Adler69
Master sergeant 
Legio Patria Nostra
Posts: 2,859
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Post by Adler69 on Jan 20, 2009 1:28:47 GMT -5
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Post by Ripper on Jan 20, 2009 12:10:59 GMT -5
I just saw a History Channel show about the Indian paratroop unit that the Germans trained, equipped and deployed into the middle eastern combat area. They were all rabidly anti-British and were supposed to be the vanguard of an army being raised to link up German and Japanese forces between Southern Russia and Burma. Other than the initial succesful deployment of the paratroops none of the rest happened.
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Ungar
Private
Blut und Ehre
Posts: 227
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Post by Ungar on Jan 20, 2009 16:42:48 GMT -5
were supposed to be the vanguard of an army being raised to link up German and Japanese forces between Southern Russia and Burma. Other than the initial succesful deployment of the paratroops none of the rest happened. Wow! Thats wild! Can you give me resources that state that huge world domination view. My friend, I don't want to argue or anything, and my respect is yours. But whoever told you that is a lunatic. |
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mccallion
Private 1st Class
Official Road Sign Reader (retired)
Posts: 770
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Post by mccallion on Jan 20, 2009 17:36:25 GMT -5
kewl picures its intresting to see them wearing like dak boots
mccallion
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Adler69
Master sergeant
Legio Patria Nostra
Posts: 2,859
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Post by Adler69 on Jan 20, 2009 20:44:38 GMT -5
were supposed to be the vanguard of an army being raised to link up German and Japanese forces between Southern Russia and Burma. Other than the initial succesful deployment of the paratroops none of the rest happened. Wow! Thats wild! Can you give me resources that state that huge world domination view. My friend, I don't want to argue or anything, and my respect is yours. But whoever told you that is a lunatic. I think you should read up on the Indian Legion before you call people names. There was a plan to have the Indian Legion be the spearhead for a German offensive that would result in the link up between German and Japanese forces in Burma. The Indian Legion was the brain child of the Abwehr (Wehrmacht Military Intelligence) and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who was a lawyer from Calcutta and an ex-president of the Indian National Congress who was a major rival to Mahatma Gandhi for the popular leadership of the movement to end British rule in India. Unlike Gandhi, however, Bose was a not averse to the use of violence in the achievement of Indian independence. Using the old adage that "my enemy's enemy is my friend", Bose saw war between Britain and Germany as an opportunity to advance the cause of India's independence from the British Empire. The Germans promised Bose that if he helped raise an army of Indian Volunteers from POWs , they would train and arm that army and help them overthrow the British forces in India , and make Bose Prime Minister of India. They wear DAK boots because the soldiers in the pics where ex POWs taken in Africa , and they also happen to be in Tunisia ;D |
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jaeger
Private 1st Class
Posts: 478
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Post by jaeger on Jan 20, 2009 21:45:33 GMT -5
For anyone interested, a good book I got on this this topic and others is "Hitler's Renegades." It isn't very expensive and it does a very nice job of covering not only the Indian forces, but almost all foreign units fighting for the Germans during WWII. Anything from the British to the Russian Nationals are covered. Plenty of interesting pictures too!
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Adler69
Master sergeant
Legio Patria Nostra
Posts: 2,859
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Post by Adler69 on Jan 20, 2009 22:24:06 GMT -5
Another good book is
Forgotten Legions: Obscure Combat Formations of the Waffen-SS
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Post by Ripper on Jan 21, 2009 8:28:04 GMT -5
"Can you give me resources that state that huge world domination view. My friend, I don't want to argue or anything, and my respect is yours. But whoever told you that is a lunatic." You can read it for yourself. There is so much more to WWII history than the heavily sanitized (censored) schoolbooks ever dared to portray. Especialy in the West. Enjoy: www.feldgrau.com/azadhind.html |
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Post by ssgjoe on Jan 28, 2014 0:00:49 GMT -5
I remember Hitler raving to Hinmler about the SS Indian units. They never saw action.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 30, 2014 14:49:14 GMT -5
Conscripts from captive soldiers is certainly nothing new in warfare. There were lots of unhappy campers fighting for all sides in the conflict and many switched allegiances as a means of passion, convenience and survival. The first enemy POWs to surrender at Normandy were reportedly Koreans who had supposedly been captured by the Japanese, recaptured by the Russians, recaptured by the Germans and conscrited to fight on the western front.
The anti British Sentiment in India was quite strong and could easily be capitalized upon. Anti anglo sentiment in Ireland garnered some alliances as well.
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Post by ssgjoe on Jan 30, 2014 18:47:17 GMT -5
General Vlasov anyone?
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Post by ssgjoe on Jan 30, 2014 18:47:50 GMT -5
Even though he's Russian.
