da Subhash Chandra Bose ein indischer freiheitskaempfer und freund des hitlers ,diedeutschen um hilfe bat
in der ss waren nicht nur tuerken sondern auch inder,inLamsdorf deutschland wurden dann indische ss truppen trainiert um gegen die engleader zukampfen,hier auf english:
Netaji In Germany During WW II
When Subhashhad first gone to Germany he had not thought about making an army to fight the British(It's a bit debatable).
According to N.G. Ganpuley, who was his associate inBerlin, the idea of having an Indian legion crossed his mind by a simple incident. Heread one day about some half a dozen Indian prisoners-of-war who were brought to Berlinby the Radio Department to listen to the BBC and other stations which sent out theirprogrammes in Hindustani. He saw them there going about, not as free Indians, but asprisoners-of-war. They were brought to the Radio Office every day to listen to andtranslate the Hindustani programmes, and were sent back to their quarters escorted by asentry.
After he had a talk with them about war, about their captivity andtheir present life, his active mind started working on many possibilities. He ponderedover it for some time and decided to form a small national military unit. No sooner wasthis decision taken by him that he started negotiating with that section of the GermanForeign Office with which he was in constant touch. He put before them his plans fortraining Indian youths from the prisoners' camps for a national militia.
Although somewhat skeptical and hesitant at the beginning, the German response to theplans was encouraging. It was a time psychologically well-chosen by Netaji. The alliedforces had been defeated in Europe, and the Wehrmacht was marching ahead successfully inthe Soviet Union. It was also a historical coincidence that a large number of BritishIndian prisoners-of war, captured during Rommel's blitzkrieg in North Africa, lay inGerman hands.
Netaji's first idea was to form small parachute parties to spreadpropaganda in, and transmit intelligence from, the North-West Frontier in India. Thereaction of some selected prisoners who were brought to Berlin from the camp of Lamsdorfin Germany and Cyrenaica .
In this regard Hugh Toye writes "When Bose himselfvisited the camp in December there was still marked hostility. His speech wasinterrupted, and much of what he had to say went unheard. But private interviews weremore encouraging; the men's questions showed interest -- what rank would they receive?What credit would be given for Indian Army seniority? How would the Legionary stand inrelation to the German soldier? Bose refused to bargain, and some who might have beeninfluential recruits were turned away. On the other hand, many of the men paid him homageas a distinguished Indian, several professed themselves ready to join the Legionunconditionally."
Netaji sought and got agreement from the Germans that theWehrmacht would train the Indians in the strictest military discipline, and they were tobe trained in all branches of infantry in using weapons and motorized units the same waya German formation is trained; the Indian legionaries were not to be mixed up with any ofthe German formations; that they were not to be sent to any front other than in India forfighting against the British, but would be allowed to fight in self-defense at any otherplace if surprised by any enemy formation; that in all other respects the Legion memberswould enjoy the same facilities and amenities regarding pay, clothing, food, leave, etc.,as a German unit.
By December 1941 all arrangements were complete and the nextimportant task was to persuade men to come forward and form the nucleus. It appeared thatthe POWs needed to be convinced that there were civilian Indian youth as well, studying,well placed in life and responsible to their families at home, who were ready to give upeverything to join the Legion. Ten of the forty young Indians then residing in Berlincame forward. They were quickly joined by five POWs who were already in Berlin inconnection with the German radio propaganda, and the first group of fifteen people wasthus formed.
On 25th December 1941 a meeting of Indian residents in Berlin wascalled in the office of the Free India Center, to give a send-off to the first fifteenwho were to leave the following day for Frankenburg, the first training camp andheadquarters for the Legion. The brief ceremony was simple and solemn. Netaji blessed theLegion, the first of its kind in the history of the struggle for Indian independence. Hechristened it Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army). The Indian Army of Liberation in theWest thus had a humble and modest birth
quelle:
http://netaji.netfirms.com/index.htm (Archiv-Version vom 22.10.2006)
