Of the 67,000 Indians captured by the Japanese, mainly in the fall of Singapore in February 1942, up to 40,000 appear to have joined the INA, whether willingly or under duress. Former members of the INA were hailed as fighters for India's freedom. Those who rejected Japanese blandishments and remained loyal to their oath of service were regarded as dupes of the imperial power and have been disregarded by an independent India, which does not provide pensions to former members of the British Indian army. While several scholarly works explore the creation and outcome of the INA, much of the historiography of the INA is influenced by nationalist mystique, and especially by the legend of Subhas Chandra Bose.
Scholarly studies of the INA include Joyce Lebra's Jungle Alliance: Japan and the Indian National Army, (Singapore, 1971) and Hugh Toye's The Springing Tiger (London, 1959). Peter Ward Fay's The Forgotten Army: India's Armed Struggle for Independence 1942-1945 (Ann Arbor, 1993) is a passionate account based on unique individual sources and testimonies, but it is flawed in accepting INA mythology without question. Chandar Sundaram's article, "A Paper Tiger: The Indian National Army in Battle, 1944-1945", War & society, 13/ 1 (May 1995): 35-59, explores the INA's military contribution and concludes that Japanese suspicion impeded its effective use.
Indian POWs:
Overview text Longer text Readings Captured Indian units Indian National Army Indian POW mortality Indian POWs war crimes Jemadar Chint SinghClick images to enlarge.
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