Dear SouthFront readers,
You know that SF is an independent platform that provides different points of view on current international issues. This article presents a valuable vision on the history of WWII, in particular the victories of the Indian 8th Army. Its soldiers fought valiantly in Europe and Africa, and their feat cannot be forgotten.
We invite you to express your point of view on this position in the comments.
On this, the 75th Anniversary of the Defeat of Fascism, a small commemoration of my Father’s contribution as a Radio Operator in the Indian 8th Army in North Africa during 1944.
The above picture is of my Father, who was a Radio Operator in the Indian 8th Army; slugging it out for the British Imperialists in a War that had nothing to do with him. He was among 4 Million Volunteers, (boys and girls); from British Occupied India, as the age for enlistment was 16 — (children by today’s standards as laid down by those very same Imperialists).
This is from either North Africa or the Palestinian Mandate, from about late 1944 to sometime between mid 1946. He was 18 in 1944. He signed up from the Bengal Engineers and was not a soldier per se, as within the 8th Indian Army, Radio Operators were considered Auxiliaries who held no rank but were an integral component of the Army.
He saw the final stages of the intense combat in Benghazi and Sirte, but, not Tobruk. He also, as luck would have it, was not sent into the ruthless slaughter that was the Italian Campaign but instead to the Palestinian Mandate from where he was eventually de-mobbed in 1946.
This is now the 75th Anniversary of the Defeat of Fascism in the Great War against Fascism, yet the very same British Imperialists and Fascists who instigated, funded and drove this War to its Final and Logical Conclusion, when 18 year old Kovalev, Goryachev from Ukraine and Ismailov from Dagestan raised the Red Flag on top of the Reichstag, does not even mention a single name of these 4 Million Volunteers; apart from referring to them with slurs such as “Wogs, Coons and Pakis”.
Don’t you find that odd but also refreshing in so many ways in its honesty. Why even mention these “Coloured” boys, just keep it “White and Tight” and just talk about yourselves and how heroic you were in the Home Guard, and, hope; that after 75 years all will be forgotten and Google will just re-write it all up but without all those Darkies and Commies, spoiling the soothing glow.
These images are being removed from the Web and History is being sublimely re-written. This picture is going to be difficult to trash in the bottomless pits of the Archive Index Machines, as it is a picture I have of my Father from his collection. He wanted my son, who is 20 years old, to know that not all Pakis were House Niggas but fought the best of the best and laid them to waste.
Was my Father a Buffalo Soldier? I don’t know, you will have to ask him. Good Luck in getting a Reply any time soon, as he passed away in 2008, but the picture remains. I do know, however, that this was a time when the United States Army fought with Segregated and Separate Forces for the enlisted African-American soldiers and the Europeans had strict protocols that no Colonial Darkie be allowed to kill a European even if they were the Mortal Enemy. This twisted and racist logic did NOT apply to the Indian Army, who slaughtered the Germans and Italians systematically.
The Indian 8th Army absolutely massacred Germans and Italians in North Africa; they took no prisoners. The 8th Army, which was heavy mechanised infantry and artillery columns had to move at speed across the vast and endless North African desert. Towards the middle of the conflict with the Afrika Corps, the White Guys with the Commonwealth and Dominion British gave up and; what with most of them either dying from the heat and thirst or being ensconced safely in a hole in the sand far from any contact, it was the Indians of British Occupied India that took over command of their disparate Indian troops and co-ordinated their own BattlePlans via the Indian Radio Operators.
British Occupied India was a separate Entity from the rest of the Fascist’s Empire, which was kept under Dominion Status.
This, at a time when the Germans were trying desperately, via Radio Propaganda, to get the Indian 8th Army to switch sides; for the ridiculous Azad Hind Fauj or Free Indian Army. Holding German and, especially Italian prisoners, meant feeding them and it also entailed slowing down the movements of these columns. The solution was easy. Induce them to escape and then exterminate them and write it up as an escape that had been neutralised. My Father held no opinion whatsoever. He didn’t even see them as Human but more as Worthless White Savages who happened to get caught. He would encode the message and transmit it. Complicit in a War Crime? I don’t know you need to ask him like I said. But a Crime in the middle of a War that is a Crime in itself? Tough Call.
Pontificate upon it in your Club over a Cold One. The Pakis did what they had to do and they enjoyed it. They fought the hardest Europeans on Europe’s own Turf and joyfully sent them on their way to Valhalla. The 8th Army Radio Operators were Catholic Goans from Karachi, Bengali Hindus (as my Father was) and Muslims from Bengal and Punjab. They were the absolute essential means of Communications. Their children, myself being one, are today called Pakis by these very same Imperialists and; (and get this bit very clear), every 2nd Generation British Asian, be they Indian or Pakistani is — Proud To Be A Paki and we wear it as a Badge of Honour.
