The Indian National Army was formed by Subash Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist committed to the violent overthrow of the British in India. The one-time Indian National Congress president had sought the military assistance of the Axis powers.

He met Hitler in May 1942 and was offered 3,000 captured Indian troops to form the Free Indian Legion. He later travelled to Indonesia to rendezvous with Japanese forces in Sumatra, then moved on to Singapore to lead the Indian National Army which was formed of British Indian troops.

The Japanese saw an ally in Bose. He would go on to lead a military campaign in north-east India in 1944 which ultimately failed. The INA failed militarily but their exploits were hailed by an Indian public that were growing increasingly restless with British rule, particularly after the INC launched the Quit India movement.

Indian National Army troops in Rangoon, Burma, 1944

Source: 写真週報, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The trial of captured INA soldiers in India on charges of treason led to mass protests in support of the accused. The British authorities felt compelled to commute their death sentences due to fears of inciting mutiny.