FORGOTTEN INDIAN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR I A large number of Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, especially in the Middle East and they are largely forgotten, writes Vedica Kant However, the most significant campaign of the war for Indian troops took place in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The Mesopotamia campaign started off as an entirely Indian Army operation. 588,717 Indians – i.e. nearly 40 per cent of all Indians who were involved in World War I – served in Mesopotamia, more than in any other single campaign during the war. In a parallel with Iraq’s more contemporary history, the decision to expand the conflict to Mesopotamia was driven by the desire for oil. The Government of India decided to deploy an expeditionary force in the region to protect its oil interests there. For a majority of Indians their experience of the war was not that of a bitter European winter but of the dramatic swings between extreme heat and dust and the chilly winters of the Arabian Desert. FOR MORE varnam.nationalinterest.in/2014/11/indian-history-carnival-81purnaiah-talleyrand-1857-indians-in-world-war-i/
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:45:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015