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shiftysgarand
Corporal
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Posts: 1,165 
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Post by shiftysgarand on Jan 30, 2014 18:56:28 GMT -5
Soviet, not Russian  |
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Post by ssgjoe on Jan 30, 2014 19:27:04 GMT -5
Ah, my bad. Or Red, or Commy.
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Post by volkssturm on Jan 30, 2014 19:52:07 GMT -5
I believe that the idea that the Germans and Japanese planned to link up somewhere in India/the Middle East was widely believed by the general populace at the time. Just looking at a map it seems logical to someone who doesn't understand the logistical difficulties of doing it. AFAIK neither the Japanese nor the Germans had any real plans to attempt it, but they were interested in fomenting trouble in the British colonies. The Iraqis rose up against the British in 1941. The Germans sent supplies and some aircraft by way of the Balkans and Vichy French controlled Syria, but not enough to open a serious front. The British put down the rebellion and then, with the Free French, took over Syria.
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shiftysgarand
Corporal
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Post by shiftysgarand on Jan 30, 2014 19:56:24 GMT -5
Still, they creates an extremely interesting 'what-if' scenario. What if the Germans had met the Japanese in the Middle East? What if the Suez Canal had been cut off? What if the USSR was attacked along its entire southern border, as well as the west? The world today would be almost unrecognizable.
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Post by ssgjoe on Jan 30, 2014 20:27:02 GMT -5
That would have been scary. A but off topic, but have any of you heard of the Battle of Itter?
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Post by labrador on Feb 1, 2014 9:37:24 GMT -5
mid way through the schloss itter book. German renegades, 2 american tanks and a handful of GI's allied with austrian nationalist partisans secure a castle with french ex prime minister and other french notables (including a basque tennis star) and fight a desperate battle against SS troops surrounding them. AND IT"S ALL TRUE!
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Post by ssgjoe on Feb 1, 2014 15:24:06 GMT -5
Yeah. It has always interested me...yet I don't know as much as I'd like to about it. How is the book?
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Post by labrador on Feb 1, 2014 16:30:37 GMT -5
very good. couldn't put it down.
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Post by ssgjoe on Feb 1, 2014 18:41:02 GMT -5
I plan to read it at some point in time. A very interesting battle.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Feb 16, 2014 10:09:15 GMT -5
I think it would make a terrific movie. Every hollywood thematic element is there. Romance, drama, comedy and action and suspense. The only battle where US soldiers allied with German soldiers to fight together against the SS who were ordered to attack and kill off the recently liberated French prisoners along with their wives and mistresses. Fascinating story. Plenty of heroes from all nationalities to go around. Sometimes the true stories are the most incredible.
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Post by insterburger on Feb 16, 2014 12:20:09 GMT -5
There is a wide gulf between "plans" hatched as dreams or pie in the sky strategic theoreticals, and actual operational plans that are ready to be implemented on the ground. WWII is littered with the former, on both sides (pigeon-guided rockets, anyone?)
The only "lunatic" here was Adolf Hitler. For a teetotaler, he sure had a lot of Schnappsideen.
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Post by ssgjoe on Feb 16, 2014 14:31:18 GMT -5
Ah, Himmler was in some cases worse than Hitler. There were other bad people besides Hitler. Joseph Menegele anyone?
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shiftysgarand
Corporal
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Post by shiftysgarand on Feb 16, 2014 15:21:35 GMT -5
Not all Germans were evil, and not all evil people were German. Stalin killed many more people than Hitler.
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Post by ssgjoe on Feb 16, 2014 15:40:13 GMT -5
I am in complete agreement with you Shifty. Bolshevism is worse than nazism. Nazism is bad, but it's the lesser of the two evils. And most German soldiers were just people. There were some bad things done, but for the most part, the Wehrmacht, more specifically the Heer, was just a military unit. But them being so clean in war crimes is probably because the SS did all the dirty work.
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Post by insterburger on Feb 16, 2014 18:39:03 GMT -5
Debating whether Nazism or Stalinism was worse is like discussing whether you'd rather be thrown into a 10 ft. deep latrine or an 11 ft. deep one.
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Post by ssgjoe on Feb 16, 2014 21:19:39 GMT -5
I'm Murikan! Defender of democracy and justice! That's all you need to know. We should stop actually (I should stop more like) before this turns into a big extreme far left vs. far right political mess.
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Post by volkssturm on Feb 16, 2014 21:45:13 GMT -5
Yeah, there's no point to trying to decide which absolutely evil system was more evil. If you ant to be thoroughly disgusted with mankind, read "Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin."
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Post by ssgjoe on Feb 16, 2014 23:13:52 GMT -5
I have faith in mankind, love it, and have hope in humanity. But some people (like the two mentioned above) are different. But I am now silent about Stalin vs. Hitler.
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