An Independent India and the 2nd world war

fastmongrel

If a manpower starved Britain had offered independence to India in exchange for defeat of Germany in WWI.

What would have happened in WWII would India have declared war against Germany in 1939 and sent its troops to fight in North Africa. More importantly would they have declared war against Japan in 1941 when Japan invaded Malaya and Burma.

If Japan had signed a treaty with India. Japan would have been able to pull most of its troops out of the region and maybe carried on and succesfully invaded New Guinea and then Australia.

Without bases in India there is no way Britain could have retaken Burma and Malaya and a British fleet would not have been able to operate in the eastern Indian ocean.

What would have been the effects on the Pacific war without US bases in Australia and with Japan having untroubled access to oil reseves in Burma and the Dutch East Indies
 

Flocculencio

Donor
Taking the POD as read, it still depends on so many factors. Has Hitler been courting India? Have the Japanese? How are Anglo-Indian relations? Is it an independent republic or a Commonwealth Realm? What are India's internal politics like?

Also, what's been going on in the East Indies? Remember, with India gone, Malaya and the Straits Settlements would be the most profitable remaining colonies in the British Empire- unlike the money drains that were the African colonies, Malaya was actually worth something. Now, without India, you might actually see a lot more emphasis on the defence of Malaya since there's no comforting Indian Empire there to theoretically help protect the Indies. Even IOTL the Japanese could have been turned back- Percival's surrender was the result of a masterful bluff on Yamashita's part. ITTL with more defences in Malaya, the Japanese would have to tweak their plans.
 

Seldrin

Banned
Successfully invade Australia...
Successfully? Maybe this should be in ASB, ever heard of the Brisbane line, that was a line to fall back to and defend if the japs came calling, basically it gives them the shitty desert while we get the pre positioned defences.
They could invade to a point, but never completely, and never completely successfully.
 

Flocculencio

Donor
Seldrin said:
Successfully invade Australia...
Successfully? Maybe this should be in ASB, ever heard of the Brisbane line, that was a line to fall back to and defend if the japs came calling, basically it gives them the shitty desert while we get the pre positioned defences.
They could invade to a point, but never completely, and never completely successfully.
Click to expand...

This is true. Unless you posit a scenario where the IJA has no other fronts to fight on, there's no way they can take Australia. They can take Darwin, but, frankly, who really cares about Darwin? :D
 

fastmongrel

Seldrin said:
Successfully invade Australia...
Successfully? Maybe this should be in ASB, ever heard of the Brisbane line, that was a line to fall back to and defend if the japs came calling, basically it gives them the shitty desert while we get the pre positioned defences.
They could invade to a point, but never completely, and never completely successfully.
Click to expand...

My idea is that without Indian forces Australian troops would have to fill the gaps in North Africa leaving even fewer troops for home defence

I always thought that the Brisbane line was a load of party political bull that never existed in real life. Why would the japanese invade Darwin I went there once and it was shut :)

Seriously with a large navy and a well trained amphibious force the Japanese could have invaded pretty much anywhere on the east coast the problem with fixed defence or stop lines is that they are fixed and a attacker can go round the side Maginot line anyone.
 

DuQuense

With out a little more info about the India post independence map. Burma??? Pakistan???? Goa??? Pondicherry????? Princely Kingdoms ????????????
Then there is the post independence Politics of India, Kingdom??, Republic ??, Dominion??, Commonwealth?? ................ ........

My guess is that it would be a Dominion, and member of the Commonwealth. Pakistan and Burma, would have split off,
 

philjd

Post WW1 there is little chance of Pakistan/Bangladesh breaking away from India as we know it - it was not until the religious politics truly developed between the wars during the movement towards independence that they grew apart.

Burma is a different matter - although part of 'India' the Burmese wanted no part of it. So they are most likely to remain as part of the Empire - either that or the Indian's have their own political problems going forwards with Burmese separatists!
 

Tyr

By the sounds of the scenario this is a very Britain friendly India (giving them independance to make them happy to join up to defend nice freedom loving Britain) so it'd help...
But of course butterflies would utterly alter the way the war looks
 

Ak-84

Banned
fastmongrel said:
If a manpower starved Britain had offered independence to India in exchange for defeat of Germany in WWI.

What would have happened in WWII would India have declared war against Germany in 1939 and sent its troops to fight in North Africa. More importantly would they have declared war against Japan in 1941 when Japan invaded Malaya and Burma.

If Japan had signed a treaty with India. Japan would have been able to pull most of its troops out of the region and maybe carried on and succesfully invaded New Guinea and then Australia.

Without bases in India there is no way Britain could have retaken Burma and Malaya and a British fleet would not have been able to operate in the eastern Indian ocean.

What would have been the effects on the Pacific war without US bases in Australia and with Japan having untroubled access to oil reseves in Burma and the Dutch East Indies
Click to expand...

The British did that in OTL. Promised a dominion.

Pakistan type senario impossible until 1936 and unlikely before 1945 assuming everything else is as in OTL.
 
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