Editing History of India (section)

==== World War II ====
{{Main|India in World War II}}
{{Gallery|align=center
|width=140|File:Monty, wavvel, auk.jpg|General [[Claude Auchinleck]] (right), Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, with the then [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy]] [[Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|Wavell]] (centre) and [[Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein|General Montgomery]] (left)
|File:Indian women training for air raid precautions (ARP) duties in Bombay, 1942. IND1492.jpg|Indian women training for [[Air Raid Precautions]] (ARP) duties in Bombay in 1942
|File:INDIAN TROOPS IN BURMA, 1944.jpg|Indian infantrymen of the [[7th Rajput Regiment]] about to go on patrol on the [[Arakan Campaign 1942–43|Arakan front]] in Burma, 1944
|File:VictoryWorldWar2BritishRaj.jpg|The stamp series "Victory" issued by the Government of British India to commemorate allied victory in World War II
}}

British India officially declared war on [[Nazi Germany]] in September 1939.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kux|first=Dennis|title=India and the United States: estranged democracies, 1941–1991|publisher=Diane Publishing|isbn=978-1-4289-8189-8|year=1992}}</ref> The British Raj, as part of the [[Allies of World War II|Allied Nations]], sent over two and a half million volunteer soldiers to fight under British command against the [[Axis powers]]. Additionally, several Princely States provided large donations to support the Allied campaign. India also provided the base for American operations in support of China in the [[China Burma India Theater|China Burma India Theatre]].

Indians fought throughout the world, including in the [[European theatre of World War II|European theatre against Germany]], [[North African Campaign|in North Africa against Germany and Italy]], against the Italians in [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East Africa]], in [[Syria-Lebanon Campaign|the Middle East]] against the [[Vichy French]], in the [[South-East Asian theatre of World War II|South Asian region defending India against the Japanese and fighting the Japanese in Burma]]. Indians also aided in liberating British colonies such as Singapore and Hong Kong after the Japanese surrender in August 1945. Over 87,000 soldiers from the subcontinent died in World War II.

The [[Indian National Congress]] denounced Nazi Germany but would not fight it or anyone else until India was independent. Congress launched the [[Quit India Movement]] in August 1942, refusing to co-operate in any way with the government until independence was granted. The government immediately arrested over 60,000 national and local Congress leaders. The [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] rejected the Quit India movement and worked closely with the Raj authorities.

[[Subhas Chandra Bose]] (also called ''Netaji'') broke with Congress and tried to form a military alliance with Germany or Japan to gain independence. The Germans assisted Bose in the formation of the [[Indian Legion]];{{sfn|Müller|2009|p=55}} however, it was Japan that helped him revamp the [[Indian National Army]] (INA), after the [[First Indian National Army]] under [[Mohan Singh (general)|Mohan Singh]] was dissolved. The INA fought under Japanese direction, mostly in Burma.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fay|1993|p=viii}}</ref> Bose also headed the [[Provisional Government of Free India]] (or [[Azad Hind]]), a government-in-exile based in Singapore.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sarkar|1989|p=410}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bandyopadhyay|2004|p=426}}</ref>

By 1942, neighbouring [[Myanmar|Burma]] was invaded by Japan, which by then had already captured the Indian territory of [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]. Japan gave nominal control of the islands to the [[Provisional Government of Free India]] on 21 October 1943, and in the following March, the Indian National Army with the help of Japan crossed into India and advanced as far as [[Kohima]] in [[Nagaland]]. This advance on the mainland of the Indian subcontinent reached its farthest point on Indian territory, retreating from the [[Battle of Kohima]] in June and from [[Battle of Imphal|that of Imphal]] on 3 July 1944.

The region of Bengal in British India [[Bengal famine of 1943|suffered a devastating famine during 1940–1943]]. An estimated 2.1–3 million died from the famine, frequently characterised as "man-made",<ref>{{harvnb|Arnold|1991|pp=97–98}}</ref> with most sources asserting that wartime [[Colonization|colonial]] policies exacerbated the crisis.<ref>{{harvtxt|Devereux|2000|p=6}}</ref>