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Colonial troops are often forgotten
Keystone Features/Getty Images
When talking about the Allies of WWII, the so-called Big Three are often mentioned: Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. But
while this trio of nations did put considerable effort into defeating
the Axis powers, they were not the only ones involved in the fight.
Across the globe, people from what were then colonies of Britain also
served, and in fact had been serving in multiple wars over the years.
Divisions of Indian soldiers were stationed in North Africa, Italy,
Greece, and Java, among many other places. Of an estimated 2.5 million
troops, more than 36,000 Indians were estimated to have been killed or
missing in action during the war. Many more were part of the overall war
effort as India provided vital supplies and served as a strategic
military base of operation.
A
But where are the monuments and lesson plans dedicated to these
soldiers? Commemoration of their work is pretty scattered and has been
marred by colonialist attitudes that treated them as lesser-class
citizens. For instance, many commanding officers of these companies were European or American, regardless of how skilled or decorated the people
ranked beneath them were. They were also paid less and weren't
necessarily consulted when the British Empire wanted to pull resources
from colonies into the conflict. Still, this widespread participation
empowered many independence movements, as when Indian independence
activists including Gandhi began agitating for separation (though Gandhi
and others had begun organizing for independence decades earlier).
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