Hindu World War Warriors
World War I[edit]
At the center of Delhi stands the India Gate, a First World War monument dedicated to the ‘dead of the Indian armies who fell in France and Flanders, Mesopotamia and Persia, East Africa and Gallipoli’ (Dr Santanu Das).
The Garwhal Rifles were stationed in France in the 1st World War.
The Anglo-Indian Division was stationed in Iraq at Kut-al-Amara near the Tigris River, a stronghold of the Turks. There they fought not only on land but also against the German-Turkish air force attacks. The Grenadier Regiment was also in Iraq in this war on the Mesopotamia of the Mesopotamian Campaign and the Siege of Kut.
The Jats formed one of the largest ethnic group in the British Indian Army during World War I.[1] A large number of them were recruited in the British Indian Army during World War I.
The Rajputs were recruited into the British Indian Army as soon as the 19th century. They were a significant force from India to fight the war.[2]
In addition to the previous places mentioned, the British Indian Army also served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
World War II[edit]
- The British Indian Army in the following list of operations
Middle East Theatre of World War II; East African campaign, Anglo-Iraqi War, Syria-Lebanon campaign, Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
North African campaign; Operation Compass, Operation Crusader, First Battle of El Alamein, Second Battle of El Alamein
Battle of Malaya
Battle of Singapore
Burma Campaign; Battle of Kohima, Battle of Imphal
Italian campaign; Battle of Monte Cassino
Hindus such as the Rajputs, Jats, Gorkhas, Marathas and others have fought against the 'Axis' enemies, mainly of Nazi Germany.
Most Hindu soldiers are Gorkhas, and engraved on their graves in Sanskrit are the words, Om Bhagwattee Nammo. Rest of the particulars are the same.[1]
That of Gajraj Singh, Plot 3 reads "The following Hindu soldier of the Indian Army is honoured here....".[2]
The Janjua Rajputs took part in the fighting in both World Wars.
The regiments were Jat Regiment, Rajputana Rifles, Gorkha and others.
Honorary heroes[edit]
- Kamal Ram
Kamal Ram was born in Bholupura village, Rajasthan, India. He served in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment. On 12th May 1944, on the Gustav line in Italy, the advance of Sepoy Ram’s company was halted by four enemy machine gun posts. The Company Commander requested a volunteer to silence one of them. Sepoy Ram volunteered and successfully captured the post after killing the crew. He succeeded in capturing another on his own and a third with the help of a Havildar. As a result of his bravery Sepoy Ram was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George VI in Italy on 26th July 1944. Naik Babu Raju, a Hindu from Madras, gained the Military Medal for tending wounded in the open with utmost contempt for danger. These instances of gallant behaviour by Britons and Indians of diverse creeds are illustrative of the spirit of all ranks of the Indian Medical Services
- Naik Babu Raju
Naik Babu Raju, a Hindu from Madras, gained the Military Medal for tending wounded in the open with utmost contempt for danger. These instances of gallant behaviour by Britons and Indians of diverse creeds are illustrative of the spirit of all ranks of the Indian Medical Services
- Yeshwant Ghadge
July 10, 1944. 5th Maratha Regiment's Yeshwant Ghadge, all of 22, was caught in a mortal combat in the Upper Tiber Valley of Italy. Except for his commander, his platoon had been wiped out by enemy machine-gunners. With no alternative left, Ghadge rushed the machine gun nest, lobbing grenades, knocking off the gun and the gunner. He charged, shot another enemy. With no time to change his magazine, Ghadge clubbed to death two remaining enemy gunners. Ghadge finally fell to an enemy sniper.