In Italy; the 8th Army were the vanguard in taking Monte Cassino, a heroic feat that was totally their achievement and no one else’s and it was this event that basically ended the War as the 8th Army could then hold the Germans at bay along the Pennines, allowing the United States Army to initiate the D-Day Invasion and also give time to the Red Army to get to Berlin to have a little “heart-to-heart” with Hitler and his Boys and sort a few things out between themselves.
On the 75th Anniversary of the End of This Apocalypse, let not the efforts of my Father and his Comrades within the Indian 8th and 14th Army be forgotten. The memory of those 4 Million Volunteers from British Occupied India. A Generation that is dying out but whose Children Remember and not a Single London Paki is going to Bend the Knee for Anyone.
A Generation that today still holds the British Imperialist Fascists accountable and demands that they stop hiding behind their psychotic lies and the deceitful bombastic propaganda of their own imaginary fairy-tales.
The article was slightly edited and published by the information websites below. The printscreens are a screen-capture of when they were the top articles at that particular time.
Good article. Hurrah for the fighting Indian 8th army. Endless respect for the soldiers from all farms and fields across the world who defeated the fascists.
The USA did have segregation policies in place, which is sorry but true. However there was never a prohibition against a none white American soldier killing a German. I will offer one example only, although there are many. The 442d. The most decorated and fierce fighting unit US had in Europe: all Japanese Americans, recruited from detention camps in USA set up by order of that great Democrat FDR.
The USA has scars in its past but has made and continues to make strides towards inclusiveness amongst its very diverse demographic. Not an excuse for the past but a hope for the future.
The 442d regiment fought with honor and bravery in Italy. :) Some other info on the Indian military in WW2: “The British Indian Army fought in Ethiopia against the Italian Army, in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria against both the Italian and German Army, and, after the Italian surrender, against the German Army in Italy. However, the bulk of British Indian Army was committed to fighting the Japanese Army, first during the British defeats in Malaya and the retreat from Burma to the Indian border; later, after resting and refitting for the victorious advance back into Burma, as part of the largest British Empire army ever formed.”
442d Regimental Combat Team. “Today, the 442nd is remembered as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the US military. The unit, totaling about 18,000 men, over 4,000 Purple Hearts, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 560 Silver Star Medals, 21 Medals of Honor, and seven Presidential Unit Citations.” New Orleans WWII Museum.
Hard to see the relevance.
The mentioned soldiers from Pakistan and India was a part of the Brittish Empire and its far out to compare to make USA evil in this.
I was responding to the following quote in the article: “I do know, however, that this was a time when the United States Army fought with Segregated and Separate Forces for the enlisted African-American soldiers and the Europeans had strict protocols that no Colonial Darkie be allowed to kill a European even if they were the Mortal Enemy.” USA never had such prohibition, from Revolutionary War through Civil War to present.
Millions of Indians died saving the miserable racist Anglo twits from speaking Japanese. These cowardly racist ingrates do not even acknowledge the sacrifices of Indians and other colonial troops, and refuse to pay pensions. The Soviet ethnic,Algerian, Moroccan and African troops saved Europe from the Nazis.
The colonial armies were deployed in support of the empire’s strategic objectives but the four VC’s I mentioned performed their heroics, and two died doing so, in support of their fellows soldiers. Read the citations. They were eliminating immediate lethal threats to their comrades in arms. I believe this is always the case in such heroics. The hero is not motivated by love of the system that deployed him, but by love of his comrades.
Your either for the Commonwealth or swastika fascists,make up your mind,don’t let your fathers legacy end in vain,harden the fk up,don’t pretend cia/usas your saviour,atleast before cccp the uk were more reasonable compared to being owned and run by homosexual affiliate 4th reicht eh! What the fk is this traitor week? No lets clear the air where is the proof whom raised what flag in berlin? Link please! Remmember your father fought as the volunteer to serve the commonwealth he is a winner,what is wrong with you,come across as a cia/ukrop fake story teller,seens truth never contradicts,nor lies! Truth shant be mocked (God Save Our Gracious Queen) Get Thee Behind Me Satan,Jesus is lord: Make peace with your neighbours,share in the spolis,to hell with cia,eu-epp,imf,ecb,soros,corona!
Stay safe:
It was exact the same for WW1. It was people from the Indian brittish empire, which took the Osmans from Iraq as well as Egypt.
Theynalso contributed with two big trainsystems, all brittish yniforms and a lot of other stuff.
Those troops was parallel troops to the brittish from UK and in many ways beter educated. In the war they were just as well armed as the briitish.
And some might not know but India was not Indi, Pakistan, Burman and Shri Lanka. It also was several independent states. Those also contributed with a lot of not so well equipped soldiers but also a lot of money and supply.