel in crown of British Empire, and in time of war important source of raw materials. Hitler and Bose toyed about possible German penetration in Caucasus (Fall Blau was to begin shortly) and latter to Iran and further east. But realistically, only help could come from Japan. I took some time to arrange operation between two subs (German U-180 and Japanese I-29) that were to meet in the middle of the ocean and transfer Bose to Japanese control. Even before Bose arrived Japanese were trying to organize Indian National Army, but only after he took control in summer of 1943 they were able to achieve some success. In the end, INA arrived at scene too late (early 1944) and in insufficient numbers (around 50 000 men) to change something significantly in the outcome of war. At that point of time other Indian leaders were aware that Axis are losing the war (Italy already capitulated, Germany on the defensive, Japan losing in the Pacific) so they avoided calling Indians to rise up against British rule . Therefore, INA remained limited both in men power and equipment (Japanese troops had precedent, and supply situation was already critical). Real fruits of Bose's work came only after his death, with trials against former INA members which actually helped pro-independence cause and created something of a legend from Bose and his men.
Upvote:2
As stated in the Wikipedia article, Hitler motive was to utilize anything/anybody that would assist him in his conflict with the British.
As the article suggests, when it became clear that trouble in India would better serve his ally Japan, he was sent to the Japanese.
This is a typical case of someone who was treated as a puppet, who was only used in the intrest of others.
More post
- 📝 Could medieval soldiers be organized into a Roman style legion order of battle?
- 📝 Execution at the scene of the crime under Australian law
- 📝 How common / uncommon was sword-vs-sword combat on ancient battlegrounds?
- 📝 Were there occasions when a sovereign country voluntarily joined another country?
- 📝 "More Frenchmen bore arms for the Axis than for the Allies during the Second World War"?
- 📝 Was Haile Selassie the world's only involuntary messiah?
- 📝 Are these Red Army uniforms authentic?
- 📝 Did the United States ever impose any trade embargoes on the basis of health related concerns?
- 📝 why were animals domesticated? (for meat and fur)
- 📝 Manichaeism almost becoming state religion of Roman Empire
- 📝 When did countries start developing military aircraft?
- 📝 What was the timetable for the arrival of the 100,000 man Japanese garrison at Rabaul?
- 📝 Why has Hainan been so little fought over?
- 📝 What did the ancient Eastern world think of the ancient Greeks?
- 📝 Can anyone help identify this, possibly Greek, type of uniform/dress?
- 📝 Did the historic events behind the film The Big Short happen under Glass Steagall?
- 📝 How successful (or not) was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 concerning employment discrimination?
- 📝 What was the actual value of tea destroyed during the Boston Tea Party?
- 📝 What was the Japanese or Axis motivation to drag US into the War?
- 📝 Why did the welfare state succeed in Bismarck's Germany but lagged in 20th-century Britain?
- 📝 Why did the island of Bali remain Hindu when most of the rest of Indonesia converted to Islam?
- 📝 What is the earliest mention of use of spyglass by seafarers?
- 📝 Did De Gaulle really say "I am France" (Je suis la France)?
- 📝 Did Japanese officers refuse to engage in kamikaze attacks?
- 📝 Surviving Tokugawa Family Members
- 📝 What access did people in the Warsaw pact countries have to Western television and radio?
- 📝 Government started within another government
- 📝 In the British Invasion of Greece, what happened to the British troops who were not captured?
- 📝 What is the history of the check mark / tick mark?
- 📝 Why did the start of the Roman consular year move?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why did Hitler meet with Subash Chandra Bose in 1942?
- 📝 Why did early attempts to transport milk to London by rail meet with 'much criticism'?
- 📝 Why did non-monarchic rule meet with so little success in ancient China?
- 📝 Why did Hitler split army group south for the 1942 summer offensive?
- 📝 Why did Hitler attack the Soviet Union when he was still busy fighting the United Kingdom?
- 📝 Why did Hitler not invade Sweden?
- 📝 Why did Hitler declare war on the USA?
- 📝 Why did Hitler not order the use of poison gas in combat?
- 📝 When and why did having long hair become associated with women, and short hair with men?
- 📝 Why did Chamberlain act to appease Hitler leading up to the outbreak of World War 2?
- 📝 Why did Italy abandon its alliance with Germany in WW1 and join the Allied side?
- 📝 Why did Peter the Great name Saint Petersburg, Russia with a foreign styled name?
- 📝 Why did Hitler not concentrate more on North Africa?
- 📝 Did Hitler really support Subhash Chandra Bose's cause and did he do anything to help Bose?
- 📝 Why did other German political parties disband so fast when Hitler was appointed chancellor?
- 📝 What did Hitler mean with the following statement about Franco?
- 📝 Why did Hitler send Manstein's army (and not some other) to Leningrad in the summer of 1942?
- 📝 Why did Germany decide not to restore the Hohenzollern dynasty to the throne of a German Empire after the defeat of Hitler in World War Two?
- 📝 Why did Russia inherit the USSR status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power?
- 📝 Why did Hitler not claim the German-majority areas of Schleswig?
- 📝 Why did the Germans build battle cruisers with a different profile than the British?
- 📝 Why did physicians recommend curing the "dancing plague" with more dancing?
- 📝 Why did Hitler treat the Slavs inconsistently?
- 📝 Why did Robert Walpole get painted with a crown on his right side?
- 📝 At the beginning of English Civil War, why did Parliament take a hard line with neutrals, thereby effectively helping Royalist recruitment?
- 📝 Why did General Billy Mitchell regard war with Japan as inevitable as early as 1912?
- 📝 Why did France make an alliance with the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont in the 1850's?
- 📝 Why did Fakhr-al-Din seek a treaty with Tuscany, of all places?
- 📝 Why did the maple leaf become associated with Canada?
- 📝 Why did Paul von Hindenburg wrongly call Adolf Hitler "Bohemian corporal"?