The Indian Army in World War I

This volume tells the story of India’s contribution to the Great War – a war that resulted in the decimation of ten million soldiers and twenty million civilians, the destruction of the youth of Europe and the Ottoman, Russian and Austrian dynasties and hastened the demise of the British and French empires, gave rise to Nazism, Fascism, Communism and is the progenitor of all the wars since then in Europe and the Middle East. India’s participation in this most destructive war had the support of Indian politicians of that time, because Britain gave a commitment that if India wanted ‘Dominion Status’ then it would need to take part in this war. Seven expeditionary forces were sent to fight on the battlefields of Europe, Asia and Africa. It is generally accepted that the first expeditionary force which was sent to Europe was largely responsible for stopping the German advance to Paris and the Channel ports.