| The Japanese hemmed in by lack of raw material and | | | | The INA made up of captured Indian POWs soon |
| resources decided to launch an invasion of South | | | | got into action along with the Imperial army. They |
| East Asia. The initial Japanese Army offensive was a | | | | moved along with the Japanese army across Burma |
| huge success and parts of China, Indo-China and | | | | into the gates of India. There are romantic ideas and |
| Singapore were easily taken by the Japanese Imperial | | | | notions of the performance of the INA during this |
| Army. The British unable to transfer resources to the | | | | phase of the war i. e. conquest of Burma and the |
| Far east, besieged as they were by the Germans in | | | | role of the INA. |
| Europe were no match and capitulated easily. | | | | However it must be remembered that the INA was |
| Facing the Imperial Army were remnants of some | | | | never fully equipped by the Japanese and it just |
| British troops and elements of the Indian Army. With | | | | followed the Imperial Army. Their performance and |
| a paucity of equipment and faced with a ruthless | | | | effect on any battle was minimal and romantic |
| enemy, the British and Indian soldiers surrendered in | | | | notions aside, one can safely say that the INA never |
| fair numbers. At that time some Indian leaders who | | | | lived up to its expectations. In addition the numbers |
| dreamed of Indian Independence from the British, | | | | of the INA were few as a vast majority of soldiers |
| suggested that Indian POWs captured by the | | | | taken as POWs refused to join the Japanese. |
| Japanese army be Incorporated as a separate group | | | | The siege at Imphal where the British Indian Army |
| to fight along with the Imperial army. | | | | held out against the Imperial army is a case in point. |
| The captured POW were thus offered an incentive | | | | The INA failed in its efforts to breach the British |
| to join what was known as the 'Indian National Army' | | | | Indian Army lines and despite all sorts of propaganda |
| or 'Azad Hind Fauj'. It is a fact of history that the | | | | failed to engineer defections among Indian soldiers as |
| defection to the INA was minimal and the vast | | | | well. In short the performance of the INA was |
| majority of Indian soldiers remained loyal to the | | | | minimal and their effect on the war of not much |
| crown. General Mohan Singh was the first | | | | significance. |
| commander of the INA, but he had differences with | | | | Romantic notions are difficult to dispel and thus the |
| the Japanese who removed him him from command | | | | legend that that the INA made a significant |
| and also imprisoned him. | | | | contribution to the war effort is propagated by quite |
| In such a scenario the Charismatic Indian leader | | | | a few people. But the facts speak otherwise. The |
| Subhas Bose landed from Germany in 1943 and | | | | INA's contribution to Indian Independence and its |
| assumed command of the INA. He formulated a war | | | | effect on the battlefield was way below |
| cry 'Delhi Chalo'- Go to Delhi, in a bid to galvanize the | | | | expectations. History will record only a footnote to |
| Indians. | | | | the INA by historians. That is the sad truth. |