The Military Involvement of the Indian Army in World War I (1914–1918)

Authors:

Pages: 122-137

Abstract:

Colonial countries took an important part in World War I by aiding their metropolises with raw materials, essential products, military supplies and mostly with their own armies. By the end of the war the British Empire possessed the biggest colonial army. The Indian armed forces constituted a significant part of it. They were composed of Indian soldiers but were commanded mainly by British officers.At the time of the Great War the Indian army supported the Allies and took part in the Mesopotamian Campaign, the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, the East African Campaign and on the Western Front. During these campaigns a number of weaknesses in it became evident. Some of the flaws were the result of the reforms that were implemented in the years prior to the war and others stemmed from the nature of the war itself. The first post-war changes in the army were directed towards transforming the structure of the High Command. The colonial forces were assigned a more universal role; they had to merge into one of the three newly created army units – field army, defensive troops or internal security.

Keywords:

the Allies, the Central Powers, World War I, the British Empire, Indian National Congress, dominion, Mesopotamian campaign, the East African Campaign, indianization.

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