British Indian Army
Also called: Indian Army under British rule · Topic: Colonial Economy: Land Revenue, Drain, Deindustrialisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The British Indian Army was the army of colonial India. Its soldiers were Indians, but British officers commanded it and it served British imperial interests. Men joined as volunteers, because there was no law forcing them to serve. It fought overseas in World War I and both abroad and on Indian soil in World War II. It matters for the exam because India's money paid for it: Indians were charged even for Britain's wars, which nationalists counted as part of the drain of wealth (India's wealth flowing out to Britain).
Example
In World War I (1914–18), undivided India sent 1.5 million men, mostly to fight in distant lands, and about 74,000 did not return. In World War II (1939–45), India raised the largest volunteer army of the war, 2.5 million soldiers. About 7,00,000 of them defended Indian territory after Japan invaded India in March 1944, and 87,000–89,000 were killed.
Don't confuse with
- Indian National Army (INA): led by Subhas Chandra Bose with Japanese help, it fought against the British. The British Indian Army fought for Britain.
- Princely state forces: the princely states sent significant troops of their own in both wars, alongside the British Indian Army, but these were the rulers' own forces and not part of it.