Azad Hind & Subhas Chandra Bose

Foreign volunteers, collaboration and Axis Allies 1939-1945.

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fons
Member
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 9:26 am

Post by fons »

k98_man wrote:Yes, there are many accounts of hardcore Indian units fighting alongside units in the battle of Berlin.
I do hope this was meant cynical because besides some "rumours" about individuals there were no Indian "units" reported in that area.
If there were any it was a handful perhaps.
Sources are too vague on this imho.
sid guttridge wrote:Hi Fons,

All one can do is offer sources when asked. This I did. I am not in any way embarrassed that source was a radio show.

The "radio show" was a serious documentary, seriously researched on a serious radio station and shouldn't be knocked just because the medium is unfamiliar. The audio version of a book doesn't become less authoritative than the book itself just because it is transmitted over the radio.

Thank you for refining the facts by revealing that the men concerned were cadre personnel, not laison officers, and that one of them was the chief medic.

Can you tell us more about the fight you say they put up in France? I seem to recall that they were deployed somewhere in the west-centre of France and never came into contact with Allied regular forces.

Cheers,

Sid.





The fact you offer tha they were cadre ersonnel, not liaison offcers, reinforces my point. Tanks.
Hi Sid,
i have no problem with the fact that the information came from the radio show (i have heard that one as well, have it on cd in my files even), dont get me wrong on that.
I just found the way of presenting it a bit odd.

The only contact the main body of the legion had was in the South of France.
And like you said not with regular Allied troops (the last contact with Allied troops they had while in German service was when they were overrun by the Free French).
And all with the Maquis, nevertheless serious fights.

Everybody does seem to forget he 9th company was dispatched to Italy for a while.
They did see action against regular troops as i know.

greetings,
fons
sid guttridge
on "time out"
Posts: 8055
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 4:54 am

Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Fons,

Could you be more specific about the actions in France and Italy?

What exactly are you saying the Indian Legion actually did?

Cheers,

Si.
panzermahn
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Posts: 919
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2004 3:09 am
Location: Malaysia

Post by panzermahn »

sid guttridge wrote:Hi Fons,

Could you be more specific about the actions in France and Italy?

What exactly are you saying the Indian Legion actually did?

Cheers,

Si.
Hi Sid,

Fons is referring to a company of the Indian Legion that was sent to North Italy and was attached to the Polizei Regiment Bozen in March-April 1945.

However, from the small info I had, it seems that the Indian SS company was demobilized. I had a document (which I believed I sent to Fons) that had a partial list of Indian SS and Spanish SS men demobilized from the Polizei Regiment Bozen.

Regards
Panzermahn
fons
Member
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 9:26 am

Post by fons »

panzermahn wrote:
sid guttridge wrote:Hi Fons,

Could you be more specific about the actions in France and Italy?

What exactly are you saying the Indian Legion actually did?

Cheers,

Si.
Hi Sid,

Fons is referring to a company of the Indian Legion that was sent to North Italy and was attached to the Polizei Regiment Bozen in March-April 1945.

However, from the small info I had, it seems that the Indian SS company was demobilized. I had a document (which I believed I sent to Fons) that had a partial list of Indian SS and Spanish SS men demobilized from the Polizei Regiment Bozen.

Regards
Panzermahn
The only problem is that this 9th company is reported to have returned to the Legion around January '45
So i personally doubt any attachment to the Pol.Rgt. Bozen in March/April '45 is possible.
The 9th company was attached to a german infantry division in Italy on various assignments, among the last ones securing the rear area (Verona area)
This was just before returning to the Legion.

You call it a "SS company" but they were send to Italy as a Wehrmacht unit in the middle of May '44.
The formal transfer into the Waffen-SS was towards the end of October '44.
Do you think a 9th company, attached to a division in another country, was to be bothered with a transfer from the Wehrmacht into the Waffen-SS while the main body of the Legion only found out about this fact during their stay on the Heuberg training grounds? (early November '44!)
I personally don't think so.


The legion did see combat in France as well, though most with the Maquis.
There are enough reports of skirmishes with them, i also heard mentioning the contact with a American division.
Not quite clear which that one could have been though.
Will ask about that soon.

greetings,
fons
sid guttridge
on "time out"
Posts: 8055
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 4:54 am

Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Guys,

So, to recapitulate, at present on this thread we have reason to believe that the Indian Legion clashed with the French maquis and possibly with Italian partisans, but no information as to the impact of these actions or who initiated them.

Otherwise we have no firm evidence of any armed contact with any other foe.

Is this fair comment thus far?

Cheers,

Sid.
fons
Member
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 9:26 am

Post by fons »

Hi Sid,

there is no "reason to believe", they did...
There is one incident describing a Indian soldier fighting a american tank with a pak...don't know if these were american troops though.
I still have good contact with a veteran of the Legion, and will ask him about this later month when i visit him.

More later i hope,
fons
sid guttridge
on "time out"
Posts: 8055
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 4:54 am

Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Fons,

What is the source of this story?

I will be most interested if the story stands up. It sounds improbable, so please be sure to ask for the full when, where, how and who, and any independent corroborating evidence so that others can double check it in the future.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Sid.
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