Japanese Indian National Army

[IronDuke99]

All soldiers in the British Indian Raj were volunteers, if you did not want to fight, as an Indian, including in WWII, you did not have to. The Anglo-Indian Army of 1939-45 was the largest, all volunteer, army in the history of the world.

During WWII the Imperial Japanese raised what they called the 'Indian National Army' and what the the Anglo-Indian, Gurkha and African troops of the 14th Army always called the "Indian Traitor Army".

Almost all of these soldiers were raised from Indian troops captured in Malaya and early on in the Burma campaign, many of whom were newly raised, young and very inexperienced soldiers. The vast majority of them only joined the Japanese ranks to avoid starvation, over work and torture (the fate of any, and all, enemies captured by the Japanese in WWII). Most captured Indian's did not join, nor did just about any Gurkha soldiers.

In action the Japanese Indian National Army proved very largely ineffective, reluctant to kill former comrades and even more reluctant to die for the Imperial Japanese Empire...

Prior to the Army of the Anglo-Indian Raj there had never been an National Indian Army. This is why even today, many regiments of the Indian (and Pakistan) Army maintain many traditions from the days of Anglo-India...